Australia's first Electric Highway!

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jonescg
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Post by jonescg »

Dr Chris Bowen?? Not sure how I feel about being mistaken for the shadow treasurer...
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Post by jonescg »

Today I borrowed Reecho's 2010 iMiEV and picked up Luke Pegrum from RTR FM for a drive to Mandurah. Luke will be covering a bit of general content about EVs, recharging, the history of the trials and the functionality of the fast charger network.

We first stopped in at the UWA fast charger so I could top it up before the drive to Mandurah.

Richard called to say that his Gelco widget had arrived, allowing him to use any J1772 charger with his iMiEV, so we drove down to Spearwood to test it out. It worked, but the 15 A GPO was still easier to use Image Since it was lunch time we walked around the corner while the i charged up for an hour or so.

Luke and I then headed off down the coastal route to Mandurah. Much of this is 80 km/h zones with a stretch of 100 km/h near Safety Bay Rd. We got into Mandurah with 30 km remaining on the guess-o-meter. No conservative driving from me, anyway.

The Trio Fast Charger gave us 20 minutes worth of juice, knocking off at 80% battery capacity from the 25% or so that we started at. We re-started the charge for another run just to get us over 90% for the return leg, but got talking to the Mandurah Council workers who were VERY excited by the project. They haven't painted up the bays yet, so they are going to be quite proactive with ICErs. Even the council guys believed that they should be buying EVs for their Fleet, especially since they mainly do parking runs, inspections, mail and coffee runs Image.

We headed home and made it all the way to UWA with about 13% left in the battery (the charge logo was flashing at me, and one wedge remained). The Veefil at UWA pumped another 10 kWh worth of energy in 27 mins, which was enough to drop Luke home and drive me to Richard's home to return the car.

Would any other drive to Mandurah result in a big post like this? No. But I remember when Joseph first drove to Mandurah in his 2011 iMiEV and he had to charge at the caravan park for 6 hours before heading home. So times they're a changin!

Listen out for Luke's story on Morning Magazine in a few weeks time. And in the meantime - get in your EVs and drive the Electric Highway!
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Post by reecho »

Yes hopefully by tomorrow I would of modified my 2010 I-Miev for J1772 support. If it works I may sell the J1772 to 15A adaptor. It would suit conversions no doubt.... Msg me if interested...
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Post by photomac »

Great to hear that story Chris! I am sitting here my Father and brothers. They are all very interested in this development and are enthused to hear that the councils are interested in EVs, particularly now they have a fast charger. My brothers live in Australind and Busselton. With my Father wanting the "next" gen' LEAF and the thought that only one recharge in a 30kWh to go south is all he needs, has him ready to buy. My 2 Brothers are very tempted with that prospect too. While the BMW i3 is pricey for them they see how the cost is partly recouped by the reduction in energy cost and maintainance.
We are at the cusp.
Last edited by photomac on Fri, 03 Jul 2015, 09:37, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by jonescg »

Yes, it should result in more EVs being bought in the South West - which is awesome.

Barry Allen - the electrician who installed the Busselton site - has been asked by Western power to do some monitoring of the charger for harmonics and voltage fluctuations. Of course, this is only meaningful data if there are EVs actually using the chargers. So we are going to have to ask some EV owners to go for a drive to Busselton next week. They will probably install the monitor early next week and monitor it over the course of the next 10 days.

All EVs welcome, all modes, many at the same time :)

Cheers,
Chris


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Post by g4qber »

May we call him "the flash" ?
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Post by g4qber »

http://horizons.rvrapid.com/?i=Horizons#folio=1
RAC Horizons Magazine
reading it now
cos I stopped the paper version from being delivered
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Post by photomac »

Oooh!? 35 station sites originally identified. Exciting potential of extending the original 12/13 then. Any clues where the near trebling will go? I'd assume to Albany via Manjimup and Walpole and possibly the York/Northam region.
Yes,   we can.   Image
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Techniq AWD 2023/04 11 over 10000km
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.
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Post by jonescg »

The original plan we were working on before the RAC came on board had 35 stations - one in every town in the south west. The seed route down the coast is the smart place to start though. With a bit of luck we'll have the complete route to Albany within the next 12 months.
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Post by acmotor »

This is all exciting stuff !
So, what is the best web site for a day by day update of the charging stations actually on line ?
I keep getting asked but like my age, it keeps changing Image
It needs to be a site that the media can easily access so any news articles written are up to date.
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Post by jonescg »

acmotor wrote: This is all exciting stuff !
So, what is the best web site for a day by day update of the charging stations actually on line ?
I keep getting asked but like my age, it keeps changing Image
It needs to be a site that the media can easily access so any news articles written are up to date.


Probably http://www.Plugshare.com for now.

Plugshare doesn't have a realtime status update app, but you can see previous charge sessions if people choose to update them. By the end of September we should have full integration with some online app that tells you of the status of a charger. A recent survey of European fast chargers found that Circontrol's Trip chargers were the ones with the second highest 'up time' of all, at about 95%. ABB scored a bit higher, but at twice the price, you'd hope so Image
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Post by photomac »

jonescg wrote: ?... With a bit of luck we'll have the complete route to Albany within the next 12 months.


Errrrrr, Chris, careful mate! I think I'm falling in luv with you! Image
Yes,   we can.   Image
Hyundai Ioniq 5 Techniq AWD 2023/04 11 over 10000km
Hyundai Kona 64 2019/09-2023/04 16-49500
Mitsi PHEV 2016/04-2019/08 14500-72000km
Nissan LEAF 2013/11-2016/04 35-36000km
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Post by g4qber »

Image

CCS coupler broken already at Margaret River


supposed to look like this - Mandurah
Image
Last edited by g4qber on Mon, 06 Jul 2015, 05:27, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by jonescg »

Will it still connect to the car? It probably got dropped on the ground in just the wrong spot.
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Post by reecho »

likely to still work, although it will not lock in the vehicle while charging...and may fall out when stowed.

So has there been discussions with RAC and councils in regards to wilful damage and vandalism?

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Post by jonescg »

Yeah - it's just a matter of wait and see. Patrick has ordered replacement leads as spares, and the council is required to remove any graffiti.
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Post by acmotor »

So when the connector gets damaged and then used in an EV and damages the connector in the EV, who is liable ?
I guess that replacement of either part will start at $1,000

Perhaps a plastic latch is extreme optimism for the real world ?

Now, I have a spare electric fence energiser.... works on cattle. Oh, forgot, can't use it on human vandals, only cattle Image

Yep, may just have to wear the problem until the novelty wears off.

Anyway, the CCTV from the charger should help identify the culprit.

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Post by jonescg »

Okay so Western Power will be installing their harmonics testing equipment on the Busselton charger site this Wednesday.

So, it is your civic duty to take a holiday this weekend to Busselton or beyond in your EV! Image The equipment will be checked after a week. Please keep a note of the day and time of your charge, and which mode it was (ChaDeMo, CCS1 or Fast AC) so we can correlate any anomalies.
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Post by chuckchunder »

Just a heads up, I've learned the Busselton site will be unavailable on the weekend 8-9 August as the carpark will be closed to vehicles as it is used as the track for the RAC Pedal Prix.

cheers
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Post by acmotor »

Left hand not knowing what the right hand is doing ? @RAC
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Post by Rusdy »

I can't wait until the online status is up (like chargepoint)! I should admit this feeds my range anxiety, as I'll be using the fast charger as the only option when I go down south (as leaf is my only car).

Judging by examples above (especially regarding vandalism, which is real), looks like I have to lower my expectation and should postpone any plan going south, at least until the online status is up and running(too bad I don't have a tesla!). Stranded with 2 young kids is scary thought! Looks like Mandurah will be my furthest frontier to date (at least the family can take the train back if something happens).

Regardless, I applaud RAC to contribute 700k (and AEVA of course) for these fast chargers. Definitely right steps ahead (instead of wasting money and time in hydrogen).

For my thanks, I move my car insurance to RAC! Image
Last edited by Rusdy on Mon, 13 Jul 2015, 09:24, edited 1 time in total.
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Post by jonescg »

Not sure how long it will be before the online status is up and running, but I wouldn't let that deter you. Just plan your trip with a time buffer. So far no charger has been inoperable.
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Post by g4qber »

http://rtrfm.com.au/story/the-electric-highway/

Chris on rtrfm - morning magazine

Alias Chris Johnson
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Post by offgridQLD »

"18 - 22kw to maintain 100kph" Was there a 50kph head wind or a hill?

I typically see more like 12-14kw at 100kph always under 16kw (no hills or strong headwind)

I tested it once with logging (122whr -km at 100kph) in the Imiev. (1/2 way down the page)
viewtopic.php?title=new-to-the-forum-ne ... t=6&t=3714

Kurt
Last edited by offgridQLD on Fri, 17 Jul 2015, 05:24, edited 1 time in total.
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