Electric Vehicles-Infrastructure

[myglaren]

Not the one that came up a couple of days ago but similar.

[bobins]

I doubt whether it'd be worth breaking out the moling kit if they're only going from one side of the pavement to the other. Once they've dug a small pit to put the mole in, and dug a smal pit to get it out and do the cable terminations, they might as well get a couple of bods in hi-viz and hard hats just to dig up the pavement.

[mickthemaverick]

Yes I agree, two decent roadworkers could easily lift the slabs trench and bury an armoured cable and replace the slabs in the time it would take to set up the mole. Much cheaper I'd have thought!!

[myglaren]

If electric cars are ever to become mainstream, then we are going to need a lot more places to charge them.

The key is to find space for chargers where people would actually use them. Curbside is the obvious spot, but there chargers are competing for space with pedestrians, wheelchair users, and others.

One solution is to simply repurpose existing infrastructure, without adding extra clutter to the built environment.

For instance, lamppost electric vehicle (EV) charging is expanding. A big advantage of repurposing existing lampposts is that cities don't have to dig in order to lay new cables, says Artis Markots, the chief executive of the Latvian start-up SimpleCharge, which is focusing on Central and Eastern Europe.

There are no complex permitting requirements, and a lamppost can be complemented with an EV charger within an hour.

The cost is also considerably lower than a fixed charger, Mr Markots reports, at roughly €1,500 ($1,6000; £1,300) per charger.

More at BBC News

[myglaren]

This week's frigid winter conditions in North America exposed the shortcomings of certain electric vehicles, particularly Teslas.

In the Oak Brook suburb of Chicago, Illinois, where temperatures have routinely dipped way below freezing, local media reported public charging stations turning into "car graveyards" because motorists were unable to power their vehicles.

"Nothing. No juice. Still on zero percent, and this is like three hours being out here after being out here three hours yesterday," Tesla owner Tyler Beard told Fox 32.

He wasn't alone. Dozens of cars were reportedly lined up and abandoned at the Tesla supercharging station in Oak Brook along with multiple charging stations around Chicago.

"This is crazy. It's a disaster. Seriously," said another Tesla driver, Chalis Mizelle, who had to ditch her ride and get picked up by a friend because the car wouldn't charge.

moreat The Register.

[Sloppysod]

Not the one that came up a couple of days ago but similar.

Good idea, but, do you have to lay the cable in the "Pavecross" device each time you want to charge your EV, because if you leave the cable in the device the plug will be flapping around in the road drain gully. Also, not sure it will be fun in the cold and wet night/morning when you are in a hurry.

Would it not have been better to......
On one end, place a socket, or, better still a long fly lead, the on the other a recessed socket with a locking cover, so you just unlock the cover and connect a short double plug cable between covered socket and the vehicle?

[Rp0thejester]

I would of got the cutting gear out, chop through the pavement, put cable in, in some type of plastic tube, replace paving, add post near to car with socket on it and have an isolator indoors so no one could use it but me. Cost of living has gone up, why would you let your neighbours take your electricity for free?

[bobins]

^^^^^^^^^^
It's a bit of a bu88er if someone else parks outside your house every night......

[Rp0thejester]

A tyre valve key is what I've been told from SWMBO will sort it. Yes, you all thought I was bad this London girl is something else!!!!!!

[Gibbo2286]

Couldn't decide where to put this, it's a Fully Charged podcast, a long one but a lot of interesting bits.

[Gibbo2286]

[Gibbo2286]

A new podcast.

[mickthemaverick]

This is a more independent view of the current electric market:
PS I think it's worth scanning the comments as well!!

[bobins]

I know that there are those that don't like Harry's offerings, and I know that there are those that won't hear a word said against EVs, but it's really worth listening from 22.30 onwards for the last 6 minutes where he goes over issues that desperately need to be dealt with concerning EVs and the bigger picture. Harry isn't anti EV - he's owned several and will no doubt own more, but he does make some relevant points partly to do with the poor sales figures (for private buyers) and resale values for EVs at the moment, and partly about the bigger picture. His 3 points from the 22.30 mark onwards are - briefly - EVs really do need to be targeted towards efficiency and not high-end, high-power, high-speed products. Battery health status (a la Leafs) should be clearly displayed to assist the second hand market. We need a reality check - going 'green' and everyone buying and using EVs ain't really going to solve the world's problems.

[Gibbo2286]

So far only watched the first few minutes of that but he says the car he's gone for is £600 a month as opposed to over £1,000 a month for the other option but he omitted the difference in the deposit, £20,000 on the £1k a month car £25,000 for the £600 car.
He must have money to burn anyway not many ordinary punters would pay that much and still at the end own nothing.