Electric hook-up

135

Comments

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #62

    When Malcolm finishes a late shift at 10.30pm on a bitterly cold winters evening in a cold car he may not want to faff.

  • nelliethehooker
    nelliethehooker Club Member Posts: 13,647 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited June 2018 #63

    But what happens if the car has no charge in the morning?

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #64

    Then Malc has plenty of time before work

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #65

    my meter at site was 242v. 230 is probably the minimum.

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #66

    don't use a 3000w kettle. mine is 1000 but takes about 5 mins to boil but don't mind the wait.

  • lornalou1
    lornalou1 Forum Participant Posts: 2,169
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #67

    agree. the other way is to sell and buy a diesel. wink

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #68

    There's two EV points on the air I'm on atm.

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #69

    Thanks, Milothedog. I've just downloaded it on my Ipad.

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #70

    I'll still be using diesel for my towcar, lornalou1. I have no plans to change the towcar for an electric version yet. The towcar is only used once every 21 days to tow the carvan to Littlehampton CMC site and back to Worthing CMC site after two days. So it uses very little fuel as the distance is only 7 miles each way.

  • Milothedog
    Milothedog Forum Participant Posts: 1,433
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #71

    "The towcar is only used once every 21 days to tow the carvan to Littlehampton CMC site and back to Worthing CMC site after two days. So it uses very little fuel as the distance is only 7 miles each way"

     

    If your tow car is fitted with a DPF you really need to give it a bit longer run every now and again or you may end up with a big bill for a blocked DPF

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #72

    Actually, it's a total of 28 miles on the two away days because of swapping over the cars twice during our time away. Woudn't that be sufficient?

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #73

    I had a look at my aircon manual and it says the aircon uses up to 4.2 amps. So it looks as though I can't run the aircon whilst the electric car is charging because this would need a total of 16.7 amps. Unless of course, by 16 amps, there is some leeway because it's still below 17 amps.

     

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,311 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited June 2018 #74

    It's a longer run at higher speeds that is required Malcolm to allow it to clean itself. Slow journeys in traffic do not allow this to happen. Perhaps use it to visit one of the NT properties you go to (rather than the Smart) where higher speed roads are involved.

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,311 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited June 2018 #75

    I think the thing you need to establish first is what charging the car will use. You mention 3kw, are you sure about that. The link brue provided seemed to indicate it would be less, but take longer than the 6 hours you mentioned to charge. 

    By the sound of it your vehicle has not been built yet, so it might be difficult to establish exactly what the slow charger will pull. Once you know, you will have a much better idea of what you can use at the same time.

  • Fozzie
    Fozzie Club Member Posts: 550
    500 Comments
    edited June 2018 #76

    I personally would recomend Malcolm gets independant advice on this,and not from the electric car company.

    If you arrive on a Club site,you plug you orange cable in,this is 2.5mm cable,within the caravan is the consumer unit with a rcd of 10a or hopefully 16a Malcolm must check what he has got for the socket outlet,this will be a radial circuit not a ring circuit as a house. I would guess the interior wiring is 1.5mm  to the outside socket outlet.

    Then the car would be plugged in to this.

    So I have a couple of issues with this 

    1. Is plugging the car into the caravan exterior socket outlet classed as "dedicated" plug in point.

    2 Interior 1.5mm will be on its amp limit around 16a at maximum charge rate.

    3 As mentioned Malcolm "has not got a lot left" on maximum charge  for the rest of his usage especially winter.

    Malcolm if I was you get advice,I certainly do not know the answers,and because this is your only way of charging,the last thing I want is for you to make an expensive mistake.

     

  • young thomas
    young thomas Club Member Posts: 11,357 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #77

    Malcolm, if you had a lower wattage kettle (700-1000w) this would help as a 2kw kettle is going to give issues with winter heating or hot water, with or without your EV charging.

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #78

    Malcolm tells us he has put down a deposit and ordered a Smart EV. All the information would have been available to Malcolm via Mercedes. In those circumstances Malcolm has had a considerable amount of time to discuss his needs and he could also have checked with the sites he'll be using what the "actual" supply is rather than the estimated supply. I think people have been helpful on here but now Malcolm must check the details of his own purchase and perhaps come back and tell us his plans for running the EV via an EHU. There are some site users already charging hybrids on site, these have smaller batteries. The only EV tow car at present is produced by Tesla (see other EV threads.) It will be possible to charge the Smart EV on site EHU but the residual power for other appliances will be small. Over to you Malcolm for your thoughts and plans?

  • cariadon
    cariadon Forum Participant Posts: 861
    500 Comments
    edited June 2018 #79

    this could be your answer Malcolm   

    http://www.cpes.co.uk/news/evcharging/

     

  • johnathome
    johnathome Forum Participant Posts: 101
    edited June 2018 #80

    Note the line Token operated available via warden.

     

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #81

    Yes, it's good news, cariadon. If such a facility becomes available at Northbrook Farm and Gatwick CMC sites, it will mean we won't have to manage without our aircon and be able to use our other appliances e.g. 2 kw electric kettle without difficulty!

  • Malcolm Mehta
    Malcolm Mehta Forum Participant Posts: 5,660
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #82

    How much does the token cost at the Brighton CMC site?

  • flatcoat
    flatcoat Forum Participant Posts: 1,571
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #83

    Re the low mileage and DPF. You need to give the car at least a 40 mile hard run every few weeks ensuring the revs get above 2500 for at least 10 miles (hold in a lower gear if you need to). It is also recommended you use super diesel fuels such as Vpower or Ultimate. This applies irrespective of whether you have a dpf or not. I know a lot of poeple on here disagree however that is based on my experience and recommendations from a number of reputable professional sources. 

  • SteveL
    SteveL Club Member Posts: 12,311 ✭✭✭
    5,000 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited June 2018 #84

    Last winter on several sites there were power trips due to demand exceeding the capacity of the site supply. So if these were rolled out widely, without further upgrade, you might not be using anything on electric.☹️

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #85

    Malcolm you could always ring the site this morning and ask ,and see what you get your money ,then come on here and advise us all,and the wardens might also have an idea if this system is being rolled out?

  • cyberyacht
    cyberyacht Forum Participant Posts: 10,218
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #86

    I find flatcoat's comment disconcerting. Except when accelerating away, I rarely go above 2000rpm. but then I don't do short runs either.

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,196 ✭✭✭
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited June 2018 #87

    Plus 1. I'd be very interested, as I expect would others. I suspect they'll refer him to HQ. I have replied to that effect on the what are you doing today thread where Malcolm has mentioned it too.

    We, well OH, is considering another vehicle difficult with all the unknowns about sources of power, tax levels resale value of whatever fuel source etc. So good to have such info as background if nothing more! 

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,196 ✭✭✭
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited June 2018 #88

    If your tow car is fitted with a DPF you really need to give it a bit longer run every now and again or you may end up with a big bill for a blocked DPF

    excuse my ignorance but is that known as a de-coke?

  • JVB66
    JVB66 Forum Participant Posts: 22,892
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #89

    I am sure the "blue sky thinkingundecided" that comes with most things from Westminster will be pushed onto the back burner when the time approaches  ,in the meantime i think the only possible viable alternative  is Hybrids and a report i read a couple of days ago shows that 98% of those do not achieve in real use any where near the published MPG that the manufacterers  state some as much as 68% poorer

  • flatcoat
    flatcoat Forum Participant Posts: 1,571
    1000 Comments
    edited June 2018 #90

    A de-coke is about the combustion chamber, inlet and exhaust valves and outlets in the cylinder head, piston top and so on and nothing to do with the dpf however the process is not dis-similar. I call it an Italian tune up. All engines irrespective of petrol or diesel benefit but more so those low mileage mollycoddled engines.

  • Bakers2
    Bakers2 Forum Participant Posts: 8,196 ✭✭✭
    2,500 Likes 1000 Comments Name Dropper
    edited June 2018 #91

    Thanks flatcoat.