Energy chat, the future of car propulsion

[mjt]

That is internal to the car, surely? Chargers must operate on the standard UK mains.

[MarksST]

17 minutes ago, mjt said:

That is internal to the car, surely? Chargers must operate on the standard UK mains.

Fast chargers like those at service stations will be 3 phase or D.C..

And they won’t be live when connecting, the car and charger check they’re connected ok then turn on. So you’re not going to get a shock when plugging them in when it’s raining.

[StephenFord]

3 minutes ago, MarksST said:

..So you’re not going to get a shock when plugging them in when it’s raining.

Still, it would be nice when you're f*rting around downloading the appropriate app, and trying to work out why the charger isn't actually working, not to get drenched in the process LOL 

[MarksST]

10 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Still, it would be nice when you're f*rting around downloading the appropriate app, and trying to work out why the charger isn't actually working, not to get drenched in the process LOL 

Sit in the ***** car then

[StephenFord]

6 minutes ago, MarksST said:

Sit in the ***** car then

Never done it, (and never will) but I thought to activate the charge with payment, you needed to be at the charger's digital display? Didn't think you could do it all from inside the car - maybe I'm mistaken...

[MarksST]

4 minutes ago, StephenFord said:

Never done it, (and never will) but I thought to activate the charge with payment, you needed to be at the charger's digital display? Didn't think you could do it all from inside the car - maybe I'm mistaken...

Why, if you doing it through the app that you were standing in the rain to download? 
 

Maybe people should look into things to see how it works before making stupid statements. 
 

 

[mjt]

49 minutes ago, MarksST said:

Maybe people should look into things to see how it works before making stupid statements

My post was intended to be light-hearted. I'm sorry you seem to be too angry to notice that.

As I haven't needed to look into how the chargers operate perhaps you could elaborate. When on 3-phase or DC do they use different contacts in the connector? Otherwise how does the car detect what kind of charge it's getting?

[MarksST]

14 minutes ago, mjt said:

My post was intended to be light-hearted. I'm sorry you seem to be too angry to notice that.

As I haven't needed to look into how the chargers operate perhaps you could elaborate. When on 3-phase or DC do they use different contacts in the connector? Otherwise how does the car detect what kind of charge it's getting?

Yes, the plugs have different connections.

[StephenFord]

1 hour ago, MarksST said:

Why, if you doing it through the app that you were standing in the rain to download? 
 

Maybe people should look into things to see how it works before making stupid statements. 
 

 

Maybe they need to stand in the rain toi read the instructions on the charger, what app to download etc. It's not like a petrol pump where you can rock up to anyone in the country, place the nozzle in the filer neck, and squeeze the trigger. My statement wasn't 'stupid', just an accurate reflection on how the older generation are continuously discriminated against because they weren't allowed calculators in exams (never mind computers), and actually had to work out stuff themselves...

[MarksST]

Surely EV drivers aren’t getting the car, then going to a public charger when nearly out of charge, then working out out how to charge it and pay for it? 
 

You don’t have to work it out for yourself or stand out in the rain, the internet has come to your rescue.

[StephenFord]

8 minutes ago, MarksST said:

... the internet has come to your rescue.

I totally admire your reliance on the internet, when the network goes down, and more likely, eventually hacked, as well as your digital payment systems, at least you can sit in your nice battery car and keep dry until the network reappears... 

[iantt]

Level 1 chargers at home are 240v ac2.2 kw  which is converted in the onboard charge convertor to DC. The same goes for the home wall mounted chargers but with 7kw output. 

The fast chargers use dc charging direct to the battery of varying charge rates depending on charger and car . 

As for charging when out, not that I need to often  as my journeys are less than the 190+ range normally , I have chosen my stop in advance via zap map that shows if the chargers are working, being used etc. I Parked in the space for the charger, then all I do is get out car, open the fuel filler flap, insert the cable, tap the screen to authorise payment and away it goes. Takes all of 30 seconds. While it's charging I nip into Costa or mc Donald's for a ☕and 🚽 . My hyundai app via the Costa/MC Donald's wifi tells me while I'm having my drink how charged the battery is. I wait no longer that it takes me to finish my drink and toilet before carrying on. I mainly home charge so I've not experienced waiting for a charge yet when out and about. 

Im not for 1 minute saying it's all Rosey out there in electric car world though. 

It's the best car for my needs at the moment. Far better car to drive than the Mondeo I had before. 

 

[MarksST]

29 minutes ago, iantt said:

Level 1 chargers at home are 240v ac2.2 kw  which is converted in the onboard charge convertor to DC. The same goes for the home wall mounted chargers but with 7kw output. 

The fast chargers use dc charging direct to the battery of varying charge rates depending on charger and car . 

As for charging when out, not that I need to often  as my journeys are less than the 190+ range normally , I have chosen my stop in advance via zap map that shows if the chargers are working, being used etc. I Parked in the space for the charger, then all I do is get out car, open the fuel filler flap, insert the cable, tap the screen to authorise payment and away it goes. Takes all of 30 seconds. While it's charging I nip into Costa or mc Donald's for a ☕and 🚽 . My hyundai app via the Costa/MC Donald's wifi tells me while I'm having my drink how charged the battery is. I wait no longer that it takes me to finish my drink and toilet before carrying on. I mainly home charge so I've not experienced waiting for a charge yet when out and about. 

Im not for 1 minute saying it's all Rosey out there in electric car world though. 

It's the best car for my needs at the moment. Far better car to drive than the Mondeo I had before. 

 

So no electric shocks or getting soaking wet?

[iantt]

1 hour ago, MarksST said:

So no electric shocks or getting soaking wet?

Not yet, but I could wet my hands and play with the charging plug tommorow to carry out scientific experiment. 

[unofix]

[alexp999]

I’m sure the same concerns were made about transporting 50L of flammable liquid around in the back of the car and filling up with the pumps which could easily spray it everywhere when filling up. It’s just what we’re used to and we’ve found ways of making it safe enough for the average person. Same goes for EVs and chargers and no doubt improvements will be made over time. Most chargers aren’t even live until after the physical connection is made and the car and charger have negotiated a charge rate. 

[iantt]

Wet soapy hands , wet connector and switched on. I'm still alive🤣🤣. 

[MarksST]

[iantt]

7 minutes ago, MarksST said:

Was going to lick the end of the connector but thought that might be a step to far🤣🤣

[StephenFord]

1 hour ago, iantt said:

Wet soapy hands , wet connector and switched on. I'm still alive🤣🤣. 

Not according to your avatar you aren't! LOL

[alanfp]

I enjoy these discussions. 

On the radio during the week there was a listener who phoned in about battery cars - he said "Have you seen one catch fire? You can't put them out - they keep on burning whatever you do".

I think he'd missed the lesson in school about petrol being flammable and explosive. 

[StephenFord]

10 minutes ago, alanfp said:

I think he'd missed the lesson in school about petrol being flammable and explosive. 

Initially, that sounds a very common sense answer. However, a petrol fire has a widespread proven method of extinguishing my drenching in foam, hence starving the fire of oxygen.

EV fires are quite different, with many manufacturers themselves often advising fire services to use a 'controlled burn' method, where they just let the vehicle burn itself out, whilst protecting the surrounding area. 

Once the fire has been successfully put out, the problem for the fire brigade is not over.

Electric vehicle fires are known to reignite hours, days or even weeks after the initial event, and they can do so many times.

Not only does this pose a safety issue, but it also poses a legal issue: recovery firms are increasingly concerned about dealing with electric vehicles.

Still, I'm sure over time they'll develop a method as common as extinguishing a petrol fire is now...

[Scottman]

The term that applies to EV fires is “run away”. And, oh this is really great, when the fire trucks show up to extinguish the inferno, if they use water it will cause the fire to flare up even more!

[alanfp]

1 minute ago, StephenFord said:

a petrol fire has a widespread proven method of extinguishing my drenching in foam,

That's true... provided you get to it before it's exploded 😉

There are indeed pros and cons to both means of propulsion

2 minutes ago, Scottman said:

The term that applies to EV fires is “run away”.

That would be my approach to any burning car 

[StephenFord]

11 minutes ago, alanfp said:

There are indeed pros and cons to both means of propulsion...

I confess to having witnessed numerous vehicle fires over the years, though growing up in Northern Ireland, most were started by a milk bottle of ignited flammable petrol being chucked inside them!