Random EV Thoughts 2 - The Jimnying

AndyBoBandy

In fairness though, the spaces in Ireland are some of the tightest spaces I've seen anywhere except Italy!!

Over the last 2 months, I've parked my Model 3 in carparks in The U.K., Netherlands, Germany & Lithuania, and anytime I parked in a space with cars either side of me, there was still room to fully open the rear doors, and open the front doors to about 80%…. Then I come back to Ireland, park down in my local Tesco between 2 cars, one of which is parked a bit over in the space, and suddenly I'm in contortions to try and escape from the car!!

And with that EV6 above, had they parked in the space on the right next to the Merc within the lines , there's no way that Merc driver door is opening to let someone climb in!!

Same on the left, with that car also just on the line (it's charge flap is actually in the other parking space!!)

Those spaces look incredibly tight. I'd say 4 Zoe's in there would look fantastic, but 4 Ionic5/EV6/Model Y… no chance!

Hotblack Desiato

Tallaght Hospital multistorey car park is the absolute worst.

Designed for Ford Escort MkIIs and Fiat 127s.

Can't be fixed without demolishing it…

At the ramps the walls are adorned with paint scrapes of every colour.

AndyBoBandy

interesting development for the Tesla owners…

MJohnston

They didn't have that before? That's odd, had that with my i3 6 years ago

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123798338#Comment_123798338

Had what?

6 years ago my i3 had to use the individual charging apps. I had no bmw access app to charge at other brands.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123798338#Comment_123798338

The key for your i3 doubled up as a charging fob to be used at 3rd party chargers?

MJohnston

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123798413#Comment_123798413

No I had a BMW charging card like this that did (as well as the app doing it too):

My MINI at the moment has a similar one too, can be used with a bunch of networks.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123798423#Comment_123798423

Was it not very limited back in 2019?

There was only eCars and some EasyGO really.
it’s only in recent years that the different brands have started to be utilised by a common app/card, wecharge for example.

MJohnston

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123798441#Comment_123798441

It worked with Ionity from the start, if I remember right.

Of course now I have plug and charge with a lot of networks so it's less important

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123798459#Comment_123798459

How many people have plug and charge.

I signed to to a few cards when I first got an EV I've rarely used them. Rarely public charge. I find the Apps more useful as they usually give you monitoring of the session where using the card usually doesn't.

Id say for most people just a credit card is going to be the simpliest way. Other than plug and charge.

MJohnston

I don't know how many people have plug and charge, but I wasn't implying that everyone uses it either.

I wish more networks supported it, I'd use it everywhere if I could

MJohnston

Also I have session monitoring in the Mini app anyway, no matter how I start the charge

Flinty997

Not everyone has that especially older EVs where they have a subscription which has ended.

I thought the cards would be handy if a visitor borrowed the EV.

the_amazing_raisin

A while back I asked several local TDs if there were plans to make access to home chargers or low cost EV charging available to residents

To be fair to Duncan Smith he followed through with a question to the minister and came back with the response

Obviously there's a fair amount of waffle in it so I've tried to summarise

The good news

• The government accepts this is a problem
• They're proposing a change to regulations which say only ESB Networks can install electricity cables from a generator to a consumer. The proposal would allow other parties to install cables for specific purposes with EV charging being mentioned in particular
• Legislation for the above is expected to be put before the Dail in the Autumn (notably Autumn extends to end of October)

The bad

• Nothing changes anytime soon, even if the legislation is introduced on time it could attract some amount of debate and amendments before it passes
• Once the legislation is passed there's likely some amount of regulations that need updating which will take even longer
• There's nothing mentioned regarding the impossibility of getting planning permission to install chargers in public spaces. I pointed this out to Deputy Smith and asked that he clarify with the minister is this will be addressed by the proposed legislation

QUESTION

To ask the Minister for Transport whether planning guidelines will be updated to allow the installation of private chargers, for an on-street or public parking space, for electric vehicles; if he intends to introduce a programme to allow drivers to access public charging in their area at a rate similar to domestic electricity prices; and if he will make a statement on the matter.

REPLY

The Climate Action Plan target is for 30% of all private cars to be electric vehicles (EVs) by 2030. Zero Emission Vehicles Ireland (ZEVI) is a dedicated Office in the Department of Transport which, amongst other things, is working to ensure that the necessary public and private vehicle charging infrastructure is made available to as many as possible. A challenge has arisen in this work in the area of providing low-cost charging solutions for those without access to off-street parking, which could potentially include the running of electricity lines in public or shared spaces to enable charging.

In July 2025, the government adopted a Strategy Statement on Private Wires. This is a significant reform of the rules on electricity infrastructure and is intended to facilitate the provision of low-cost charging solutions for EVs. At present only ESB Networks can own a line that brings electricity from a generator to an electricity customer. Following an extensive consultation exercise with industry in 2023, the government has decided that in future, private entities will be enabled to own and operate electricity lines for specific purposes, including facilitating on-street electric vehicle charging. This will be a significant and positive step for EV consumers and is intended to provide a framework whereby technical solutions can be implemented which will allow EV drivers, currently without access to home charging, to do so and to avail of cheaper domestic electricity tariffs – particularly when charging overnight.

Primary legislation with supporting documentation to define standards and processes will be brought to Government by the Department of Climate, Energy and the Environment (DCEE) in the Autumn.

ZEVI fully supports this DCEE led initiative and is working with all stakeholders to progress it.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123798459#Comment_123798459

Makes sense as BMW partially own it.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123799085#Comment_123799085

Private wire proposal

https://www.gov.ie/en/department-of-climate-energy-and-the-environment/press-releases/minister-obrien-secures-government-approval-for-new-private-wires-policy-to-unlock-private-sector-investment-in-electricity-infrastructure/

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123797912#Comment_123797912

Tbh it just sounds like Tesla is operating as a charging provider the same way a bunch of other manufacturers have been doing for year

Not much "new" there except that Tesla owners don't need a separate charging app

One thing I will say is that Tesla are very good at writing decent backend software so its likely they'll be more successful at getting 3rd party networks to work

If anyone has ever tried getting an Ecars charger to start using a 3rd party card like Chargemap, then you'll know it's an experience akin to playing roulette

MJohnston

I don't know what the experience is like on other manufacturers cars, but BMW/Mini definitely have it all sorted, so absolutely no reason why Tesla couldn't.

Used to be there was a separate BMW/Mini Charging app, but for a couple of years now it's just been integrated into the main car app.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123799115#Comment_123799115

Yeah, things are moving slowly but they are moving at least

Getting the government to accept that something is an issues, that they can do something about it, and some commitment to try and do something is no small feat. Sometime it feels like that is the difficult part

I'm wondering now about other potential applications of this. For example could it be used in housing estates to form a micro grid between houses with solar panels and those that don't in the event of a grid failure

Flinty997

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123799123#Comment_123799123

Yeah I tried using one for the shell/aldi and couldn't get any to work.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123799216#Comment_123799216

yes there are all sorts of implications from utility scale projects (direct connection between a solar farm and a manufacturing facility) to smaller scale.

prawnsambo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123798648#Comment_123798648

It will be the standard eventually. Just how long it will take.

MJohnston

I had a look at what the Plug and Charge support is like right now (correct me if I'm wrong on any of this):

• eCars - no support
• Applegreen - no support but have talked about it
• EasyGo/EVO - no support
• Ionity - supported (for certain manufacturers?)
• Tesla - supported for Teslas
• Fastned - supported (although I have never successfully been able to use their app to start a charge or activate P&C)
• BP Pulse - no support
• Maxol Recharge - no support
• Circle K - no support
• Weev - no support
• Blink - no support

the_amazing_raisin

Fun time to be a foreigner working on the other side of the water

https://www.electrive.com/2025/09/09/lges-halts-us-factory-construction-after-raid/

For some context, I used to work for a major multinational which would send hundreds of staff on relocation to sites in the US

The idea was very simple, you work there for several months to learn the new process and then come home to assist bringing up a line in Ireland

It sounds like something similar was happening in LG except the experts were coming from Korea to bring up the factory in US

It seems several workers were on "travel" visas which probably means a visa free program for a short visit

Again, this is quite typical. Oftentimes instead of applying for a work visa, employees would be sent on a business trip visa which is a lot easier and last up to 3 months typically

I'll leave it up to you folks to decide whether this is okay or not. My personal opinion is that while it probably isn't to the letter of the law, it is in the spirit. On top of this, the people being sent are all professional workers and are bringing jobs into the US, not unskilled workers brought in because they're cheaper than American workers

So overall this crackdown seems like a massive blunder for the US. LG has already paused construction of the plant and Hyundai has apparently banned workers from travelling to the US, putting billions of dollars of investment at risk

I imagine many other companies and governments will be wary of sending people to the US on short term visas as well. While I'm sure the MAGA crowd will cheer that on, the end result is that workers just won't travel to the US (meaning the investment goes elsewhere), the workers that do go will need a work visa (adding cost) or they'll risk a short term visa in terms for a hefty bonus and additional legal protection (also adding cost)

The simple answer is that the Trump administration doesn't want foreign companies setting up in the US, they want other countries to buy from US companies ensuring the wealth flows into the states and not back out. Basically the old colonial system dusted off and given a polish

the_amazing_raisin

In other news, another V2G pilot from VW

https://www.electrive.com/2025/09/09/elli-pilots-bidirectional-charging-at-home/

I say pilot, the better term would be waste of time

So they've another specialist charger which can only be bought from a specific company as part of their proprietary solar installation

Definitely don't just build a charger and publish an open spec on how to talk to the thing and let the inverter manufacturers (who know about grid compliance) figure out the rest.

That would be too much thinking for the career androids running VW, might overheat their brains

Flinty997

I'm no fan of the Tangoed Child, and I don't think this is economic policy at all. Any positive economic outcome is accidental. Though he'll claim it was intentional if it happens.

But trying to undo the damage globalisation does to domestic employment isn't in itself a bad policy. Anyone remember the "Buy Irish" campaigns..

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commission_v_Ireland_%28C-249/81%29

However there are other aspects to this. Many countries are very active in funding their automotive industry and expansion into export markets, one report put the Chinese state automotive funding at 4 or 5 times the European countries. The aim is to drive their economy at the expense of other countries. Sometimes it's on the back of cheap labor and poor working conditions.

So it's not a level playing field.

Tango Toddler trying to undo decades of globalisation instantly isn't going to work. Especially when he's clueless But he has a habit of shaking the tree to see what falls out.

How this effects the EV market is hard to predict its chaos.

zg3409

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123799914#Comment_123799914

ECars support something like plug n charge but it’s not the same. I can’t remember the name of it now but it is a different thing. It’s something like “autocharge", on some newer chargers.

the_amazing_raisin

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123800415#Comment_123800415

It's definitely looking for a quick win on the anti immigration policy, nice big operation to round up lots of "illegal" migrants without any kind of consideration for long term consequences

As regards how this affects EV production, Hyundai and LG were probably 2 of the biggest foreign companies investing in US manufacturing. This will likely delay what has been planned and puts a big question mark over future investment

Maybe this benefits us in Ireland, that money has to go somewhere and could be towards manufacturing in Europe and cheaper cars here

Maybe Hyundai just doubles down in ICE production for now to meet the US market demand

As regards protecting domestic jobs, it's actually a sentiment I agree with to some extent. However it's worth considering exactly what industries that we're protecting and how much extra we're willing to pay in the process

I'm no fan of the Chinese government, but it's worth asking if we're the idiots here. They seem to be able to mobilise their industry to a far greater extent than the EU or US and it shows in their dominance of battery manufacturing and their rapid gains in EV market share

This isn't a surprise, the communist system is a command economy where the government decides exactly where resources are allocated.

There's a whole rake of problems with this, but as I said it does mean that when their government sets their mind to something then they have to means to get it done. It would be interesting to see leaders in Europe take a page out of that approach and perhaps adopt a more technocratic approach to industry investment instead of writing blank cheques to private companies

September1

How long does it take to register change of ownership for private sale? Perhaps someone has recent experience.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123805136#Comment_123805136

Once they get the Log Book, it could be 2 weeks due to backlogs and staff shortages. I spoke to a family member in there last month when doing one, took 3 weeks.