13 minutes ago, Gmac983 said:

So what's the craic with all the subject matter on Google regarding EV drivers returning to their vehicles to find it has been unplugged so someone else can use the charging point. Do they automatically unlock once a certain charge percentage (100%?) has been reached? 

 

Wether it is a built in locking mechanism or a bloody great padlock, neither will stop them being broken out of spite. 

 

Also what is your plan B? You didn't say. 

 

Maybe it's trumpesk fake news. 

There are 2 types of charging: rapid and "fast" (slow being 3-pin domestic sockets). Better names would be, en-route charging and destination charging. 

• Vast majority public destination charging will require you to provide your own cable, ALL chargers will lock the cable until you've unplugged from your vehicle. Some will remain locked until you present RFID to tell it to unlock, in addition to unplugging from vehicle. ALL vehicles will lock the cable depending on car lock status and user setting. 
• Rapid en-route DC charging is where the charger has a tetheredhigh power cable. This gets more complicated. On some cars, pressing STOP on the charger or car finished charging will allow you to unplug. But being rapid, where you should stay no more than 45min, typically ~20min is normal, it is intended to be at service stations on trunk roads to facilitate long distance driving for EV's. You probably will not be far away from the car, and services usually are blanketed by CCTV, so chances of passer-by random vandalism are minimal. 

In both cases, it is far easier to break normal car bits. The only thing I can see that is easier to break and specific to EV is the charging flap. The cable and connectors are very well engineered and difficult to break. Unless, of course, you come equipped with a saw. 

 

Plan B is another charger. 

• If it were destination charging, it'll just mean I have to splash-n-dash at a rapid charger. 
• If it were rapid en-route charging. I always have a different charger further down the road as Plan B. 

This is where Tesla charging network excels. Normal public chargers are built in 1's or 2's, highly likely to be broken or in-use. Tesla chargers are built in 6-12's, more likely to arrive at one location to find an available charger. Thus won't need a Plan B. 

I would have loved a long range Tesla 3 if there was an estate version and the nearest dealer wasn't 5 or 6 hours away, it can even tow a little. 

 

Just can't see the infrastructure being anything like comprehensive enough by 2032, council can't even keep the handful of publicly available charge points that are in place work reliably never mind rolling out thousands more in a 12 year period. 

Edited 14 November, 20196 yr by Gmac983

I agree. Public infrastructure is the biggest barrier to EV adoption. 

The cars today are already very good and most have long enough range at over 200 miles.

 

But it may turn into a have and have-not's, where wealthy driveway owner can drive around in flashy electric cars and not paying pollution charges into different cities, while less well-off flat or terrace house dwellers are forced to pay through the nose for pollution charges when they buy used cars and can't easily charge their EV's. 

 

Unless something is done before 2040, it won't end well.......... 

 

 

 

Further off topic: Tesla have mobile mechanics that can comes to use. You also don't have to take it in for service every year to keep warranty. They seems to be trying very hard to minimise any need to visit them. 

2032 for Scotland. 

 

I was very tempted by the Tesla after viewing the range at a roadshow in Union Square, was very impressed. 

The model S with 7 seat option would have been excellent just rather out of my price range. The long range 3 would've just about been doable but with no estate option yet wasn't practical enough for us. 

Next time around though... 

 

😀Yes we have some what digressed from topic

Edited 14 November, 20196 yr by Gmac983

Is a Tesla 3 as slippery as the new Mk4 Octavia with a drag of 0.24?

23 minutes ago, shyVRS245 said:

Is a Tesla 3 as slippery as the new Mk4 Octavia with a drag of 0.24?

 

Nicely swerved back onto topic... 

 

If we get @Auric Goldfinger in on this with his marmite addiction, we could lube up the Mk4 octy to be a slippery Tesla 3 matching 0.23 (claimed). 😁

Don't know how the drag coefficient scale works? Is it like dB where an increase of 3 is double. 

Edited 14 November, 20196 yr by Gmac983

1 hour ago, shyVRS245 said:

Is a Tesla 3 as slippery as the new Mk4 Octavia with a drag of 0.24?

It's not just about the drag coefficient Cd, but about the combined effect of drag and effective frontal area CdA.

 

e.g. If you imagine a car and a truck with identical Cd, engine, transmission and weight (bear with me...) as the truck will most likely have a much larger frontal area the truck WILL be less fuel efficient and have higher pollution levels per mile/km.

4 hours ago, Roottootemoot said:

@cheezemonkhai

How far are your regular daily drives, and are 200 + mile trips something you are often doing?

Where about in the UK do you travel?

 

I do 450 mile journeys regularly and decided that some can be done with a EV because of suitable charging at 200 miles or there about.

When not suitable because of locations or weather a dirty diesel will do the job.

 

Daily commute is between 150 and 250 miles each way, with no charging points bar 6 superchargers and 2 public charges on an estate with about 10,000 people on it.

Then there are the customer visits where it can easily be 400 each way.

 

I would love to go electric, but hydrogen is basically electric without the range issue.

The charging infrastructure is a huge issue and even then a 3 hour drive would become a 4-5 hour drive with stops for charge.

 

I know somebody who was chuffed with their tesla, but gave up as they couldn't make it to the office without a stop for charge, never mind back.

 

So the idea is nice, but it's not practical for the number of people that would need to charge. Fine when it's niche, but not fine when every single car needs a charge.

Hence using solar to locally generate hydrogen, or green energy to bulk generate it then running cars of that.

 

Also that 80% efficient figure for plug in cars, I assume doesn't include transmission losses and increases electrical losses as the load, resistance and heat go up.

 

 

Oh and going on Topic, the tesla is slippery, but then so are a few other cars.

Just getting away from the SUV trend (say an extra purchase and annual tax on cars with a Cd/CdA above a certain figure), would make a huge dent in the emissions levels.

Edited 14 November, 20196 yr by cheezemonkhai