Charging Station standards - Page 8

Kevin Harney · 02-17-2009, 07:11 AM

Practical or not it is a GREAT thing for their image. And quite often I will take my lunch hour at McDonalds and even though I do not eat for an hour I stay and chat with friends and all so I could get a 1 hour charge while I am there if necessary. Or if on long trips I might stop and acouple Mc Donalds for a few minutes each and that could extend my range substantially. I think it is a godd offering.

graham · 02-17-2009, 10:08 AM

If McDonalds is interested in getting in the business of alternative power for vehicles it would be more in their line of work to sell off their french fry oil to all the diesels that come in. But I certainly approve of the electric charger as well.

Joseph · 02-17-2009, 01:23 PM

"I don't see having a recharge station at McDonalds as being practical since people wouldn't normally be spending much time at a fast food restaurant."

You're forgetting a detail. These chargers are for PHEVs, not full blown EVs. The SAE has standardized charging standards for PHEVs, but it hasn't been done yet for EVs. As such, PHEVs will take much less time to charge, meaning the charge time from even a quick stop will be meaningful.

Besides, if you have a PHEV in need of a charge, you can park at McDonalds and then go somewhere else instead in case you need to do something else.

doug · 02-17-2009, 01:40 PM

I quit going to fast food some time ago, but at least around here, it looks like McDonald's is trying to get people to stay longer. What with their McCafe and the free wifi, etc. So if they think increasing the time a customer stays (or perhaps just giving them more of a reason to come in) is important, charging stations are a cool idea. It's a bit ironic though, since more and more, actual coffee shops are covering up their electrical outlets, so that you can only work on your laptop as long as your battery lasts.

Joseph · 02-21-2009, 06:03 PM

At Battery Beach Bash, I talked to the owner of Clipper Creek, and got some good news. I had been previously told tha the SAE has yet to decide on charging standards for full EVs, but PHEVs have been standardized. He said the same charging standards for PHEVs are going to be used for full EVs also. (If someone has already confirmed this before, excuse me. I always thought and said what I was previously told. I don't mean to ignore anyone if I forgot them.) Also, I think I remember him mentioning Tesla switching over in a couple years from now.

The flip side to this is then the EVs will have to sacrifice some charing capability. The PHEV cable should be lighter. I know one of the SAE's objetives was to make sure the cable is more user-friendly.

I also talked to Columbum (or whatever) a bit. Their "charging stations" are just regular plugs. Clipper Creek looked much more professional. Perhaps they'll team up? Good charing technology + Columbum's payment system = better product. ???

graham · 02-21-2009, 07:54 PM

Elon mentioned in the town hall meeting that he intended to revisit the Roadster plug design in the future. He feels the current design is somewhat clunky and can use improvement. Perhaps when they are ready to do so, there will be a standard out there.

Of course it sounds like the standard may limit how fast the car may charge - so it is likely any plug redesign may be just as non-standard as today's Roadster.

doug · 02-21-2009, 10:46 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseph

At Battery Beach Bash, I talked to the owner of Clipper Creek...

Which one of these guys is Dave Packard (btw, EVcast interview with him here)?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseph

I also talked to Columbum (or whatever) a bit.

FYI, it's Coulomb [koo-lom], as in the SI (mks) unit of electric charge, named for an 18th century French physics dude.

Joseph · 02-22-2009, 09:50 AM

In the first picture, the guy on the right was the person I talked to who said he was the owner.

doug · 02-22-2009, 08:39 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joseph

I also talked to Columbum (or whatever) a bit. Their "charging stations" are just regular plugs. Clipper Creek looked much more professional. Perhaps they'll team up? Good charing technology + Columbum's payment system = better product. ???

There's nothing particularly complicated in the Clipper Creek box. Coulomb already has a Level 2 charging product as can be seen in this post. I guess so far, though, they've only rolled out the Level 1 charging stations.

.

Joseph · 02-23-2009, 01:09 PM

Yeah, you're right doug. I just remembered that the "chargers" are nothing more than safety-related electronics.