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Post by caskings on Oct 3, 2016 0:11:51 GMT 11
Last night was the first time I've not been able to get home safely and had to abandon my EV for the night. Pretty much one of those times where everything that could go wrong did. I was pushing the range on the day with several trips in and out of Brisbane. Home -> airport -> UQ DCFC -> home -> slow charge while getting changed -> back to the city for a Birthday party with the wife. At this point I had about 15 Kilometers on the GOM and 40 kms to home. Easy done, UQ is on the way grab a charge there and off we go. Well that was the plan. Unfortunately when I got to UQ the Tritium charger had errored out on a Model S not half an hour before a I got there. Did a quick google for a Tritium user manual but wasn't able to find how to reset it. Took a chance to try the DCFC at Brisbane BMW, which has a bad habit of getting ICEd on Friday and Saturday nights with everyone out clubbing. Sure enough it was ICEd on all sides, even the Level 2 charger there with the longer cables couldn't save me. Final option in range was the 24hr Council carpark in the CBD. However once we got there we discovered council staff finished at 11pm and the overnight security guard didn't have access to the office which had the charger swipe card. With less than a 1kwh left to turtle mode I wasn't about to chance getting to the Audi dealer's L2 charger, left the car plugged in there for the night and took an Uber home. As much as the whole adventure really ticked me off at the time (I left a very nasty note on the windshield of Mercedes at the BMW DCFC). It does show the growth of charging infrastructure in Brisbane that it took three failures to stop me getting home with the Leaf. I still would have like to have got that Merc towed though  |
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Post by lesmando24 on Oct 3, 2016 10:25:13 GMT 11
Bummer, there are two slower chargers installed, but not commissioned yet near the UQ pool. Not sure when the power will be turned on.
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Post by Feng on Oct 3, 2016 19:08:21 GMT 11
How did your partner take it? Mine is usually sympathetic on the very rare occasion something doesn't go to plan.
Is it worth writing to BMW and suggest they put up something to discourage ICEing? Even just traffic cones?
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Post by caskings on Oct 3, 2016 19:22:03 GMT 11
She took it well. I think it helps that this is the first time in two years or so of ownership that we have had this happen. Short of having bollards or security guard on duty, I doubt much would stop them. Its only a block or so from the night club district.
If they left traffic cones there, they would be on a drunk's head as a hat on the first night.
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Post by EVangelist on Oct 3, 2016 21:58:55 GMT 11
Short of having bollards or security guard on duty, I doubt much would stop them. Its only a block or so from the night club district. If they left traffic cones there, they would be on a drunk's head as a hat on the first night. We need A Current Affair to do a shock-horror expose on EV charging spots being ICEd, you know, just like they do with the video shaming of drivers parking in disabled spots. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 5, 2016 8:43:43 GMT 11
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Post by stewartm on Oct 5, 2016 10:33:26 GMT 11
Happens everywhere, in Ploermel,France very well marked Electric Vehicle charging only, and an ICE parks there. The Tesla Taxi driver was in McDonalds next door for a 70kW "hour". Finally the lady who was English came and moved it not realizing it was for EV charging she said. Not sure naming and shaming would make much of a difference, maybe the tow threat.. I did explain to one person up here at Forest Glen chargepoint, well marked, that they would never consider parking in the middle of a petrol station and locking up and going to the shops would they? And that they would expect the car to be towed wouldn't they?, I said the same applies, " I cant get fuel with your car parked there", she moved it.  |
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Post by 4wardthinking on Oct 5, 2016 11:17:37 GMT 11
Difficult to edjercyte dem peepl dat dorntt ingerstind dat new fangled lectrical car-thingies.
Sadly, the above is quite accurate.
I made a comment before, but there's no way a Government is going to even attempt to make a blatantly obvious deterrent more useable until they figure out a way to milk it.
To most of our population, unless it makes a racket, can facilitate rule breaking and churns out toxic by-products we are rapidly running short of, it can't possibly be transport. Anything else is quite clearly witch-craft, and has to be treat with contempt...... Unless the propaganda machine pumps out information to the contrary.
However. One thing most EV owners will testify, is the awe most! People show when they realise the EV has very little servicing requirements, and uses Fridge power to run. Some of course hiss & spit at the idea though!.
My post about "iced parking" owners mental agility elsewhere in this forum still stands am afraid, however the birch is now against the Geneva Convention, and this I may have to re-consider sadly, albeit a far more effective tool of education for those that lack certain learning abilities not demonstrated by other than the Carrot & Stick method.
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Post by 4wardthinking on Oct 5, 2016 12:43:24 GMT 11
I must climb back down I guess.
However(yep, and there's more!), I wonder if McDonalds has more vision than Gov NSW?.
Maybe ....
I suppose selling off the power Co's has nothing to do with it...
McDonalds.
If they jump on this quickly, they stand poised to have another Value Added Product to their business. Looks like it's a distinct possibility. Imagine if the Perfect Storm had hit, and the availability of power for EV's was at all the franchises?. The swell would ease, food & services were all to hand.
Hats off to whoever it was at McDonalds who saw the future coming toward them.
At last, country strategy now is Burger, Coffee & fries shaped. Gimme more!.
From now on, maccas is my rest stop, social or place to meet & chat.
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Post by stewartm on Oct 5, 2016 16:24:50 GMT 11
The answer is of course more charging points. There's now more ev charge points than service stations in my department in France. That is a no worry no range anxiety option. My house is in Ploerdut.  |
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Post by EVangelist on Oct 5, 2016 17:47:30 GMT 11
One of the reasons I don't/didn't want to buy a BMW, merc, jeep, jag, Lexus, Audi. Cos the drivers tend to be cocks. Does that mean I will become one, or am I one already but simply don't realise it? |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 6, 2016 8:29:59 GMT 11
EVangelist - Which driver are you or intend to be ?
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Post by EVangelist on Oct 6, 2016 22:36:14 GMT 11
EVangelist - Which driver are you or intend to be ? I've never driven a Tesla, but am a Model 3 reservation holder. I was a "meek and mild" driver until I started driving the Leaf, and its torque turned me into the occasional "rev-head" at the lights, but that's about it. |
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