WDB
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Post by WDB on Aug 14, 2022 14:16:18 GMT
I'm starting to think I could charge people to charge their cars at my house and make a profit. Haven’t you been telling us for years that you can’t even charge your own car at home? 🤨 |
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Aug 14, 2022 16:18:16 GMT
I couldn't leave a lead out unattended for fear of causing someone to trip. So this was tongue in cheek. Although I'm sure I'd get away with a lead under a protective cover. But it never seemed worth the risk for such a small battery on a PHEV.
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 14, 2022 16:38:48 GMT
Free charging (I know you had to pay for the solar and battery) must make you feel good. It would me. How much was the cost of the solar plus battery? I know off grid solar/battery is fairly cheap but you'd want it all 'on-grid'. I'm starting to think I could charge people to charge their cars at my house and make a profit. The b.EV charging points I used to use for free until October and then paid about 24p after that is now charging 46p a kWh The whole system was about £10,000 which includes 16 panels producing a possible maximum charge of about 5kW. The battery has a capacity of 8.5kWh with a maximum charge and discharge rate of 2.5kW. The point of charging the car slowly is that i am not drawing from the grid nor supplying it so I benefit from a saving of 28p/kWh rather than receiving the grand sum of 3.6p/kWh if I export. Seems to be working especially on bright days like this weekend. |
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Aug 14, 2022 19:05:15 GMT
I realised the slow charging was to make sure you are not taking power for the grid, i.e. it is free. With electric and gas prices going up like this, your £10k investment here will be paid back a lot sooner than you ever expected.
I had thought if we'd got a house in Greece to look at solar plus battery. A lot of the YouTube videos though show off-grid installs and I'd want it integrated. I know it used to be possible to get the Tesla PowerWall in the UK without the extra Gateway box. Without this, if there is a power cut, your battery stops powering the house as well because it has to disconnect for safety reasons.
Apparently solar panels are less efficient when it's really hot but at least they still work. Unlike a wind turbine that has to be stopped in really strong winds.
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Post by dixinormus on Aug 14, 2022 21:37:09 GMT
Always made sense to me to have EVs with solar panels on their roofs. Most cars are parked outside; why not make use of a free top-up, even if the limited power gain is just used for AC or lighting.
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 15, 2022 5:22:09 GMT
Apparently the Ioniq 5 with optional solar roof panels (not available in the UK) can add a massive 2 miles to the range each day. The panels are not large enough as they only produce about 100W.
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Deleted
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Post by Deleted on Aug 15, 2022 8:53:16 GMT
I have a solar panel on my Leaf but it only supplies the 12v battery, not the traction battery. Still worthwhile haivng it, especially as it was the original owner who paid the extra for it, not me.
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 15, 2022 9:12:59 GMT
That is useful. I wonder if a free-standing panel plugged into the 12v power socket would work in my car. Not that I think I need it.
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Aug 15, 2022 11:30:35 GMT
Why would you EspIII ? Your 12v battery is charged from the 73kWh battery on demand.
With our KIA, there is an LED strip at the base of the windscreen made up of three separate sections. 1st section flashing indicates main battery charging below 33%, solid first section flashing second section 33-67% charging etc. When all three flash synchronously indicates the 12v battery is getting a top up. Confused me the first time I walked in the garage at night and saw that when the car was not plugged in. Feared the automotive equivalent of BSOD.
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Post by EspadaIII on Aug 15, 2022 12:18:40 GMT
There are reports online of cars not going into gear after a start or simply not turning on because the 12V battery is a bit low. Not happended to me yet but did happen to an English bloke on YouTube with an Ioniq 5. I think you have to be careful about ensuring that the car is fully shut down when you walk away from it. Don't leave it unlocked and make sure it is locked. If you leave it unlocked various systems remain in operation on the 12V battery.
Interestingly, the slow charge over the weekend did something to the battery or algorithm for calculating the range. This morning at 91% battery (I unplugged it yesterday at 6pm when the solar wasn't generating enough) I had a 255 mile range which is pretty impressive; equates to 280 on a full charge and I have not had that before.
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Aug 15, 2022 13:18:37 GMT
I've not come across that issue with 12v battery.
One thing that did come up at the first service was coolant level low. My fault, other than checking and filling washer bottle the brake fluid and coolant only get the briefest of glances. Level has been fine this year and possibly down to an airlock at build.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Aug 15, 2022 18:06:39 GMT
If the 12v battery in a Tesla gets flat then you have to disassemble the car a bit to get to the battery to charge it up because you cannot get in. Basically the 12v battery charges from the main battery and when that is fully charged it basically stops charging the 12v battery. Even if the Tesla is plugged in. So if you don't drive/use it for a while the electronics of the car will run down the 12v battery.
James May's explanation:
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Aug 15, 2022 18:55:13 GMT
I wonder how say a Hyundai or KIA BEV not used for a long time copes. Do you know where the 12v battery is? Can it be easily trickle charged?
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bpg
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Post by bpg on Aug 15, 2022 19:43:37 GMT
I can't speak for their specific BEV designs, our eSoul has the battery in the standard place under the bonnet as it can have a petrol, diesel or electric motor up front, makes sense.
Our car has stood for three weeks unused with no issues, the main battery still showing 40% the same as when we left it.
I haven't looked how we can get in manually, something I should look at.
My M-i-L has a Toyota Yaris hybrid. The 12v battery is hidden away under the rear seat. This is charged from a contact point under the bonnet similar to Volvo P2 cars which had the battery in the boot.
The Y20 Volvo I have has the 12v battery back under the bonnet due to the floor pan at the rear not having the underfloor space. Heat murders the batteries in these cars, this car being on its 3rd battery in eleven years, the P2 car still had the original battery when I sold it at nine years.
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Rob
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Post by Rob on Aug 15, 2022 21:09:39 GMT
These clever pop out door handles are all well and good but getting into it in an emergency. I found the description of how to get into the Tesla Model S frunk a worry. Two pull cables in the wheel wells open it. How's that secure?
My 330e did not have keyless entry but did have keyless start (they all do). The key fob on BMWs have a hidden key blade inside so you just pop off a cap covering the keyhole, open with the key and then press it against the steering column to turn off the alarm and start the car.
The VW Passat and Superb both had hidden keyholes behind a cap that you used to key to pop off. Trouble is I used to deadlock the car so the key would not open it. The Passat key was hidden in the key fob because you inserted the whole thing into a hole in the dash and pushed it to start. BMWs don't have deadlocks it seems.
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