Are we being forced to go electric?

[Cerdic]

There is rapid charging standards and protocols have been in place since around 2013 - Type 2 for AC charging, and CCS for DC charging.

This is exactly why everything about electric cars needs simplifying. To the average blob on the street this is just a jumble of random initials. Then there is all the stuff about 'kilowatt hours'. It's all far too technical for most people.

And don't even start on public charging networks. This one you need to have an account for, this one is just for owners of a particular brand, etc, etc. Too complex! If I want petrol I can get it at any petrol station and pay cash. You don't have to have an account with them before Shell will let you fill up! You're not going to find special pumps on the forecourt that are reserved for Peugeot owners...

I like electric cars. I've driven some. I suggested to my wife she should look at one last time she changed her car. After looking at some of this stuff she was 'nope, too complicated, my life is too busy and stressful without trying to figure all this out'. So she ended up with a hybrid. I doubt she is the only person who has done this!

 

[cougie uk]

This is exactly why everything about electric cars needs simplifying. To the average blob on the street this is just a jumble of random initials. Then there is all the stuff about 'kilowatt hours'. It's all far too technical for most people.

And don't even start on public charging networks. This one you need to have an account for, this one is just for owners of a particular brand, etc, etc. Too complex! If I want petrol I can get it at any petrol station and pay cash. You don't have to have an account with them before Shell will let you fill up! You're not going to find special pumps on the forecourt that are reserved for Peugeot owners...

I like electric cars. I've driven some. I suggested to my wife she should look at one last time she changed her car. After looking at some of this stuff she was 'nope, too complicated, my life is too busy and stressful without trying to figure all this out'. So she ended up with a hybrid. I doubt she is the only person who has done this!

People are dumb.
They manage to put the wrong fuel in their tanks.

I'm just not sure what you'd need to do to make it easier for those guys.

Meanwhile - a small bit of reading and you're good to go.

 

[CXRAndy]

This is exactly why everything about electric cars needs simplifying. To the average blob on the street this is just a jumble of random initials. Then there is all the stuff about 'kilowatt hours'. It's all far too technical for most people.

And don't even start on public charging networks. This one you need to have an account for, this one is just for owners of a particular brand, etc, etc. Too complex! If I want petrol I can get it at any petrol station and pay cash. You don't have to have an account with them before Shell will let you fill up! You're not going to find special pumps on the forecourt that are reserved for Peugeot owners...

I like electric cars. I've driven some. I suggested to my wife she should look at one last time she changed her car. After looking at some of this stuff she was 'nope, too complicated, my life is too busy and stressful without trying to figure all this out'. So she ended up with a hybrid. I doubt she is the only person who has done this!

You really dont need to worry about most of it. Electricity is the same. Connection type ( virtually all are or will be type 2/CCS ). Its all part of the same connection on the car.

Charging a car is either slow, fast or rapid. Slow and fast for homes. Fast and rapid for when charging away from home.

Thats it. You roll up with a credit card and or phone, swipe and away you go charging

 

[fossyant]

Its akin, to not knowing how to change a wheel

Many folk can't even do that.

 

[Cerdic]

Surely the point is to encourage people to make the switch?

Calling them dumb and encouraging them to read stuff they don't want to and don't have time to is not really helping, is it?

Also, Alice Roberts isn't dumb. She was a surgeon and is now a professor at Birmingham University. My wife isn't dumb. She is an English teacher and deputy principal of a secondary school. It should seem simple to them and yet it isn't. I would say that is the fault of the manufacturers.

 

[Cerdic]

You really dont need to worry about most of it. Electricity is the same. Connection type ( virtually all are or will be type 2/CCS ). Its all part of the same connection on the car.

Charging a car is either slow, fast or rapid. Slow and fast for homes. Fast and rapid for when charging away from home.

Thats it. You roll up with a credit card and or phone, swipe and away you go charging

That's interesting. When I looked into it a couple of years ago there were several charging networks and they all required an account with its own card and/or app. Have they made it easier in the meantime?

 

[CXRAndy]

Surely the point is to encourage people to make the switch?

Calling them dumb and encouraging them to read stuff they don't want to and don't have time to is not really helping, is it?

Also, Alice Roberts isn't dumb. She was a surgeon and is now a professor at Birmingham University. My wife isn't dumb. She is an English teacher and deputy principal of a secondary school. It should seem simple to them and yet it isn't. I would say that is the fault of the manufacturers.

It's fear to change, so folk come up with irrational arguments. I read up online, showed my wife how to charge at a supercharger. Job done, she would never go back to a ICE vehicle

 

[CXRAndy]

Many folk can't even do that.

Before my daughter and son were allowed to start driving, I got them to change a wheel on the car, learn where the oil, coolant, washer fluids were. How to check brake fluid and braking system.

Its part of the driving test, well some of it is. Pity it doesn't fail the learner if you know naff all about basic car maintenance

 

[Cerdic]

It's fear to change, so folk come up with irrational arguments. I read up online, showed my wife how to charge at a supercharger. Job done, she would never go back to a ICE vehicle

Yes, I agree that charging is ridiculously simple. We had some EVs at work. Open the flap, plug in, wait till car says its full. No worries.

That simplicity should be a selling point. But somehow we have a situation where well-known academics are using the wrong type of plug! Not great PR for a technology that needs to overcome a fair bit of resistance from a lot of people.

I feel the manufacturers should have thought it through a bit more...

 

[fossyant]

Before my daughter and son were allowed to start driving, I got them to change a wheel on the car, learn where the oil, coolant, washer fluids were. How to check brake fluid and braking system.

Its part of the driving test, well some of it is. Pity it doesn't fail the learner if you know naff all about basic car maintenance

My son can swap engines, without formal training. Should be fun teaching my daughter to change a wheel...

 

[MrGrumpy]

Surely the point is to encourage people to make the switch?

Calling them dumb and encouraging them to read stuff they don't want to and don't have time to is not really helping, is it?

Also, Alice Roberts isn't dumb. She was a surgeon and is now a professor at Birmingham University. My wife isn't dumb. She is an English teacher and deputy principal of a secondary school. It should seem simple to them and yet it isn't. I would say that is the fault of the manufacturers.

Yep I did find that funny , she’s not what I would describe as dumb.

 

[cougie uk]

Surely the point is to encourage people to make the switch?

Calling them dumb and encouraging them to read stuff they don't want to and don't have time to is not really helping, is it?

Also, Alice Roberts isn't dumb. She was a surgeon and is now a professor at Birmingham University. My wife isn't dumb. She is an English teacher and deputy principal of a secondary school. It should seem simple to them and yet it isn't. I would say that is the fault of the manufacturers.

But people are dumb. You can see this every day.
I don't know what happened in Alice's case. Maybe she used the wrong cable or maybe there was an issue with the charger.

My wife absolutely hated the EV to begin with. She hates change. Now she's used to it she loves it.

You need to learn stuff to drive. You need to learn new stuff to drive a new car. It's the same with EVs.

Nobody's born with the innate knowledge of what charger to use. You have to read up.

 

[classic33]

You really dont need to worry about most of it. Electricity is the same. Connection type ( virtually all are or will be type 2/CCS ). Its all part of the same connection on the car.

Charging a car is either slow, fast or rapid. Slow and fast for homes. Fast and rapid for when charging away from home.

Thats it. You roll up with a credit card and or phone, swipe and away you go charging

Being picky I know, but how would the system know how much you were charging up by before you started charging?

You pay for petrol/diesel after filling up, unless you pay for a set amount. Will that be carried over to charging points.

 

[fossyant]

The cost of EV's are outside most peoples budget. Sorry but unless they get cheaper. I do 'ownership' not lease - maybe it needs to be lease for leccy cars only. Lovely on your company car scheme......

Cars generally are a waste of money. Electric, even a bigger cost.

 

[vickster]

My son can swap engines, without formal training. Should be fun teaching my daughter to change a wheel...

Not very successfully it seems…how many has he destroyed now?