That's the solution for our Sprinter (440 watts + 400 AHr LiFePO4) parked outside. Not so much for our garaged Subaru.
Electric Car thread
- Thread starter WattsUpDude
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That's the solution for our Sprinter (440 watts + 400 AHr LiFePO4) parked outside. Not so much for our garaged Subaru.
JedidiahStolzfus
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Lancaster, PA
Put a small panel outside with wires terminated after a charge controller in a standard plug. Attach other end of plug and let it hang down inside the fender but not long enough it gets wrapped around stuff.
Easier to trickle charge with NOCO when we are gone for 3+ weeks which is seldom.
The other potential problem is the voltage drop between panel (outside) and charge controller (inside) with 20'+ cable pair (40' round trip). Could go to Blueseas calculator to confirm, but van design has 8 gauge wire with16' round trip between panels and controller. Fully agree solar is great solution in many (most) cases.
I have a double leaf driveway gate at the end of a 200 ft driveway and have used automatic gate openers for >20years with tens of thousands of open/close cycles. The openers came with a small 12v agm battery and a low voltage charge cable that I ran from my house. The battery was inadequate resulting in blown fuses in the control box whenever there were high winds stressing the motors and eventually field mice chewed through the low voltage cable. I soon switched to solar panels and a 12v deep cycle battery and have run that setup without issues since. I've only had to change the deep cycle battery once and that was over 10 years ago. I'm thinking the constant charge in light hours of the day helps extend the battery life. Solar is great for some applications like this.
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
Going to have to wait until we return to NC to rent or test drive the Kona... It's not available for sale (yet?) in green green WA State
. I'd have to go to Oregon to find one! Hope it's available in NC!
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Chargeride
Well-Known Member
It's not an ideal situation selling expensive new tech cars where the part that is more than half the value of the vehicle is seen as a tech that has to be replaced as soon as possible with something safer, more reliable and much better performance.
I'll wait thankyou
I'll wait thankyou
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
Are you scouting for a 2023 or a 2024?Going to have to wait until we return to NC to rent or test drive the Kona... It's not available for sale (yet?) I'm green green WA State
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
It's about time!
....
As regular drivers, you’ve all seen signs along the highway pointing you to gas stations, food, and lodging. Now, you’ll be able to locate EV charging stations in the same way, using highway signage. Recently, the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) updated the national manual on what kind of signage can be added along highways across the country. Notably, the new signage helps to ensure that EV drivers and EV-interested consumers are easily able to locate charging stations the same way that gas vehicle drivers can ...
.....
Finally!! I've been waiting for this development for *years*. The only way I can find fast chargers now are: 1. Randomly spotting them by eye (good luck with that because they tend to be unobtrusive and hidden except for the Tesla Superchargers), 2. Are NEVER advertised by signage, 3. Require phone or computer apps to locate them, 4. Require your e-car's navigation to tell you where chargers enroute.
The wheels of the government grind slowly, but geez...this has taken way too many years to be implemented. I know they won't go up overnight, but I'll still be excited to see the first one.
....
By: Plug In America
Published: 01.22.2024
Published: 01.22.2024
The signs of an EV future
.....
Finally!! I've been waiting for this development for *years*. The only way I can find fast chargers now are: 1. Randomly spotting them by eye (good luck with that because they tend to be unobtrusive and hidden except for the Tesla Superchargers), 2. Are NEVER advertised by signage, 3. Require phone or computer apps to locate them, 4. Require your e-car's navigation to tell you where chargers enroute.
The wheels of the government grind slowly, but geez...this has taken way too many years to be implemented. I know they won't go up overnight, but I'll still be excited to see the first one.
WattsUpDude
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- San Francisco, Bay Area
We’re are in early days but that’s encouraging. If driving an EV other than a Tesla on road trip, tools like ABRP and PlugShare are a necessity. Not to mention all the various apps for each different station.
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
I would really like a 24 - it's a bit larger so more rear passenger space for the grandkids, and it has a few other upgrades that I like...
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
I noticed the 2024 model range is really really good for the 65kWh battery at 260 miles to the charge. Appears to be super efficient as well for m/kWh.
I hope one comes available soon for you to try. I'd love to hear your impressions...and what a hitch install for your e-bikes will cost. My son installed the hitch on my Ariya (just getting a hitch for this car was an *unbelievable* drama - it had to be shipped from Japan because Nissan refused to sell the hitches in the US), but the Rivian came with a 2" hitch already.
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
Google Maps, which is the route planner I use, have recently added EV charging stations to their waypoints. I tend to use PlugShare to find the chargers because user comments will give a heads up for any station problems. I don't have much experience with ABRP, but maybe I better start educating myself. It seems a lot of people like it over every other nav app.
JedidiahStolzfus
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Lancaster, PA
I agree, most don't take the time to practice, just get in the car and drive and then are surprised when they end up in a ditch. I don't fear driving in snow I fear other people driving in snow.
WattsUpDude
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- San Francisco, Bay Area
ABRP is good. You plug in your vehicle details and starting battery percentage and it will calculate the quickest routes based on current weather conditions, terrain and traffic. You can even pay their monthly subscription and pair it with an OBD reader for real time telemetry. I still wish we didn’t need tools like this for long drives but it’s the price of not buying a Tesla. Daily commutes on the other hand are a cake walk.
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
They are available in NC, so, sometime this spring, March-April...
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
I put my phantom Kona in Plugshare - whenever we're driving somewhere I check it out to see what my charging opportunities would/will look like away from home.
Taylor57
Well-Known Member
Don't get too confident on the availability. My experiences for the past 2 years in CA where we have a supposed great charging infrastructure have been mixed and mostly discouraging. Even if you find a live charger, you still may not be able to charge unless you call the 800 number and wait for a service human to clear the machine. Hang on to your ICE cars folks, Merica is still takin baby charger steps...
PatriciaK
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Pacific Northwest and Piedmont Triad
90+% of my charging will be done at home
. 90+% of my driving is well within the range of the battery.
Readytoride
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Virginia
Thanks for that little tutorial. I'll have to experiment with the app using one of the bike rides coming up this spring.
JedidiahStolzfus
Well-Known Member
- Region
- USA
- City
- Lancaster, PA
I have seen lots of gas cars catch fire, one in particular at the order display at Wendy's. The guy got out, ran inside grabbed a fire extinguisher off the wall, while a volunteer firefighter pulled in off he street with another one, and the two of them put it out before the car was a total loss. Something that you cannot do with an EV, once they start to burn, they cannot be put out. There's lots of articles out there on that very subject. Very much like bike batteries, once they start to burn, they just cannot be put out with common extinguishers or lots of water.
What I have noticed through the past few years is more scorch marks along side highways from burnt vehicles. I know someone that had a diesel sprinter loaded with 14 people catch fire while driving through ohio. It was a complete loss. Vehicles catch fire, all kinds of them, only one is nearly impossible to extinguish. It's difficult to determine what is the truth from many different articles because there's so much agenda to push. I'll go with what a local fire chief said here about recent fires, and I tried to find the article but didn't. They've had several EV fire calls, and they fight them for hours, and all they can do is sit by and let them burn and keep them from spreading to other locations.
There was a guy in Florida I read an article about a while ago that burnt alive in his car because the manufacturer thought retracting door handles as a good idea and extra strong glass. Car crashed, caught fire, power was cut to vehicle, the electric door handles couldn't be accessed and they couldn't break his windows, the rescuers watch him burn alive because the nifty features and "safe" glass kept him from being rescued.
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