Public EV chargers- is there a knack?

Frijj said:
Charging networks are diabolical mind. The govt should have set rigorous standards and forced contactless payment at all charge points…instead you have to sign up for app after app and pray the charge point works

I popped to Crook today to see some relatives. The charge point at Lidl has been smashed to fuck by the local twats for the second time this year. The irony is, it’s next door to a police station.

I expect Lidl will just refuse to fix it again and then the area will be left without a charge point.
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I keep mentioning it but look at the Bonnet app, it brings in a number of the charging networks under one umbrella and you get a discounted fixed fee charging rate. Currently it's 45p KWh and you can use Ionity, Fastened, Allego, Shell Recharge etc most of them charge 65p + if using them directly.
 


Frijj said:
Charging networks are diabolical mind. The govt should have set rigorous standards and forced contactless payment at all charge points…instead you have to sign up for app after app and pray the charge point works

I popped to Crook today to see some relatives. The charge point at Lidl has been smashed to fuck by the local twats for the second time this year. The irony is, it’s next door to a police station.

I expect Lidl will just refuse to fix it again and then the area will be left without a charge point.
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Definitely an area where free enterprise isn’t working.
 
Joe Public said:
I would probs be similar if I didn’t have access to the SC network, I agree with you the public charging network is pretty poor. The wife still has an ICE but is wanting to switch when her deal ends. Then it will be a battle for the home charger.
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You’re a sparky or an electric engineer type aren’t you bud? What are the odds of home chargers ever getting to even say, 22KW speeds? Or will fast charging at home never happen?
Billy Fish said:
I keep mentioning it but look at the Bonnet app, it brings in a number of the charging networks under one umbrella and you get a discounted fixed fee charging rate. Currently it's 45p KWh and you can use Ionity, Fastened, Allego, Shell Recharge etc most of them charge 65p + if using them directly.
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I downloaded it at your recommendation actually. I’ve got a free charge with it so going to run the battery down as much as I can then get a free refill :)
 
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Joe Public said:
I would probs be similar if I didn’t have access to the SC network, I agree with you the public charging network is pretty poor. The wife still has an ICE but is wanting to switch when her deal ends. Then it will be a battle for the home charger.
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I was surprised how little I used the Tesla SC's in France. Ionity have much better coverage with their 350KW fast chargers and most of them are in motorway service areas or primary road links whereas a lot of the Tesla chargers are in Towns. They're building up their network here now as well, especially on main routes in the south.
 
As sure as night follows day, in a few years time the cost of charging them will have crept up to the point whereby the savings over running a normal car will be negligible.
 
Frijj said:
You’re a sparky or an electric engineer type aren’t you bud? What are the odds of home chargers ever getting to even say, 22KW speeds? Or will fast charging at home never happen?
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No chance with the current infrastructure. Majority of houses will have 60 Amp fuses single phase which is only 14kW, even 100A is only about 24kW and you have to run the rest of your house off it at the same time.

That is only looking at your house too, the infrastructure is shared with other houses and couldn't handle them all drawing large currents at the same time.
Dauntless Dive Bomber said:
As sure as night follows day, in a few years time the cost of charging them will have crept up to the point whereby the savings over running a normal car will be negligible.
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I think that will be the case much quicker than that for public chargers. Home charging should remain relatively cheap compared to petrol/diesel though.

The next increase will be when the government start charging tolls to use roads as they will almost certainly do when the fuel duty revenue falls.
 
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Billy Fish said:
There's a 300kw fastened charger you can use via the Bonnet app on the Oxford southern by-pass. Charge up there on your way up and again on your way down and should be enough for while you're there?
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A) is it definitely working?
B) is it definitely not busy?

I have two five year olds, so if the answer to either of those questions is anything other than a 100% yes, then it’s no good for me I’m afraid.
 
HellsBells said:
A) is it definitely working?
B) is it definitely not busy?

I have two five year olds, so if the answer to either of those questions is anything other than a 100% yes, then it’s no good for me I’m afraid.
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There's live updates on the app. At this moment in time there are 13 operational and all 13 are available and are 300KW chargers.
Highly unlikely you'd get there and all being used but with there being 13, all fast chargers, you wouldn't have to wait long at all for one to be available.
 
Frijj said:
You’re a sparky or an electric engineer type aren’t you bud? What are the odds of home chargers ever getting to even say, 22KW speeds? Or will fast charging at home never happen?


I downloaded it at your recommendation actually. I’ve got a free charge with it so going to run the battery down as much as I can then get a free refill :)
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Electrical design for buildings, so EV charging is a portion of what I do.

22kw at single phase is 100A so too much for the standard house supply, it may become more common for houses to get 3 phase supplies in the future, in germany houses tend to be 3 phase.

But. Unless your car is capable of charging at 22kw AC then it won’t do you much good, most cars have onboard chargers of 7-11kw.

There’s only a few cars at the minute that can charge at 22kw ac:

“Renault Zoe, BMW i3, BYD, or Tesla, these vehicles are able to charge at higher rates on an AC charger. The new i3 will charge at 11kW, while Zoe, BYD, and Tesla charge at 22kW, which charges much more quickly.”

So if you don’t have one of the above, plugging your car in to a 22kw charger means it will still charge at 7kw.
 
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Gillythedilf said:
Electric cars at the moment are the tool of the lower middle classes to say “look at me”.They are absolutely f***ing useless to do anything but potter round the town .
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That’s where most people do their miles though
Schools run, work, shops, friends. Most people do local miles and I reckon most miles from people in Sunderland will be within the SR and NE postcodes
When was the last time you went more than one charge ?

Over 95% of the time an electric car would do me just fine I reckon but I’m not getting rid of what I have to get one and I need something to pull a stock trailer
 
cornish mackem said:
That’s where most people do their miles though
Schools run, work, shops, friends. Most people do local miles and I reckon most miles from people in Sunderland will be within the SR and NE postcodes
When was the last time you went more than one charge ?

Over 95% of the time an electric car would do me just fine I reckon but I’m not getting rid of what I have to get one and I need something to pull a stock trailer
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Isn’t that largely why Hybrids are the real answer? Most petrol hybrid engines now are super low emissions - 1litre turbos etc so if 95% of your driving is on battery the emissions from the 5% on petrol become so low as to be negligible.

I drive a hybrid because I do big runs to Aberdeen regularly and a fully electric would be a pain but for anything around the NE I’m pretty much on battery the whole time. Charge at work or home to make sure I minimise use of the petrol.
 
GavFTM said:
Isn’t that largely why Hybrids are the real answer? Most petrol hybrid engines now are super low emissions - 1litre turbos etc so if 95% of your driving is on battery the emissions from the 5% on petrol become so low as to be negligible.

I drive a hybrid because I do big runs to Aberdeen regularly and a fully electric would be a pain but for anything around the NE I’m pretty much on battery the whole time. Charge at work or home to make sure I minimise use of the petrol.
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What distance do you have on the battery element? ( pun intended)
 
GavFTM said:
Isn’t that largely why Hybrids are the real answer? Most petrol hybrid engines now are super low emissions - 1litre turbos etc so if 95% of your driving is on battery the emissions from the 5% on petrol become so low as to be negligible.

I drive a hybrid because I do big runs to Aberdeen regularly and a fully electric would be a pain but for anything around the NE I’m pretty much on battery the whole time. Charge at work or home to make sure I minimise use of the petrol.
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I travelled down to Herefordshire yesterday fully charged on 7kw the night before at home stopped at Duckmanton half way and cost £29.95 for full charge on InstaVolt machine. Had a bite to eat all done and on my way.
 
GavFTM said:
Isn’t that largely why Hybrids are the real answer? Most petrol hybrid engines now are super low emissions - 1litre turbos etc so if 95% of your driving is on battery the emissions from the 5% on petrol become so low as to be negligible.

I drive a hybrid because I do big runs to Aberdeen regularly and a fully electric would be a pain but for anything around the NE I’m pretty much on battery the whole time. Charge at work or home to make sure I minimise use of the petrol.
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The problem with hybrids is that you’re manufacturing and squeezing both technologies into a car which is inefficient in so many ways and leaves barely any space.
A trip to Aberdeen would be awkward still getting charged as there don’t appear to be many fast chargers enroute but that shouldn’t lead to encouraging use of hybrids it should encourage the installation of more strategically placed fast chargers on the primary road network.
Every major conurbation should have large park and ride car parks just off the main road distributor network, with solar canopies over the bays feeding into fast and medium chargers. This way people heading into the city can take a medium charge whilst travelling in on public transport and by-passing traffic can stop off for a fast charge with most of the energy being generated at source locally so not heavily impacting the grid.
 
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