Tesla open up the SuC network [in UK]

[Doudeau]

This is an odd/interesting installation I spotted in Norway today. The tombstones seem to allow for some flexibility with each pair allowing 2 cars with charge points on the same side to charge simultaneously.

Google translate suggests the sign says that they are only for charging Teslas though. Not sure if it’s an improvement but never seen this configuration before. Shame I’m driving an ICE rental car and paying £2.30 per litre - it helps me appreciate having only EVs at home.



Edit : thinking about it further, as there is plenty of room to the road I think it gives the flexibility for all cars to live in harmony.

 

[Dilly]

Tesla chargers were a big positive for buying a Tesla when only Tesla could use them - opening up to all isn't a bad thing but chargers in general just aren't in your face like a petrol station is, never in an Ice did I ever look up in advance where i could refuel, but in a BEV I'm looking and planning and I can understand why some don't feel a BEV is for them. There really is enough chargers its just that a lot of them are hidden away or you need to have joined the club - or an RF card. I know eventually all chargers will be useable with a contactless card.

In a few weeks Im off to the east coast with my two grandsons and really looking forward to using Gridserves flagship charging station at Norwich- No petrol/diesel at all - a dedicated EV station with a Costa on site and 350KW chargers - apparently 35 chargers on site and you can choose if you want the super fast charger or something a bit less and much of the electricity is generated by solar panels and wind turbines plus a 6Mw battery storage - real state of the art facility - now this is how charging stations should be - so a few more stations like this and no one will care what Tesla do with their chargers.

It’s an excellent site. Watch out for dodgy Tesla satnav directions. It tries to take you the pretty way. Just follow the Charging signs. I was there Sunday. Must have been 30 free bays available

 

[bp1000]

This is an odd/interesting installation I spotted in Norway today. The tombstones seem to allow for some flexibility with each pair allowing 2 cars with charge points on the same side to charge simultaneously.

Google translate suggests the sign says that they are only for charging Teslas though. Not sure if it’s an improvement but never seen this configuration before. Shame I’m driving an ICE rental car and paying £2.30 per litre - it helps me appreciate having only EVs at home.

View attachment 816557

Edit : thinking about it further, as there is plenty of room to the road I think it gives the flexibility for all cars to live in harmony.

We have/had a setup like this in the UK before. Certainly more flexible.

 

[Sean.]

This is an odd/interesting installation I spotted in Norway today. The tombstones seem to allow for some flexibility with each pair allowing 2 cars with charge points on the same side to charge simultaneously.

Google translate suggests the sign says that they are only for charging Teslas though. Not sure if it’s an improvement but never seen this configuration before. Shame I’m driving an ICE rental car and paying £2.30 per litre - it helps me appreciate having only EVs at home.

View attachment 816557

Edit : thinking about it further, as there is plenty of room to the road I think it gives the flexibility for all cars to live in harmony.

Look like they have been preassembled on skid units, with forklift pockets in the side. Would make for rapid commissioning once the site has an AC supply.

 

[Mrklaw]

This is an odd/interesting installation I spotted in Norway today. The tombstones seem to allow for some flexibility with each pair allowing 2 cars with charge points on the same side to charge simultaneously.

Google translate suggests the sign says that they are only for charging Teslas though. Not sure if it’s an improvement but never seen this configuration before. Shame I’m driving an ICE rental car and paying £2.30 per litre - it helps me appreciate having only EVs at home.

View attachment 816557

Edit : thinking about it further, as there is plenty of room to the road I think it gives the flexibility for all cars to live in harmony.

I'd guess for Tesla at least you're going to park one reverse (closest to the camera), the next one nose in - so the closest car uses the left charger, the next one uses the right.

For non-tesla you'd have the same issue as currently wouldn't you? if you have a car with a right-rear port you'd still block a stall. If you park in the closest bay you'd have to park nose in (opposite to tesla) and use the right hand charger, stopping a tesla from using that second bay.

Unless I'm misreading it, it has the same limitations as the 'all at the end of the bay' layout?

 

[Undecided_2]

I'm not sure I agree. There are lots of times and places that I park and have no need to charge as I can charge at home. I need public charging maybe about a dozen times a year. So extrapolate me to all the homes with drives (60%) and consider what we need for the other 40%. If all petrol stations were replaced with ultra chargers you could easily get more in than petrol pumps, would we really need more space? I'm not convinced.

I only need to charge at SUC when on a trip as I charge at home. I’ve seen slow chargers in car parks - 2 bags - and I wonder what’s the point? BEVs can easily handle a 90 mile round trip to the shops and back.

What the government needs to push is easier charging at apartments and homes with no drives.

 

[Mrklaw]

I only need to charge at SUC when on a trip as I charge at home. I’ve seen slow chargers in car parks - 2 bags - and I wonder what’s the point? BEVs can easily handle a 90 mile round trip to the shops and back.

What the government needs to push is easier charging at apartments and homes with no drives.

agree. Tesco etc seem to be some of the most widely available (and free) public chargers around and easy to see in the car park. But you're not allowed normally to stay more than 2 hours, and a normal shopping trip is unlikely to be more than an hour. We need more long-stay parking (overnight street etc or park and ride) with multiple chargers

 

[Epico]

If telsa really wanted to stop people using the wrong bay to charge there car then surely a simple piece of plastic/persex on that side of the supercharger stall would do this. Problem solved, would just mean cars with the port in the "wrong" place couldn't use them, therefore can't block a charger. I'll get Elon on the blower!

 

[Mrklaw]

If telsa really wanted to stop people using the wrong bay to charge there car then surely a simple piece of plastic/persex on that side of the supercharger stall would do this. Problem solved, would just mean cars with the port in the "wrong" place couldn't use them, therefore can't block a charger. I'll get Elon on the blower!

They are presumably fine with that as they're opening them. I don't see any arrangement of chargers avoiding blocking bays without having much longer cables. The current chargers with their 'designed for tesla' CCS cables force that.

 

[Undecided_2]

Or the government mandates to the car manufacturers to put the charger point on their cars in the same place. It won’t happen but they could force it if they wanted to sell their cars in a specific market.

 

[Mrklaw]

Or the government mandates to the car manufacturers to put the charger point on their cars in the same place. It won’t happen but they could force it if they wanted to sell their cars in a specific market.

ICE cars don't have them in the same place. In theory if a whole bunch of BMWs turned up at a petrol station they'd be queuing up not being able to use half the stalls. No perfect solution for capacity

 

[Undecided_2]

ICE cars are dying. Long live BEVs! This is the chance to standardise.

 

[WllXM]

ICE cars don't have them in the same place. In theory if a whole bunch of BMWs turned up at a petrol station they'd be queuing up not being able to use half the stalls. No perfect solution for capacity

I would argue that usually the hoses at a petrol station are long enough so you can bring them to the other side of the car, not always practical but doable. Tesla stalls are way too short.

 

[Zilla91]

ICE cars are dying. Long live BEVs! This is the chance to standardise.

Be careful what you wish for… if they do standardise chances are the port will be on the opposite side we’re used to in order to make life easier for the majority left hand drive cars (ie it’ll be on the right hand side in order to aid on street charging)

 

[NewbieT]

A well known German car manufacturer spent lots of money looking at the issue of where to put the charging point. They’ve given up. = This boat has sailed.

 

[yessuz]

agree. Tesco etc seem to be some of the most widely available (and free) public chargers around and easy to see in the car park. But you're not allowed normally to stay more than 2 hours, and a normal shopping trip is unlikely to be more than an hour. We need more long-stay parking (overnight street etc or park and ride) with multiple chargers

and that was exactly my point when they are opening SUCs in the shopping center car parks in Nottingham (Victoria) and Derby (Derbion/Intu).
There's no SUCs in vicinity, and if you want to use one, you have to leave motorway, drive 30 mins into city center, charge for 20-30 minutes and drive out.

If you are visiting the above mentioned shopping center, then it takes 5 minutes to walk away from the car to the payment machine and back (or to the main floor) - and you have to return to your car within 25 minutes. How many people go to these places just to browse 1 single shop for 20 mintues?!

so places like there would be more than enough with 22 kw (ok, 50 kw) chargers and SCs should be in easier accessible areas, close to main roads/motorways

 

[Jason71]

A well known German car manufacturer spent lots of money looking at the issue of where to put the charging point. They’ve given up. = This boat has sailed.

The front always seemed to make sense i.e. side neutral until Matt Watson pointed out that if you put it on the front then a minor front end shunt can make the car undrivable since it cannot be charged. Maybe not the most important factor but he does have a point.

 

[Mrklaw]

The front always seemed to make sense i.e. side neutral until Matt Watson pointed out that if you put it on the front then a minor front end shunt can make the car undrivable since it cannot be charged. Maybe not the most important factor but he does have a point.

people in crashes get damage all over the place. If you get rear ended it could damage a rear quarter mounted charge point like the EV6 or Tesla. Yes its possible but it seems an odd thing to fixate on. It requiring you to park forwards is a more relevant argument against a front mounted port IMO.

 

[Adopado]

ICE cars don't have them in the same place. In theory if a whole bunch of BMWs turned up at a petrol station they'd be queuing up not being able to use half the stalls. No perfect solution for capacity

Petrol pumps have hoses that pull out so you can park a car with a right side filler left side on to the pump ... in fact it used to be one of my annoyances when people would block a busy petrol station whilst queueing becasue they were insisting on waiting for a pump on the "correct" side. (Only vans with a filler halfway down the vehicle have a problem.) There are rapid chargers that have long enough cables to cope with multiple socket positions too ... but not Tesla SCs at the moment.

 

[NewbieT]

I thought the front but apparently gets caked in too much road muck.