Moof said:
Until we have multiple 100+kW chargers and some actual 150+mile cars for the masses we will not get traction. Tesla nailed it with their charge rate and decent range. Interstate trips in a Leaf is not viable for most folks. You have to spend about 1/3 of your time charging at best, assuming the are empty fast chargers along the way. So we need both a better charging standard to get installed and for higher range cars to actually appear.
Stopping ever hour and averaging 40 mph down the highway is a miserable proposition.
You mean like the current Toyota RAV4 EV with a CHAdeMO port? Or the several "200 mile" (GM Bolt, Tesla Model 3, Nissan LEAF) cars due to enter the market in the next 2-4 years?
Or the CHAdeMO and CCS standard that is ALREADY 200 amp capable (no new standard required to increase the charge rate from 125 amps to 200)?
My written proposal to the California Energy Comission (CEC) on or before 15 Feb 2015 for EV corridor travel within our fine state will highlight:
1) Because hydrogen refueled vehicles are sometimes referred to by some as "electric vehicles", first I need to clarify that my proposal is specifically for vehicles that require electrcity to "refuel" the vehicle. That could be a gasoline or hydrogen plug-in hybrid, provided that car has the required DC charge port installed.
2) Placement of EV charging plazas with the highest rate chargers (200 amps for CCS, CHAdeMO) along the logical inter and intra routes that Californians drive their cars, not where policy makers and think tanks have determined that folks might actually drive an 80 mile range EV. The future is not all 80 mile range EVs.
3) Those plazas would consume sub-20kW of continuous power to eliminate "demand fees".
4) These plazas would largely be in relatively rural areas, where urban planning issues are largely eliminated (impacted parking, difficult power distribution, etc).
5) Large enough battery storage to power XX number of cars per day based on expected usage at that site. The worst case scenario is that the battery is depleted and only a single car at a time can be recharged at near 20kW. In such cases, a backup natural gas generator might be practical. Another option, made possible because of the rural areas, will be night time power generation via a windmill.
6) Specified to use a simple 208 / 240 volt "single phase" power source with a 100 amp circuit breaker. Yes, the meager requirements of any single average house could power this. No huge transformer requirements and no expensive three phase requirements in sparsely populated areas that might not have this service.
7) By planning now for future more capable cars, these should be placed 75-100 miles apart. That still allows 37-50 mile "in between" stations for the current crop of 80 mile capable cars. I recommend simple 20kW CHAdeMO / CCS charge ports at these inbetween locations, and no other hardware.
8) The "charging plazas", would have a minimum of two separate DC chargers, and a total of three separate charge cords at each plaza; one for CCS, and two for CHAdeMO minimum.
9) Private company Tesla Motors should be solicited to install at least a single Supercharger at each location to make it a truly "EV Plaza", however their equipment may be limited to 200 amp service (they currently are at over 300 amps)
10) No charge cards, fobs or cash will be required at the stations. Prepaid travel vouchers can be purchased online, anywhere at any time and a "Liberty" style ten key code will activate the station. No networking required to make the station work, although networking can add complimentary features such as security, advertising, maintenance monitoring, etc.
11) 10 year minimum land agreements
12) 10 year maintenance funding from CEC
13) Solar canopies over the charge locations for comfort with ample lighting and signage to easily find the chargers
14) Use the "West Coast Electric Highway" logo with "California" added, like the Interstate freeway signs. California has been a signatory member since 2009.
15) Fees are charged from the very first day of operation compatible with industry norms. At the very first DC charger on the nation's largest EV charging network, ChargePoint, the fee is 15 cents per minute of use, which I propose should be the standard to meet for 20kW rates. 80-100kW rates should be slightly more.
16) At least one J1772 and one Tesla HPC should be at each station for local use. It would not be intended to provide power for long range travel, where the fastest charge is desirable.
17) Public restrooms with lockable door codes for charge customers only (where other restroom options do not exist)
18) All of this is grossly less expensive than a single hydrogen refueling station.