MOTORING

IONA FYFE, FOLK SINGER PORTSOY, ABERDEENSHIRE

HOW DOES CHARGING ELECTRIC VEHICLES

AT PUBLIC CHARGE POINTS WORK?

INTEREST in electric vehicles is rising rapidly. However, the idea of switching to an electric vehicle can be daunting, with all this talk of charging and ‘range anxiety’.

If you can charge your vehicle at home, ensuring you have a full

‘tank’ every time you leave the house, public charge points won’t be too much of a concern. But if you do a lot of long journeys, or you can’t charge at home, using public charge points will be a vital – if currently alien – prospect. Here’s what you need to know...

WHAT IS A PUBLIC CHARGE POINT?

A public charge point is the petrol station of the EV world where drivers can go to charge their vehicle. They’re usually located in convenient locations, such as motorway service stations, hotel car parks and supermarkets. They’re also on a few residential streets.

HOW DO I FIND ONE?

The best way is to use a site like Zap-Map (zap-map.com), which provides a map of pretty much every connector. If you have an account with a specific provider, it will almost certainly have an app that will show its own charge points.

HOW DO THEY WORK?

The process is similar to using the ‘pay at pump’ feature of a petrol station, though it can vary slightly between providers. You drive up to the charge point and follow the instructions on the screen to set up payment, then plug your vehicle in using the cable on site or using your own. It’s not always quite that simple. There are numerous providers, each with their own app. The vast majority should allow for contactless payment, but it’s usually cheaper if you sign up for an account and pay through this. Some services require a monthly subscription fee too.

HOW MUCH DOES IT COST?

Here’s where it can get complicated. Charging from home is the most cost-effective but when it comes to public charge points, it can vary depending on the provider and the speed of the charge. As an example, BP Pulse charges 12p per kWh to subscription members, with some charge points costing nothing at all – membership costs £7.85 per month, with the first three months free. However, if you ‘pay as you go’, there’s a minimum spend of £1.20 with prices starting at 18p per kWh. Plus, using a contactless payment method sees prices start at 25p per kWh with a minimum spend of £1.50.

ARE ALL CHARGERS COMPATIBLE WITH ALL CARS?

No, so you’ll have to make sure your car is compatible with the charge point. In truth, you’ll be unlucky if you head to a location you can’t use, but it’s worth noting. When searching on a site like Zap-Map, you can filter by connection type so it only shows relevant places.

WHICH PROVIDER IS BEST?

If you have a Tesla, great news, because the firm’s Supercharger network is consistently voted the best. However, drivers of non-Tesla models can’t use them. According to a survey by Zap-Map, which asked owners to rate 16 networks on reliability, ease of use, cost and facilities, Tesla scored 4.8 out of five in 2020. The rest of the top five was Instavolt (4.4), Osprey (4.1), Pod Point (3.7) and Swarco E.connect (3.6). The bottom five were Electric Highway/Ecotricity (2.0), Charge Your car (2.6), Source London (2.7), BP Pulse (2.9) and GeniePoint

(3.0).

WHY DO YOU GO THERE?

Growing up in Huntly, Aberdeenshire, a Sunday drive almost always involved a wee trip to the coast, whether it be Lossie, Cullen or my favourite, Portsoy. My dad and I would get butteries (or rowies) from the bakery and eat them down by the harbour. The streets are winding and narrow and the village is gorgeous to walk around.

HOW OFTEN DO YOU GO?

During my teens, I would pester my parents to drive me to Portsoy once a month to go to the folk club which met at The Salmon Bothy – one of my favourite intimate venues which overlooks the sea.

It’s probably the folk club with the best view oot the windae in Scotland. Now that I live in Glasgow I visit far less often, but it remains one of my favourite places to catch some fresh air and switch off.

HOW DID YOU DISCOVER IT?

My parents took me to the Scottish Traditional Boat Festival at Portsoy when I was wee and I think that was where I experienced live music for the first time. The midsummer event had live music and singarounds which fostered my love for traditional music.

The festival always had its mainstage built on the harbour. With good weather, you could watch the headline bands during sunset looking out to the sea with hundreds of boats bobbing about.

WHAT’S YOUR FAVOURITE MEMORY?

In 2015, I was working as an extra for the film Whisky Galore. I was invited to a shoot, which was the wedding of the principal characters. It was in the height of summer and we spent our evening ceilidh dancing and quite literally rubbing shoulders with actors like Eddie Izzard and Kevin Guthrie – 17-year-old me was starstruck.

WHO DO YOU TAKE?

Anyone who is willing. When I visit Huntly and meet up with school friends, one of our favourite activities is going for a wee jaunt in the car to Portsoy, never missing the opportunity to visit the award-winning

ice cream shop.

WHAT DO YOU TAKE?

Crocs. I love having a paddle at the sandy bit of the harbour, but I’m irrationally scared of being in the sea without something on my feet. No judgement, please.

WHAT DO YOU LEAVE BEHIND?

Emails, admin and responsibilities.

SUM IT UP IN FIVE WORDS.

Baltic. Scenic. Spacious. Bonnie. Quiet.

WHAT TRAVEL SPOT IS ON YOUR POST-LOCKDOWN WISH LIST?

Lake Como in Italy. In 2018, I did a solo show in the Como Silk Museum, so I scheduled a mini-break around the gig and spent time exploring Como and Milan.

I took the Brunate Funicular up the mountain and had a wee gin at the top. Unfortunately, nae spottings of George Clooney.

Iona Fyfe’s new single, The Wild Geese, is out now. Download or stream here: threads.lnk.to/ifgeese Visit ionafyfe.com