From Stephen Trayner, Contract Operations Manager, ChargePlace Scotland.

Please accept my Festive greetings, and my hope that you’re well, and ready for the mountain of turkey ahead! 
 
My first expression of this message is to rightly acknowledge what has been a more frustrating period than we anticipated for many of you; we set a level of expectation both pre, and post migration, and have believed throughout that we could, and in many cases did, overcome the challenges that were clear to us. That being said, some of those challenges did prove more complex than we anticipated, or foresaw, and have subsequently caused some unwelcome difficulties for you at point of use. 

And while we have continued to move forward and solve many, I appreciate that there is, and can be, an impact on continued trust and faith resulting from these issues that arise.
 
It is down to me to accept that, learn from it, and ensure we fix and work to restore and maintain faith as we move into and through 2022.
 
What I am confident in is that we will continue to deliver improvement over time – predominantly down to what remains a passionate, committed team that has been quick to respond to issues and find solutions. Not only here at Dundee, but also through a wider support network responding to our needs and wants on a daily basis. As appetite continues to grow, it is vital we maintain that daily passion and ensure its aligned with a heightened responsiveness to demand that keeps you and the country moving smoothly.

 
The CPS Network has grown phenomenally in a short space of time; from 55 available units in 2013 to now over 2100 publicly accessible charge points and climbing a scant 8 years later, largely down to over £50 million of public investment. 

Overall Scotland continues to lead the way on electric vehicle charging infrastructure. The latest figures show that Scottish electric vehicle drivers benefit from almost 40 public charge points per one hundred thousand people, compared to fewer than 30 in England, just over 20 in Wales and less than 20 in Northern Ireland. It remains a very dynamic network requiring a wide range of daily activity in keeping all 32 local authorities, 300 plus commercial owners, and a range of suppliers all interconnected across events, and yet we now deliver the following-
 

  • 90% of faults are rectified in a matter of days (or minutes if we can resolve on the phone!), and in November that time was reduced considerably to 25.5 hours for full out of service faults. 

For those we cannot fix quickly, or remain an ongoing concern, we continue to liaise with the owners, installers, and Transport Scotland to discuss progression regularly.

  • Many faults are transient, and in many cases can be rectified without the need for physical intervention, through a soft reboot or pinging the CP to recommunicate with it on the mobile network.
  • We answer over 90% of the calls into us on a daily basis and generally respond to all other queries and emails within 24-48 hours.
  • Our Social Media channels are more responsive than ever; either responding to comments real-time, or directly interacting with customers through DM’s; and sharing industry & national news and updates regularly.
  • Our app, which is continuously being developed, has already delivered a decent experience for 90% of our community. We know this because you tell us, and the feedback received where it has been less than ideal, and the reviews that are  left, are crucial to its continued improvement.
  • We introduced web pay to offer a further option on a more ‘pay as you go’ basis across the wider network where contactless payment is not available as yet.

 
And we are excited to see that over the last month alone CPS membership has risen by a further 5000, and continues to grow on a daily basis.
 
I am however very conscious that an area where we have been hit and miss….with more emphasis on the latter unfortunately….has been in ensuring that regular communication and updates were being created for you. This is already something we plan to remedy wholeheartedly in 2022 and ensure that, as users and owners on the CPS network, you are kept as appraised of current events as possible.
 
I get it, and the team gets it – experience defines perception; and all of the above is academic if you are the driver out there on your second or third attempt to initiate or complete a successful session, or have to be somewhere at a specific time. This is why the most important aspect of our work next year is to listen; but not only to listen but to be able to respond, and to tell you how we are responding.
 
Thank you for your time, thank you for your support, and from all of us at CPS, we would like to wish each and every one of you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year
 
Stephen