Max Spaghetti
Member
Jugiong was broken both directions and is a single stall 50kW charger. Pretty location though...
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Supercharger - Raymond Terrace, NSW
- Thread starter moa999
- Start date
Food is great at the Sir George.
But it's a
tium. Luckily was working when I was there (x3)
Zoltrix77
Member
I think the ultimate solution is both, the middle of town is great, but its terrible at 2AM when its raining.
Max Spaghetti
Member
Yes, indeed. Both options is best.
And I'm sure that's where we will end up - the major highway service stations will be nuts not to have charging facilities in due course - think of all the ancillary purchases they'll be missing out on with the EV drivers needing to pass time. I also understand that some of these service stations likely don't have the required power supply, and the capital investment will be significant (which is probably why Tesla choose the locations they choose - they go where the power "is" rather than paying to make it come to them).
On the other hand, the local towns like Yass will be nuts not to have charging facilities as well - think of the business it brings to the town - sometimes I do want a "sit down lunch", or at least something that isn't McD's at a BP.
100% and take our Tesla hat off a few other manufactures have 50-80kw limits so spend more time charging.
Captive audience. Personally I like a 30 min or so break on long drives.
I like walking around small towns and using the small shops.
You could see a good move get a couple of 50kw chargers not Tritium he he. Then charge less then other DC chargers to get some foot traffic.
Agreed. The major issue is simply going to be acces to and cost of power.
In general this is much easier (read cheaper) near a town as that's where the existing substations are to convert power from the high voltage transmission lines to the distribution grid.
And our grid operators don't run cables for free.
Though most servos are located at arterial roads which one would assume is also near HV electricity distribution cables?
johnchidgey
Member
Just because you’ve got 275kV interconnectors beside arterial roads doesn’t mean it’s easy or cheap to jack into them unfortunately. Stepping it down via sub-stations to usable voltages is more common in commercial and industrial estates. So where those two overlap with major roads you’ve got a better chance I’d suggest.
That’s exactly what I did in Yass 2 weeks ago - both directions - in my Sydney to Melbourne drive!
Max Spaghetti
Member
Most highway/motorway servos at located at on/off ramps for convenience of traffic access. They would not normally be near a substation unless by co-incidence, and may have to bring significant power over a significant distance. If it was a greenfields build that's one thing, but to upgrade an existing servo power supply to install a decent amount of EV charging with such a slow payback equation is likely problematic without subsidies.
That does not make sense. I cannot see how anyone would want to build a highway servo in a location that does not have significant power nearby or where power is economically available for their business model.
The question is the adequacy of existing power. One might say no. Another might say yes.
That's what "dual carriageway" means. Two separated carriageways.
Technically correct - the best kind of correct.
But the road through Coffs Harbour is not that. It is a divided road which is not the same thing. It was constructed as a single carriageway (single road base) and turned into a divided road by virtue of a median strip plonked on top. And it has roundabouts and signalised intersections in it.
A dual carriageway is a divided road, but a divided road is not necessarily a dual carriageway.
I don't agree, I think the road through Coffs is absolutely a dual carriageway. It's not motorway-standard, of course.
If you don't think that's dual carriageway then you probably won't consider it completed to the border in our lifetimes, because I don't think there's any plans to bypass Coolongolook.
If you don't think that's dual carriageway then you probably won't consider it completed to the border in our lifetimes, because I don't think there's any plans to bypass Coolongolook.
Max Spaghetti
Member
Look, I am no expert, but obviously there was power available for their business model, otherwise they wouldn't have built it. But upgrading that power supply to install a significant bank of DCFC chargers is a whole new business model, and the cost of that power upgrade may be significant.
You can probably run a service station off a 50kVA transformer. You might have achieved that without too much cost by tapping into an 11kV line that services the local farms in the area. Now, suddenly you need something in the order of megawatts. If the poles and wires have the capacity, then it might be just a new transformer. But if the poles and wires need upgrading (e.g. if you need to upgrade the 11kV line to 33kV all the way back to the nearest substation)... cha-ching.
Don't take my word for it, I'm only speculating. But ask yourself why Tesla build their Superchargers in commercial estates rather than on highways? It is reasonable to assume their business plan is to go where the power is.
Or not.
As I said, Highway stops are generally already occupied at very strategic locations and these locations already have incumbent operators who likely are planning their own DC fast charging - Ampol is one example in Australia. and BP at least in the USA have partnered with Tesla to supply the charging infrastructure. 7-11 in the US is introducing its own charging infrastructure.
Additionally Tesla is currently only building chargers in Australia and relies on third parties to provide amenities. It can of course build a Tesla branded "EV service centre" complete with food/drink/toilet, but currently at least in Australia is not doing so.
The best charging locations co-locate charging and amenities.
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Max Spaghetti
Member
You seem hell bent on ignoring the reality of the existing power infrastructure. Why?
johnchidgey
Member
If you've never designed or quoted an 11kV feeder run, above or underground then how would you know just how expensive that is? Every job is unique, certainly, but I've done jobs where we moved the planned locations of buildings to save millions from shorter power feeds. ACSR and Copper aren't cheap, unfortunately. It's business. I'd rather make people drive an extra few kilometres to a charger site with direct access to existing power feeds than pay to bring those power feeds closer to a highway intersection or existing facilities that are a short walk away. Economically it could well be the difference between a charger being built, or not. I'd rather they were built, so I'll take that trade-off.
What reality, unless you have specific information, both of us are speculating whether existing infrastructure is adequate for future expansion or not. You say no. I just take another view that it could be.
