Electric car recharging stations

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We are doing our yearly drive down to Portugal at the end of the month. Thankfully the trusty diesel will do it on probably just over two tank fills.

I dread to think how long, or if it would be possible to do such a journey in an electric car.
 

Bonefish Blues

Banging donk
Location
52 Festive Road
I reckon you'd probably be pleasantly surprised by the current generation (see what I did there)
 

nickyboy

Norven Mankey
Re the original post, to be fair it has a "Nullabor" label on it which I'm sure most know is a very big, inhospitable desert in Australia. A lot of it isn't connected to mains electricity network but it is a regular road route (effectively from Perth to Adelaide and beyond)

So whilst a diesel powered electricity charging point may seem ridiculous, it is probably the only way to allow electric vehicles to traverse the Nullabor. FWIW, cities like Adelaide, Sydney etc have loads of mains connected charging points for vehicles
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Surely in that environment solar would be eminently practical? I have 5kW solar here in murky Blighty, and that's getting on enough to fast charge many models, and more than enough to do a slow charge. Youd think the sunny old dessert of Oz would be ideal, and likely cheaper to buy, install and run.
 

nickyboy

Norven Mankey
Surely in that environment solar would be eminently practical? I have 5kW solar here in murky Blighty, and that's getting on enough to fast charge many models, and more than enough to do a slow charge. Youd think the sunny old dessert of Oz would be ideal, and likely cheaper to buy, install and run.

You need either a lot of panels or a lot of batteries given that there may (or may not) be a constant stream of vehicles wanting to fast charge. Something like a Tesla requires about 50kW to fast charge in an hour so not sure where your 5kW fast charge comes from?

Bottom line, is it isn't really economic to provide the solar array/batteries for a public charging point which has potentially heavy use
 

Drago

Legendary Member
You need either a lot of panels or a lot of batteries given that there may (or may not) be a constant stream of vehicles wanting to fast charge. Something like a Tesla requires about 50kW to fast charge in an hour so not sure where your 5kW fast charge comes from?

Bottom line, is it isn't really economic to provide the solar array/batteries for a public charging point which has potentially heavy use

The Leaf is 7kw "fast", and about double that super fast.

I have 15 panels, about half of one side of a modest sized bungalows roof. That does 5kW here in the UK. 50kW for a Tesla (not that you see many, with what they cost - they'll never be mainstream) would theoretically the require 10 times my panels, which in a land as vast as the outback is of no concern whatsoever to a country that is willing to tear up land equivalent to the Isle of Wight for strip mining.

But then the sunshine lasts longer and is stronger, so 5 times would probably be more realistic. That would still comfortably fit on the roof of my modest bungalow. That really is very easily achievable, and still far cheaper than a diesel generator that size.

I wouldn't suggest battery to battery for high current applications like this, and thus introducing considerable inefficiencies. Its unnecessary, anyway. Plug the car in, let the sun do the work...unless its night time, but then you wouldn't want an industrial generator running at night either.

Fundamentally though, the average Australian couldn't care less. For them the electric car is an inconvenience, not a step forward, and precious few will understand the irony of using diesel in this way, and most of those that do would probably chuckle at how clever they are.
 

Brains

Legendary Member
Location
Greenwich
Around our way (Royal Borough of Greenwich) they are fitting a car charging port to every lamp post.
My road is now done, about 10 lamp posts, no electric cars (......yet)
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
Re the original post, to be fair it has a "Nullabor" label on it which I'm sure most know is a very big, inhospitable desert in Australia. A lot of it isn't connected to mains electricity network but it is a regular road route (effectively from Perth to Adelaide and beyond)

So whilst a diesel powered electricity charging point may seem ridiculous, it is probably the only way to allow electric vehicles to traverse the Nullabor. FWIW, cities like Adelaide, Sydney etc have loads of mains connected charging points for vehicles

Solar Power recharging?
 

Bonefish Blues

Banging donk
Location
52 Festive Road
Surely in that environment solar would be eminently practical? I have 5kW solar here in murky Blighty, and that's getting on enough to fast charge many models, and more than enough to do a slow charge. Youd think the sunny old dessert of Oz would be ideal, and likely cheaper to buy, install and run.
You and I would be OK as we have no friends, but others may balk...

https://www.worldsolarchallenge.org/
 

booze and cake

probably out cycling
I've noticed they have some charging points in some lamp posts here in London which seems a good idea. There's a 'Zap map' app too showing you where all the charge points are which is another good idea.

I had my first ever go in an electric car recently, an E-Golf, and have to say I was impressed, it was just like driving a normal Golf but quieter and with seemingly quicker acceleration as there was no gear changes in the automatic transmission one I was in, it just goes and keeps going. Its definitely the future of motoring, especially in cities, but I'm not so keen on the diesel powered charging points.:laugh:
 
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