Charging electric vehicles on club pitches

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  • Martinhall14
    Martinhall14 Forum Participant Posts: 1
    edited March 2019 #122

    Having just purchased a Tesla Model X which I understand is the only UK electric car capable of towing a caravan, I am reading this thread with a lot of interest. I am fully aware of the costs of charging my EV vehicle, and whilst I sympathise with those that will look upon me thinking that they are paying for my “fuelling” up on site, I can assure you with the likelihood of me only acquiring 5amps into the vehicle it will only equate to pennies. The reason I will probably have to do this is to prevent what they call “vampire drain” where the vehicles power will reduce if left over time. My family and I are very energy conscious and limit our power usage on site through our caravan anyway, and we run a modern day energy efficient rig, so would welcome the challenge to compare overall electric usage. Having said that, anyone that takes offence at me “plugging in”, I will gladly give them the 50p they think they have been robbed, although I will in return monitor how many cups of tea they boil. I for one am embracing this new technology and we caravanners have to start somewhere otherwise we will be towing our pride and joy with a steam engine. 

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #123

    MH14, there is another thread on this subject somewhere and in that thread there is the club's official stance which is that at present it is OK to charge your lekky car via your caravan but not acceptable to connect the car directly to the bollard.

    I'm of the opinion that you're paying to use 16amp EHU so it’s up to you whether you use it to charge your car, heat your awning or whatever but, in return, please don’t monitor my usage or attempt to suggest that we should be embracing those extremely expensive pieces of modern technology which are way beyond the practical reach of most of us. Lucky you, eh! 😀

    https://www.tesla.com/en_GB/inventory/new/mx?arrangeby=plh&zip=&range=0

     

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited March 2019 #124

    I wonder if each of the site wardens would give me a pop bottle worth of diesel if I asked very nicely .... 😉

  • Rocky 2 buckets
    Rocky 2 buckets Forum Participant Posts: 7,101
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    edited March 2019 #125

    Steam engine?-coal will be illegal to use soon👍🏻😂

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,427 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #126

    why should they, you haven't paid for it? While you have with EHUsmile

  • EmilysDad
    EmilysDad Forum Participant Posts: 8,973
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    edited March 2019 #127

    It was humour ..... I didn't really mean it.

  • magnet
    magnet Forum Participant Posts: 157
    edited March 2019 #128

    I like the idea of electric cars (milk  floats) but I cant see any government let you recharge your car for pennies . think of the tax they would be losing ? 

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #129

    I think the plans are to charge for mileage in the future rather than by fuel.

    We're happy with our "milk float," since buying it the running costs have been minimal. The shock is paying to put diesel in the motorhome.

  • magnet
    magnet Forum Participant Posts: 157
    edited March 2019 #130

    I can see a argument here, so I best leave it. happy caravanning

     

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #131

    Argument, where?

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited March 2019 #132

    Why do you ask TW? Where you looking for one? laughing

  • magnet
    magnet Forum Participant Posts: 157
    edited March 2019 #133

    I think electric cars are not ready to tow with and are just right for commuting to and from work or in a city 

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,427 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #134

    50p or £1 one?

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited March 2019 #135

    Sorry, this ain't the bargain basement. £5 a minute here or 50p per written word. - best quality. This is the full Monty not Monty P you know!

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #136

    Not in the way you mean…  but if you insist…😃😂

     

    Who's doing the Full Monty? 😱😳

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,427 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #137

    Ok I've paid up, where's my argument 

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited March 2019 #138

    No you have not paid yet!  (£3.00)

  • Tinwheeler
    Tinwheeler Forum Participant Posts: 23,142 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #139

    Oh, yes, he has.🤨

  • Cornersteady
    Cornersteady Club Member Posts: 14,427 ✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #140

    yes I did

  • brue
    brue Forum Participant Posts: 21,176 ✭✭✭✭✭
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    edited March 2019 #141

    No argument at all Magnet, I agree many of the present EVs are good for short journeys and apart from Tesla non have been approved for towing.

    Because we have an EV and now have experience of driving one I tend to post on EV threads to say it's ok to drive. I wish it had been approved for towing but it hasn't. Luckily ours does long distance driving too so for our particular make it has been a good experience. smile

    edit And we haven't yet taken it to a club site and if we did I doubt whether we'd charge it on site, it's a full EV not a hybrid and it's easier and quicker to do that at a charge point somewhere. But it would be possible to top it up if needed without causing a huge draw on the site electricity, we'd just have to adjust what we were using in the van.

  • eaymmus
    eaymmus Forum Participant Posts: 1
    edited July 2020 #142

    So long as you pay the fee for the extra car on site then that's fine.

    As an FYI I use blankets when I'm chilly in my awning, but I'll be writing to the club and demanding that they charge extra for those using awning heaters, as I don't and I think it's unfair that they're using high demand items like heaters for multiple hours each day. 

    When put like that, it sounds utterly preposterous, doesn't it?

    Sites allow 10A or 16A usage. It's for the caravanner to use as they see fit, so long as they don't blow the electrical point and spoil it for everyone else.

    It's about time people stopped being utterly miserable and sneering at their fellow club members because they do something different to them and just let bygones be bygones. If you want to tow with a hybrid, then tow with a hybrid, if you don't, you don't. Just have a great holiday and don't blow the electrics.

  • hitchglitch
    hitchglitch Forum Participant Posts: 3,007
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    edited July 2020 #143

    EVs come with what’s known as a granny charger, the idea being that you can visit your granny and top up by plugging into the house. The charger takes 10 amps so is very slow and would take many hours to fully charge the car, maybe 10 hours from 20% to 80%. 

    So if you plug your EV into your caravan you only have a few amps left so will need to use gas for cooking and heating therefore your overall consumption may not be that much different to normal usage.


    As brue says, most EV owners will use fast or rapid chargers. The granny charger is for emergency use.

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited July 2020 #144

    An old chestnut saved from the coals

  • rayjsj
    rayjsj Forum Participant Posts: 930
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    edited July 2020 #145

    This post originates from 2017, and you can STILL count the number of EVs capable of towing a NORMAL standard Caravan on the fingers of one hand, and they are usually at an astronomically  high price.So I think we are worrying for nothing, Also most Smaller EV's cannot be towed on their wheels, so that discounts the many A frame users in Motorhomes, that just leaves folk who tow trailers with a car on it.So, not that many.

    EV's will take a long time before they become a problem on CMC sites. They just don't have the power required at the right price.

    When one wins Towcar of the Year....fairly

    I might take notice. 

     

  • flatcoat
    flatcoat Forum Participant Posts: 1,571
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    edited July 2020 #146

    There are however an increasing number of PHEV’s available capable of towing. Some have been around for long enough to create a used market too, i myself have just bought a used PHEV and may wish to charge it on site on occasions. 

  • birderbilly
    birderbilly Forum Participant Posts: 349
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    edited July 2020 #147

    Tesla Model Y is on the way, towing capacity of 1,600kg and a price no more than many SUVs, if it sells like the Model 3 currently is doing this issue will become a "real" issue sooner than you think.

  • peedee
    peedee Club Member Posts: 9,387 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2020 #148

    Especially if the electric powered caravan is given approval.

    peedee

  • Oscarmax
    Oscarmax Club Member Posts: 257 ✭✭✭
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    edited July 2020 #149

    The CMC charges £2.00 for a PHEV and £6.00 per day to charge.

  • Lee Armsby
    Lee Armsby Forum Participant Posts: 6
    edited August 2020 #150

     l have just got a new outlander Phev, I have spoken to the club about this and they said l can charge from my caravan for an extra £2.00 per night. I am more that happy to pay this cost. That way it’s more than covering the cost and fair to everyone. 

  • EasyT
    EasyT Forum Participant Posts: 16,194
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    edited August 2020 #151

    How many amps does it need?