Just been down to our local Waitrose(less than 2 miles away) thought I would try my Polar charging card for the first time. After waving the card over the arrows on the post the green light came on and asked me to lift the flap and connect the lead, which I did, then duly plugged into my Zoe yes the the dashboard said it was going through the various checks then the charging rings appeared with 1 hour 55 minutes followed by red lights and warning lights flashing ‘battery charge impossible’. Great, I moved the car over to the next charging post the warning lights came on straight away with ‘battery charge impossible’. My first experience a disaster how can this give us confidence to travel any distance? I was hoping to travel down to London in the Autumn but am not sure the 80 mile trip there would be worth risking. Still will complain to Polar and see what happens. Have never seen anyone using the charge points at our local Waitrose now I know why!

@timbo I am also getting mine on Sunday at 9am from the dealership.

I can’t believe Renault dealerships out there still have no charging facilities. I presume they concentrated on the larger dealerships first with the rest coming online soon.

Firstly, have you signed your battery agreement and ZE services contacts yet? I did mine a few days ago so I’m hoping for the techie server side stuff for R-Link and the ZE App to be active by the time I pick the car up. If you haven’t make sure you have talked to your dealer.

Second, I’d go over the car to ensure it is perfect. Look along the panels to see any signs of dents, scuffs and blemishes that may have been touched up. Light and reflection are your friends at this point. Valeting guys and body shop folk are worth their weight in gold hiding accidents or imperfections to get the cars out of the door. Check the alloys for damage and also the upholstery.

Third, ensure you have stuff like the SD Card, second key, matts, wipers, dust caps, any extras, all lights are working in and out.

Fourth, don’t sign for the car if you are unhappy. You will have far more power with a guy sitting waiting for a signature on the phone to the dealer than afterwards.

I hope that helps, I just got to remember my own advice now.

At last, i’m nearly there now. My Zoe has been with the dealer for about a week. As i’m away at the moment I’d arranged to collect on sunday 1 sept.

My dealer rang me yesterday to say that their charging point still hasn’t been installed yet(!) and as the battery only has about 40 miles worth of charge in it there might not be enough to get me home (also 40 miles).

The solution – the car is being delivered on a flatbed on sunday morning. Hopefully my newly installed charge point works well. The alternative would be a gentle roll down the hill to charge points in the nearby city.

Any tips on what to check out / look over when the car is delivered?

Just wondering is there anything that need to be signed for with regards the R link
We’ve signed for battery lease and car finance
It’s all new to dealer so thought people on here might know
Thanks

Easiest way to check is to time how long your Zoe takes to fully charge from a known charge state. For instance, it should be clear whether it charges from 50% to full in ~ 2 hours or ~ 4 hours.

I know the last 10% charge is slower and if the battery is very flat I believe there is a period of slower charging for safety but the last 10% will be the same on a 3.4kW and a 7kW charge so the only difference should be the speed of the main bulk charge.

Alternatively, if you have a smart meter for your electricity supply, you can see the before and during whole house usage rates. Just remember not to turn on the electric oven during the trial and give the Zoe ~ 5mins to ‘get comfortable’ with a full 7Kw charge (I think it ramps up when you first start charging, again for safety)

Today we set out for our first ambitious EV drive from Ashford, Kent to IKEA Croydon. The trip was 52.5 miles, and before leaving our fully-charged battery was estimating a range of 85 miles.

When we arrived we found ICE vehicles in 3 out of 4 charge bays, and that the chargers hadn’t actually been connected! I had an email from Ecotricity in May saying they were expecting it to go online in the first week of June, and muggins here didn’t check before setting out.

I called the emergency number on the side, and very nice chap politely pointed out in not-so-many-words that I was a bit of a berk for not checking first, and was an absolute star in trying to find a route for us. We could’ve gone through London to the IKEA Wembley fast-charger, but then that would’ve meant motorways all the way home for a 79 mile journey – optimistic!

The kind man from the emergency line found us a Zero Carbon World chargepoint 38 miles away, when we had a range of 41. I don’t have a ZCW card, so he’d even gone to the lengths of calling the hotel who owned the point and arranging for us to be able to charge for a fee (£10).

We just made it. 2 miles from the destination the range estimation was “— miles” and the warnings kept sounding. Thankfully when we arrived the charge point was in perfect working order, and the hotel staff said we were the first to ever use it. Stopped for a meal, and when we were done it was back up to 42% charge.

I’m quite relieved that I didn’t become a Jeremy Clarkson anecdote! I’ll be sure to check in advance before heading out on a long trip again. It’s a shame the Zoe’s satnav doesn’t make it easier to avoid fast roads.

I must join the EVDA and see if there’s any lobbying activity to register interest for charge points at businesses, and to nag the government to legislate against ICE vehicles in EV charge bays.

Yes, I agree. those things will come from the small battery. But as you suggest above, it will get recharged once you move again so there is an effect on range. It would be tiny though – I think only the aircon and lights have a significant cost.

Trevor I’m sure I’ve read that the Zoe also has a small car battery the is used to run everything else ie lights wipers
I think it my be the handbook.

For short periods of time it should make no difference. For a long period of time it is worth considering turning off since there will be a drain on the main battery from ancillary equipment such as aircon and lights (though if you’re not using those it will make little difference).

I do t think turning it off will make a difference
As things like lights wipers and radio will run off the normal car battery so shouldn’t use any off the main battery when waiting
Although not sure if this battery will take recharge when moving so kind of stealing recharge from the main battery