EV general discussion

Mr Jack said:
I don't have kids, sadly, and I do appreciate it can make things more difficult but when I was young we were usually stopping anyway because at least one of the four of us would be getting antsy if weren't allowed out to run around about every couple of hours.



Is there anywhere in the UK that isn't within a single charge of the beach? And charging a car while you're at he beach should be an ideal charging situation -- although it's probably not there yet, anyway.

That wasn't really the point, I guess, but it still seems like a classic example of a cognitive bias towards worrying about single big costs over dozens of smaller costs that add up to a lot more.
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I think the last bit is still the problem.

Most EV's can do the trip to most weekend destinations but as so few places have chargers at them after a full day out with the family you still need to make another extra stop on your journey home

Last weekend the wife and daughter went out for a meal with family about 2.5 hours away, my EV would make it there no problem but not there and back. The pub that they chose didn't have any chargers so if she'd have taken my car (of if i was going to) we'd have to stop off somewhere extra for 30 minutes to have enough charge to get home.

That's the biggest bit missing of the puzzle for me still, there's lots of places pre covid that i used to visit about 2 hours plus away and still only about 1 of the 10 has a charger at the actual thing i would be visiting so i'd need to make an extra stop off on the way back which isn't ideal, especially with a family in the car who all just want to get home.

I don't really want more super ultra rapid chargers, i want several 7kw chargers in the car parks of attractions where my car will be sat doing nothing for several hours.
 
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sovietspybob said:
I don't really want more super ultra rapid chargers, i want several 7kw chargers in the car parks of attractions where my car will be sat doing nothing for several hours.
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This.
Mr Jack said:
Yeah, I agree. Public low power chargers you can just leave your car at are severely underrated.
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…and this.

I’ve been saying the same thing for years.

The key to this whole transition was never ultra rapid chargers, it’s was and always will be low powered chargers where cars are normally parked for long periods of time.

Long periods of time is defined as anything >2-3 hours in my book.

I hardly ever use rapid chargers, I’d use them even less if destination charging was better than it is now.

That said, there are a few places where rapid chargers are also very underrated and largely lacking e.g. Euro tunnel terminal (has chargers, not enough IMO), ferry terminals and on the ferry itself.

The latter would need to be a premium service but would’t need to be particularly quick given you are stuck on the thing for 90+ mins.
 
sovietspybob said:
Last weekend the wife and daughter went out for a meal with family about 2.5 hours away,
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I can't measure distance with time unless we are talking about c. So how far is that in real money? :)

sovietspybob said:
I don't really want more super ultra rapid chargers, i want several 7kw chargers in the car parks of attractions where my car will be sat doing nothing for several hours
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It's happening very, very, slowly. When venues need to do it or they loose business to elsewhere it'll be made prevalent but that is pretty far off sadly.
 
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sovietspybob said:
I think the last bit is still the problem.

Most EV's can do the trip to most weekend destinations but as so few places have chargers at them after a full day out with the family you still need to make another extra stop on your journey home

Last weekend the wife and daughter went out for a meal with family about 2.5 hours away, my EV would make it there no problem but not there and back. The pub that they chose didn't have any chargers so if she'd have taken my car (of if i was going to) we'd have to stop off somewhere extra for 30 minutes to have enough charge to get home.

That's the biggest bit missing of the puzzle for me still, there's lots of places pre covid that i used to visit about 2 hours plus away and still only about 1 of the 10 has a charger at the actual thing i would be visiting so i'd need to make an extra stop off on the way back which isn't ideal, especially with a family in the car who all just want to get home.

I don't really want more super ultra rapid chargers, i want several 7kw chargers in the car parks of attractions where my car will be sat doing nothing for several hours.
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I can't say I've ever done a 5hr round trip for pub lunch.

Done a long trips to visit family etc but thats not just lunch that's usually a good few hours or overnight. tbh getting AC charging has never been convenient on such trips. I'm more likely to use DC chargers.

I do agree more AC chargers around the place on destinations would be handy.
 
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I spend a lot of time in hotels unfortunately and one of the things I notice as a casual observer is A) how poor the charging provision is at them and B) how few EV drivers actually seem to use them anyway.

Holiday Inn Express mid week I think it's fair to say that the majority of the cars in the car park are on business trips. Yet the token 2 charge points often sit with one or both unused while the car park has a dozen or more EVs parked up.

My assumption is that people see the token offering and think they won't bother relying on that and make sure they arrive with enough to get straight on with their day in the morning.
 
lordrobs said:
My assumption is that people see the token offering and think they won't bother relying on that and make sure they arrive with enough to get straight on with their day in the morning.
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Or they don't need to charge, or the have a fuel card, or they don't have the cable in the car, or they don't realise, or they haven't booked it? Etc.
 
Another factor with EV is the weather.

Just did Plymouth to Newbury in 3hrs. 190 miles (97 to 4%) and only got 2.6m/kwh. 2.5 until I dropped to 60 for the last few miles of the M4. way down was dry at higher speeds was 3.4

just made it as the rain was torrential most the way which absolutely killed the range. Didn’t go much over 70 as standing water and spray. Good job I have a massive battery 79kWh and avoided miserably plugging in the rain without a canopy and paying 75p/kWh for the pleasure.
 
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Journey said:
Or they don't need to charge, or the have a fuel card, or they don't have the cable in the car, or they don't realise, or they haven't booked it? Etc.
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Yeah, or those reasons.

The point I failed to actually make is it's a hard sell to businesses that they should put in more destination charging when the paltry provision they have made isn't even close to being fully utilised.
 
OspreyO said:
Hotels with charging....

www.plugshare.com

Kenmare Bay Hotel & Resort | Kenmare, KY | EV Station

Kenmare Bay Hotel
www.plugshare.com

I've never stayed in a hotel with a charger. Its always been easier to hit a DC charger. Which means I leave on 90%.
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I generally find the opposite if on a road trip that requires hotel stays and think destination AC is far easier. So hotels and the usual parking lot AC chargers as they tend to be more readily available near tourist destinations. I have done multiple 500+ miles weekend journeys relying purely on AC and it meant zero impact on journey times. Just plug in while touristing and get 20% - 50% charge each time. Painless and the AC tends to be a lot cheaper than rapids.

I have had hit or miss experience with hotels and their AC. Had one where it was super easy and got 30% charge in about 4 hours and unplugged to free up the charger. 4 charging bays were all used reasonably by different EVs while I was there.

In another hotel a bunch of selfish golfing cretins kept tag teaming the charger and I had to go find a rapid at 11pm at night. The hotel staff were utterly useless and indifferent to the fact I had “booked” the charger on their booking sheet. I had used that hotel a few times previously and I made it clear I would never be back.

In yet another hotel a BMW hybrid was stuck in the only charging bay and was not plugged in. Thankfully an adjacent normal parking bay eventually freed up and I was able to charge. I only needed 15% to make sure I had the buffer to get home.

So my negative experiences aren’t the chargers, it’s inconsiderate EV owners.
 
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Journey said:
I can't measure distance with time unless we are talking about c. So how far is that in real money? :)

It's happening very, very, slowly. When venues need to do it or they loose business to elsewhere it'll be made prevalent but that is pretty far off sadly.
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It's roughly 100 miles each way.

OspreyO said:
I can't say I've ever done a 5hr round trip for pub lunch.

Done a long trips to visit family etc but thats not just lunch that's usually a good few hours or overnight. tbh getting AC charging has never been convenient on such trips. I'm more likely to use DC chargers.

I do agree more AC chargers around the place on destinations would be handy.
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Welcome to the reality of living in the wilds of North West Wales :( we meet up a couple of times a year with family who all live in England so we pick a place which is in the middle for all of us which is about 2-2.5 hours away.

but that's pretty common journey length for any 'day out' from here, for example of a few places which are regular day trips:
East Lancs railway - 2 1/4 hours and 110 miles each way
Foxfield railway - 2.5 hours and 125 miles each way
Bridgenorth - 2.5 hours and 125 miles each way again
Manchester to see friends - 2 hours and 100 miles

Pretty much all of those are mostly motorway/dual carriageway so pretty inefficient this time of year in an EV but it'd be parked up at each of those places for several hours so a 7kw charger would be perfect and probably give me enough juice to get home without having to stop and make a very long day even longer.
 
sovietspybob said:
It's roughly 100 miles each way.
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That is totally doable in the Ioniq, with just a volt and bolt, understand why you don't want to stop for 10-15 minutes after two longish drives either way though.

sovietspybob said:
Pretty much all of those are mostly motorway/dual carriageway so pretty inefficient this time of year in an EV
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What are you achieving currently? Should still easily be getting 4.4mpkWh, especially on a trip that averages 40mph.
 
Journey said:
That is totally doable in the Ioniq, with just a volt and bolt, understand why you don't want to stop for 10-15 minutes after two longish drives either way though.


What are you achieving currently? Should still easily be getting 4.4mpkWh, especially on a trip that averages 40mph.
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with a 7 year old in the car who's already bored to death being dragged to a family lunch any delays on getting home are a massive pain

Yeah it depends, i can get high 4's on some trips on milder days in the winter, got 4.8 the other day but then if there's a head wind or its very cold it can be as low as 4.0

It's only ever showed 186 miles fully charged in the summer, think its around 160 this time of year
 
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sovietspybob said:
It's roughly 100 miles each way.



Welcome to the reality of living in the wilds of North West Wales :( we meet up a couple of times a year with family who all live in England so we pick a place which is in the middle for all of us which is about 2-2.5 hours away.

but that's pretty common journey length for any 'day out' from here, for example of a few places which are regular day trips:
East Lancs railway - 2 1/4 hours and 110 miles each way
Foxfield railway - 2.5 hours and 125 miles each way
Bridgenorth - 2.5 hours and 125 miles each way again
Manchester to see friends - 2 hours and 100 miles

Pretty much all of those are mostly motorway/dual carriageway so pretty inefficient this time of year in an EV but it'd be parked up at each of those places for several hours so a 7kw charger would be perfect and probably give me enough juice to get home without having to stop and make a very long day even longer.
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Might be common for you.. But it's not common. A couple times a year is not regular either.
 
OspreyO said:
Might be common for you.. But it's not common. A couple times a year is not regular either.
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I never said it was common for everyone but it is common to me and lots of people who live somewhere rural.

The trip to that specific pub lunch may be only a couple of times a year but did you see the other trips i do regularly? They're all pretty much the same.

It's an incredibly common journey for people around here to visit Liverpool, Chester or Manchester for some shopping or entertainment on the weekend and that's an easy 2 hours and 100+ miles each way.
 
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