Are we being forced to go electric?

[youngoldbloke]

Do you have to put diesel/petrol in your ICE car every time you park up for a bit?

No, partly because if I fill the tank I won't need to fill it again for maybe 450 miles. And it doesn't take me more than just a few minutes to refuel.

 

[Dadam]

No, partly because if I fill the tank I won't need to fill it again for maybe 450 miles. And it doesn't take me more than just a few minutes to refuel.

Therefore the point stands; you don't fill up a vehicle every time you park therefore not every parking space needs a charger.
And I'm sceptical that you are intentionally driving 450 miles between fills.

 

[youngoldbloke]

We had 5 EV charging points installed in our work car park a couple of years ago. For context; the car park has about 60 traditional parking spaces; 10 were removed to make way for 5 EV spaces. We then had an email around to say if you park your EV in a charging space, you have to move it once it's charged. That would probably work in our place but I can't see that happening in city centres. On that model, I think they'd have to progressively install more EV points as the number of EVs increase, so that you could park and leave it there all day. Otherwsie there would be no incentive for people to drive to work/shops if they have to move their EV after 2 hours?

Exactly, and would it make financial sense to install chargers that are only used once every few hours or once a day?

 

[fossyant]

We had 5 EV charging points installed in our work car park a couple of years ago. For context; the car park has about 60 traditional parking spaces; 10 were removed to make way for 5 EV spaces. We then had an email around to say if you park your EV in a charging space, you have to move it once it's charged. That would probably work in our place but I can't see that happening in city centres. On that model, I think they'd have to progressively install more EV points as the number of EVs increase, so that you could park and leave it there all day. Otherwsie there would be no incentive for people to drive to work/shops if they have to move their EV after 2 hours?

Ah but how would the EV Charge Point Operators make any money with a blocked charger - the car is charged within 2-4 hours, but the charger blocked all day. We face this issue at work as more staff get EV's. They don't bother to move them all day - these spaces will need policing !

 

[youngoldbloke]

Therefore the point stands; you don't fill up a vehicle every time you park therefore not every parking space needs a charger.
And I'm sceptical that you are intentionally driving 450 miles between fills.

I said maybe. I wait till almost empty to refuel, then fill completely. Currently around once a month.

 

[Dadam]

I said maybe. I wait till almost empty to refuel, then fill completely. Currently around once a month.

Up to you but it's neither necessary nor particularly desirable. And isn't relevant for the discussion anyway.

 

[vickster]

Interestingly, was Talking to the cabbie who took me to the hospital on Monday morning in his hybrid Kia Nero. Said he’d considered a Tesla after a mate got one, but said mate spends an hour and a half every cabbing day charging his car (time and waiting to be free) when he could be taking fares. Costs him the same to run per day using on street chargers for similar mileages as said Niro but the Tesla cost far more to buy.

 

[icowden]

Ah but how would the EV Charge Point Operators make any money with a blocked charger

Very easily. Tesla already do it. They charge for parking if you overstay after you finish charging.

The Tesla app allows owners to remotely monitor their vehicle, alerting them when their charge is nearly complete and again once fully charged. For every additional minute a car remains connected to the Supercharger, it will incur an idle fee. If the car is moved within 5 minutes, the fee is waived. Idle fees only apply when a Supercharger station is at 50% capacity or more. Idle fees double when the station is at 100% capacity. To be clear, this is purely about increasing customer happiness and we hope to never make any money from it.

Idle Fees By Country/Region

Country/Region	Currency	Idle fee (per minute)	Idle fee (per minute) when the station is 100% occupied
United States	USD	$0.50	$1.00
Canada	CAD	$0.50	$1.00

 

[icowden]

I have access to none the areas you mention as they just do not exist where I live and travel.

Where do you live and travel?

 

[ClichéGuevara]

- but doesn't the EV using these chargers monopolise the charger for the duration of their stay? Car Parks for example? Plug in and leave the vehicle. Go about your business and return in a couple of hours - one charger occupied for 2 hours. Won't hundreds of chargers be needed in every carpark or place of work?

It'd make business meetings interesting, watching the musical chairs as people popped out to swap parking places.

 

[Alex321]

Therefore the point stands; you don't fill up a vehicle every time you park therefore not every parking space needs a charger.
And I'm sceptical that you are intentionally driving 450 miles between fills.

Why would you be skeptical about that?

I certainly do - I never fill up until the fuel warning light comes on (which is rather early on my car, I still have 80+ miles worth in the tank), and a full tank gives me 600+ miles.

I thought most people would do that, but maybe I'm wrong.

 

[icowden]

It'd make business meetings interesting, watching the musical chairs as people popped out to swap parking places.

I'm glad I'm not attending your meetings if they are lasting that long!

 

[Dadam]

If you brim the tank then drive until the light comes on, you're using extra fuel to cart around the weight of the extra fuel. I do usually drive until the light comes on, mainly because I'm not organised but I generally fill to about 1/2 to 3/4 full. I'd doubt most people would brim it and drive until near empty. Maybe I'm wrong there; it just seems wasteful and unnecessary to me but 🤷‍♂️

The main point was it would only be necessary to have chargers on a relatively small percentage of car parking places even when everyone has a BEV.

And having to move your car once charged might be slightly inconvenient, but it's no different to having to move your car when parked on a short term meter. At one hospital I used to work at, before I got a permit I often had to park on a short stay roadside space with max 3 hours and many was the time I had to nip out to move it.

 

[vickster]

If you brim the tank then drive until the light comes on, you're using extra fuel to cart around the weight of the extra fuel. I do usually drive until the light comes on, mainly because I'm not organised but I generally fill to about 1/2 to 3/4 full. I'd doubt most people would brim it and drive until near empty. Maybe I'm wrong there; it just seems wasteful and unnecessary to me but 🤷‍♂️

The main point was it would only be necessary to have chargers on a relatively small percentage of car parking places even when everyone has a BEV.

Except people prefer to park outside their own house if possible, so if that’s where there’s a charge point, that’s where their car may sit for hours or days on end

 

[icowden]

If you brim the tank then drive until the light comes on, you're using extra fuel to cart around the weight of the extra fuel. I do usually drive until the light comes on, mainly because I'm not organised but I generally fill to about 1/2 to 3/4 full. I'd doubt most people would brim it and drive until near empty. Maybe I'm wrong there; it just seems wasteful and unnecessary to me but 🤷‍♂️

With petrol I'm with @Alex321 . I always filled to the brim then drove until the warning light. That way you minimise the hassle of finding a garage and standing in the cold for 3 or 4 minutes whilst you fill the tank up , then queue to pay.

With an EV your mindset changes. You no longer need to keep filling to the brim. You just make sure you have enough charge for whatever you plan to do the next day, or might need in an emergency. I pop the charger on every few days generally, but if I'm planning a longer drive will probably do two days in a row to get a full charge during my off peak cheap fuelling time.

The main point was it would only be necessary to have chargers on a relatively small percentage of car parking places even when everyone has a BEV.

And that point stands because the majority will charge at home as has been mentioned many times.