This topic contains 5 replies, has 5 voices, and was last updated by 
-
Posts
-
THURSDAY 1ST AUGUST 2013 344 WORDS RENAULT UK WELCOMES THE ADDITIONAL
[See the full post at: Renault UK welcomes the additional government funding for electric vehicle charge points]NHS Trusts, Council Offices, Train Stations ???
Does anyone here anticipate needing to charge at any of those?
In five years, I’ve been to the council offices once. It is a 15 mile round trip.
We go to the hospital once or twice a year, but it is also well within the range of any EV.
Train Station? I live in a rural location. Even so, the train station is maybe 30 mile round trip.
Well, I can see the NHS Trust – and indeed any tourist spot – being a good idea. I can’t see many members of the public using council office chargers, although if it gets a few council vehicles swapped out for leccy then fair enough. Might even get the odd mayor adopting one, I suppose*.
But train stations – I think you need more than a couple at a train station if they’re going to be any use. Cars are clearly going to be parked there longer than they take to charge.*I can imagine what it’d be like if they fitted one outside Number 10:
“And here we see the Chancellor, on his way to give his Budget speech. He’s posing on the steps of Number 11, holding the famous red briefcase aloft, and now he’s getting into the car which will whisk him off to Parliament. He closes the door, and… the car isn’t moving. The driver is getting out now, and he’s realised he needs to unplug the charging cable from the charger. He’s pulling on it, it seems to be stuck – he’s forgotten that he needs to unplug it from the car first. No, it’s not coming away from the car – now he’s fumbling for the remote, trying to find the button to release the cable. No, that hasn’t worked, now he’s getting back in the car – ah yes, he’s turning it all off and, I believe, yes, he’s turned it back on again. Now he’s out of the car again, and he’s able to unplug the cable from the car. He’s going back to the charging point, and the cable still isn’t coming away from the charger. And I do believe – yes, he’s borrowing the Chancellor’s phone to call SourceLondon and ask them to remotely unlock the cable. Ah, that’s done it, the driver is now coiling up the cable and slinging it in the back of the car. The driver is now apologising to the Chancellor for hitting him with the cable, and it finally looks like they’re ready to set – no, he’s gone and tried to move off before the car was ready, now he has to reset it again. Ah, now, wait – what’s this? Yes, I do believe that one of John Prescott’s old Jags has just pulled up, and the Chancellor has got in and the majestic V6 has now whisked him away.”@steamrunner Very funny! I’m sure I also heard the following; hold on, the driver is just explaining to the Chancellor that his destination is beyond the safe range of the car and asking if it’s OK to stop off at Ikea in Wembley to recharge. The driver is asking the Chancellor if he likes Swedish meatballs. Ah, there’s another problem, the driver is looking sheepish as he’s forgotten to bring his Ecotricity RFID card, but does have one for the Polar network. He’s checking the sat nav but can’t tell which chargers are compatible, etc, etc, etc
Sad, but largely true!
Personally I think the charge points at railway stations, car parks etc. is a great initiative. Sure this doesn’t take away the greater need for fast chargers at motorway service stations etc.
But they’ll still be useful. How many times have you struggled to find a parking space at a busy commuter station, in the city centre etc.. So now early adopters have a ‘reserved’ space and (at least if you’re a ‘charge your car’ network member), not only is there always somewhere to park, but the charging is free too!
You must be logged in to reply to this topic.