A problem I picked up the other day when I went to look at the Nissan Leaf and that was the lack of charging facilities here in the UK. BBC News - Electric car charging points 'shortfall' I have gone round and round in circles contacting the local council, the planning dept, the highways dept, the county planning & highways dept and even the local MP (Member for Parliament), trying to get ONE EV charging point installed in my afflluent town - all without result. Typical political nonsense - they say one thing and sound convincing, yet nothing much happens. They talk the talk but certainly don't walk the walk.
our town fathers wouldn't even know what i was talking about. they all drive suv's and gas is only $4.10 a gallon. what's the problem?
If you can get even ONE member within the government to buy an EV, you'll be surprised how much easier it'll be ... when it's self serving (for them). That's how it was - where I work.
Here in Spokane they make a big deal about having 3 or 4 public charge spots. However, except for the Nissan dealer (whose policy on non-customer charging I do not know) they're all 120 volt 15 amp outlets, and only one is actually open to the public. They are, for all practical purposes, worthless. I plan my driving knowing that I charge at home and no place else. (Both the Porsche and the Roadster can plug into an RV outlet, which I figure is probably 25 miles for an hour's charging, and even that is not very useful unless I'm going to be some place all day or over night.) In other words, until we have serious fast chargers, public charging is more gimmick than useful. Charging at work can make a big difference because you've got all day. But do you really want to sit by your car for 4 hours at a highway rest stop so you can continue your trip?
no, but i guess it's better than nothing if you run out of fuel. hopefully, they have internet service and netflix with the chargers.
Oh I forgot to update. The MP was very positive about charging infrastructure in the town. He is in the process of getting things moving at the town hall and updating me with how he's getting along. I don't think a fast charger like Nissan have is ever going to happen - not at £25k each!! But I think dual 16/32 amp street chargers are probably the way it's heading. (You can install a fair few of those for the cost of one CHAdeMO Nissan Leaf fast charger) Ideal for commuters and visitors to the town.
