80X arriving: First things to do

[HugosDad]

Hi,

Car is arriving tomorrow, I’m completely new to EV…

What do I need to do first? downloads, apps, charge cards etc?

Looking to get home charger fitted, waiting for a sparky to do the work.

Planning to tie in with my smarthome set up as much as possible and leverage excess solar for charging (even in Scotland!)

Excited to start this journey!

[CrowSysE243]

The ZapMap app is a very useful way of finding most of the chargers available if you are not going to do all your charging at home. As you are in Scotland it is worth considering getting a freenChargePlace Scotland account. Some of their chargers are still free or low cost and there is good coverage, however most of them do not accept credit/debit card and are not accessible from multinetwork accounts like Skoda PowerPass. Some can be used via a web interface without an account, however some can only be used with an RFID card, which cost £10 when we got ours. I understand that Transport Scotland plans to have ChargePlace Scotland broken up late 2025 as part of a move to accelerate the introduction of new infrastructure so a card may not be useful in the long term but ours has already paid for itself. Skoda PowerPass and Octopus Electroverse free accounts and cards are worth having as backup for other charging networks. New rapid chargers accept contact less credit/debit cards but can be cheaper to use with some multinetwork accounts. Octopus Electroverse provides a discount on some chargers on any account and if you are an Octopus customer there can be further savings.

If you are going to be charging while away from home it can be worth having a mode 2 "granny" charger so that you can charge from a domestic 13A socket.

Congratulations on getting the Enyaq. We have only had ours for 4 weeks but find it a great car. We have had 1 EV for over 2 years but are now fully electric. We have found we prefer EV driving to using an ICE car so hardly used our Tiguan in the last year. Now we have the Enyaq it has taken over from the Kona as the one most used. It is more comfortable and offers so much more space and slightly better range than the Kona so far.

[HugosDad]

I love the car!

I got the MySkoda app and powerpass apps installed and showing me where the chargers are. Lots of the videos I saw recommended 'A better route planner' so shall check that out too.
I'll look in to ZapMap, thanks for the recommendation and we are Octopus customers, in fact I already have an Electroverse card, but there's not much coverage on their maps near me.

I'm waiting for the ChargePlace Scotland card to turn up, and with all that I should have charging covered.

I'd like a granny cable that can listen out for on/off instructions from HomeAssistant when excess solar is detected, I'm not sure how long it's going to take to get an EV charger installed at home. I need to look in to granny cables more closely and see if there are any smart grannies about!

Seem to be unable to get the ambient lighting to work, or the crystal face, but they're probably only on when it's dark. Will try again later.

So many options and settings to fiddle with. I love that the screen is configurable, I'd like to see what everyone has on their screens so may start a thread on that if there isn't one already.

Better get some work done...

Cheers for now

[snalbansed]

Check this thread out - it might be of interest.

viewtopic.php?t=1564

Personally I have the radio shortcut on the left so I can easily switch to radio when Android Auto is in use, Auto Hold, so I can quickly switch it off when in a tight manoeuvre and it keeps engaging, and Android Auto on the right so I can quickly return to it.

[KBEE]

Check this thread out - it might be of interest.

viewtopic.php?t=1564

Personally I have the radio shortcut on the left so I can easily switch to radio when Android Auto is in use, Auto Hold, so I can quickly switch it off when in a tight manoeuvre and it keeps engaging, and Android Auto on the right so I can quickly return to it.

I might be being thick, but how do I add new shortcuts to that Favourites area?

I’ve even tried reading the manual but it doesn’t seem to tell you how it’s done?!

[KBEE]

First things I did:

1. Download all the Apps for your phone. MySkoda, Zapmap and the relevant apps for chargers you will use most often, such as home and work. It took a little while for PodPoint to activate my home charger in the app, so worth having a go in advance if you can.

2. When you get the car, check all the features from any packs you ordered are present and correct. Also check for the ice scraper (glovebox), umbrella in the door, charging cable, puncture repair kit and pump in the boot. You’ll probably also have other odd bits of plastic for storage partitioning and so on.

3. Work out how to charge it! It’s not hard but if you’re a complete newbie (like I was), the first time involves a bit of standing around looking puzzled and hoping you plugged the cable in right.

4. Connect your phone to the infotainment system. Sync phone contacts or get CarPlay / Android Auto working.

5. Get things set up on the MySkoda App. You have to scan a QR code that the car will display, but it’s pretty easy otherwise.

6. Set up Favourites in the Sat Nav. If you’re adding Home as a location, it’s best to use just the postcode area, not your full address for security reasons (in case the car is stolen).

7. Go for a drive and enjoy!!

I’m less than a week in, so still learning. I’m definitely open to any other tips or advice!

[snalbansed]

Also check for the ice scraper (glovebox),

What's it doing in there? That slips into the rear hatch/boot lid!

I might be being thick, but how do I add new shortcuts to that Favourites area?

I’ve even tried reading the manual but it doesn’t seem to tell you how it’s done?!

Not being thick! It isn't obvious. It's a long press I think.

[snalbansed]

[snalbansed]

One thing that had me confused for ages was what action was required to lock the car (with the keyless option). I was trying to caress and squeeze but nothing was reliable.

I now know that as long as the key is close, any sort of push on the handle works. Doesn't need skin. So I take an unreasonable amount of joy in just pushing a handle with my hip and having the doors lock

[KBEE]

Thanks snalbansed.

I hadn’t spotted the ice scraper slot - it just arrived in the glovebox!

I can also confirm that the editing menu for Favourites is a long press as you say. Brilliant- I don’t think I’d ever have worked that out by myself.

I was probably lucky with the keyless entry / locking as it’s the same system as my previous VW. You touch the little indentation on the door handle to lock; grip (loosely) the whole handle to unlock. Another thing that really isn’t obvious unless someone tells you!