RMweb Premium boxbrownie Posted February 24, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 24, 2020 1 hour ago, admiles said: Nothing like a totally daft comment or two to help things along. Which two comments are totally daft? Maybe you like speeding? Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium boxbrownie Posted February 24, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 24, 2020 1 hour ago, Reorte said: I rather suspect that the 2035 thing will get dropped due to the sheer impracticality, and possibly with enough electric vehicles appearing anyway where it is practical to make it not much of an issue. If there's actually a supply to the garage in the first place though surely in theory (of course there may be more practical considerations) it can be upgraded? Putting a new connection across a shared drive might cause problems with whatever permissions are needed but if it already exists presumably that aspect isn't a problem. I'd need to do similar - there's already a wire to a shed across a shared access, and I'd need to take from that to charge a car (my only parking spot is on the opposite side of the shared access to the house), there's nowhere next to the house a car could physically fit. We had to lay a armoured 10mm cable under the drive to a spot we wanted the charger, it’s about 20 meters and only cost £120 at the same time as laying a surface drain across the drive entrance, it’s not rocket science to install a charger point, regardless of distance and supply any decent Electrician could install cable and leave the charger to the installer. 1 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 2 minutes ago, boxbrownie said: it’s not rocket science to install a charger point, regardless of distance and supply any decent Electrician could install cable and leave the charger to the installer. It isn't, but it sounds like in this case there is someone else's property between the charger and supply... Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium boxbrownie Posted February 24, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 24, 2020 2 minutes ago, 30801 said: It isn't, but it sounds like in this case there is someone else's property between the charger and supply... It also sounded like the installer just couldn’t be bothered to run a decent supply from the house into the garage, but reading the other posts I don’t think anything much will work. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Reorte Posted February 24, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 24, 2020 23 minutes ago, boxbrownie said: We had to lay a armoured 10mm cable under the drive to a spot we wanted the charger, it’s about 20 meters and only cost £120 at the same time as laying a surface drain across the drive entrance, it’s not rocket science to install a charger point, regardless of distance and supply any decent Electrician could install cable and leave the charger to the installer. I'd like that anyway, given that the current power supply heading to the shed is an overhead cable that appears a bit on the questionably light and unprotected side. Crossing a common access might be a legal problem in my case but shouldn't be a practical one (it's just a dirt track, so easy enough to dig a trench and fill it in again - I spent some of the weekend pickaxing mounds that had formed back into the potholes they'd come from). There's a bit of concrete but that's on my side of things. I'll probably see about having it done in the future, even without an electric car it would give me a bit more peace of mind than the current supply. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium Ian Morgan Posted February 24, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 24, 2020 Unfortunately, you need to have proof that you have an EV (or will have access to one) in order to get the government grant towards a charger. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
admiles Posted February 24, 2020 Share Posted February 24, 2020 2 hours ago, boxbrownie said: It also sounded like the installer just couldn’t be bothered to run a decent supply from the house into the garage, but reading the other posts I don’t think anything much will work. Oh dear. Lots of assumptions on your part. Did you actually read what I typed?? The installer that "just couldn't be bothered" spent three hours trying to find a workable solution and couldn't. As has been pointed out we have another house/garden between our house and our garage/drive. If we run the cable from the front of the house we'd have to either dig up the neighbors garden, drive and some public footpath or dig up the public footpath round the front of the neighbors house and round a corner into the next street. If we go from the back of the house we first need to get the cable from the front of the house to the back. Then dig up the garden/patio/raised beds etc in our garden, then the neighbors garden, then through the neighbors garage and finally into our garage. See the problem? If I was so "anti" as you make out (rather arrogantly) why would I go to the trouble of having several EVs on loan (including one trying to kill me by bursting into flames on a major dual-carriageway), spend an entire day trying to get my partner comfortable driving one (she isn't comfortable with an auto box) and finally getting an installer round to attempt to fit a charger (the visit cost me £350). Oh and as for the cheap, infantile jibe about me liking speeding. Yes I do. On tracks, on a motorbike, i.e. in an appropriate environment. Not a single stop, ticket or point in 29 years of driving. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium boxbrownie Posted February 24, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 24, 2020 48 minutes ago, admiles said: Oh dear. Lots of assumptions on your part. Did you actually read what I typed?? The installer that "just couldn't be bothered" spent three hours trying to find a workable solution and couldn't. As has been pointed out we have another house/garden between our house and our garage/drive. If we run the cable from the front of the house we'd have to either dig up the neighbors garden, drive and some public footpath or dig up the public footpath round the front of the neighbors house and round a corner into the next street. If we go from the back of the house we first need to get the cable from the front of the house to the back. Then dig up the garden/patio/raised beds etc in our garden, then the neighbors garden, then through the neighbors garage and finally into our garage. See the problem? If I was so "anti" as you make out (rather arrogantly) why would I go to the trouble of having several EVs on loan (including one trying to kill me by bursting into flames on a major dual-carriageway), spend an entire day trying to get my partner comfortable driving one (she isn't comfortable with an auto box) and finally getting an installer round to attempt to fit a charger (the visit cost me £350). Oh and as for the cheap, infantile jibe about me liking speeding. Yes I do. On tracks, on a motorbike, i.e. in an appropriate environment. Not a single stop, ticket or point in 29 years of driving. What is your problem? I said it “sounded like” and just made assumptions from your posts.......and where in my post does it say you are anti EV? You obviously have some issues with my posts so just ignore them please. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted February 24, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 24, 2020 I like the look of the next Toyota Mirai, the current Mirai is an excellent car but there is no avoiding the price. I don't know whether the next one will benefit from the experience gained with the gen 1 version in terms of lowering price. I think many have underestimated hydrogen and assumed that batteries have won the automotive future but I am not so sure of that. The economics of green hydrogen are changing and although a huge investment is needed in hydrogen distribution it may well be a much more sustainable solution than batteries. I have tried a Mirai as a friend works in hydrogen and was impressed, it was a very comfortable and refined family saloon with very normal driving dynamics. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted February 24, 2020 Author Share Posted February 24, 2020 55 minutes ago, jjb1970 said: I like the look of the next Toyota Mirai, the current Mirai is an excellent car but there is no avoiding the price..... The current car is also gawky looking. A real mishmash of design. Ugly. The photos of the 2020/21 concept show a much more conventional, modern saloon design. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted February 25, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2020 The gen 1 Mirai seemed to be the result of a similar approach to styling as the current Prius, there is a Darth Vader vibe about the nose. Unusual for Toyota to be so wilfully different as anodyne anonymity brightened up by halo GT/coupes is more their thing. They do seem to have their moments where they do something bonkers or flamboyant. Although small SUV/crossover cars are not my favourite segment I can't help liking the C-HR. All that said the Mirai is an impressive demonstration of Toyota's technical capabilities and may well be a glimpse of the future. I do sort of wonder if the Japanese are predicting the future better than their rivals. Japanese companies were never enthusiastic about diesels and went down that route because they had no choice in Europe where most (including governments) climbed aboard the diesel train. Funnily enough Korean companies have been steadily investing in fuel cell technology at the same time as developing some of the best battery EVs. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ron Ron Posted February 25, 2020 Author Share Posted February 25, 2020 3 hours ago, jjb1970 said: .....Funnily enough Korean companies have been steadily investing in fuel cell technology at the same time as developing some of the best battery EVs. Hyundai’s Nexo is ahead of the game over Toyota’s awkward looking Mirai. Apart from being a better and normal looking car, it’s less of a first effort, almost a prototype sold as a production car, effort. Although first generation, the Nexo has all the facets of a proper mass production type, Hydrogen FCV. . Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Ubitricity arrives in Hungerford. If the lamp post was on the other side of the pavement the socket would be in there. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 (edited) Do the plugs have a lock? Otherwise I can see people unplugging them 'for a laff' or even to plug their own cars in. Edited February 25, 2020 by Talltim 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Talltim Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 1 hour ago, 30801 said: Ubitricity arrives in Hungerford. If the lamp post was on the other side of the pavement the socket would be in there. Nice slalom for pavement users. 2 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
idd15 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Charging cable is locked by car and by charging post. Cable does not unlock until user initiates it. This is usually done by smart card or a phone app. Hth Idd Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium DIW Posted February 25, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2020 (edited) 1 hour ago, 30801 said: Ubitricity arrives in Hungerford. If the lamp post was on the other side of the pavement the socket would be in there. Lamp posts which were originally next to the kerb have over the years been moved to the 'back' of the footpath, apparently as a safety feature so that they are less likely to be a hazard to errant vehicles which have mounted the kerb. By putting a post at the kerbside, that 'safety feature' has been reversed. I appreciate that these days a form of plastic post could be used to present less of a 'hard' hazard, however that would make the possibility of an electrical hazard greater that it was previously. There is also the issue, particularly in the location photographed, that the pavement has been made narrower. Not so much a problem where buggies have replaced perambulators for the transportation of babies and toddlers, but probably creating greater difficulties for users of mobility scooters. Perhaps mobility scooter users on this forum have comments on this? Edited February 25, 2020 by DIW Edit - crossed posts with Talltim Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
number6 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 Good luck getting your mobility scooter past that BMW parked on the pavement in the distance! Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 2 hours ago, number6 said: Good luck getting your mobility scooter past that BMW parked on the pavement in the distance! That's a car dealership. They used to put a sandwich board next to the cars completely blocking the pavement. I used to chuck it back on their forecourt. Maybe they still do, but I don't walk past it these days. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 2 hours ago, idd15 said: Charging cable is locked by car and by charging post. Cable does not unlock until user initiates it. This is usually done by smart card or a phone app. This one is Ubitricity the the charge point itself is little more than a dumb socket. You have to buy their charging brick which is basically a portable smart meter. It makes the chargers cheap so there are about 25 of them down the road in Newbury. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
RMweb Premium jjb1970 Posted February 25, 2020 RMweb Premium Share Posted February 25, 2020 6 hours ago, Ron Ron Ron said: Hyundai’s Nexo is ahead of the game over Toyota’s awkward looking Mirai. Apart from being a better and normal looking car, it’s less of a first effort, almost a prototype sold as a production car, effort. Although first generation, the Nexo has all the facets of a proper mass production type, Hydrogen FCV. . The Nexo isn't their first production FCEV, they did a fuel cell version of the ix35 a few years ago. The Korean and Japanese manufacturers are very serious about fuel cells, possibly because hydrogen figures prominently in wider decarbonisation plans in a way it doesn't here. I think there is growing unease in Europe that Asia is taking a more balanced approach and may open a technology gap. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
rocor Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 4 hours ago, 30801 said: Ubitricity arrives in Hungerford. If the lamp post was on the other side of the pavement the socket would be in there. In that sort of location it would be more convenient to have pop up charge points. 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 9 minutes ago, rocor said: In that sort of location it would be more convenient to have pop up charge points. But much more expensive and it's going to be popped up a lot of the time anyway. There's another one, maybe two going in down the road. Where a lamp post can be used it's just a matter of replacing the access door with one with a charge point built in to it. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
idd15 Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 1 hour ago, 30801 said: This one is Ubitricity the the charge point itself is little more than a dumb socket. You have to buy their charging brick which is basically a portable smart meter. It makes the chargers cheap so there are about 25 of them down the road in Newbury. From the Q&A section on the ubitricity site: “Nowadays, most vehicles are equipped with a vehicle-side locking mechanism. In this case, the cable is locked both into the vehicle and the socket during the charging process. Nobody can pull the cable out of the socket or from the car. You can end the charging process by unlocking the vehicle - then, the cable is unlocked both from the socket and the car as well. Before opting for a SmartCable, we would therefore encourage you to check whether your car offers this function. “ It would also seem that some of their posts do not need the Brick and you can use their app. HTH idd 1 Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted February 25, 2020 Share Posted February 25, 2020 55 minutes ago, idd15 said: It would also seem that some of their posts do not need the Brick and you can use their app. I got that Impression too, but you can't actually create an account through the app or it seems create an account at all without buying the brick. I'm thinking maybe the QR code scanning in the app just saves you entering things in the brick's keypad or something. Link to post Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now