Random EV thoughts.....

the_amazing_raisin wrote: »

You're correct, but unfortunately we're in a chicken and egg scenario where no-one will build more infrastructure until we have more EVs, but many people won't buy EVs until the infrastructure improves

See, I genuinely don't think it's quite like that, because EV ownership is not going to be an overnight switch, it's a gradual process. The switchover will rapidly accelerate at some point, but I think a lot of people here talk like we need to have the charging infrastructure which will work for 100% adoption in order to get to 100% adoption.

That's impossible, and I believe it's a bad idea too given how charging infrastructure technology is also still evolving rapidly.

Our charging infrastructure needs to be able to keep pace with adoption, and I've spoken before how I think it kind of is keeping pace, so far. It's just that we're in that awkward phase where EV ownership is so spread out around the country that we can't focus the attention on improving infrastructure in one particular location, yet there's not yet enough adoption to improve the infrastructure everywhere.

Kramer wrote:

Lots of things are not profitable here & never will be. Public housing, healthcare, education etc. - all are funded by tax with an added private layer on top, for the more affluent. As a small island country, we need lots of stuff that'll never make a profit. The state has a responsibility here. We pay very high taxes.

We don't pay really high taxes here in EU comparison, there are datasets and studies on that. Else I agree.
Pure market solutions are possible in well regulated legal framework and homogenous, high density, high population environment. Ireland has none of this.

Kramer wrote:

We'll be waiting a loooong time for private investment to come here & provide DC charging infrastructure, beyond what we have now. We seem to be determined to isolate ourselves from the rest of the EU & wider world. I'm not optimistic & do hope eCars pull the finger out soon.

Correct.

Now look at Poland building away DC charging like crazy, with state and EU subsidies. But it's a much larger country so they've a long way to go but the last time I checked they had the core motorways covered every 30-50 kms.

The Czech Republic is also building DC chargers rapidly, the vast majority of it is being built by two largest electricity providers, one is semi-state just like the ESB, both using state and EU subsidies - the result is that in 2018 they had 100 DC chargers just like we have now, and today they've ~450, adding 10+ new chargers per month. CZ is a good case because its area is very similar to Ireland, its motorway network is only slightly longer and the number of EVs is similar too.

The cherry on top - look at the map of Minsk on plugshare. It has several times more DC chargers than Dublin! Definitely not private sector building those...

JohnC. wrote: »

Someone brought my attention to the Chinese Didi D1. Didi being a Chinese version of Uber, who have built a car for their own service. He says these are suddenly everywhere.

It does seem to have taken design influence from elsewhere though! No prizes for guessing where.

Even the alloys

Dominate world markets ha. What have you been smoking

Deleted User wrote: »

My Colleague just ordered a Polestar so I can't agree with you. If it were available to him he'd probably have ordered a Chinese built Model 3 but it is not so he ordered a Polestar.
Where do you think the Polestar is built and who owns the company.

Polestar are a pretty small player in fairness, regardless of your friend buying one.

Global sales are spread between a whole bunch of manufacturers from the US, Europe, Japan, Korea and China. Chinese manufacturers are in no way dominant globally, and their sales are still tiny outside their own domestic market.

can anyone recall when charging was introduced on the 22kw public chargers run by esb. Was it something like August 2020?

Deleted User wrote: »

Yes, this is the type of "Chinese copying" I'm referring to. The subframe casting machines are a real gamechanger in manufacturing.

As I said, The Chinese will become dominant car makers in the near future, they're already buying up badges (MG for one) to stick on their vehicles, next step is to become major stakeholders in many of the big car makers, I think they're already well on the way to achieving that goal.
Ten years ago, Chinese made cars were collapsible coke cans, now they're up there with the best the west can produce. They used to be so bad that the Chinese themselves avoided them, how things have changed.

The EV future is "Made in China"

I'm just curious, which part of the future being "Made in China" is the sad face for?

Personally, I'd be unhappy with this because of the Chinese state's genocidal and totalitarian nature, but is that the case for you too?

slave1 wrote: »

Does that mean that if I am DC charging and someone connects AC that my DC charge will drop e.g. a Zoe hooks up and my DC charge drops by 22kW?

the_amazing_raisin wrote: »

I believe that's the case, yes

ecars 2021.

Still though, they are handy units, and they should be replacing almost all the AC22's they just installed....

slave1 wrote: »

Sweet Jesus, so they'll charge 30.5c for what could be a 28kW Fast charge where you end up staying way longer than planned because someone else hooked up (no disrespect to them), the mind boggles

Yeah they really could do with extending the overstay fee to 90 mins for the DC plug, since your speed might get nerfed by the AC

slave1 wrote: »

Just picking this up from the forum sticky

AC->DC upgrade:
Public Car Park, Vicar Street, Tuam, Galway
50kW DC (DC sockets are not load balanced) and 22kW AC which is load balanced against DC

Does that mean that if I am DC charging and someone connects AC that my DC charge will drop e.g. a Zoe hooks up and my DC charge drops by 22kW?

POssibly it means that the zoe which may be able to take 43kW only gets 25kW and you only get 25kW.

Thats what I was saying. The zoe could take more, he could take more, both are restricted.
Ecars 2021 people.

innrain wrote: »

On the triple Qface the load balancing is static 50:50. It would be interesting to know if this one is dynamic. Otherwise a PHEV charging @3kW would drop DC charging to 25 kW

I know back in the day that PHEVs were a legitimate PIA at fast chargers, but since charging has come in has anyone encountered any as a 50kW charger?

Actually in fairness I did come across a 530e at the 150kW in Athlone last week (using the AC plug). Although I think his was jsut showing how it worked to a colleague/friend. In the end it did not work as both chargers (there is a 50kW beside it) refused to start.