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ESB eCars

liamog

Details from the dail on the eCars €10,000,000 expansion programme.

The key elements include six high speed charging hubs on motorways capable of charging eight vehicles simultaneously; 16 high speed charging hubs capable of charging four vehicles simultaneously; additional high power chargers at 34 current 50 kW locations; upgrading over 50 22 kW chargers to 50 kW, and replacing up to 264 locations with 528 charge points at the pre-existing pilot grade of 22 kW to next generation high reliability models.

https://www.oireachtas.ie/en/debates/question/2019-01-24/10/?fbclid=IwAR1eGLQjNFuywCoaB__FJADns7gNOD09DaR9XLueHAKZ8vljfd-kL-_LpDs

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the_amazing_raisin

liamog wrote: »

Mad houses in Coynes Cross today, we arrived to the charger, another Mini SE was had been plugged in for around 5 mins, I figured we'd be in for a 30 minute wait.
Unfortunately the person had a problem with their charging app and couldn't end their charge. They were on hold waiting for an eCars operator, in the meantime I helped them log in via the eCars website, they were able to do so and finished their charge at 44:29.

Whilst we were waiting there were a lot of EVs show up, first was an MG5 EV, then an I3S. By this point I'd started my charge and went for a BK. Within 5 minutes I'm back, an Ioniq had shown up and connected to the FastAC whilst waiting for the CCS, there was a Zoe waiting.
Then an e-Golf arrived, and finally a pre-facelift Leaf. Sitting in the car eating my BK we saw another I3 and a facelift Leaf pull into the services and drive straight off. I think others have mentioned that Coynes is a very busy spot, hopefully it's one earmarked for a future hub.

Yeah I was there last year, there was an i3 charging when we arrived and a Leaf arrived while we were plugged in

It's kind of a natural location for people to stop when going to some of the main tourist spots as well as travelling between Dublin and the Southeast

How do those older 50kW units handle load balancing? If a car is pulling 7kW on the AC will you get a 7kW drop or will it do something dumb like cut 22kW off the DC plug?

liamog

It depends on the site, usually the units are set to give a full 50kW on the DC connection (so 1 CHAdeMO or 1 CCS) and a full 43kW on the AC.
They don't load balance across the DC connectors meaning a CHAdeMO car can't charge whilst a CCS car is connected.

Black_Knight

Looks like from about 3.30-6.45 DC was in use at cloynes cross. Busy indeed.

the_amazing_raisin

Black_Knight wrote: »

Looks like from about 3.30-6.45 DC was in use at cloynes cross. Busy indeed.

I was going by there today heading to Brittas bay, there was only the one Model 3 charging around midday so not as busy

There were plenty of EVs around though, saw several Tesla's, a few i3s and another ID.4 out and about. Plus the usual mix of Leaf's and Zoe's heading around town

Charging sites are gonna be getting busier from here on our

markpb

Currently getting a massive 24kW at the HPCP at Kells despite a SoC of 36% and being driven at 100kph for the last hour. Not exactly what I expected :-o

Irishjg

markpb wrote: »

Currently getting a massive 24kW at the HPCP at Kells despite a SoC of 36% and being driven at 100kph for the last hour. Not exactly what I expected :-o

Which EV are you driving Mark.

markpb

Irishjg wrote: »

Which EV are you driving Mark.

Tesla Model X 75 with CCS adaptor.

I dropped and restarted the charge and temporarily (< 5 seconds) got 57kW but then it fell back to 24 again

Irishjg

Crickey that is disappointing alright.

ELM327

That site works fine, i've been using it regularly until my free charging hack got nerfed.
If you're not getting proper rates from the HPC, it's the car not the charger.

slave1

markpb wrote: »

Tesla Model X 75 with CCS adaptor.

I dropped and restarted the charge and temporarily (< 5 seconds) got 57kW but then it fell back to 24 again

Sounds like a nerfed battery pack, that car was sold with free SC most likely and if “abused” Tesla will nerf its DC charging speed

ELM327

slave1 wrote: »

Sounds like a nerfed battery pack, that car was sold with free SC most likely and if “abused” Tesla will nerf its DC charging speed

Not to mention it's 300-350VDC as opposed to 350-400VDC so will be lower anyway

markpb

slave1 wrote: »

Sounds like a nerfed battery pack, that car was sold with free SC most likely and if “abused” Tesla will nerf its DC charging speed

I charged at over 100kW at Kill last summer on more than one occasion. Maybe it’s been nerfed by an update since then but I’ve MCUv1 and APv2.4 so updates are thin on the ground these days.

McGiver

Arrived in Athlone circle K at 12pm today, business day alright, so thought it would be empty.

Free Circle K charger - 1 car charging, second waiting, I was the third. So I went Ionity, withing few minutes all 4 bays full, 1 car waiting!

This is only pre warning of what will happen next. The infrastructure will collapse. Ionity will need to to double the number of bays. Ecars are totally bonkers they're building infrastructure for 2018 not for 2021 and ahead.... They should be putting 3 chargers on each site NOW.

charlieIRL

McGiver wrote: »

Arrived in Athlone circle K at 12pm today, business day alright, so thought it would be empty.

Free Circle K charger - 1 car charging, second waiting, I was the third. So I went Ionity, withing few minutes all 4 bays full, 1 car waiting!

This is only pre warning of what will happen next. The infrastructure will collapse. Ionity will need to to double the number of bays. Ecars are totally bonkers they're building infrastructure for 2018 not for 2021 and ahead.... They should be putting 3 chargers on each site NOW.

In all the times I've been out there, I rarely see a car charging at the ionity points.

You do know there are 4 more >50kWh chargers in Athlone as well? 2 at N6 Centre (1 high speed), 1 at KFC and one beside the Town Centre shopping centre

markpb

charlieIRL wrote: »

In all the times I've been out there, I rarely see a car charging at the ionity points.

It's hardly surprising they've been quiet, we've been in lockdown of one kind or another for almost the entire time Ionity have been live in Ireland.

AndyBoBandy

markpb wrote: »

It's hardly surprising they've been quiet, we've been in lockdown of one kind or another for almost the entire time Ionity have been live in Ireland.

I think this summer we are really going to see the pinch in public infrastructure.

I collected my EV in March 2020, and pretty much since then we've been under some form of restrictions... last summer we got to travel out and about around the country, before locking down again, but since then so so many more EV's are on our roads (think all the ID's), and while last year was still the great unknown regarding Covid, I think this year people are accepting of the fact that any holidays will largely be within Ireland, as well as random day trips all over the country.
My own personal take on it this year will be (when going beyond home range) to plan on using and rely solely on Tesla Superchargers, while taking only opportunistic charges from eCars (and add to that now Ionity) chargers if passing one and its available...

In summary, I'll no longer be planning to use eCars unless I'm desperate, and with some pre-planning, I should never get that desperate...

cannco253

"So I went Ionity, withing few minutes all 4 bays full, 1 car waiting!"

I wonder if they were ID.3 owners using up the free credits they got last year? What EVs were using Ionity out of curiosity?

McGiver

charlieIRL wrote:

You do know there are 4 more >50kWh chargers in Athlone as well? 2 at N6 Centre (1 high speed), 1 at KFC and one beside the Town Centre shopping centre

I know there are. But nobody has time for detours running around like a rat and going counterflow as well.

All FCPs should be on the motorway. What ecars we thinking putting FCPs in towns....

markpb

McGiver wrote: »

All FCPs should be on the motorway. What ecars we thinking putting FCPs in towns....

Perhaps an acceptance that FCPs won't be considered "fast" for very long? 150s on motorways make the most sense to me. 50s make sense in towns where there are facilities like shopping and cafes so you can kill time waiting to charge. Then 22s in shopping centres and 7s in car parks and train stations.

liamog

McGiver wrote: »

All FCPs should be on the motorway. What ecars we thinking putting FCPs in towns....

FCPs should never be put on motorways.

The hierarchy is straightforward, 150kW+ for motorways and interurbans, 50kW for town and suburbs, 11kW AC for destination and overnight charging. The infra has to be built for the next 100,000 cars not the current fleet of slow DC charging vehicles.

the_amazing_raisin

liamog wrote: »

FCPs should never be put on motorways.

The hierarchy is straightforward, 150kW+ for motorways and interurbans, 50kW for town and suburbs, 11kW AC for destination and overnight charging. The infra has to be built for the next 100,000 cars not the current fleet of slow DC charging vehicles.

I agree, 50kW units at motorway services should just be there to provide a cheaper alternative for slower charging cars so they don't block higher power units

There's a fair number of folks who'll never have home charging, for them 45 mins on a 50kW while they're doing their shopping is probably enough for a weeks driving

slave1

Nothing wrong with 50kW chargers along motorways, not looking for a full charge, just enough to get home and with modern EV ranges only a 10-15 minute stop at a 50 would be plenty.
Herself had a 492km trip yesterday and just needed 18minutes at a 50 to give a nice buffer and got home with plenty to spare, a 5 minute stop would have got her home but after a coffee/loo break it just so happened to turn out to be 18minutes

Black_Knight

McGiver wrote: »

This is only pre warning of what will happen next. The infrastructure will collapse. Ionity will need to to double the number of bays. Ecars are totally bonkers they're building infrastructure for 2018 not for 2021 and ahead.... They should be putting 3 chargers on each site NOW.

Wait until you see the 4 cobwebbed CHAdeMO plugs at Mayfield. All my stats tell me there's flip all desire for 70kW CHAdeMO charging, and far far more usage of 150kW CCS charging.

charlieIRL wrote: »

In all the times I've been out there, I rarely see a car charging at the ionity points.

You do know there are 4 more >50kWh chargers in Athlone as well? 2 at N6 Centre (1 high speed), 1 at KFC and one beside the Town Centre shopping centre

Unless i'm going into Athlone, I wouldn't consider these useful at all. A good 5-10 minute detour both ways for a 50kW unit vs the 150/175 ones at Kilmartins or Ionity. It's wasted time to waste more time at a 50kW unit.

markpb wrote: »

Perhaps an acceptance that FCPs won't be considered "fast" for very long? 150s on motorways make the most sense to me. 50s make sense in towns where there are facilities like shopping and cafes so you can kill time waiting to charge. Then 22s in shopping centres and 7s in car parks and train stations.

50kW in town can make sense where there's 150kW on major roads nearby, but the 45 minute soft limit (fee induced limit) probably needs to be looked at in the future for those instances. Fair green in Athlone (beside the town centre) is an example. A nice few faster chargers around for those who splash and dash, but a slower 50kW unit for those who do a good hour-90 minute shop in the town centre.

slave1 wrote: »

Nothing wrong with 50kW chargers along motorways, not looking for a full charge, just enough to get home and with modern EV ranges only a 10-15 minute stop at a 50 would be plenty.
Herself had a 492km trip yesterday and just needed 18minutes at a 50 to give a nice buffer and got home with plenty to spare, a 5 minute stop would have got her home but after a coffee/loo break it just so happened to turn out to be 18minutes

Gotta think of them leafs/ 150kW is foreign to them. They have a use though as you say. If i'm stopping for 30+ minutes to grab something to eat, I could be happy to take the 50kW unit, rather than the 150kW and have to unplug and move mid meal.

I really hope this bump in usage is being used to guide eCars rollout of more units. It's not, but I hope. :rolleyes:

kanuseeme

McGiver wrote: »

Arrived in Athlone circle K at 12pm today, business day alright, so thought it would be empty.

Free Circle K charger - 1 car charging, second waiting, I was the third. So I went Ionity, withing few minutes all 4 bays full, 1 car waiting!

This is only pre warning of what will happen next. The infrastructure will collapse. Ionity will need to to double the number of bays. Ecars are totally bonkers they're building infrastructure for 2018 not for 2021 and ahead.... They should be putting 3 chargers on each site NOW.

Its only waiting 10 minutes or so, I don't see anything really to complain about, in fact they should ban ice and phev's tomorrow, that will sort it out.:D:D:D

peposhi

innrain wrote: »

Stopped @J14 to take some pictures. There is nothing visible to report except that there were 2 cars charging an ID4 and a Niro one on the Type2 and a third one waiting.

3 of the fancy looking new ESB chargers are already in place. I’d say by the end of the week all installation work should be finished and soon the hub should be live to release the pressure (I often see 2-3 cars waiting on each other to charge at the current old working triple head unit)...

[Deleted User]

I'm not sure J14 is a great place to install a so called Hub ? there are already Ionity chargers not that far away, I really think these should have been placed much further west or south west.

In my opinion, J23 would have been far better place to put them considering how appalling the infrastructure is that direction.

What's this hub going to have 4 x 150 units which are already outdated or 2 x 50 and 2 x 150 ? load balancing ? the current 150 Kw share with ChADeMo which is ridiculous in this day and age.

Black_Knight

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I'm not sure J14 is a great place to install a so called Hub ? there are already Ionity chargers not that far away, I really think these should have been placed much further west or south west.

In my opinion, J23 would have been far better place to put them considering how appalling the infrastructure is that direction.

What's this hub going to have 4 x 150 units which are already outdated or 2 x 50 and 2 x 150 ? load balancing ? the current 150 Kw share with ChADeMo which is ridiculous in this day and age.

I believe they'll be 150kW units only, though I can't put my finger on why I believe that. Either speculation or I inferred it from ESB at the ievoa meeting last year.

Certainly there no justification for 4 CHAdeMO plugs. 2 seems sufficient, especially if the existing triple head unit remains.

AndyBoBandy

I saw a post in a Facebook group that said some of the units have been installed, so anyone passing please stop in for some pictures…

AndyBoBandy

Black_Knight wrote: »

Certainly there no justification for 4 CHAdeMO plugs. 2 seems sufficient, especially if the existing triple head unit remains.

Let’s not kid ourselves here…… we all know it’s going to be 4 CCS & 4 CHAdeMO…….

I’d bet my car on it.

[Deleted User]

Oh the pain, watching Gen 1 Leafs charging on ChaDeMo on a 150 Kw charger sucking 30 Kw or less!!!

Having said that there are slower charging CCS cars such as the 22 Kwh BMW i3.

I suppose though if the lads in charge in Ecars could read this they'd probably be saying to themselves " that Mad_Lad bollix is never happy" lol

But I suppose it's better than the situation in Kilcullen where a Leaf 24 Kwh is charging at 30 Kw on the 150 Kw and a Model 3 has to sit at the 50 Kw now 26 Kw charger, I reported it to the ESB which said they'd investigate but need more People to check and report if they spot the same issue, 26 Kw, fluctuates anywhere to 48 Kw but mostly 26 Kw, then as I discovered by accident, when you swipe the card it goes to 48 Kw and stays there until the screen goes back to standby, very strange issue.