Public Car Chargers

[IT Minion]

I've never heard it claimed that charging an EV is more convenient than filling up with fuel.

I've heard it claimed for home charging. And it is more convenient.

But I don't think anyone has claimed charging at Services is better than filling up with petrol.

 

[motorbiking]

I don't know what percentage of people have a drive way to park on. But increasingly I see rubber bumper mats over power cables being run across the pavement. Pretty sure that isn't allowed - (highways act).

Tesla now charge a station hog fee, if you leave your car in a charge bay for more than 5 minutes after its charged.

 

[Brigadier]

If people in China are willing to fake a single Panasonic 18650 worth about £6 you can be sure they will have a crack at a pack with 4000 in

Practically though, will that really matter to the driver?

They won't be buying the (swap-outable) battery; only swapping it for a charged one (at a service station).

The risk will be with the service stations, who would be buying the things.

 

[motorbiking]

It's like a fake £20 note, you might not know where you got it, only you're stuck with it and its not £20, its £15k. There will be money to be made hacking the units and replacing 100 or so cells. You wont know until the range drops or it catches fire.

 

[Brigadier]

you might not know where you got it

The last place you "filled up", by any chance?

only you're stuck with it and its not £20, its £15k

Not if you only "swap in-out" at reputable agents.
I'm sure if this was adopted as a business model, some billion-dollar players will invest a lot in making it workable.

There will be money to be made hacking the units and replacing 100 or so cells.

Someone, somewhere is faking anything and everything. Doesn't stop legitimate business though.

You wont know until the range drops or it catches fire.

But you can reduce the likelihood, by only using reputable agents.

 

[IT Minion]

NIO do battery swapping, it takes four minutes for them to swap out a battery pack. Which is great, as long as you're not in a queue waiting.

If the queue gets long enough you'd be better off using a fast charger. In terms of density modern fast charging means you more or less break even in terms of floor space

 

[Brigadier]

Fwiw, I think the future is hydrogen

As long as personal car transport is permitted, that is

 

[motorbiking]

The last place you "filled up", by any chance?



Not if you only "swap in-out" at reputable agents.
I'm sure if this was adopted as a business model, some billion-dollar players will invest a lot in making it workable.



Someone, somewhere is faking anything and everything. Doesn't stop legitimate business though.



But you can reduce the likelihood, by only using reputable agents.

of course if you sell it as a subscription, and lock the consumer in to a proprietary network, then you wont have to worry.

 

[securespark]

Just wanted to give an update as we approach the end of our three year lease.

We have an Ohme Home Pro which does the lion's share of our charging at home cheap as chips.
For trips away, we have accounts with Instavolt and Tesla which both give discounts on the posted price.

And yes, many Tesla chargers are open to non-Tesla vehicles.

10-80% is about half an hour, which is fine as we usually stop for lunch or a drink and a pee break.

As the three years has progressed, the number of chargers available has increased hugely.

There's obviously a long way to go if the objective is to get everyone into EVs.

But it's going in the right direction. And there are advances in battery tech on the way to improve things.

All things considered, I think our next car will be another EV, possibly with a slightly greater range.

Certainly it will have a bigger boot, and be easier to get into and out of, as my arthritic spine has got worse over the last 3 years.

 

[StephenStephen]

Heard on the radio the other day some person complaining that she had to wait nearly 3 hours at Exeter services to charge on the way to holiday in Cornwall. Anybody who thinks the leccy infrastructure is going to be anywhere near ready for EVs and electric only heating by the time the bans come in is sadly deluded.

I charge my hybrid at home. Recently switched to a BG tarif which gives me 9.7p overnight. When I checked, the Octopus rate was the same but some people may be on better fixed rates. We've also now worked out how to time delay the dishwasher, washing machine and tumble dryer.

The BG day rate is about 0.3p different to the old rate - which was a surprise. Switching took 10 minutes online.

Anybody who waits 3 hours at Exeter services these days to charge would be sadly deluded.
IKEA, Gissons, Salmons Leap, are all nearby, available and underused, and all the other chargers on the M5 before Exeter are usually free, certainly never more than a 20 minute wait.

 

[StephenStephen]

Has anyone actually claimed that it is more convenient to charge an EV than to fill up with fuel?

Yes - it takes me less than 10 seconds to plug it in in the evening, and the same to unplug in the morning.
Oh and I don't have to drive anywhere to do it.

 

[King Billy]

View attachment 311885

Battery swapping for E-bikes is normal in Asia.
I think it's the Honda E-bike, you buy the bike, not the battery. You rent the battery, which includes swaps when you need 'em.

Honda’s Full-scale Entry into Asia in 2024, the First Year of Global Electric Motorcycle Expansion

Honda has positioned 2024 as the first year of its global expansion of electric motorcycles. This issue of Honda Stories introduces Honda’s full-scale entry into the electric motorcycle market, particularly in India and ASEAN countries.

global.honda

 

[securespark]

This hasn't aged well, has it.

The worry was that battery packs would not last. But in practice, there are many mega-mileage EVs that are still going strong.

There are a few on YT. A 230,000-odd mile MG, a 300,000 odd mile Kia to name but two.

Our cheap as chips MG4 is currently approaching 28,000 and we have had no need to call breakdown services in that time.

The infrastructure, as I said, is miles better and the tech is not far behind. New battery tech is being developed that will soon be on the market.

As for dangerous, some seem to want to hate EVs. DT and DM both reported a fire in an electric bin lorry and blamed the lorry itself, despite both knowing it was due to waste catching fire.

A fire at a Luton Airport multistorey led to rumours that it was started by an EV, where in actual fact, it was a Diesel car that started the blaze.

In fact, hybrids are most likely to catch fire, followed by petrol and Diesel vehicles, then, at the bottom of the "likely to catch fire list" are EVs.

 

[Harry Bloomfield]

Anyone else driven mad trying to charge their EV?

Life is so much simpler, with an ICE.

 

[pcaouolte]

Most petrol stations have covers over their forecourts so that you don't have to stand in the rain whilst filling up. Most public EV charging stations have no covers so you get wet whilst plugging in.