|
Post by coulomb on Oct 25, 2019 22:37:36 GMT 11
Did you mean to paste the Plugshare link? www.plugshare.com/location/208262I see the circus is still in town. Or perhaps just leaving, by the high visibility of large trucks.
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Oct 27, 2019 9:01:33 GMT 11
Did you mean to paste the Plugshare link? www.plugshare.com/location/208262I see the circus is still in town. Or perhaps just leaving, by the high visibility of large trucks. That's a good idea - I had forgotten to do that for this site. That's right, it might've packed up by now, but the circus was definitely there last week.
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Sept 11, 2020 16:53:48 GMT 11
|
|
|
Post by EVangelist on Sept 11, 2020 21:36:32 GMT 11
I love my LEAF, but there’s no way I’d want to try to do a road trip in it! Even with lots of fast chargers!
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Sept 11, 2020 23:05:44 GMT 11
I love my LEAF, but there’s no way I’d want to try to do a road trip in it! Even with lots of fast chargers! Yeah, I don't blame you. I'm not sure we would ever go to North QLD in the Leaf either, even though we lived there for 10 years and have done the trip in other vehicles. The leaf would be a lovely road trip car, and perfectly comfortable. But we've done ~350km in a day (mostly highway) and even during winter in QLD, the battery temperature just doesn't come back down during the trip. Two fast charges in a day was almost too much for it.
|
|
|
Post by EVangelist on Sept 13, 2020 15:47:06 GMT 11
Yeah, I don't blame you. I'm not sure we would ever go to North QLD in the Leaf either, even though we lived there for 10 years and have done the trip in other vehicles. The leaf would be a lovely road trip car, and perfectly comfortable. But we've done ~350km in a day (mostly highway) and even during winter in QLD, the battery temperature just doesn't come back down during the trip. Two fast charges in a day was almost too much for it. That sounds... unnerving. Tesla don’t even have a battery temperature gauge, that’s how confident they are of their BMS. That’s one area that Tesla have really nailed.
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Sept 13, 2020 17:22:16 GMT 11
That sounds... unnerving. Tesla don’t even have a battery temperature gauge, that’s how confident they are of their BMS. That’s one area that Tesla have really nailed. Yeah, that's the one thing I wish the Leaf had - active temperature management. On a recent trip in late winter, it stayed on 8 temperature bars (2 before the red?). That was on the return trip, after the 2nd fast-charge of the day. But in summer, we once got into the 1st red section (11th bar?) and a yellow warning triangle. Leafspy showed 47deg iirc. Which for Teslas is actually not that hot during their supercharging. Different battery design though.... Without AC on, the temperature was coming back down to the upper end of normal. But that day it was so hot here in QLD, that we occasionally put the AC back on, and then the temperature started climbing again. EDIT: We rarely ever fast charge, even though it sounds like we do. Just when there's no other option.
|
|
|
Post by rusdy on Sept 14, 2020 11:16:56 GMT 11
...that's the one thing I wish the Leaf had - active temperature management. On a recent trip in late winter, it stayed on 8 temperature bars (2 before the red?). That was on the return trip, after the 2nd fast-charge of the day. Without active cooling, the thermal mass is also the battery killer. It takes more than a day for the battery to cool down! My data for a wee while back: After 3 consecutive fast chargers, and at the end of roughly 200km trip. Ambient temperature was high 20-s Celcius: This is the next day reading (after slow charge overnight): The battery simply struggles to cool down Attachments:
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Sept 14, 2020 13:25:47 GMT 11
Without active cooling, the thermal mass is also the battery killer. It takes more than a day for the battery to cool down! My data for a wee while back: After 3 consecutive fast chargers, and at the end of roughly 200km trip. Ambient temperature was high 20-s Celcius: The battery simply struggles to cool down Very interesting. Continuing to drive at lower speeds may help cooling (I'd need to do some testing), but highway speeds definitely increased temperatures overall.
|
|
|
Post by rusdy on Sept 14, 2020 16:12:17 GMT 11
Very interesting. Continuing to drive at lower speeds may help cooling (I'd need to do some testing), but highway speeds definitely increased temperatures overall. Driving slower doesn't help much with 'cooling' the batteries, but indeed helping in not to add heat in the first place. As the power required to overcome wind-drag is not linear (cubed according to this one?). Especially in older leaf, those increased power requirement (due to speed) directly translates to more heat in the degrading batteries. Hence, suburban drives barely increase the battery temperature.
|
|
|
Post by coulomb on Oct 15, 2020 13:33:33 GMT 11
Well, when stage 2 is completed by the end of the year. One of the sites is Springwood, not far from where I occasionally work/volunteer. It seems to be in the carpark for Ikea Springwood. I've visited there twice now, and didn't find any sign of the installation as yet. But it's a big carpark, so I could easily have missed it. [ Edit: I also checked the rooftop parking (~middle bottom of the image below). ] I was surprised to find at least 3 "switch rooms", with the "danger high voltage" sign on them. That seems to me to indicate that they have at least 3 transformers. Hopefully one of those has ≈75 kW spare capacity, and that's what they will be using. I assume that 50 kW stations (as other QESH sites have) only require the common 400/415 V 3 phase power, not the less common 480 V 3-phase required by the ultra high power chargers. I wonder if many of these sites will eventually have to be upgraded to higher power, as EV charge power increases over time. I note that there are ≈1500 solar panels on the roof at Ikea (per Google satellite imagery, I didn't see them myself). That's the Bruce highway in the very upper right of this image. The nearest freewqay entrance is just over 1 km south east of Ikea.
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Oct 15, 2020 16:23:48 GMT 11
We live about 30min from there, so I'll check one day.
And very cool that IKEA has so many solar panels!
|
|
|
Post by EVangelist on Oct 15, 2020 21:30:57 GMT 11
I note that there are ≈1500 solar panels on the roof at Ikea (per Google satellite imagery, I didn't see them myself). Yes, Ikea plan (or have installed) solar panels on the roof of every Australian store. The biggest single installation is the 990 kW system on the roof of the IKEA store in Tempe, Sydney. Google Earth shot below, it was installed in 2014 and consists of 4000 panels and 43 inverters. At the time, it was the largest single roof solar panel installation in the country, I don’t know if it still is.
|
|
|
Post by coulomb on Oct 17, 2020 11:33:58 GMT 11
Yes, Ikea plan (or have installed) solar panels on the roof of every Australian store. The biggest single installation is the 990 kW system on the roof of the IKEA store in Tempe, Sydney. Google Earth shot below... Wow. Thanks for that. I found a button on the QESH map to get more info: You can then click on a site name to get more info, as below. It looks like the location of the pin is just approximate [ edit: THIS IS WRONG! See below the image. ] : [ Edit: I confused "near underground entrance" (meaning where you enter the building on foot) with "near the underground carpark entrance". Sigh. So the pin position is probably quite accurate. ] It's still not totally clear to me, e.g. it might be on the carpark roof (there is public parking there), near the main entrance that is one floor down. Also, there is another entrance to the carpark, but I think that this is the "main" one. Zoe owners: 22 kW charging! As I guessed, DC charging is dual handle, 50 kW. "In construction" sounds more advanced than "planned", so maybe there is something there to be seen. Though I suspect they're all either "active" or "in construction". I'll have another look soon.
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Oct 19, 2020 21:39:39 GMT 11
I think I found it. I drove all around both levels this afternoon, and this is all I could see. Nothing obvious yet, apart from a long concrete pedestal, with a few conduit pipes coming up. This is right near the front entrance (lower level, about 10m left of the doors). Which is good and bad. I can see these getting ICEd. I'd gladly have the chargers at the far end of the carpark.
|
|
|
Post by coulomb on Oct 21, 2020 11:34:20 GMT 11
Well done. I'm pretty sure that wasn't there when I looked. Eek. And right next to disabled parking, which is always at a very convenient location. Sigh. Might have to print up some signs. [ Edit: and it looks like about ten premium car parks are going to get wiped out, further infuriating would-be ICE-holes. ] [ Edit 2: Actually, it looks like only 4 parking spaces will be affected. So that's something. ] I see it's under some cable trays, but it's not like there aren't heaps of other cable trays elsewhere. At least it's easy to remember the location: row "E" for EVs
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Oct 21, 2020 13:32:28 GMT 11
Eek. And right next to disabled parking, which is always at a very convenient location. Sigh. Might have to print up some signs. [ Edit: and it looks like about ten premium car parks are going to get wiped out, further infuriating would-be ICE-holes. ] I see it's under some cable trays, but it's not like there aren't heaps of other cable trays elsewhere. At least it's easy to remember the location: row "E" for EVs Yeah, hopefully the signs will make it clear it's for EV Charging only. But the ICEing will happen anyway. Helensvale QESH is great - it's in the furthest corner of the carpark, but still only a few mins walk. I've never seen them ICEd. Well spotted with the Cable Trays, I didn't notice them. Row E is perfect . A while ago I saw something like these online. So I modified them and printed a few. Haven't had to use them yet though.
|
|
|
Post by coulomb on Oct 31, 2020 11:33:42 GMT 11
Re the Springwood Queensland Electric Super Highway site: I think I found it. ... This is right near the front entrance (lower level, about 10m left of the doors). There has not been a lot of progress since Tom's photo. I did find this cable though: Note how thick the cable is, compared to the ~M8 nuts. It looks like they are going to daisy chain the cable; there are just the four conduits protruding (I could only fit three into my photo, taken over the blue mesh): I followed the thick cable to this point: Note the generous sized hole. The cable goes into a room that used to be a lift well, but now the lift doors are replaced with these shiny locked doors, and there is a ceiling in the top of the room. This is the room from the outside: I'd say that this room will be used to house a new transformer. Inside the room, through a gap, I see no transformer, only a bike rack. If a transformer with high voltage is going to go in there, that bike rack will need to go! ⚡ So it seems they must be waiting on the actual chargers and EVSEs to be delivered, and for the transformer to be delivered and connected to high voltage. I have no idea how they are going to get high voltage into that room; surely not on cable trays through the generous hole that the LV cable goes into. On reflection, it might be more likely that they intend to connect the chargers to the 415 VAC that would have run the lift. Though I would think that a lift motor would be of the order of 25 kVA, not enough to run two 50 kW DC chargers and two 3-phase AC chargers (presuming similar charging hardware to other QESH sites). Maybe the lift supply was generously sized, or they are going to run thicker cable in the same conduits. Or maybe I've got it all wrong. On the way to the Ikea, I happened to follow an Ikea truck for a few seconds before it turned off. It was electric! Ikea really have got the solar and EV message. 👍 Edit: I forgot to mention that in it looks like only 4 parking spaces will be affected. So that's better than the ten I initially thought.
|
|
|
Post by coulomb on Oct 31, 2020 11:48:56 GMT 11
I forgot to mention, to find the chargers, enter at the only place you can get into the underground carpark, and follow the yellow "entrance" signs. Turn right at the sign with the disabled car parking sign next to it. From there, you would drive straight in. The main entrance is actually a little earlier; you'd take one of the three turns with just the disabled parking signs (no entrance sign). [ Edit: it's on Plugshare now: www.plugshare.com/location/272454 ]
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Oct 31, 2020 11:57:11 GMT 11
Thank you for the very detailed coverage coulomb. Looking good . And exiting to see IKEA Electric Trucks. I didn't know they had any.
|
|
|
Post by coulomb on Nov 9, 2020 20:37:45 GMT 11
I visited the Springwood soon-to-be charger site again today. There is not much if any progress visible. I found 2 coils of thinner cable towards the right end, but I possibly just didn't notice them last time. I think I noticed more cables going into the former lift room though [ edit: no photo of that, sorry ]. I now think it's less likely that a transformer will be installed in the lift room, which now stores more junk (probably not related to the chargers), and two bicycles. If they're going to get this site finished this year, they will have to get moving. After Christmas eve, nothing will likely happen for at least a week, so that's only some 5 working weeks left this year.
|
|
|
Post by coulomb on Nov 22, 2020 0:57:56 GMT 11
I think I noticed more cables going into the former lift room though [ edit: no photo of that, sorry ]. I visited again today, and confirmed that there are now two bundles of cables going into the former lift room: My guess is that all 4 AC chargers (A and B ports of two pedestals) each have their own cable back to their own breakers in a large switchroom somewhere above. I find it a little odd that the earth wires appear to be separate. There was no evidence of progress in the last 12 days, sadly.
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Nov 30, 2020 19:43:46 GMT 11
No progress from what I could see today. Still looked the same.
|
|
jaginoz
EV Enthusiast
Posts: 47
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
|
Post by jaginoz on Dec 5, 2020 13:02:09 GMT 11
Wow - great thread. Fingers crossed for the long trips and the ability to charge in between.
IKEA Perth are behind the rest of AU then, if Google sat pix are to be believed.
|
|
|
Post by coulomb on Dec 14, 2020 14:42:05 GMT 11
No progress for over a month now.
|
|
|
Post by coulomb on Dec 22, 2020 17:24:59 GMT 11
Plugshare update by user "K Team" 13/Dec/2020: "Info desk says before end Jan".
|
|
|
Post by coulomb on Feb 21, 2021 8:58:12 GMT 11
Well, the Springwood Ikea chargers have been installed and available for use for about a week, but when I went to use them recently, they were closed for painting. Seems that they won't open until Tuesday 23/2/2021 now. It seems that North Lakes is the same, also re-opening Tuesday. Springwood Ikea from plugshare:
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Mar 13, 2021 9:10:20 GMT 11
Looks good . Was there yesterday and operational.
|
|
|
Post by tomkauf on Apr 4, 2021 12:09:18 GMT 11
Late yesterday IKEA was packed, but none of the charging spots were ICEd. Nice to see 🙂
|
|