Are we being forced to go electric?

[figbat]

Happens at work, EV's, and god forbid, PHEV's parked all day at the leccy pump !

Same here. You just know that the PHEV is full in an hour but it stays there all day - and we have more (PH)EVs than spaces, so an informal network of users has formed to contact for charging time, although not all (PH)EV drivers are in it.

My car lets me know when it is full through the connected app, so I can go and move it when it's done - at work I can see my car park from my office so if there are EV spaces still free I'll leave mine where it is, but if they are full and mine is charged I'll move it. Out and about when shopping, I won't necessarily rush back the moment it is charged but will return to it if I am nearby and/or have a load of stuff I want to dump in the boot.

 

[Richard A Thackeray]

America?

“Vorsprung Durch Electronik”?

 

[figbat]

America?

View attachment 626190

Austria

 

[cougie uk]

Nothing to stop it from being an electric car with a recycled battery pack towed behind it in the future though.

 

[cougie uk]

I was wrong. No need to tow it. You can use a suitcase size battery.

https://www.autocar.co.uk/car-news/...rm-launches-portable-ev-charger-urban-drivers

 

[ClichéGuevara]

If the manufacturers standardised the batteries, and made them more readily removable, a battery exchange system would get around many problems.

 

[cougie uk]

If the manufacturers standardised the batteries, and made them more readily removable, a battery exchange system would get around many problems.

We've been through this. The battery is a big bulky item.
It would need automation or a fork lift to take it out assuming that it was easily removable.
And then why would you swap say a newish battery for an older one ?

I've had my ev for 18 months now and easily more than 99% of charging is on the driveway.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

We've been through this. The battery is a big bulky item.
It would need automation or a fork lift to take it out assuming that it was easily removable.
And then why would you swap say a newish battery for an older one ?

I've had my ev for 18 months now and easily more than 99% of charging is on the driveway.

An option that's not available to a big percentage of users. The logistical changes needed could be part of the uniform design. It could make a smaller range more palatable, if quick top up's were readily available.

 

[cougie uk]

An option that's not available to a big percentage of users. The logistical changes needed could be part of the uniform design. It could make a smaller range more palatable, if quick top up's were readily available.

It's called fast charging.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

It's called fast charging.

Which requires a huge infrastructure to be developed as the power isn't often available to be delivered at the places it's liable to be needed.

 

[Tenkaykev]

Although I don't own a vehicle of any description ( apart from my Brommies ) I do keep a keen eye on the technology as it progresses. I subscribe to the " Munro Live " YouTube channel. Sandy Munro is in his 70's and has been in the motor trade most of his working life and it's interesting to get an insight into what technology and manufacturing decisions lie underneath the various vehicles they strip down all the way to the individual components, even down to the dismantling the battery packs and electronic modules.
The latest video is quite long at about an hour, and is a "talking heads" with another highly respected senior engineer. Among the snippets that found particularly interesting was that back in the 1910's there were over fifty electric vehicle manufacturing companies in the USA, and electric vehicles outsold IC engined cars at a ratio of 4-1. They were simpler and easier to start It was only after the invention of the electric starter that petrol engined vehicles started to gain traction. He stresses how rapidly things can change and references the switch from horse drawn vehicles to cars. A very interesting channel with highly qualified engineers / analysts and well worth a look. One image that stood out:

 

[cougie uk]

Which requires a huge infrastructure to be developed as the power isn't often available to be delivered at the places it's liable to be needed.

If there's no electricity - there's no petrol stations either.

 

[ClichéGuevara]

If there's no electricity - there's no petrol stations either.

I think I can see a teeny flaw in your argument there, but I'll leave you to it.

 

[Alex321]

If there's no electricity - there's no petrol stations either.

While that is true, charging EVs requires rather more of the stuff than is needed to operate petrol pumps and the shop.

Each charge point will need to be at least 7Kw - and preferably 22KW which requires 3-pohase electicity. I have no idea how many forecourts currently have a 3-phase supply

 

[Electric_Andy]

I mentioned about Shell had fully converted a petrol station on Fulham road, a week or two back. Daughter used it with our Leaf.

I believe it was the first, but expect hundreds in the coming years.

Just out of interest, are these charging points in forecourts in the same place as the petrol pumps, or are they in parking areas at the front/side? And how much do they charge..and how? There are charging spaces in my hospital multi storey car park, but I've never had a close look at them to see if you have to pay for charging. How does it work? Surely you can't pre-pay becasue you don't know how long you'll need. Or do you put your card details in first and then it charges you for whatever you've used?