For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
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By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1616741
MikeB wrote:Leave him be Frank, its his new baby :lol:

Meanwhile, my regular public charging station was ICEd up today :guns:

3 charging bays - 1 IC car was in one bay, and another IC car straddled the two remaining bays. Loads of empty spaces in the car park so no need for either vehicle to park there. :roll: My Zapmap App didn't help as it (of course) showed all three bays available for charging :furious:


Wot no extension lead??? :wink:
#1616751
Funny, but I wish we could use extension leads without them melting :-)

That said, if you stick to AC then this is an option: https://evcables.co.uk/index.php/ev-ext ... ype-2.html

Staying overnight in the middle of the North Pennines. It’s been huge fun today. The extra acceleration and single pedal/brake has been very useful for safely and quickly getting round cyclists on the climbs. Almost disappointed that I have loads of range left and a lot of charging points to choose from.

Quick trip to Lidl in the morning for some free juice and I’ll have spent around £14 on a 300 mile drive. Most of the juice on this trip has been at rapid chargepoints at 30p a unit.
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By MikeB
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1616790
Leodisflyer wrote:.... Most of the juice on this trip has been at rapid chargepoints at 30p a unit.


:shock: Blimey, think the electric suppliers concerned must run their generators on Avgas!

If the unit electric charge is above 25p/kWh (to include any connection charges), its cheaper for me to run my I3 on the petrol range extender.

Thus far the most I've paid anywhere in a public charge station is 9p/kWh, home is 12p/kWh, but 95% of my charging has been free.
Leodisflyer liked this
#1616820
The fast chargers on the motorway network and in The Lakes, and there are a lot of them, charge that.

It’s still a fraction of the price of petrol. At 4 miles per KWh I recon it’s 7.5p a mile - so half what I currently pay on my Audi. It’s also a discretionary and convenience cost.

I’m out of the sticks now and back near towns and cities so can charge for free on rapid chargers as well as the Polar network etc.

Interesting article in The Economist: https://www.economist.com/leaders/2017/ ... ectriccars
#1616846
3 charging bays - 1 IC car was in one bay, and another IC car straddled the two remaining bays. Loads of empty spaces in the car park so no need for either vehicle to park there.

This could be the start of the ICE brigade accusing EV drivers of being smug and arrogant, welcome to the cyclists world!!
Leodisflyer liked this
#1616921
Met a Leaf owner/couple today who use theirs as a camper!

I’ve now done upward of 700 miles in the last 8 days and have had huge fun :-)

It’s been motorways, mountains and lakes. Have also ended up with quite a stock of tasty food from Lidl in the search for free electricity. The rapid charger at Scotch Corner was on free vend today, as was the council one at Hebben.

Met an i3 driver (at a Lidl) who reckons he gets around £6.5k a year in work expenses driving his while he waits for his Tesla 3 - he’s also decided to keep the BMW. Given that you can pick up a year old i3 for £24k that’s a rapid payback.
By PaulB
#1621179
I guess it was always going to happen

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-44640647

Oil giant BP is buying the UK's largest electric charging network, Chargemaster, for £130m.

BP runs 1,200 petrol forecourts, but said earlier this year it expected renewable energy to be the fastest-growing fuel source.

It said the number of electric vehicles in the UK is set to grow from 135,000 at present to 12 million by 2040.

The move echoes one made last year by rival Shell, which bought car charging company NewMotion.


But could they use their power (no pun intended) to stifle growth or control the rate to suit themselves?
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By Flying_john
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1621217
May have something to do with forthcoming legislation:-

https://eandt.theiet.org/content/articles/2017/10/petrol-stations-will-be-required-to-install-smart-electric-vehicle-charging-points-under-new-draft-law/

But all good stuff, its still a little limiting to worry about where there may or may not be a charge point - and moreso a chargepoint to which you are a member , or have the card, or the phone App.
Leodisflyer liked this
#1621476
I’ve settled down in the amount of charging as I’m confident of range and charge point locations (plus charge point has been installed at home). Settling into a routine with 50 mile return commutes and not charging daily to keep the battery below level where life is prolonged and I get best regen from braking. Happy to let the car run at 70% charge or below.

The takeover is good news and a reflection of the move toward EVs becoming mainstream.
Rob P liked this
#1621686
This is the most useful part of the whole article: "He said the battery automatically slows a charge, to preserve its longevity, and to act as a safety mechanism when it gets too hot."

I haven't had a problem with successive paid recharges on long journeys, but then I time my recharges for the types of breaks that I'd take anyway, so it is more a case of little and often. When combined with the normal levels of standstill traffic that we suffer in Central Britain the battery doesn't seem to get a chance to get hot. If we even get to the point where it is possible to do 70 miles on the motorway in less than 2.5 hours then things may change.

Not sure how "What Car" were using the car to get 108 miles range. From full the charge generally shows 165-172 miles. If the motorway is clear (so I can cruise at 70) then, including the climb up to the top of the pennines, I burn a bit more electricity than normal, but I get that back win the decent.

The car is wavering a little over 4 miles per kWh for my normal use (urban and hilly motorway) - so a dependable 160 mile range,
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By MikeB
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1621876
Leodisflyer wrote:Not sure how "What Car" were using the car to get 108 miles range. From full the charge generally shows 165-172 miles.....The car is wavering a little over 4 miles per kWh for my normal use (urban and hilly motorway) - so a dependable 160 mile range,


You haven't had yours over a winter yet LF. Pretty sure you will find the range drops dramatically with temperature.

(My I3 currently showing 160 miles on a full charge. In the depths of last winter it was showing 115 miles)
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By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1623179
MikeB wrote:
You haven't had yours over a winter yet LF. Pretty sure you will find the range drops dramatically with temperature.

(My I3 currently showing 160 miles on a full charge. In the depths of last winter it was showing 115 miles)


I just nipped down to Cap Ferret and back yesterday, around 80-90km each way - but it was a scorcher and the AC was on pretty much max all the time. Didnt give a thought to how much range/fuel I had as I knew I filled up the other day.

Is it heating thats cutting the battery efficiency or the battery being cold, or both? Out of interest, how does using an AC in hot weather affect your range?

Regards, SD..
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By Paul_Sengupta
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1623180
Leodisflyer wrote:If charging warms the battery then does mileage improve in the winter by setting the charge timer to come on in the early hours before you drive?


I would have thought that the only advantage of the ambient temperature being cooler would be that you could put a higher current into the battery before it starts thermally throttling it down, and thus charge quicker. I don't think it's an issue when the car is or has been idle, just, as I understand it, for the quick charge when the car's being used.

skydriller wrote:Is it heating thats cutting the battery efficiency or the battery being cold, or both?


I don't suppose it's practical to rub the batteries between your hands and breathe on them to warm them up like you can with AAs?
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