RuneScape Forum Archive | Electric Car Chargers

Sep

2005

Megycal

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When we go on a long journey we usually stop at service areas on the motorways. On the busier routes there will always be at least 100 cars there. If they all needed to charge their batteries the wait time will be horrendous even with multiple charging points. When I fill up my car, unless I've hit a busy time, I'm in and away in less than 10 minutes.

The batteries needed to power an EV are very large. According to wikipedia the weight of the second generation battery for a Renault Zoe is 305kg

Swapping the drained battery for a fully charged one would probably not be an easy or fast process unless the car was designed in such a way to make it simple. Apparently super fast charging degrades the battery more quickly. I know its early days for the technology but I doubt it'll be good enough to allay my fears for some considerable time. Maybe not in my lifetime ( I'm rather old

).

We are a 2 car household. I'd be concerned that the power supply to our house wouldn't be able to cope with 2 chargers. We need 2 cars for various reasons including my husband's work and the fact the village no longer has a dentist or a doctor.

30-Nov-2020 19:51:48

Jan

2022

Aponi

Posts: 10,482 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

I think there will be better options than electric vehicles. If someone can manage to fit a mini safe nuclear reactor in the car engine, it can drive for decades lol. Guess what else is better? Ocean water is free XD

30-Nov-2020 20:20:30

Dong U Dead

Posts: 29,016 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Look at this story (article link below). This woman brought a electric car in good faith, sadly the battery was shot, she needed a new battery at a cost of NZ$121K, the car only cost her 13K.
A lot of work needs to go into electric cars, chargers, and batteries before laws can be changed.

Nissan Leaf owner with ‘range anxiety’ told new battery for $13,000 car would cost $121,000
https://www.tvnz.co.nz/one-news/new-zealand/nissan-leaf-owner-range-anxiety-told-new-battery-13-000-car-would-cost-121-v1

If fat means flavour then I'm ******* delicious!

30-Nov-2020 20:28:59

Feb

2005

Joel

Forum Moderator Posts: 32,973 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

@Megycal,

As more EVs are sold, more demand is placed on charging locations which is why they're constantly being expanded and the tech being advanced to allow charing times to be reduced as much as possible to reduce bottlenecks at charging locations.

Supercharging will degrade a battery's performance over time. However, that degradation is not as bad as you may think. It's not as bad as a 4 year old iPhone barely capable of holding a charge for longer than a few hours.

In fact, we're starting to see more data on Tesla vehicles that are now a number of years old with quite a lot of mileage wth very minimal degradation and in terms of lifespan, an EV has a much longer lifespan than your typical gas car, with fewer moving parts, less maintenance etc. And that's just from the battery tech from a few years ago to now, not to mention in advancements in battery tech that we'll start to see in the coming years.

I think a lot of people's fears stem from unknowns, a big change in the way we are accustomed to with regards to gas cars, and an increasingly growing industry that's still in early adoption phases. As with any large change, it takes a while to adopt.

I was recently looking for a new car because my lease term was coming to an end. I hadn't even contemplated an EV until a friend I spoke to who has one relieved some concerns and misconceptions I had.

The thing that intrigued me the most aside from the fact that its pretty much a giant gadget on wheels (and my nerdy side took ahold) is the regular software updates releasing new features and performance & efficiency upgrades to range and speed.

Joel

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30-Nov-2020 20:50:41

Jul

2019

Wilf

Posts: 17,032 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

There was a good interview by one of the top gear presenters with somebody high up in the national grid and he sounded pretty confident that there will be no mass power outages. I found it informative as it helped to answer some questions but ultimately there is still a hell of a lot of work to do in regards to infrastructure

Be better scrapping HS2 and putting the billions saved into that instead

Made more eco friendly by stopping all the habitat getting ripped up

30-Nov-2020 23:18:42

Sep

2005

Megycal

Posts: 18,097 Opal Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

I believe Teslas are hugely expensive to buy. Most people cannot afford them. Its all very well Tesla having a charging network but what about the other makes which can't use them?

What is needed is a universal charging connection that

all

makes of EV use. Then it needs a countrywide system of being able to use any charging point without having to join lots of different schemes. Payment should be made as now, with a debit/credit card or cash. Cash may need a different system where you put money into a slot to purchase a set amount of electricity much like people will top up their tank with £5 worth of petrol. Some can only afford to put a little in to last them until they get paid again. I don't know if EV batteries can be used that way.

Even if all these systems are put in place where will the electricity needed to charge them come from? Is there enough spare generating power to cope? At the moment the answer is no.
I also read recently that most EV's produce more CO2 to manufacture them ( due to the batteries? )and will need to do 50k miles before they are better than conventional cars. It seems that that all that is happening is that the location of the CO2 production is moved unless they have developed a good way to capture it during the manufacturing process.
I agree it is a good thing to reduce pollution on the roads but are we simply "exporting" it to other countries?
Oh and as for the software updates ( not just for EVs ) I've read that people have sometimes discovered an "update" has removed a feature that their car used to have and to get it back they'll have to pay extra! One example was a car had heated back seats but it was removed due to an update. I can't remember which make/model but it was going to cost a few hundred £'s to reinstate it. Imo a car should keep all the features it had when you bought it!
edit : I can't believe there won't be power problems with current capacity if everyone has EVs

30-Nov-2020 23:38:14 - Last edited on 30-Nov-2020 23:43:09 by Megycal

FiFi LaFeles

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I've just read that there are 30 thousand charging points in the UK. These have a variable number of outlets of course ranging from a single street pillar outlet to a bank of maybe 20 in some Service Stations.

As of June 2020 there were 38.4 MILLION licenced vehicles in Great Britain.

Put any sort of optimistic spin on it you want but certainly the UK will not be ready in the time scale the Govt is insisting upon.

First we have to find huge sums of money from somewhere to build new power stations, the building of which will take a minimum of 5 years. That's after identifying the sites, waiting for protracted legal wranglings from locals who don't want a nuclear power plant at the end of their gardens, and finding people qualified enough to actually build and commission the things.

Then we need to massively upgrade our National Grid to carry all this extra electricity. The wimpy little pylons in my neck of the woods will fare badly as, I suspect, will much of the current infrastructure which is far from robust.

Then upgrade very, very many people's' cabling, main fuse and consumer panels and fit the charging points - those that are fortunate enough to have private facilities. This can involve three different companies; UK Power Networks, your electricity supplier and a suitably qualified Electrician. A three-ring circus all at your own expense.

Then provide power supplies and points to the many millions of people who live in flats, terraces etc with no access to personal facilities. Then install a large number of strategic public charging points to cater for long journeys.

Meanwhile, hopefully there will be enough EVs built and available to buy .... and hopefully people will actually be able to afford to buy one.

We've got 10 years. Aye quite the, uh, challenge.

....as an aside, I wonder where they'll be storing all the extra nuclear waste .....

Le Chat Guerrier

Bwian's Towel & Grief Shop

30-Nov-2020 23:46:48

Feb

2005

Joel

Forum Moderator Posts: 32,973 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Megycal said :
I believe Teslas are hugely expensive to buy. Most people cannot afford them. Its all very well Tesla having a charging network but what about the other makes which can't use them? They absolutely are, but Tesla is one company leading the charge on EVs and are disrupting the industry enough to force other car makers down the road of EVs which will in time make them way more affordable. Even Tesla themselves have committed to creating a more affordable EV within the next couple of years.

Megycal said :
I also read recently that most EV's produce more CO2 to manufacture them ( due to the batteries? )and will need to do 50k miles before they are better than conventional cars. It seems that that all that is happening is that the location of the CO2 production is moved unless they have developed a good way to capture it during the manufacturing process. I read this too but today I read an article pointing to the fundamental flaw in this study/report that provided that 50k number. In reality its more like 16k as the study in question chose to select a particular vehicle to compare.

But, nevertheless, making an EV still holds a carbon footprint but ultimately, the lifespan of these vehicles are a lot longer than gas cars therefore over time it will be better than a gas car and as more advancements in this sector come, it'll improve further.

Megycal said :
Oh and as for the software updates ( not just for EVs ) I've read that people have sometimes discovered an "update" has removed a feature that their car used to have and to get it back they'll have to pay extra! Not sure who that was or if it was Tesla or not. I do know with the model I have, while I have the hardware for rear heated seats available, its $400 if I want to 'have' that functionality switched on.

Joel

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01-Dec-2020 02:36:41

Feb

2005

Joel

Forum Moderator Posts: 32,973 Sapphire Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Part of me kinda likes that because it means I don't have to pay the extra for it if I don't want to. Yes, you can argue, if its there, why not just give it - From a manufacturing standpoint I think its easier for them to standardize the process rather than multiple different configurations. It also allows for future enhancements without the need for massive modifications to be made to the vehicle. So there's pro's and cons.

@FiFi, so what would be your solution? Not set a deadline? If the government doesn't set a deadline, then automakers will continue to drag their feet and not innovate - or at least only innovate as much as they really need to.

At least with a set deadline there's a goal to try and achieve. It doesn't mean that deadline can't he pushed back if necessary but at least it sets a precedent and direction in more stronger terms and look whats happening. This year alone EVs have been gaining traction, attention and increased adoption and its sparked investment and further advancement. That's a good thing!

Joel

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01-Dec-2020 02:37:08

Shiavui

Posts: 50,740 Emerald Posts by user Forum Profile RuneMetrics Profile

Are chargers even standardised across the board yet? I highly doubt it, because of Capitalism. That's the first major hurdle they'll have to tackle. People can't be expected to own loads of different leads and fittings for different charging points. It's only going to push people away.

01-Dec-2020 02:43:05

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