Electric Cars

[NTECUK]

Leaf fast charge to 80% in 40 mins.
Must have a better way to charge the flash Bemmer ?

[punyXpress]

. . but my scheme costs nowt to administer ?

[ophic]

Keep a diesel generator in the boot so you can charge it anywhere

[L3nny]

BMW claim the same "A DC public charging station delivers a constantly powerful current allowing charging to 80% capacity in around 40 minutes."
http://www.bmw.co.uk/en_GB/topics/ne.../charging.html

That may be true if you can get a DC charging point which is pushing out full capacity but it seems they seldom are.

[L3nny]

Originally Posted by ophic

Keep a diesel generator in the boot so you can charge it anywhere

That is exactly what the range extender is (although it's petrol not diesel)

[Luckypants]

Charge time is clearly going to be something to consider when looking at an BEV. I hadn't even thought of it until this week, I just thought a charger is a charger and rate of charge would depend on the charge-point. Obviously the charge-point is a major component of the charge time, but the on-board charger is also very important it seems.

My benchmark would be a trip to Scotland. If I can get a 50% charge at a coffee stop (as I'm led to believe by the marketing) then it may be a viable option. The e-Golf with a 180 mile range and 45 minute charge time may well have been a goer this time round, but they don't do an estate version and its expensive to lease. (Leasing means I can chop it in easily as the technology improves). But now it seems you have to pay attention to the charging point technology to get that 45 minute charge time. Also, you are scuppered if someone is using the charge point when you pull in.

Re-fuelling your EV on long journeys is going to be a major problem I fear.

[timwilky]

My work run is Preston-Rugby, leave in the visitors car park, for a couple of hours and then Rugby back to Preston. So about 250mile. Half a tank.

An EV would need to have an effective range of at least 350-400 miles before I could consider it. I leave home drive straight there, drive straight home. When roads are bad, I have driven the M1-M62 back etc. No way would I justify wasting time charging. And no way would work consider supplying charging points in the visitors car park.

[Red ones]

Charging times are all well and good but the stated times are usually assuming ideal situations. A lot of chargers can handle 2 cars at once but what you don't get told is that the capacity is then shared between the cars. This happens even on Tesla superchargers. So if there are two cars charging they reach get half the juice. It is like going into a petrol station and finding the pumps run slower on busy days.

The problem then is to avoid this AND put in lots more chargers the electricity supply needed is MASSIVE. Tesla superchargers are rated at 120kW each but if two cars charge they each get only 60kW. A type 2 charger is rated at only 3 or 7kW depending on what they are. Rapid charging supplies like CCS or CHAdeMO require a hugely expensive supply to be installed which then only makes financial sense if it is used most of the time.

We have to look at putting in 600 charging bays and they just don't stack up financially. As far as I can see it only works if your car can go and charge and then repair itself while you do something else.

[Luckypants]

Originally Posted by timwilky

And no way would work consider supplying charging points in the visitors car park.

Really? I thought there were tax incentives to do so, so low or zero cost to the installer. Also, it seems a bit backward for a company involved in the electricity industry.

[L3nny]

Originally Posted by punyXpress

What the 'charger - hoggers ' need is a thundering charge for obstructing others from using them. After all, they wouldn't like it!

If I am going to the bike show, something I expect to be at for 6 hours and it's a 20 minute walk from the car park to the exhibition halls, I'm not going back after 2 hours to move my car once it's charged.

The only solution I can see is valet parking where people move your car around once it's full. The technology is there for cars to do this themselves so I imagine this will be implemented soon.