I thought you might like to see just how government and industry conspire to prevent free consumer choice in the UK
Wow, and I thought we were bad here in the US. Although it is a little weak in that, in the US, they would have threatened to sue you in the very same (first) letter....
Having canvassed some opinions from EV drivers on the street, outraged by this joke organisation, here's a suggested reply. No doubt this lot are going to try and stop free Tesla Superchargers too .. [/URL]
I would have just told them (in proper British English), to "sod off", in those exact words, no long letter needed http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sod_(word)
Wow, I have to say I am flattered. You know you are doing something right when you piss people off... not just people but a whole association. So here is an argument from the other side. A charging station is a pretty simple device, it is basically a smart switch. Once the conditions are right the switch turns on, if not it is off... I think the biggest risk to UK EVSE is their fat profits. Overcharging consumers for this pretty simple device was exactly why OpenEVSE was started in the first place... OpenEVSE was the first major and probably the largest DIY Charging station project at an estimated 1500 OpenEVSE boards built to date. Safety was the primary concern, only a few highly qualified people got to see the early schematics and source code. Four versions of the OpenEVSE were designed and extensively tested by professionals before the sources were released to the public. The design philosophy was clear; safe, simple and strictly conforming to J1772, NEC and UL standards as they apply Charging Stations. OpenEVSE implements all the safety checks of J1772 even the commonly ignored (by commercial units) diode check and Ventilation Required state. OpenEVSE also performs an extensive self check to ensure it is wired properly checking for a stuck relay and monitoring ground. The most critical components, the power supplies were implemented using safety certified encapsulated modules. Open Source also provides the benefit of many people checking the work and providing feedback, the schematics and firmware source code has been downloaded thousands of times, the latest wiring diagram has been viewed 2500+ times. And if there is a bug identified users can upload new firmware. A discount code for the OpenEVSE store has been created in honor of UK EVSE. For the month of April the code UKEVSE will give 10% off. :smile:
*sigh* Overnight EV recharging is cheap, easily implemented, electric-cooker-level technology and someone wants to weigh this down with additional irrelevant paperwork and costly complexity. Congratulations Kevin; you're already exposing and disrupting this approach. ETA: And thank you for posting. My concern is that the insularity of EV enthusiasts may allow this sort of nonsense to succeed: http://www.leaftalk.co.uk/showthread.php/12263-Renault-Is-the-New-Leader-in-Free-Electric-Car-Charging?p=41126#post41126
Dear Robert Can you please confirem that all your members uses certified electricians to assembled there charging stations We have heard rumers that some of them only uses normal workers Best regards A concerned user
Thanks for all the support folks... here's the latest; Transport Evolved - UK Trade Association Wants to Stop DIY Charging Stations "The UK Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment association, a trade body that represents suppliers of charging stations and charging station management systems, has written a strongly-worded letter asking a UK charity to cease the promotion of do-it-yourself charging stations."
Its all bluster though isn't it. "Our members" - did they take a vote, have a discussion? "Take it to higher authorities..." that just means they cant get you on anything.... If they could they would have told you If the components meet recognised standards and the installation Electricians are all certified to UK Part P Building Standards, then what is the issue? Rather than get on their high horse, they should recognise that you have the same intent and work with the charity to the mutual benefit of all. Same for the dealers in the US... rather than whinge at the inevitability they should adapt and evolve ... its not as if it is a declining market!
I've build my own charging station, using the epc-controller by zerocarbonworld. Over 4 months now in use. works perfect - unlike some of the 'professionel' stations ! Keep it up !
I believe there is long-established precedent under English law for cases such as this; specifically: Letters of Note: Arkell v. Pressdram So, an appropriate response from Kevin might be the well-known "We refer you to the reply given in the case of Arkell v. Pressdram."
The letter below would appear to be a similar precedent from the USA that Kevin could use to terminate the matter, carefully aligning his text to the left
I rather prefer to use the reply from the Cleveland Browns to a lawyer who had threatened to sue in 1974... ref: Letters of Note: Regarding your stupid complaint
Hilarious... even some non-DIY EVSEs are crappy, like the infamous Blink EVSEs, some of which have faulty Rema handles that melt under ~6 kW load (Toyota Rav4 EV Forum View topic - Blink EVSE blows out a pin on the Rav4 connector, While Under Threat From OEMs, ECOtality Turns Down The Output On Chargers To Avoid Failures | Inside EVs and many others). And, IIRC, the early Chevy Volt L1 EVSEs were pretty lousy.