UK Long Range Charging Network

[Doug_G]

There's 2 in Grimsby (Ontario, Canada not the U.K.)...a 70 amp HPC at my residence & a 50 amp NEMA 14-50 at my office. (I dislike being inconvenienced :wink::biggrin: )

But you're right Doug, both the Provincial & Federal Guv's need to get their collective a**** in gear...

Of course mine is also available to any visiting Roadsters. But these are private chargers.

This is getting off-topic for the thread, but there are chargers planned for Ontario. They just aren't going to be of any use for long-distance trips, or for anyone outside of Toronto. They are planning to install them at GO train stations. See Electric Vehicles: Other Benefits

I suppose they might be of some use to Leaf owners. Not that the Leaf is available in Canada or anything.

 

[dpeilow]

So I think we proved that this network is well and truly open for business!

We are going to get a charger installed at Ashford in Kent (confirmed yesterday) which will be reachable from Antwerp or Brussels. I'm working on something to get Paris connected too.

We will also be finalising a charger just north of Birmingham on the M6, which means the West Coast route will be finished (and would shave 3 hours off the end to end time).


On top of that, the hoteliers we spoke to on the drive want to get charging at their other sites, including the CEO of one of the UK's biggest chains. So there will be a lot of overnight charging available.


But the main message is that owners in mainland Europe can get here via ferries from the Netherlands or via Dover and tour the UK. I really hope some of you visit during the summer and we would love to arrange a meet up that can use the network too.

 

[malcolm]

Excellent news.

Obviously the perfect is the enemy of the good here, but what would you like to see Tesla do with the design of their next HPC in order to make it easier to adapt for this sort of public/exterior use?

 

[dpeilow]

For the Roadster - make it connect to three phase supplies with down conversion to single phase in the box at reasonable cost.

 

[Nik]

So I think we proved that this network is well and truly open for business!

...

We will also be finalising a charger just north of Birmingham on the M6, which means the West Coast route will be finished (and would shave 3 hours off the end to end time).

Great stuff. :biggrin:

Looking at the map, it seems that the M62 corridor is bare - is there any opportunity to put something around the M62 junctions with the M6 and/or A1 to open up east-west travel?

 

[AndrewBissell]

Just to add to David's note. If you want to visit Scotland the fastest way in from much of the continent is via the overnight ferry Amsterdam (Ijmuiden) - Newcastle and then drive up the A1 or A68 to Dalmahoy (by Edinburgh) for an HPC charge.

You probably can't charge on the ferry as it's DFDS but there is lots of charging in Amsterdam. Perhaps an Amsterdam owner can verify what is easily useable, how you use it, any charging network you have to subscribe to, cables needed, etc.

Also any advice on how to get to Amsterdam from various points of Europe via HPCs or MPCs (32A) would be great! I will of course at some point use that info in reverse to take my Roadster on European tour from Scotland.

PS if you arrive well charged at Newcastle you might want to take some really great driving roads instead like the one up the valley of the Whiteadder (pronounce wit-adder). PM me for details and I'll probably come out in my car and drive it with you!

 

[vfx]

I am very impressed. I have been working at just getting our two local "red" pins working again. So much red tape! More than a year now, city council meetings, hundreds of emails and phone calls. Nothing yet.

Ok maybe not "hundreds"...

 

[dpeilow]

The Durham charger is very close to the Newcastle ferry, so if you do arrive empty just head 10 miles south (that was a consideration in its location)

Regarding the M62 corridor, watch this space.

 

[Mitrovic]

David: Fantastic!

So where do we go from here?

I had the idea for a trip: München - Zürich - Milano - Monaco.
But the HPC in Milano are not working and they are not going to work for a while. They told me that if there would be interest they might speed up with the HPC's in Milano, so please write an Email to Milano!

The other idea would be to connect Zürich to Paris and then to the UK. But how to do that, how to make people to install scharging stations? Wouldn't it be great for you owners from UK, if you would have a corridor down to Switzerland and to Monaco?

 

[dpeilow]

There's a good possible location on the A16 that connects to Paris: Aire autoroutière de la Baie de Somme

It's an ecologically focussed service station that is powered by wind, serves local produce etc. I've stopped there many times en route to Le Mans. I recommended it to Tesla to approach.


South of Paris you are looking at the corridor via Dijon.


Heading east from the Chunnel, Antwerp or Brussels can be reached. There's a Ramada Plaza on the Antwerp ring which would be a good candidate for charging - from there one can reach Amsterdam, Cologne or Düsseldorf and the Autozug.


I was told Tesla were interested in implementing a similar network in Europe. So, up to them now I suppose.

 

[Mitrovic]

Well, there are many good places...

But when i contacted Tesla they told me if there would be interest, they would speed up things. It was like they were saying I was the only one who had contacted them with the idea to travel long-distance through Europe...

So, users, contact Tesla and tell them it would be great to have a charging network like in UK in continental Europe!

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

So, users, contact Tesla and tell them it would be great to have a charging network like in UK in continental Europe!

contacting Tesla is critical if you want to see these networks expanded...

 

[Eberhard]

Tesla Store Munic is going to setup a network of HPC-Charger throughout Germany and Austria.

 

[Mitrovic]

Switzerland is no problem either ( it is a small country ), but how can we wake up France and Italy?
( I have talked to Milano and Monaco )

 

[Eberhard]

I heard that there is a HPC in Saint Tropez (I did charge in the harbor at 32A for free) But Italy is really in need

 

[dpeilow]

Yes, definitely let Tesla know if you want to see this network expanded and doubly so if infrastructure companies are not delivering what is needed in your area.

 

[AndrewBissell]

Just to illustrate how useful this network is even for partial charges, today I had to do 244 miles. I was able to do this with 15% SOC left due to arranging my sub-one-hour lunch break to be at Dalmahoy, near Edinburgh, and charging at 70A while there, gaining 15kWh.

(To be fair, I also picked up possibly 1 or 2 kWh at the Whitelee Wind Farm visitors centre south of Glasgow on Eaglesham Moor where I charged in the morning while delivering an EV talk for Scottish Power staff; and 2 kWh at home on 32A when I dropped in briefly to pick some stuff up.)

In purely Scottish terms I think I proved that the Tesla Roadster suffers no lack of range by doing Edinburgh-Glasgow return twice in one day. All done at full motorway speeds keeping up with heavy traffic (I was pressed for time all day)*. Overall I used 62.5 kWh net energy, so the value of the quick 15 kWh over lunch is pretty clear. I love having this UK HPC Network, even for uses I wasn't anticipating!


* exception the last Glasgow - Edinburgh drive has very light traffic so I experimented with Eberhard's approach: 52 mph/85 kph on cruise control with no attempt to draft trucks. Very effective with around 200Wh/mile or less for that segment. Perhaps if I hadn't done this I would have been at 10% SOC at the end.

 

[Nik]

Just to illustrate how useful this network is even for partial charges, today I had to do 244 miles. I was able to do this with 15% SOC left due to arranging my sub-one-hour lunch break to be at Dalmahoy, near Edinburgh, and charging at 70A while there, gaining 15kWh.

I think this is an element that is overlooked byt he nay-sayers who want to prove the impracticality of EVs. A recharge-to-full time is only applicable if you can't chrage at your detination, or if your day's journey is >= 2x your range. Otherwise, a quick top-up of a few KWh will suffice.

 

[AndrewBissell]

Exactly

 

[dpeilow]

Spotted at Tebay Services

Quite a few motorists are going to be aware of its existence now :wink: