Everything you always wanted to know about electric vehicle (but were afraid to ask)

Red Silurian

I have a questing regarding chargers. Why did the supply companies choose 22kW as their slow standard when the most a car can take is 11kW with the most popular car, the Nissan leaf only able to take 6.6kW

Is it future proofing?

eagerv

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117879899#Comment_117879899

Most of the destination charge points have two sockets and two parking spaces, so will allow most modern EVs to take 11kW even if another car there.

Kramer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117879899#Comment_117879899

It's more happenstance really. 32 amps on a single phase (domestic supply) is ubiquitous & is 7.4kW. That suits standard cable sizes, switchgear, consumer units etc.

Public AC charging is supplied with 3 phase electricity, so is 3x 32a, or 3x 7.4kW, so 22kW in total.

In Ireland, IIRC Renault persuaded eCars years ago that 22kW AC was the way to go, to that's where they went! Renaults were able to AC charge at 22kW, some even at 43kW & a few Teslas with dual 11kW OBCs too. AFAIK, a few new expensive BEVs can take 22kW too, with optional OBC upgrades.

innrain

I don't think is Renault's doing. If you have to supply 32 A on a single phase, on 3 phase is the same current required. 32A 3phase is 22kW.

First would be better if we would call the AC "chargers" sockets, or maybe charging points. As you plug your 20W phone charger in the 2kW domestic socket the same would be when you plug the EV in the the AC (the difference is that the heavy part of the charger is in the car). The car demands the current to be delivered. As for the phone the charger would take the AC (alternative current) and rectify it in DC (direct/continuous current). A by-product of this process is heat which needs to be dealt with. Rectifying 32A 3phase is very rare and deemed uneconomical by the manufacturers. (except Renault which managed to rectify up to 64A hence the reason for the 43kW AC at the ecars triples. Here is Renault doing as these chargers are connected to 100kW supply but are rarely used at more than 50kW)

If all onboard chargers would be 3phase would be a case to have 4 sockets @ 11kW instead of 2x22KW but then the single phase would charge @ 3.6 kW. That is a solution which hotels, P&R and any other long stay facilities should use. I think most of the cars sold this year and last are 3phase so in few years time we would probably see this shift.

Chardee MacDennis

Did anyone have any issues getting their charger installed? Like having to upgrade fuse box etc?

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117882011#Comment_117882011

If you have really old electrics you may have to get your wiring brought up to regulations before an electrician can add a 32A load to your house. Only an onsite visit from an electrician can tell you whether thats required in your case or not, but it does happen.

Sabre Man

In this video, Inge tells you everything you need to know about the charge point at Clontarf Castle Hotel in Dublin.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UnCnPixYOPc

Black_Knight

Any sign of the ievoa meeting recording being made public?

AndyBoBandy

Everything you need to know about Clontarf Castle charger..... except what power the charger is...... (I know it can be worked out by looking at the charging screen, but the majority of folk won't know that).

Sabre Man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117904612#Comment_117904612

It is scheduled for midnight.

Sabre Man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117904850#Comment_117904850

Good point!

Sabre Man

There are several ways to close the screens in a Tesla. Do you know them all? 

https://youtu.be/M7l5QwJNCXc

Sabre Man

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yg1RohedelY

The IEVOA webinar hosted by Roland Krijnen last weekend

Red Silurian

I see from the "new charger locations" thread that Ballinalack, has a 70kW chademo charger, is this a misprint or is it actually possible?

innrain

It is a theoretical value. Leaf 62 kWh is credited with achieving some speeds above 50kW but only once in a blue moon as other factors might impact the charging speed negatively.

Fingleberries

Hi Folks,

Will hopefully be joining the EV family shortly (a VW id.3 ordered) and just have a few questions about public charging, since I live mid-terrace it might not be possible to get a home charger installed 😕

I was wondering to pick your collective brains for tips and tricks to minimise the number charging cards and charging card apps required.

• With VW there is the option of using WeCharge that offers access to Ionity chargers and the ESB eCars (I presume at the PAYG rate). Do you know if you can also access the EasyGo chargers with the WeCharge card or do you need to sign up there separately?
• With the ESB eCar card, do you have access to EasyGo chargers, or do you need to sign up to EsyGo separately?

Thanks in advance.

marc1

@Fingleberries I have the same questions after reading through probably 50 pages on this and other threads. Ioniq 5 on the way for me, to be delivered in December this year, pickup on the first day of the new year :-)

Seems like the EasyGo fob lets you charge at ESB eCars as well as Ionity, but the rates are no necessairly the best ones.

There also seem to be some options from Germany that give you decent rates in Ireland and give access to most chargers.

I would love to know from the collective brain what the best strategies are to get the best rates + best access. Seems like a bit of a mindfield

Sabre Man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117915480#Comment_117915480

The ESB eCar car doesn't give access to EasyGo charge points but it works the other way rounds (although it's cheaper to just use the ESB ecars card/app on ESB ecars charge points).

Dohvolle

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117882011#Comment_117882011

The electricians on site will tell you more, but those installing will want everything perfect before they fit the charger, as their certification means they are satisfied with the condition of the supply. If the board is unsatisfactory or old, they'll walk away(or offer to include it in their work at extra cost). Personally my 1960s built (1980s rewired) requires a full rewire, such was the state of the wiring (mislabelled board, no earth cable for lighting, meter located too high etc).

Sabre Man

In this video, Guillaume checks out the ESB ecars High Power Charge Point at Circle K M9 Kilcullen, about 20 km from Naas, to find out how fast he can charge a BMW i3. There is also a fast charge point here.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BjPOhgsgB1E

Sabre Man

If you're new to EVs (electric vehicles), you may presume that you can charge at any charger, but that's not the case (unless you own a Tesla with a CCS charging port, such as the Tesla Model 3). In this episode Guillaume and Inge talk about you where you can charge your EV, which charging networks (ESB ecars, EasyGo, Ionity and Tesla) you can use, how much it costs to use them, the different plug standards (Chademo, CCS and Type 2) and the difference between AC and DC charging.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3Y6puDlxvs

Sabre Man

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs) save money on toll roads in Ireland. In this video, Inge explains how this works with Tolltag.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8SM2J4z8mg

DaveByDavid

I thought of some questions ahead of hopefully putting a deposit down on an Ioniq 5 next week...

• Where's the best place to get the wall charger for home use, and can we get it installed ahead of time with the grant?
• Do batteries last long term? I know Ioniq 5 has an 8 year warranty but should we be worried after that?
• Can any house get a charger, or is there something we should check first?

Anything else we should know or consider before we make the switch from petrol to electric?

Wait. So if I have a battery car I can't charge at any charge place? Is it like a filling station where I can only get diesel?

Fingleberries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976906#Comment_117976906

You'll be able to do it almost anywhere - the cables are pretty common, or you'll use the ones that come with your car. you'll just need the right app or card - in Ireland that would be ESB ecars or EasyGo (there are some others ways, too)

The only place reserved for a particular car maker are the Tesla locations - they're reserved for Tesla's only (for now)

Sabre Man

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117976952#Comment_117976952

You forgot to mention Ionity, which is only CCS, so no Leafs can charge there, nor Model S and X without a CCS adapter.

Fingleberries

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117978641#Comment_117978641

You're right - I forgot about that. I wasn't deliberately keeping quiet about Ionity units so my local one wouldn't become overrun 😀

Sabre Man

In this video, Inge tells you where you can charge your electric vehicle (EV) if you're in or near Athlone.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iHeeeOpcmus

AndyBoBandy

Don’t worry,

no chance of any Ionity site ever being ‘overrun’ thanks to their exorbitant pricing.

Sabre Man

In this video, we take a look at the PlugShare app, which you can use to find charge points and check how reliable they are. You can also add your own charge points.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aSxOUJ9wA8c