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Post by chuq on Mar 4, 2018 17:08:03 GMT 11
A user on the Tesla Motors Club forum has noticed that in a recent Latrobe City Council meeting, it was mentioned that the Eurobodella Shire Council had contacted Latrobe (and presumably other local government authorities in the area) about a South-East Electric Highway, which goes from Melbourne to Sydney via the coastal route (Gippsland and NSW South Coast) including connecting Canberra via the Kings Highway. The details can be found here: www.latrobe.vic.gov.au/About_Us/Our_Council/Lists/CM512_05_February_2018?minutesThe documentation is very basic but suggests two options: * 18 stations, with an average gap of 62 km and maximum gap of 91 km * 12 stations, with an average gap of 97 km and maximum gap of 113 km There was a map included although it has 15 stations marked so I'm not quite sure what it is showing! It appears the proposal is still in an "expressions of interest" phase so is far from a sure thing. It needs support from a lot of other local councils to go ahead. I'm not sure if anyone has contacts or influence with any of the councils in this region but if so.. you know what to do
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Post by Feng on Mar 4, 2018 21:14:05 GMT 11
That's definitely taking the scenic route to Melbourne from Sydney. I think I'd try it once just for the novelty and only during winter so I won't have to worry about cooking my battery.
It'll be interesting to see how it compares to the NRMA network. It would make sense not to double up on sites.
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Post by pharmadave on Mar 4, 2018 22:28:42 GMT 11
It's interesting because one of the criticisms I hear about electric cars from ICE owners is that 'I want to take the scenic route when I drive from Sydney to Melbourne' (although I'm sure they are just saying it for the sake of saying it) and hardly any of them actually do it. And if anyone actually did drive from Sydney to Melbourne they'd just take the Hume and be done with it in the most efficient manner.
I wonder if they actually build it, well they future-proof it be have it capable of 100Kw charging CCS and Chademo.
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Post by Feng on Mar 4, 2018 23:13:26 GMT 11
I've heard that silly argument too! There's no pleasing some people. Anyone else here think they'll drive the full length of the highway if it's like the proposal? What are the odds of a meet up half way in between if it's too impractical? Is there even anything to do half way? For those who don't know, that's what a few of us owners from Sydney did a few years ago to meet with Phoebe who lives north of Newcastle, around 170km away. It wasn't practical for us to meet at either end so we compromised and met at a caravan park at the Central Coast where we could charge over lunch. That's also where we met Gabz for the first time. It was good times then. Leading a convoy of five LEAFs was a highlight of ownership.
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Post by dac1811 on Mar 5, 2018 19:56:14 GMT 11
" 12 stations, with an average gap of 97 km and maximum gap of 113 km "
That's pushing it bit for our Leafs. I would have severe range anxiety on this trip.
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Post by chuq on Mar 5, 2018 23:27:35 GMT 11
" 12 stations, with an average gap of 97 km and maximum gap of 113 km " That's pushing it bit for our Leafs. I would have severe range anxiety on this trip. That's true, but consider how many of the EVs in Australia will be short range (basically - old Leafs or i-MieVs) in 2-3 years time? Most new EVs available today and coming in the next year will have a range of 180-200 km minimum - most over 300 km. These are the vehicles which are the primary market of these fast chargers. Many of us are adventurous enthusiasts who love trying to push our vehicles to their limit - lots of us did that last November, with Leafs and i-MieVs driving hundreds, in some cases thousands of kilometres each way - from Adelaide, Sydney, Newcastle and Hobart - to Devonport; often without any fast chargers at all! But if I take the family on a road trip, even with fast chargers, I'm not going to stop every 100 km to charge for 30 minutes. Remember we are trying to get people to spend money for our benefit. We are more likely to get them to spend $X instead of 1.5 * $X The existence of DC fast chargers will make people realise - yes, they can buy an EV and get around... and once there are a lot more EVs out there, the in-between towns will get fast chargers! Until then, us old Leaf drivers will need to find a 15A outlet to top-up occasionally!
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Post by rusdy on Mar 7, 2018 14:55:53 GMT 11
... But if I take the family on a road trip, even with fast chargers, I'm not going to stop every 100 km to charge for 30 minutes... Yup, I made my family 'suffered' the weekend just past. I travelled 250km with 4-off fast charger stops (here in WA). An ICE would've done it in 200km (more direct route) in 2-ish hours. I did it in 7 hours! Travelling in a country road in WA (where mostly 110kph limit), dropped my range to a mere 70km (I have 12.5kWh usable capacity left, despite 75% SOH as per LeafSpy). Thankfully, longest stretch between fast chargers here in WA is a mere 75km (yup, I had to drop my speed in order to survive). To be honest, we didn't mind it so much. As a family with young kids (6 and 4yo), they play in the park for an hour during charging anyway. Oh yes, that's another tricky bit. When you need to fully charge, your charging time increased to an hour (slow charge from 80 to 100%). Did I mention my battery hit a new record high of 49 degree celcius at the end of the trip (as per LeafSpy)? For yous that planning any long distance trip with multiple fast chargers, do watch your battery temperature!
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Post by gregleaf on Mar 11, 2018 17:20:12 GMT 11
Unfortunately from the contact I have had with this group of councils, this is a proposal only with no funding currently available. Greg
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Post by chuq on Mar 12, 2018 10:25:08 GMT 11
Unfortunately from the contact I have had with this group of councils, this is a proposal only with no funding currently available. Greg True, they are currently at the stage of securing interest from the landowners/councils, they have to lock down the design too, then come up with a budget for the whole thing. There is no reason why EV organisations (AEVA etc.) cannot offer feedback and advice, though. Edit: The sites north of the Vic/NSW border could be done in conjunction with the NRMA planned network, for example.
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