Honda E Forum

Who is actively using BP's BP Pulse App?

I don't use it that often, mainly use it to Charge for Free at my local ASDA.
And this is my recent experience:-

I initially Signed up for the Free 3 month trial, and got an RFID card, which worked well. It woke up Polar Posts instantly, and Started a Charge, and similarly worked well to Stop Charge. By comparison the App takes much longer. It probably takes about a minute to Start or Stop a charge. Not long maybe, but noticeably longer than RFID.

BUT THE APP HAS BUGS.
Not fatal ones, just strange ones.
First, once you Start Charging, the App displays how long you have been charging for. But it seems that the default setting is 1hr from go i.e. it ADDS an Hour onto the Duration, despite clearly showing the time the charge started, and I assume it knows the Current Time & Date. But then when you Stop your Charge, it displays a screen showing Charge Duration, Cost etc. As you can see here, it has now decided to Cut an HOUR off the total duration time. One other detail, that I haven't shared on twitter with @bppulseuk is that on 2 recent Free Charges, no Connection Charge has been made. It used to be £1.20 per charge. Maybe they have decided to drop this charge? Having checked, it seems they have dropped the fee. And their rates have sharpened. 29p is cheaper than SWARCO, GeniePoint and much cheaper than InstaVolt.

Ah - the old hour disappearing/reappearing trick. Software is a funny thing alongside time zones that like to change their definition of themselves arbitrarily throughout the year. This might seem silly to miss, but development of the app may not haven taken place in this country, and things like this slip through.

Whilst I have never used the app, it would not surprise me if the bug disappeared for half of the year, and then returned again the other half...

Cannot comment on the standing charge fee etc - I have only charged once since getting my E.

Glad you've had some success with the RFID card and the old Polar posts; I've had *zero* success with the posts and the app (Android version) on the couple of occasions I've tried.

I did have a ticket in with their support on a few things - not least that you can't start the trial member ship via the Android app - but the response was pretty miserable and in the end, they just seemed to give up on bothering to help.

All charge points should be contactless, nice and simple just like filling an ice vehicle.

Number5 wrote: ↑Thu Aug 19, 2021 5:26 pm All charge points should be contactless, nice and simple just like filling an ice vehicle.

Be careful what you wish for. This is a common request, but....

The trend is towards installation lots of Rapid Chargers, which are relatively expensive to use, and only necessary for longer journeys, and people use them like an ICE Pump.

But I love to take advantage of any Free to Use Destination Fast charge points, and don't mind using an App for the privilege. Also the advantage of an App is that keeps a useful record of charging data. And networks like PodPoint, where you can start to charge immediately you plug in, at free posts, are World Class IMO.

So keep using the Fast Chargers, and encourage your Local Councils, and local businesses to keep rolling out, or maintaining these. They don't have to be Rapid to be useful, if you are planning to park up for an hour or two, it will keep you rolling for another 25-40 miles for free. EV driving is different, so re-think how you want to charge. If your car is sat somewhere idle, it may as well be plugged in. At some old Rolec posts, you simply plug in, and enjoy your destination.

I doubt they will be free much longer, but even if there was a reasonable charge cost, I would still be happy to Fast charge my car frequently, rather than Rapid charge it. I spend far less time at my car using Fast charge points compared to Rapids