EV general discussion

I don't think this £3,750 will make a difference, manufacturers will just increase their prices so the consumer doesn't really benefit. Shock.

I would much rather a £2-3k contribution to a home installation. Like mine, many are not just bolt it to the wall and job done, there is extra wiring/pedestal requirements, etc.

Or, spend the money and get public charging costs closer to home charging levels. I'd happily sit for an hour or so a week just to charge, but not at these prices.
 
Interesting idea, First Bus are opening up some of their depot chargers to the public:
news.firstbus.co.uk

First Bus powers up with launch of ‘First Charge’ | First Bus UK News

First Bus launches ‘First Charge’ – a new identity for its nationwide programme that opens up First Bus’s EV infrastructure, helping accelerate the UK’s transition to cleaner, greener travel. Its Glasgow Caledonia depot is leading the launch with an expansion of its established shared...
news.firstbus.co.uk news.firstbus.co.uk

The Glasgow depot isn't very far from me and is opposite a retail park I often visit so I'll give it a go next time I'm there, the 39p/Kwh is certainly appealing.
 
Cost is everything, the Cheltenham Travel Hub is a great idea on paper, 100 x 7.4kW chargers, but it's 56p/kWh so rarely used..
 
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TheVoice said:
Interesting idea, First Bus are opening up some of their depot chargers to the public:
news.firstbus.co.uk

First Bus powers up with launch of ‘First Charge’ | First Bus UK News

First Bus launches ‘First Charge’ – a new identity for its nationwide programme that opens up First Bus’s EV infrastructure, helping accelerate the UK’s transition to cleaner, greener travel. Its Glasgow Caledonia depot is leading the launch with an expansion of its established shared...
news.firstbus.co.uk news.firstbus.co.uk

The Glasgow depot isn't very far from me and is opposite a retail park I often visit so I'll give it a go next time I'm there, the 39p/Kwh is certainly appealing.
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Makes sense. They have hardly any use for the chargers during the day when most people want to use them. Over night when hardly any cars are around they’ll be brimming busses.

This isn’t them ‘helping the transition by filling a gap in the infrastructure’ it’s very much a commercial decision to make money from their assets which they otherwise wouldn’t be using. It tells a nice story though.
 
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Demon said:
Cost is everything, the Cheltenham Travel Hub is a great idea on paper, 100 x 7.4kW chargers, but it's 56p/kWh so rarely used..
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Exactly this, the issue is either that there aren't chargers about but then when there are, it's that theres 101 different apps, payment methods etc, and most of all that they're super expensive to use more often than not
 
Need to look at the profits the charging companies are making to see whether the charging/battery/building/people infrastructure costs really justifies the cost per kw/hr that is being charged,
obviously w/petrol station their infrastructure is supposed to be a few pence/L (but the cost of installing tanks must have been amortized way back)
 
Demon said:
Cost is everything, the Cheltenham Travel Hub is a great idea on paper, 100 x 7.4kW chargers, but it's 56p/kWh so rarely used..
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Cheapest in my immediate area is Arnold Clark at 55p but it would be good to see other providers get a bit more competitive. The massive price variations are the worst thing, e.g. only a bit further away the BP Pulse chargers at a shopping centre are 85p/kWh. It would be convenient as I could charge my car while shopping, but I'll gladly sit in my car in an Arnold Clark forecourt for 25 mins instead if it means saving £10-15 on a longer charge.
 
jpaul said:
Need to look at the profits the charging companies are making to see whether the charging/battery/building/people infrastructure costs really justifies the cost per kw/hr that is being charged,
obviously w/petrol station their infrastructure is supposed to be a few pence/L (but the cost of installing tanks must have been amortized way back)
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You can do it mate

Companies house exists.

Tell us your findings (or is that too hard compared to quoting crap YouTube videos)
 
8000 miles into my EV ownership (Since January this year) and having paid £0 in any kind of electricity or fuel really is a huge win. Cant understand what all the fuss about range is. Never had any issues.
 
jpaul said:
Need to look at the profits the charging companies are making to see whether the charging/battery/building/people infrastructure costs really justifies the cost per kw/hr that is being charged,
obviously w/petrol station their infrastructure is supposed to be a few pence/L (but the cost of installing tanks must have been amortized way back)
Click to expand...

It doesn't matter if they can "justify" it if people aren't going to use it.

56p/kWh is ~15.5p/mile, or roughly on par with a relatively inefficient petrol car (and that's in summer at ~3.6mi/kwh, winter will be worse)

If they can't charge at home, then who is going to pick the higher up front cost and relative inconvenience of an EV, vs a cheap ICE which will probably turn out cheaper to run?

If they can charge at home, then why are they using that charger?
 
Well I now have three regular users or my own charger - the users either live in a private flat and are embattled with planning to get a charger, or live in a place where creating access to charging is challenging, again mainly due to planning issues. The furthest person lives 20 mins walk away, and they charge once every week to ten days to 95%, the others are twice a week for shorter stints. One of them was a referral from the other, and I also have a potential fourth joining, might have to start 'charging' more than cost price at this rate or get a second charger! Can you imagine if more people shared their stuff. :)
 
Journey said:
Well I now have three regular users or my own charger - the users either live in a private flat and are embattled with planning to get a charger, or live in a place where creating access to charging is challenging, again mainly due to planning issues. The furthest person lives 20 mins walk away, and they charge once every week to ten days to 95%, the others are twice a week for shorter stints. One of them was a referral from the other, and I also have a potential fourth joining, might have to start 'charging' more than cost price at this rate or get a second charger! Can you imagine if more people shared their stuff. :)
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Serious question - if you get a second charger fitted, can you deliver 7kw on both at the same time from a normal home single phase supply? Or is that the maximum in total?
 
Good chargers also have a CT clamp and a feature referred to as ‘adaptive fuse’ where they can curtail their output if you start hitting your fuse size, whatever that is.
 
Guess who decided to finally get an EV and ordered a Megane Etech on Saturday :cry: hopefully I’ll be able to get the grant, otherwise I’ll just cancel the order then order it again which is a waste of time for everyone.
 
Journey said:
I have a 100A main fuse, so it's all good.
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on speakev forum someone had a second charger fitted via octopus?
The dno were not happy and wanted him to remove it, or pay £6k to upgrade to 3 phase.
I'll try and find the link but I would double check before having a second one fitted.

If the link to another form isn't permitted, mods please remove it. Second charger

It's titled DNO want me to remove a second charger, if the link is removed.
 
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Qitarah said:
Cant understand what all the fuss about range is. Never had any issues.
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Depends massively on your use.

I was thinking about it recently after going on holiday as I drove there, drove around, drove home and still had over 1/3rd of a tank of fuel left - even the best EVs for range currently wouldn't have managed it without charging at least once - the very best might have just about done it with 1-2% left maybe. Someone with an EV had a bit of fun and games and a touch of range anxiety due to unreliability of access to or existence of local chargers in a rural part of Wales - nothing too bad but another day it might have gone wrong.

EDIT: Personally I'd have probably used a different mindset and found somewhere to charge on the way there and back rather than trying to find somewhere mid stay, but personally I'd rather not break journeys like that unless I have to and it was nice to be able to avoid that coming home as the services were packed out with all the people heading into the South West due to the weather so I expect trying to find an available charger could have been fun and games.
 
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m4rmite said:
on speakev forum someone had a second charger fitted via octopus?
The dno were not happy and wanted him to remove it, or pay £6k to upgrade to 3 phase.
I'll try and find the link but I would double check before having a second one fitted.

If the link to another form isn't permitted, mods please remove it. Second charger

It's titled DNO want me to remove a second charger, if the link is removed.
Click to expand...

Lol, they gonna make me remove my 10kW shower as well.
 
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