Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

This is the place for posts that don't fit into any other category.

Moderator: RichardW

Post Reply
User avatar
NewcastleFalcon
Posts: 24563
Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 10:40
Location:
My Cars:
x 6866

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Even the Northumberland Gazette has reported this story

All new homes and offices in England will have electric car chargers

Not the only ones...the story is in all the "papers" and on the TV, and across the pond in the US.

..and it arose out of a little utterance from The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for Transport
(Rachel Maclean) Thursday 9 September 2021
https://hansard.parliament.uk/commons/2 ... 4F2D7200E8
I thank my hon. Friend for all the hard work she has done on her ten-minute rule Bill, which addresses a vital issue. We in Government are going to act. We have heard her calls and those of her residents. We will publish our consultation response on requiring all new residential and non-residential buildings to have a charge point, and we intend to lay legislation later this year. We have also confirmed our intention to mandate that home and workplace electric vehicle chargers must be capable of smart charging.
Regards Neil
Only One AA Box left
687 Trinity, Jersey
User avatar
Dormouse
(Donor 2022)
Posts: 2010
Joined: 15 Apr 2021, 14:32
Location: Kingdom of Fife
My Cars: Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4, Fiat Ducato, Morris Mini.
plus notable cars I have owned :- Studebaker 1921, Daimler Consorts, Mercedes 220 Pontoon, Simca 1301, Austin Metropolitan, lots and lots of Minis, both steel and fibreglass bodied, Fiat 500F, Citroen GSA's, Skoda Estelle 120 Rally replica, DKW 1000S, Triumph Herald Estate, Warwick GT (very briefly)
x 666

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by Dormouse »

I found this article while trawling the net. See if you like it.

Gibbo2286
(Donor 2020)
Posts: 7171
Joined: 08 Jun 2011, 18:04
Location: GL15***
My Cars: 2006 C5 2.0 Litre HDI VTR Automatic Estate.(now sold on)
Currently Renault Zoe 2014 ZE
x 2500

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by Gibbo2286 »

Very interesting and beautifully filmed,
Man is, by nature, a lazy beast, he does not need twice encouraging to do nothing.
User avatar
Dormouse
(Donor 2022)
Posts: 2010
Joined: 15 Apr 2021, 14:32
Location: Kingdom of Fife
My Cars: Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4, Fiat Ducato, Morris Mini.
plus notable cars I have owned :- Studebaker 1921, Daimler Consorts, Mercedes 220 Pontoon, Simca 1301, Austin Metropolitan, lots and lots of Minis, both steel and fibreglass bodied, Fiat 500F, Citroen GSA's, Skoda Estelle 120 Rally replica, DKW 1000S, Triumph Herald Estate, Warwick GT (very briefly)
x 666

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by Dormouse »

yes, definately above the average dross
User avatar
myglaren
Forum Admin Team
Posts: 25366
Joined: 02 Mar 2008, 13:30
Location: Washington
My Cars: Mazda 6
Ooops.
Previously:
2009 Honda Civic :(
C5, C5, Xantia, BX, GS, Visa.
R4, R11TXE, R14, R30TX
x 4888

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by myglaren »

Best of all, not American!
User avatar
NewcastleFalcon
Posts: 24563
Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 10:40
Location:
My Cars:
x 6866

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

My lot...BP Pulse ( one of the memberships I have) have just announced a new set of ultra-fast chargers.

Never plugged the Leaf into a charger above the standard 50kW ordinary rapid charger. I presume it would only charge at the rate the car tells it to even if it was plugged into an ultra fast 150kW. Quite enough no need to go overboard with ultra rapidness of charging for me. I don't have an expectation that electric cars need to "fill up" as quickly as fossil fuel cars, and I have a fuel station at home. Nearest petrol is miles away.
BP Pulse opens ultra-fast charging sites in Scotland

BP Pulse has opened two new ultra-fast charging sites on the M8 motorway at bp pulse’s Harthill services in Scotland. Situated on the Edinburgh to Glasgow corridor, the sites feature ten 150-kW chargers servicing the east-and west-bound carriageways near Harthill, Lanarkshire.
Regards Neil
Only One AA Box left
687 Trinity, Jersey
User avatar
NewcastleFalcon
Posts: 24563
Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 10:40
Location:
My Cars:
x 6866

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

I like these, simple, dumb, not well publicised and free
DSC00562.JPG
DSC00564.JPG
Regards Neil
Only One AA Box left
687 Trinity, Jersey
User avatar
NewcastleFalcon
Posts: 24563
Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 10:40
Location:
My Cars:
x 6866

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Had a bit of "can't remove the chademo plug from the car anxiety" tonight at an Electric Blue Charger. Somehow the charger menus let you get to a point where the charger was plugged into the car and ready to go, but wouldnt start because of an authorisation failure. I imagined the chargers would be set up to allow bank card payment and that would be the authorisation to kick off the charge. But no.

So at that point, the charger was in limbo, set up to start charging, including locking of the chademo plug into the socket on the leaf, but no way of either fully starting the session or ending it.

Yet another instance of not having a smart phone or any ability to download the app causing restriction of access to chargers, but in this instance the BBLEAF, charging plug locked to the car, and no way of getting it out!

Luckily there was someone at the end of the 24/7 help desk, she was very pleasant and started the charging session remotely to get over the impasse. When the car reached 80% as normal, it ended the charging session, and hip hip hooray relief that the chademo plug could be removed, and we weren't left tethered to the charger overnight sleeping in the car till the cavalry arrived :-D

Should have stuck to our usual comfort zone of tried and tested charging up stops, rather than checking out a new charger just for "fun". :-D

Regards Neil
Last edited by NewcastleFalcon on 17 Sep 2021, 09:15, edited 1 time in total.
Only One AA Box left
687 Trinity, Jersey
User avatar
Dormouse
(Donor 2022)
Posts: 2010
Joined: 15 Apr 2021, 14:32
Location: Kingdom of Fife
My Cars: Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4, Fiat Ducato, Morris Mini.
plus notable cars I have owned :- Studebaker 1921, Daimler Consorts, Mercedes 220 Pontoon, Simca 1301, Austin Metropolitan, lots and lots of Minis, both steel and fibreglass bodied, Fiat 500F, Citroen GSA's, Skoda Estelle 120 Rally replica, DKW 1000S, Triumph Herald Estate, Warwick GT (very briefly)
x 666

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by Dormouse »

Could have been fun! NOT. I have this picture of you, Giles like, driving home trailing a wall box and lots of wire behind you.
User avatar
mickthemaverick
Donor 2024
Posts: 13523
Joined: 11 May 2019, 17:56
Location: Hertford
My Cars: 70+ former cars (list available) including 11 Citroens, 3 Renaults
Current cars: 2004 Subaru Legacy 2.5 SEn, 1994 Mazda MX3
x 6011

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by mickthemaverick »

A different image crossed my mind with Mr and Mrs Falcon asleep in the car at 06.00 as the council road sweeper came by sweeping up the leaves!! :-D
I used to be indecisive, now I'm not so sure!
I used to ride on two wheels, but now I need all four!
User avatar
Dormouse
(Donor 2022)
Posts: 2010
Joined: 15 Apr 2021, 14:32
Location: Kingdom of Fife
My Cars: Peugeot 3008 Hybrid4, Fiat Ducato, Morris Mini.
plus notable cars I have owned :- Studebaker 1921, Daimler Consorts, Mercedes 220 Pontoon, Simca 1301, Austin Metropolitan, lots and lots of Minis, both steel and fibreglass bodied, Fiat 500F, Citroen GSA's, Skoda Estelle 120 Rally replica, DKW 1000S, Triumph Herald Estate, Warwick GT (very briefly)
x 666

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by Dormouse »

Should that not be Leafs in this case? Or am I being too pedantic? Poor Falcons.
Gibbo2286
(Donor 2020)
Posts: 7171
Joined: 08 Jun 2011, 18:04
Location: GL15***
My Cars: 2006 C5 2.0 Litre HDI VTR Automatic Estate.(now sold on)
Currently Renault Zoe 2014 ZE
x 2500

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by Gibbo2286 »

In one of those videos Neil posted there was mention of not plugging in until the payment was set up or the charge might fail.
Have you got a home charger Neil or do you rely entirely on those out and about?
Man is, by nature, a lazy beast, he does not need twice encouraging to do nothing.
User avatar
NewcastleFalcon
Posts: 24563
Joined: 25 Feb 2009, 10:40
Location:
My Cars:
x 6866

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by NewcastleFalcon »

Gibbo2286 wrote: 17 Sep 2021, 09:38 In one of those videos Neil posted there was mention of not plugging in until the payment was set up or the charge might fail.
Have you got a home charger Neil or do you rely entirely on those out and about?
Up until April this year there was a freebie 7kW charger, like the one at Etal Village hall, so no point using our own electricity, and I could put up with the mild inconvenience for free charge. They bumped that up to 35p/kWh so that is when I got out the plug-in granny cable to charge up from a domestic socket, and thats what I use from home now. Probably around 17p kWh on our current Scottish Power tariff.

Still some freebies around...all 7kW. Northumberland County Council contracted out management and maintenance of "their" rapid chargers which remained free up until June 2021, but are now all the same as the rest of rapids on the road at 35p ish/kWh. Not that much different from petrol. Depending on the car and how you drive it its around 4 miles/kWh. Showing on the dash 4.5kWh right now but it maybe drops to 3.5miles/kWh in winter.

Interested to hear of your Zoe story. It really is a great price for that car. Comparable costs of a used ICE right now of similar year and size, ie a Renault Clio 14 Reg low milage, are retail north of £6,000. It could be argued as the Zoe gets older the battery lease gets better value. Like I say though you have to trust that should the Zoe reach 75% battery capacity Renault stick to their side of the bargain. I wouldn't bank on a no quibble battery replacement from Renault.

One of the vids I linked too mentioned the thermal management of the Zoe battery resulting in less degradation which is a good thing.

The degradation is a matter of physics/chemistry based on the number of charging cycles, mileage, age, and the optimum temperature being maintained. Charging in the range 20% to 80% is gentler on the Li-ion battery than a regular 100% charge, I guess with my Leaf being low range, and our typical journeys requiring an on the road charge usually at a rapid 50kW DC charger, it isnt the optimum. Shorter journeys and you could run the car on a single home charge for a few days.

I would say 50% at home 50% on the road would be our typical charger activity now.

Regards Neil
Last edited by NewcastleFalcon on 17 Sep 2021, 16:01, edited 1 time in total.
Only One AA Box left
687 Trinity, Jersey
Gibbo2286
(Donor 2020)
Posts: 7171
Joined: 08 Jun 2011, 18:04
Location: GL15***
My Cars: 2006 C5 2.0 Litre HDI VTR Automatic Estate.(now sold on)
Currently Renault Zoe 2014 ZE
x 2500

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by Gibbo2286 »

Having already got solar panels working very well I might just plump for a home charger with the government grant when the Zoe arrives and I've given it a trial.
The company who installed my solar are a registered supplier of the chargers and the workmanship was excellent.
Still waiting the the battery lease change over to get sorted.
Man is, by nature, a lazy beast, he does not need twice encouraging to do nothing.
Gibbo2286
(Donor 2020)
Posts: 7171
Joined: 08 Jun 2011, 18:04
Location: GL15***
My Cars: 2006 C5 2.0 Litre HDI VTR Automatic Estate.(now sold on)
Currently Renault Zoe 2014 ZE
x 2500

Re: Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

Post by Gibbo2286 »

Well that was disappointing, just asked for a quote, they say they don't get involved with the grant scheme only fit Zappi and at a fixed price of £1500. :shock:
Man is, by nature, a lazy beast, he does not need twice encouraging to do nothing.
Post Reply