Electric, Hybrid and Alternative fuelled vehicles - News and Discussion

[boxbrownie]

3 minutes ago, Reorte said:

And I find them bloody awful out of place monstrosities to look at and find the sight of them in the numbers there are very depressing - to me they're no more appealing than any other industrial installation of equivalent size, most of which aren't in such numbers in such prominent locations.

 

You can certainly say that they're necessary despite that, but to dismiss "they look awful" as silly just because you're OK with them is to claim to be the arbiter of what is and isn't silly based on your own preferences. Attacking people with opinions you (generic, not directing this at you personally) is all too common. I suppose you don't have to worry about upsetting people if you can convince yourself that they're fools for being upset by things you like.

 

I agree on the noise though, only time I've noticed noise from one is when I've been almost underneath it.

Ease up, ease up.......it’s my opinion.

 

Your happy with yours, I am happy with mine.

[Pete the Elaner]

11 hours ago, Vistisen said:

I am not an expert. And am almost certainly wrong but the units are giga watts PER HOUR. to me that implies that the boat will use 14.88 Giga watts each hour.

 

 

 

A giga watt is huge.

As an example, a class 87 can sustain an output of 3.7MW, so 14.88 GW would be the same as over 4000 class 87s all working at  their continuous maximum.

[Guest]

39 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

Hopefully it doesn't just turn out to be just an influx of expensive Ionity chargers as well...

 

Ionity are also CCS only which rules out Leafs, Zoes and Outlanders which are the most numerous things that might want to charge.

Hopefully the contracts stipulate you have to provide a range of connectors. Although at 70p/kWh Ionity can shove their connector somewhere else.

[Reorte]

15 minutes ago, boxbrownie said:

Ease up, ease up.......it’s my opinion.

 

Your happy with yours, I am happy with mine.

Sorry, sore point. Let's move on!

[boxbrownie]

4 minutes ago, 30801 said:

 

Ionity are also CCS only which rules out Leafs, Zoes and Outlanders which are the most numerous things that might want to charge.

Hopefully the contracts stipulate you have to provide a range of connectors. Although at 70p/kWh Ionity can shove their connector somewhere else.

I guess they are just looking forward, CCS is the new EU/U.K. standard connector, as for the price if it will be 70p I’m with you waiting at the Ecotricity trying to get it to work 

[The Fatadder]

1 minute ago, 30801 said:

 

Ionity are also CCS only which rules out Leafs, Zoes and Outlanders which are the most numerous things that might want to charge.

Hopefully the contracts stipulate you have to provide a range of connectors. Although at 70p/kWh Ionity can shove their connector somewhere else.

Something stopping Outlanders taking up charging spaces is a good thing in my book!  Though given CCS is the standard going forward thats what it needs to be built around so I can see Leaf / Zoe owners having more problems in the future (Just as anyone with CCS does with the current Ecotricity network with its Chademo focus )

 

My concern is that the Ionity pricing is the future as EVs become more mainstream, the equivalent to the £1.50 a lt petrol prices on the motorway.  The problem being that while with a ICE car you can fill up at your local supermarket before travelling and never have to use a motorway services for fuel, with a lot of EV's you dont have that choice.  Thankfully Clumptom has an instavolt not far from the motorway (along with Ecotricity and Ionity at the services).  So I do have a backup option when the Ecotricity is either in use / some moron has parked over the line / is broken).   Though looking on ZapMap the Ionity is broken as well as the Ecotricity at the moment!   

 

My wife's diesel C Class is starting to show its age now, so need to use the i3 more for long trips, so I guess once lockdown is over I am going to start to experience the charging network a lot more.  Need to see if I can fit the labrador in the boot..... 

[Guest]

1 minute ago, The Fatadder said:

Something stopping Outlanders taking up charging spaces is a good thing in my book! 

 

I find Outlanders not a problem these days and they can get a useful charge in 15 minutes.

Type 2 PHEVs on the other hand are absolutely moronic plugged into a rapid dribbling at 3kW. Came across a BMW once plugged into a hotel rapid and it had been there for over twelve hours.

[The Fatadder]

7 minutes ago, 30801 said:

 

I find Outlanders not a problem these days and they can get a useful charge in 15 minutes.

Type 2 PHEVs on the other hand are absolutely moronic plugged into a rapid dribbling at 3kW. Came across a BMW once plugged into a hotel rapid and it had been there for over twelve hours.

I think PHEVs are just a pain in general when charging out an about, 

 

that said the majority of my charging issues have been down to Ecotricity spaces being so narrow coupled with only one CCS or type 2 charger meaning I can’t get my car in the space in a position that lets the wire reach the charge socket.  

[boxbrownie]

45 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

Thankfully Clumptom has an instavolt not far from the motorway 

Shhhh.....don’t tell everybody

[rocor]

2 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

A giga watt is huge.

As an example, a class 87 can sustain an output of 3.7MW, so 14.88 GW would be the same as over 4000 class 87s all working at  their continuous maximum.

 

22973 class 87's all working at their continuous maximum would require the total output of the UK's installed electricity generating capacity (85GW from the 2014 data).

[Joseph_Pestell]

3 hours ago, Pete the Elaner said:

 

A giga watt is huge.

As an example, a class 87 can sustain an output of 3.7MW, so 14.88 GW would be the same as over 4000 class 87s all working at  their continuous maximum.

 

A gigawatt is not any bigger than a watt.

18 minutes ago, rocor said:

 

22973 class 87's all working at their continuous maximum would require the total output of the UK's installed electricity generating capacity (85GW from the 2014 data).

And where would all these locos be working? There would be about 7 of them for each mile of electrified track.

[boxbrownie]

2 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

A gigawatt is not any bigger than a watt.

And where would all these locos be working? There would be about 7 of them for each mile of electrified track.

Just like the M25 then?

 

or should that be 700 per mile!

Edited March 9, 2021 by boxbrownie

[Reorte]

4 minutes ago, Joseph_Pestell said:

 

A gigawatt is not any bigger than a watt.

 

It's a billion times bigger (accepting that the US version of "billion" is now the established one), unless you're limiting the word "bigger" to physical dimensions, which obviously doesn't make much sense for a unit of power.

[Guest]

Major power cut round our way and the electric Co has stuck generators all over the place so I guess I have a diesel car now...

[johnofwessex]

On 09/03/2021 at 09:41, 30801 said:

Looks like Ecotricity have had their thumb up their bum for too long.

 

https://www.electrifying.com/blog/post/government-acts-to-break-ecotricity-monopoly-at-motorway-services

 

What about all the services which I assume are leased from the DfT on A roads?

[PatB]

On 07/03/2021 at 04:32, APOLLO said:

No free lunches in the energy business.

 

Brit15

No, but if you extend your plate with lettuce leaves off the salad bar, you can get a lot more for the flat rate per plate. 

[APOLLO]

9 hours ago, PatB said:

No, but if you extend your plate with lettuce leaves off the salad bar, you can get a lot more for the flat rate per plate. 

 

Or do like this !!!

 

 

And these "civilised" folks will be making everything soon !!

 

brit15

[Guest]

43 minutes ago, APOLLO said:

 

Or do like this !!!

 

 

That is basically me at any hotel that does all you can eat fried breakfast.

[black and decker boy]

I used one of the new Shell Recharge supercharger stations yesterday for the 1st time, just off the A1 between Peterborough & Bedford. 

 

Worked easily with the Shell App, just under the advertised 170KW peak flow so all good. 39p/kw so not so good but I simply couldn't get the extra 15 minutes down to the Wyboston Tesla supercharger (26p/KW) before my Teams meeting started :-(

[Enterprisingwestern]

9 hours ago, APOLLO said:

And these "civilised" folks will be making everything soon !!

 

I doubt it, they are getting too "civilised" and like the better things in life, which means more pay.

India is the next taxi off the rank IMHO.

 

Mike.

[Guest]

Dacia Spring is out in Europe. €12,000 for something with a 143 mile range is good. Has the option of 30kw rapid charging. 

Downside is the 44bhp motor keeps it in the city. 

https://insideevs.com/news/493708/dacia-spring-priced-detailed-france/amp/

[Guest]

Oh look. Now Ecotricity get their thumb out.

 

 

[idd15]

2 hours ago, 30801 said:

Oh look. Now Ecotricity get their thumb out.

 

This is seriously good news. New chargers being rolled out now and throughout this summer. Kudos to both companies for doing it, and wish them well. 

 

idd

[The Fatadder]

Funny that, loose their monopoly and then almost immediately announce massive investment to upgrade their hardware (over a short time period, with the upgrades to existing kit due by the summer).

 

I've just had a look on Zap Map at my usual drive from Gloucestershire to Devon, we would normally stop at either Taunton or Cullomptonon the way down, and Taunton or Segemoor on the way back.

West bound there is one Type 2 at Taunton (which is working), while both the Ionity and Ecotricity at Cullompton are showing as issues reported, as is Exeter.

For the return journay, Taunton is offline, Bridgewater appears to be working, and Segemoor (which actually has a CCS) issues reported likewise Gordano.  

 

So for the journey which is at the upper limit of the cars range I would be relying on a single type two charger at one location to get a charge, or significantly drop my speed / turn the heat etc off in order to make the journey.  (or potentially a long wait at the only working charger if someone else is using it when I get there)  

 

Thats the big issue with the current Ecotricity system, most of these services have 2 spaces but only one Type 2 connector.  So the risk of not being able to charge is so much higher.  Hopefully these do get upgraded to 6 bays with type 2 / CCS on every space.  Hopefully we are not far away from a situation where at least all chargers give the option of the standard type 2 / CCS with some dual fitted with other systems rather than the current limitations.

 

 

[Guest]

17 minutes ago, The Fatadder said:

Thats the big issue with the current Ecotricity system, most of these services have 2 spaces but only one Type 2 connector.  So the risk of not being able to charge is so much higher.  Hopefully these do get upgraded to 6 bays with type 2 / CCS on every space.  Hopefully we are not far away from a situation where at least all chargers give the option of the standard type 2 / CCS with some dual fitted with other systems rather than the current limitations.

 

All the new units have all three connectors and can charge two cars at a time. It doesn't mention whether they can do two DC cars at the same time or just an AC and a DC. The latter is all I've seen so far on Pod Point units.

 

Today I wouldn't buy a Type2 only car. The Instavolt network is DC only and where you do find a Type2 plug there is often a hopeless PHEV stuck to it. The best design feature of Chademo is that the charger controls the cable lock.