New or improved hubs announced, Government EV Loans in Scotland and free & no longer free public charging places..

[domhnall]

59 minutes ago, e-Roottoot said:

@domhnall I just checked out Straiton Park and Ride which will  the handiest for me really for coming and going from the Cameron Toll area. So offski for a while now.

 

trouble with Edinburgh is they tend to be hogged by Taxis. The sooner they started charging the better. If you get stuck there is are two engenie rapid at MacDonalds at Dalkeith and one near the SQA at Sherrifhall (but there are two CPS rapids there too)

 

Edited 4 September, 2020 by domhnall

[Ootohere]

Cheers I have then all on paper now for when I need to get postcodes quick and not mess about with zapmap.  Google can not get my accent very often.  She still can not understand Burns Square Ayr.

 

Edited 4 September, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[domhnall]

14 minutes ago, e-Roottoot said:

Cheers I have then all on paper now for when I need to get postcodes quick and not mess about with zapmap.  Google can not get my accent very often.  She still can not understand Burns Square Ayr.

 

trust me, wattsup

 

far easier

 

[domhnall]

2 hours ago, e-Roottoot said:

I am back at Hermiston park and ride before going south. I charge to 98% before hitting the road or to 100% putting in the last 2% at home usually.  Today I charged in Aberdeen before heading back to Edinburgh.  A White Tesla came off the charger as he was finished and just sitting on the phone.  Lovely to Perth / Glenfarg then torrential through Fife.

 

 

you would be a lot faster charing to 80 and then moving on - at busier chargers you will drive a lot of people nuts with your over 80% thing. Expect some hostility at busier times

 

[Ootohere]

I don't do that stuff as no use when no phone reception in the Scotland that the politicians care not a jot about.   @donhall you can not charge @80 % and move on in Aboyne, Braemar, Alford etc, and Nairn is hopeless and many other chargers that are more often occupied or out of order. 80- 98 % is just 20 minutes and if you have no idea when the next chance of charging is I want to leave with 180 miles possible and 4 hours available driving.   I am just in the central belt for now and only checking out locations incase around here come winter but I doubt I will be doing 450 mile days in the coldest weather in the Corsa for trips that need to be getting a shift on with.  Eg Glasgow, Edinburgh or Aberdeen airport pick up or dropping offs.

Edited 4 September, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[wyx087]

14 hours ago, ColinD said:

Really can't work out why none is doing the hybrid as the engine being a mobile genny.

With current state of rapid charging network, especially at motorway services, I would be more than happy to go this route instead of Tesla.
 

It is known as range extended EV.

[PetrolDave]

3 hours ago, wyx087 said:

With current state of rapid charging network, especially at motorway services, I would be more than happy to go this route instead of Tesla.
 

It is known as range extended EV.

Which BMW used to offer as an option on the i3 but discontinued it - anyone know why?

[Ootohere]

Because carrying a motorbike engine and petrol was kidology and the WLTP and RDE certification was going to show that.   The 170ps range extender was rather good and many of  those with them seem to want to stick with them.

[Ootohere]

The Black / White hybrid cab drivers seem to be divided in their opinion of the vehicles they have splashed £59,000 out on.  I have listened to a few that really should have their own chargers, or chargers only available to them. Also not happy at the charging speeds on AC.

Edited 5 September, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[wyx087]

1 hour ago, PetrolDave said:

Which BMW used to offer as an option on the i3 but discontinued it - anyone know why?

There are known reliability issue with i3 REx engine not being used for a long time. It needs more engineering efforts but because general public and the government sees this the same as PHEV, it doesn't get as much attention as full EV.

 

See this thread: https://www.speakev.com/threads/for-the-love-of-god-do-not-run-an-i3-without-a-warranty.101153/

 

There should be a slightly reduced grant for ~40kWh battery with REx engine. But all cars bought using this grant must be fitted a no ICE GEO-zone restrictor for cleaner inner city.

Similarly, I think 80+ kWh is very wasteful and should have grants removed. This will not only spur manufacturers to make more efficient cars. Also sends message that EV is about covering 90% of your daily journey, then use rapid charging for long journey. Speaking of which:

 

25 minutes ago, e-Roottoot said:

I have listened to a few that really should have their own chargers, or chargers only available to them. Also not happy at the charging speeds on AC.

Well, they are not wrong. Queuing for charging sucks, 20-40min stop is already the maximum time I'm willing to stop mid-journey, doubling that time due to occupied charger makes going back to fossil fuel really attractive. Really need each location, especially on trunk roads, to have 6+ chargers as minimum. The removed big battery grants should go into rapid charging infrastructure for everyone.

 

7kW AC charging speed, on the other hand, it's non-issue as long as one can plug-in overnight. It will not be an issue until beyond 100kWh batteries become norm, which is unlikely over next 10 years.

 

What's the average daily miles for a London taxi anyway? 100 kWh can easily go over 300 miles in an efficient car at such low speed. That is 15 hours of averaging 20mph, a speed that is difficult to achieve in London. 40 kWh LEVC should give over 120 miles range on a charge, that is 6 hours of similar driving. Rapid charge over food break and should give another 5 hours. Recharge overnight on AC, ready for another zero tailpipe emission day.

[Ootohere]

There are TAXI drivers mumping that they have been mis-sold vehicles.  Well they are entering the real world.  Buyer beware.  A driver last night was taking pictures on the AC charger I was on n the CCS I was using and saying he could not get 43kWh of a charge.   I left him to his moaning.      Another driver that I let charge this week said he was usually £100 a 24 shift for diesel when he and another driver worked and in the past 2 weeks he had ok only used £10 buying fuel.

Edited 5 September, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

There are vehicles working 24 hours with 2 or more drivers.  Same as with ICE vehicles taxis/ cabs and deliveries do with just down time for maintenance and drivers breaks.   London is so Capital City and not representative of smaller UK cities.   More should maybe check out small cities like Dundee and public hire vehicle charging.  But then they hit the EU hard for funding as s they always have over the decades.    I am going to be hitting the press with more info on Angus Council and the many unused public funded EV,s sitting unused by employees and not anything to do with Covid 19.   These cars should be available through as car club while Angus Council are just having them sitting around.

Edited 5 September, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

@Luckypants a small young child showed me just how to cycle through all the dash options and find the trip and other useful stuff.  

[Ootohere]

Kinross Park and Ride EV charging place is a great example of the very minimum that should be available in any village, town or charging hubs in cities.  

Edited 5 September, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

[KenONeill]

On 04/09/2020 at 17:30, e-Roottoot said:

She still can not understand Burns Square Ayr

Because it's "Burns Statue Square, Ayr"?

[Ootohere]

@KenONeill Welcome back. 

 

 

I was checking my use of ChargePlace Scotland chargers over the past month & 3,000 miles of using my card.

They cost my favourite cost. 'FREE'.

 

There are some charge locations missing but i must of used another card and i have 2 charges at chargers i paid for and a few at private chargers and a few top ups at home.

Edited 10 September, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

Wallyford,

near Musselburgh, 7 miles east of Edinburgh.   Joined up thinking & planning... You know it makes sense!

 

 

 

 

Edited 12 September, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

[Ootohere]

This new Angus Council Charging Hub is just about 100 yards from the New Commercial Filing Station with facilities and EV charging stations.

 

[Ootohere]

The EG Group that are going to be the majority owners of Asda are who are building the new filling station with EV charging in Forfar, Montrose and i would think elsewhere.

I do not know anything about the 6,000 filling stations they have.

http://forecourttrader.co.uk/news/eg-group-plans-major-expansion-of-site-at-montrose/643282.article

 

https://www.hitc.com/en-gb/2020/09/29/who-are-the-issa-brothers

 

If they do more rapid chargers and bigger hubs at Asda stores that would be a good thing.

[Ootohere]

The new Angus Council EV Charging Hub in Forfar is coming along nicely despite some rather wet weather in the past weeks,

& also the EG Filling Station with Chargers and facilities very near to it.

[Ootohere]

Police Scotland spending big to have EV charging points.

 

 

[Ootohere]

Work is well underway at the Castle View Park & Ride Stirling.

There will be 32 new chargers & parking for 132 vehicles under solar panel canopies.

 

I bit of a change from the one rapid charger there at present with plenty trying to get a turn using the charger.

Just a pity a few more were not installed while the extensive construction work in ongoing.

 

 

Edited 30 October, 2020 by e-Roottoot

[Ootohere]

Fife Council are starting to do as Dundee Council has and are going to be charging to use the EV Chargers they own.