So now I have a solar PV system how do I make the most of it???

wuthton

Just out of interest as I have no intention of getting one of the current models but does anyone know the approximate Kw draw an electric car has when charging?

EricMears

wuthton wrote: »

Just out of interest as I have no intention of getting one of the current models but does anyone know the approximate Kw draw an electric car has when charging?

This webpage
http://www.elektromotive.com/html/elektrobay.php
seems to be suggesting a 20A supply is needed - i.e. demand of up to 5kw might be anticipated though I'd guess that sort of demand would drop back after first few minutes.

Cardew

wuthton wrote: »

Just out of interest as I have no intention of getting one of the current models but does anyone know the approximate Kw draw an electric car has when charging?

A Nissan Leaf has a 24kWh capacity battery.

From 0% to 100% will take 8 hours from a domestic 13 amp socket; which I believe is the preferred method of charging. Presumably most people will use Economy 7 overnight - there will normally be some residual charge left in the battery.

The quick charger is 50kW and that would need an Essex based solar array!!

John_Pierpoint

Doc_N wrote: »

Maybe one of these (Bosch Rotak 40):

www.amazon.co.uk/Bosch-Ergoflex-Electric-Lawnmower-Cutting/dp/B004GTMNXI/

Or the Rotak 43?

Now that Bosch are in the market, perhaps it is possible to get a mower that is "man enough for the job" ?

I have found the details of my Wolf one.
I bought it for £160 in 1986, but I think that price was actually cheap at the time. I have this feeling that the seller was desperate to get rid of it because it would no longer comply with the 'elf and safety regulations.
Its spec reads:
16"/40 cm
10 - 50 mm cutting height (but actually mine would cut down to the height of a golf green)
.
.
.
1800 watts (nominal).
2850 RPM

Electric mowers are limited by the range of their flex.
a 2kw draw starts making the flex pretty meaty even when the mower is double insulated and so does not need an earth.
This also means the mower has to be made of plastic.
In the case of the Wolf, the rear roller fell to bits and using the bits and some gaffer tape, I managed to improve the design by casting it in concrete.

The Wolf was the last of the old design, the safety consisted of a red and white dome on the top of the motor so that the user could see the rotor was still spinning.
That said it probably lasted 8 - 10 years before it got burnt out.

The replacement Flymo was probably something like this:


But my lawn is not bowling green flat, especially if the badgers or next door's horses have obtained access. I also have some under the fruit trees and down the "drive" verges that are a bit tough on the mower.

Anyway as well as the usual dead man's handle type control, this thing had a automatic brake that jammed on as the blade started overrunning the motor and immediately there was the slightest interrupt in the electric supply, the electricity would cut out.
So every time the mower hit a bump and the operators hand momentarily slipped on the dead man's handle, that was it. Stop completely, press the "reset" button and go through a bit of a contortionist routine to get it spinning again. Being an electric motor it would not start against the resistance of long grass.

So I bypassed the "reset" button and with a bit of luck the small jolts would no longer stop the motor. My experienced ear could tell if the automatic brake had come on.
Unfortunately DD has a hearing impairment, so could not recognise the change in the note from the motor and tried to mow the lawn with the brake on.

Death to another electric mower.

At this point, year 2000, I went back to petrol and decided to "mulch" the grass cuttings rather than comply with all the 'elf & safety fiddling about every time the motor stopped.

wuthton

Cardew wrote: »

A Nissan Leaf has a 24kWh capacity battery.

From 0% to 100% will take 8 hours from a domestic 13 amp socket; which I believe is the preferred method of charging. Presumably most people will use Economy 7 overnight - there will normally be some residual charge left in the battery.

The quick charger is 50kW and that would need an Essex based solar array!!

Thanks for that. When electric car prices get more realistic I'm going to be sorely tempted.

A free cup of tea is good but running the car buckshee sounds better to me.

John_Pierpoint

Ownership & Value


This is the area where potential Ampera buyers will have to do their sums and look further into the future than simply driving off the dealer’s forecourt. The Ampera is expensive to buy, even with the government chipping in with a £5000 grant for electric vehicles. However, the high list price is instant offset against fuel economy of 175mpg and a realistic range of 310 miles before you need to fill up again with petrol. The battery is charged by the 1.4-litre petrol engine or it can be plugged in at a domestic socket to top up when electricity is cheap. On battery power alone the Ampera can travel up to 50 miles depending on use and terrain, so it easily outdoes any hybrid-powered rival. With Vauxhall’s 100,000-mile warranty, the Ampera looks set to be a much surer bet in the used market than the likes of the Nissan Leaf and its 40g/km carbon dioxide emissions also make it a sound choice for business drivers. Its low emissions qualify the Ampera for free entry into London’s Congestion Charge zone, so anyone commuting into the capital will save themselves that fee every day. Vauxhall says the Ampera will need a service every 20,000 miles, so this is as good as, if not better, than most of its internal combustion-powered rivals. Lastly, the Ampera comes generously fitted out with all of the usual accoutrements you’d expect of an upscale familycar. There’s climate control, CD stereo with MP3 connection, electric windows, cruise control, rear parking sensors, leather seats and alloy wheels, which helps to redress the balance of cost compared to the Vauxhall’s competitors.


http://www.fleetdirectory.co.uk/fleet-news/index.php/2012/03/07/vauxhall-ampera-is-car-of-the-year-2012/

This is petrol electric and I cannot find the specification of the electric battery.

http://www.chevrolet.com/volt-electric-car/features-specs/

Found it: 16 kWh lithium-ion battery

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chevrolet_Volt

Kernel_Sanders

Cardew wrote: »

A Nissan Leaf has a 24kWh capacity battery.
From 0% to 100% will take 8 hours from a domestic 13 amp socket;

Is it not true that all batteries start charging at a high ampage, reducing as they charge? If so, a 13A socket would be inappropriate. I believe all electric cars can accept a 50% fill-up in a fraction of the time it takes for a full charge.

Kernel_Sanders

The_Green_Hornet wrote: »

I tell you something, sticking certain posters on the ignore list (you know who you are) makes it a lot quicker (and a lot more enjoyable) reading this forum than it used to be.

I've never done that. Does their post simply disappear, and is the post numbering adjusted accordingly? If so, that could cause problems when referencing a previous post.

don0301 wrote: »

I'm sure GH is not happy me endorsing his correct post, but ignore me,

I think he already has! :rotfl:

Cardew

Kernel_Sanders wrote: »

Is it not true that all batteries start charging at a high ampage, reducing as they charge? If so, a 13A socket would be inappropriate. I believe all electric cars can accept a 50% fill-up in a fraction of the time it takes for a full charge.

Certainly lead acid batteries start at a higher input, not sure about lithium-ion.

You are correct about 13 amp socket, looking it up it would appear that the maximum current is 30 amps, so well within the capacity of a UK domestic supply:

Using the on-board 3.3 kW charger[76] the Leaf can be
fully recharged from empty in 8 hours from a 220/240-volt 30 amp supply (5.2 kW
allowable draw[77]) that can
provide the on-board charger its full 3.3 kW of usable power.[78][7

They certainly can be charged at very high rates - wasn't joking about the 50kW in my earlier post.

Using DC fast charging, the battery pack can be charged to 80% capacity in about
30 minutes.[82] Nissan developed
its own 500-volt DC fast charger that went on sale in Japan for ¥1,470,000
(around US$16,800) in May 2010 and
plans to install 200 at dealers in Japan.[83][84] Nissan
warns that if fast charging is the primary way of recharging, then the normal
and gradual battery capacity loss is about 10% more than regular 220-volt
charging over a 10-year period

I suppose a benevolent employer might install such a facility, doubt if many private owners will!

zeupater

John_Pierpoint wrote: »

Ownership & Value


This is the area where potential Ampera ....

Hi

I've been following the development of electric vehicles for a number of years and, to me, the Ampera/Volt looks like the most sensible battery-powered vehicle solution so far and will likely kill the sales of the Nissan Leaf etc extremely quickly (as soon as the users start running out of juice on the way home and simply part exchange for one of these) ....

Most mainstream manufacturers will have to release their own versions of electric vehicles with some form of fixed speed generator or HFC charging unit over the next few years if they want to compete in the 'green' market sector.

Z