WoodWombat
Member
Cann River Superchargers as of this morning, posting for a fellow TOCA member who got this from the installer themselves. Looking good, now to get them all up and running.
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Supercharger - Cann River, Vic
- Thread starter Chuq
- Start date
The World Bollard Association is displeased by the apparent lack of protection for the charging posts.
WoodWombat
Member
That is a bit weird, especially considering the angled parking. Maybe they will fit them later?
RichardV
Member
The final parking layout will not be angled. The council image included a few pages up has the spaces being remarked. It will be 90 degree parking. Also I do not recall typically seeing bollards used in Tesla Supercharger installs.
WoodWombat
Member
Not sure, but the installer was the grid guy and was also attending to the site at Bairnsdale so actually contracted to East Gippsland council and working on the grid connection for the non-Tesla chargers I guess. Sorry for vague info. All second hand.
WoodWombat
Member
I thought (could very well be wrong) that the bollard-style protection is built in to the stalls - the left and right silver edges. Doesn't protect against a face on impact (and to be honest, probably limited protection to a side impact).
Either that or the fact that (unlike many other charging units) the stall hardware is basically just the cable and receptacle, plus they make many more of them, easier to source spares - means that occasionally replacing a damaged unit is cheaper than installing bollards around every one.
RichardV
Member
Based on this impact they do not appear to serve a bollard function.
Maybe you should patent it, "charger with built in bollard protection". Though now you have disclosed publicly it is no longer patent-able.
WoodWombat
Member
It does look like the bollard function would be more effective in the other direction to be fair here.
If you start putting bollards everywhere it gets even harder for people with disabilities. At least with Tesla it starts automatically and you don’t have to try and authorise the start of the session on a screen.
As EVs become more widespread you have to think about the greater diversity of users.
As EVs become more widespread you have to think about the greater diversity of users.
WoodWombat
Member
General accessibility of EV chargers are universally bad, although, looking at these units, they may be better than most. The spots appear to be wider (at least once they are straightened out) and the charging units are not behind a full kerb as they are usually. The non-Tesla charger is probably worse in this case since it is on the footpath.
Definitely something that has a long way to go.
It looks like the NSW funded sites require at least one accessible site - this one kind of has one on the far spot with the transition from angled to straight in parking.
Being on a podium is little different to most petrol stations for reach to the cables.
The weight of cables is another interesting question. You need heavy cables and liquid cooling for faster charging. Tesla only cable will obviously be a lot lighter as it is just long enough than one that might work for multiple EVs.
I'm not sure how you solve that - do you have an Amp limited charger with a lighter cable for the accessible spot?
Being on a podium is little different to most petrol stations for reach to the cables.
The weight of cables is another interesting question. You need heavy cables and liquid cooling for faster charging. Tesla only cable will obviously be a lot lighter as it is just long enough than one that might work for multiple EVs.
I'm not sure how you solve that - do you have an Amp limited charger with a lighter cable for the accessible spot?
RichardV
Member
I think some of the vertically suspended cable of some overseas locations seem to be less unwieldy, like
I think the kempower chargers achieve a similar effect on a smaller scale.
Another possibility is some form of robotic arm/charge cable setup. Or just install an optimus per site.
WoodWombat
Member
That is very nice, although obviously using a truckload more expensive copper wire. I thought at first glance that the holster was behind a kerb, but actually the lead in is a simple smooth transition. There is heaps of room to de-car into a chair and roll around to grab the plug and then roll on back to the charge port.
The other advantage to this style of station is that if you rock up there with a trailer, you are going to have no problem charging without blocking anything. After all, there is a full sized bus back there. Considering Australia's love of caravans and boats, we are going to need stations like this to support convenient long-distance travel.
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