BEVs deals and information

ABrass

A mix of destination chargers, home charging and fast chargers will cover it. Depending on how many home chargers and destination chargers there are it gives you an idea of the number of fast chargers you need.

If, on average, cars charge at half the speed (miles added per minute) of petrol pumps then, ignoring home chargers etc. You need twice the number of fast chargers compared to petrol pumps.

If it's a third the rate then it's three times and so on.

Then factor in the proportion of cars that never, or very rarely need fast charging. If half the cars in the UK get 99% of their power from home or destination charging then that cuts it in half again.

Given the massively lower cost of building and maintaining a fast charging station compared to petrol and the charging conundrum stops being a bug deal.

silverwhistle

ABrass wrote: »

A mix of destination chargers, home charging and fast chargers will cover it.

Basically this. In the spring I may take the step of putting my name down for an EVEZY EV, although not sure how long I'd have it for. So naturally I examined my own situation. No front drive although I could knock a small wall down and make a parking space, like most have in my road and charge via a granny cable. Or I could get an extension lead and charge at the bottom of the back garden. A local shopping centre has 4 free 7kW spaces, there are various other local possibilities and a fast but expensive charger a mile away in the village.



My local everyday usage wouldn't be a problem. Then looking at the wider picture, the longer distance trips I do, you sometimes see gaps - top end of the M40 in my case where there seems to be only Tesla chargers at Warwick Services (for example).



None of the problems are insuperable, and there will be mismatches as the situation rapidly changes, but it is changing quickly. Lidl are installing fast chargers at all their new stores for example, and if not at a cheap domestic rate still reasonable at 23p.

EricMears

silverwhistle wrote: »

. . . you sometimes see gaps - top end of the M40 in my case where there seems to be only Tesla chargers at Warwick Services (for example).

I'm sure I once used an Ecotricity 'pump' @ Warwick services. Just checked on ZapMap and there are indeed Tesla & Ecotricity shown on both sides. Possibly you've looked at ZapMap and not realised that there are two 'flags' on each side of the motorway but unless you increase the zoom (a lot !) you only see one.

silverwhistle wrote: »

Lidl are installing fast chargers at all their new stores for example, and if not at a cheap domestic rate still reasonable at 23p.

Oh no they're not ! Their new store at Chesterfield had chargers on the early planning application but it got quietly dropped before work started.

joefizz

JKenH wrote: »

That’s the one I am waiting for. Why don’t the car manufacturers exhibit the imagination and foresight displayed on this forum?

Still waiting to perfect the flux capacitor.
Then go to the future, buy a mr fusion and run your car on stale beer and banana skins.
Its the future.

JKenH

Part 5 of the Telegraph’s look at electric cars. Today charging infrastructure:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/11/01/plug-drive-ensure-britain-can-charge-millions-electric-cars/

“If you took all the petrol and diesel we put into our cars and you turn that into electricity, then the grid is reasonably capable of dealing with that increase in demand for power.

“What it really boils down to is how many cars will be trying to plug into that energy all at once,” he says. “The grid is ready for the additional demand. But what it cannot do is deliver it all in one go. Are we prepared to electrify every single car today? Probably not. But we can get ourselves ready over time.”

For years, energy companies have warned that huge swathes of the population all plugging into the system at the same time would place enormous strain on the network.


“We will not necessarily end up with lots of ‘brownouts’, but it could lead to a surge in electricity prices for users. Market forces will mean that it could cost a lot more for people to charge their cars after work like everybody else.”

joefizz

JKenH wrote: »

“We will not necessarily end up with lots of ‘brownouts’, but it could lead to a surge in electricity prices for users. Market forces will mean that it could cost a lot more for people to charge their cars after work like everybody else.”

Throttling and time limiting as well as cost are the most likely.
Similar to internet use.
Working from home 100Mb broadband, never an issue, yesterday, halloween break, raining, thought the connection was broken.


Already seeing reports of chargers time limiting and capacity limiting in busy spots. Wee tip for Tesla owners, to set your destination to further away than you are actually going and have it go nowhere near fast chargers.... chargers may give you more leeway then.

GreatApe

JKenH wrote: »

Part 5 of the Telegraph’s look at electric cars. Today charging infrastructure:

https://www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2019/11/01/plug-drive-ensure-britain-can-charge-millions-electric-cars/

“If you took all the petrol and diesel we put into our cars and you turn that into electricity, then the grid is reasonably capable of dealing with that increase in demand for power.

“What it really boils down to is how many cars will be trying to plug into that energy all at once,” he says. “The grid is ready for the additional demand. But what it cannot do is deliver it all in one go. Are we prepared to electrify every single car today? Probably not. But we can get ourselves ready over time.”

For years, energy companies have warned that huge swathes of the population all plugging into the system at the same time would place enormous strain on the network.


“We will not necessarily end up with lots of ‘brownouts’, but it could lead to a surge in electricity prices for users. Market forces will mean that it could cost a lot more for people to charge their cars after work like everybody else.”

There will be fixed rate, night rate and fully variable tariffs

Probably fixed rate tariffs will be the most expensive and make little sense for anyone other than the few who really want fixed rates. These could be more expensive than today but not by much

There will be two or three rate tariffs which most people will opt for
Perhaps 8p during 11pm to 6AM, 30p during 4pm to 8pm, 15p other times

And fully variable tariffs which would vary from perhaps 2p to £2 per unit
Statistically this would probably be the cheapest tariff but some times of some days you'd have to pay eye watering rates to just not use electricity

As a guess 10% would go for the fixed model 80% for the time of day tariff and 10% for fully variable

1961Nick

GreatApe wrote: »

There will be fixed rate, night rate and fully variable tariffs

Probably fixed rate tariffs will be the most expensive and make little sense for anyone other than the few who really want fixed rates. These could be more expensive than today but not by much

There will be two or three rate tariffs which most people will opt for
Perhaps 8p during 11pm to 6AM, 30p during 4pm to 8pm, 15p other times

And fully variable tariffs which would vary from perhaps 2p to £2 per unit
Statistically this would probably be the cheapest tariff but some times of some days you'd have to pay eye watering rates to just not use electricity

As a guess 10% would go for the fixed model 80% for the time of day tariff and 10% for fully variable

The majority of EV users will home charge after midnight. This should help the grid dispose of surplus electricity rather than cause brownouts. The addition of more windmills will just increase that surplus & EVs could help alleviate curtailment.

GreatApe

1961Nick wrote: »

The majority of EV users will home charge after midnight. This should help the grid dispose of surplus electricity rather than cause brownouts. The addition of more windmills will just increase that surplus & EVs could help alleviate curtailment.

Sure I don't see a problem with integrating millions of BEVs it would be possible with variable time of day pricing

Heating is more difficult to address

Martyn1981

Just a bit of fun about BEV's and water.

Tesla Model X Drives Through Flood Like A Boss

I recall an interview with Rivian who said their pick up could ford approx 1m of water. They were slightly vague about the true max, as they explained that the limit was really the depth at which the vehicle would become buoyant!!!!!!

"Don't try this at home."