Couple of interesting articles from the Guardian: rogue EVs and charging

[Grriff]

UK drivers make claims of ‘dangerous’ electric car faults .

Seems that MGs are not the only cars with problems.

Power vacuum: road to fast charging at UK services has been ‘laboriously slow’

This one is no surprise

 

[maskull]

The issue with the car "taking control " spontaneously is not confined to EVs . Modern cars are akin to computers which sometimes do what they want
The 12 volt issue seems to be a running theme with EVs, PHEVs and Hybrids . Maybe upgrading the 12 volt batteries would help ?

 

[Rolfe]

I don't understand why we're not seeing more use being made of static batteries to power sites where the grid connection is insufficient. Tesla are doing it. Stick in a bank of batteries that can be charged up slowly when the site is quiet, to give a reservoir for busy times.

 

[Rolfe]

The BMW incident sounds like another of those driver error situations where the driver is pressing the accelerator in mistake for the brake. Unless BMW is lying in its teeth, which I suppose is possible, but the repeated claims of non-functioning brakes don't ring true to me.

And as @maskull said, this is a "modern car" phenomenon, not one confined to EVs.

 

[Grriff]

I suspect the problem with an EV compared to an ICE car is that if the accelerator is pressed in the latter, instead of the brake, there is an immediate change in the noise coming from the ICE and you realise your mistake. This is not true for an EV and if you are pressing the accelerator, believing it to be the brake, you will press harder.
Depressing about the chargers. Yet more unfulfilled promises.

 

[Rolfe]

There are reports of it happening with automatic transmission ICE cars though. But I take your point about the engine noise.

I'm glad I've read this stuff. Makes me realise that if anything similar should appear to be happening to me, the first thing to do is check which pedal my foot is on.

 

[Rolfe]

BMW's response suggests the driver of that car realised what she'd done and switched to the brake seconds before she hit whatever it was she hit. But she's sticking with the assertion that the car ran away with her anyway.

 

[Gomev]

I don't understand why we're not seeing more use being made of static batteries to power sites where the grid connection is insufficient. Tesla are doing it. Stick in a bank of batteries that can be charged up slowly when the site is quiet, to give a reservoir for busy times.

Gridserve do this at their superhubs such as Braintree and Norwich and presumably newer ones, they have large solar farms and battery storage. They are also doing it at the Cornwall services on the A30. This ticks more of your boxes as they also have solar canopies

Cornwall services

article - GRIDSERVE | GRIDSERVE accelerates High Power EV charging with UK-first battery and solar power innovation at Cornwall Services

 

[Rolfe]

I've seen pictures of something similar in Norwich. We need more! But when I queried Gridserve on Twitter, regarding yet another bank of chargers going in to a motorway service station with no shelter, they said they were far too busy installing new chargers to worry about their customers' comfort.

 

[Gomev]

I've seen pictures of something similar in Norwich. We need more! But when I queried Gridserve on Twitter, regarding yet another bank of chargers going in to a motorway service station with no shelter, they said they were far too busy installing new chargers to worry about their customers' comfort.

I'm sure they didn't say those exact words, perhaps a little poetic license there.
Perhaps they have a point though, I think I would prefer them to install chargers as quickly as possible, no point in having shelters if there are no chargers. A lot more work and time required to erect shelters let alone install batteries as well.
Do others have shelters, Tesla, Instavolt, Osprey etc. etc. no they don't, only really Fastned and Gridserve that do to any extent.

 

[Rolfe]

The danger is that once the chargers are installed, shelters will never come. We'll be stuck in perpetuity with having to drive in waterproofs and wellingtons in wet weather, because getting charged will be a trial by water.

I was just checking out charging possibilities for a trip on Boxing Day, and look what I found. Checked that they actually existed, and this is the Google Streetview image.

I will definitely be going there. This is how it should be. Some people can obviously do it.

 

[Gomev]

The danger is that once the chargers are installed, shelters will never come. We'll be stuck in perpetuity with having to drive in waterproofs and wellingtons in wet weather, because getting charged will be a trial by water.

I was just checking out charging possibilities for a trip on Boxing Day, and look what I found. Checked that they actually existed, and this is the Google Streetview image.

View attachment 21271

I will definitely be going there. This is how it should be. Some people can obviously do it.

Hopefully they will become more widespread, I don't think anyone disagrees that it would be a lot better with shelter.
Maybe in time when all the petrol pumps have been replaced by chargers we will charge under large canopies and reminisce about how much we loved the smell of petrol in the morning.

 

[Rolfe]

If I could draw, I'd do a cartoon of an electric forecourt with lots of chargers all covered by a canopy, and a coffee shop at one end all accessible under cover, and in a corner of the site, out in the rain, a single petrol pump.

 

[Ian Key]

If I could draw, I'd do a cartoon of an electric forecourt with lots of chargers all covered by a canopy, and a coffee shop at one end all accessible under cover, and in a corner of the site, out in the rain, a single petrol pump.

Why not have the chargers inside a large circular doughnut shaped solar/wind powered air conditioned garage with automatic doors to keep the weather out and a coffee shop in the centre. Also a large screen showing the lone petrol pump in the open which only works intermittantly for amusement.

 

[Rolfe]

 

[Archev]

If I could draw, I'd do a cartoon of an electric forecourt with lots of chargers all covered by a canopy, and a coffee shop at one end all accessible under cover, and in a corner of the site, out in the rain, a single petrol pump.

Och you drew a fine verbal picture there ?

 

[Rolfe]

I think, subsequent to what Ian said, we'd also need a drenched ICE car driver swearing because he couldn't get the pump to work.