Hi - Sorry for causing confusion... > Vharge ... seems to be an i-pod charging term * typo should have been > 'charge' (but you may have realised that!) > > W/bound = west bound * correct > > M25/M4 highway junction * I actually meant M25 AND M4 but your interpretation > would normally be accurate - just me being lazy. > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carriageway * I'm sure this is right! > > AA = AAA in the U.S. http://www.theaa.com/ ... ice Auto-club/tow-truck > service * correct > > BP = local petrol station brand * correct (I can't imagine there are too many > US citizens unfamiliar with this abbreviation by now - certainly none that > live anywhere near the Gulf of Mexico! > > http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words04/usage/slang_cockney.html > Adam and Eve = believe ... as in "would you Adam and Eve it?" * yes, indeedy > - I've clearly been working in London for too long. > > Fast charging term in the UK = level-3 quick charging in the U.S. > (although the media incorrectly uses quick and fast EVSE terms > interchangeably. Fast charging in the U.S. is level-2) * yes, it's hopeless > isn't it? No global standards for chargers, no standards for their proper > names either.
I haven't read the Llewellyn article yet. He does a Youtube video series called 'Fully Charged' which is quite good as he is very keen, not very technically minded and - I think - rather amusing. He is best known in the UK for playing the part of a robot in a sit-com TV series called Red Dwarf - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Red_Dwarf - which was also rather good, but probably not generally to US tastes. Quirky doesn't really cover it. I really enjoy driving the Ion (i-miev) but will think long and hard about attempting another long distance trip unless I can see evidence of some serious money being spent on improving the fast charge (L3) situation here. Ecotricity's efforts, though laudable, just are nowhere near enough. On a more directly EV related side note to the last trip, its purpose was to collect a full set of EV drive train parts from a chap who bought much of the UK side of the Azure Dynamics fire sale - yes they were at it over here too! I didn't know. So, Siemens motor, controller, transaxle, A/C compressor, PTC heater (co-incidentally the same one as is fitted in the Ion), 2 x water pumps, Brusa 3.3kW charger and split radiator (one side for the motor, the other for the controller). It all fitted in the back of the Ion beautifully (mostly de-boxed) - with its completely flat load area with the back seats down and a level threshold - and didn't appear to upset the handling one jot. The motor weighs 85kg and the controller and transaxle another 50 or so. Got the lot - all still in original boxes - for £2100 ($3400)! Bargain of a life time, I think. (Sorry, Jack!) Getting them all working is another matter, of course. I'm planning to put them in my Austin Healey replica. MW On 26 Jan 2014, at 17:20, Bruce EVangel Parmenter wrote: > Martin's passionate writing style makes for an interesting read > sprinkled with colorful with UK terms and slang (no doubt Martin has to > put up with non-UK terms & slang from other English-speaking countries' > posts). I hope Martin with correct my attempt at translating (& > hopefully bringing a little clarity to us foreign blokes) ... > > Vharge ... seems to be an i-pod charging term > > W/bound = west bound > > M25/M4 highway junction > > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carriageway > > AA = AAA in the U.S. http://www.theaa.com/ ... ice Auto-club/tow-truck > service > > BP = local petrol station brand > > http://www.ruf.rice.edu/~kemmer/Words04/usage/slang_cockney.html > Adam and Eve = believe ... as in "would you Adam and Eve it?" > > Fast charging term in the UK = level-3 quick charging in the U.S. > (although the media incorrectly uses quick and fast EVSE terms > interchangeably. Fast charging in the U.S. is level-2) > > ... > Looking at Ecotricity's FAQ wasn't that much help for Martin's charging > problems: > http://www.ecotricity.co.uk/for-the-road/frequently-asked-questions > > ... > Attempting to retrace martin's EV trip route starting with the first > charge stop: > > Nissan headquarters @maple cross > The Rivers Office Park, Denham Way, Maple Cross, Rickmansworth, > Hertfordshire WD3 9YS > > Reading services off the M4 highway > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reading_services > http://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/Reading > > Membury Services off the M4 highway > http://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/Membury > > Leigh Delamere services off the M4 highway > http://motorwayservicesonline.co.uk/Leigh_Delamere > > Then plugging those stops into Google maps gives a route map: > http://goo.gl/maps/uLE2A > > > Martin's trip gives a 'Real iMiev/Ion' L3 charging experience. Compare > it to the media's > http://electric-vehicle-discussion-list.413529.n4.nabble.com/EVLN-Llewellyn-s-L3-EV-trip-from-London-to-Edinburgh-in-just-10-hrs-tp4667612.html > EVLN: Llewellyn's L3 EV trip from London to Edinburgh in just 10 hrs > > > > {brucedp.150m.com} > > > > > > - > On Fri, Jan 24, 2014, at 03:22 PM, Martin Winlow wrote: >> So, I was on a trip W/bound on the M25/M4 today and had Chademo'ed 40 >> miles after leaving home with a full charge to 80% at Nissans HQ at Maple >> Cross, no issues. > >> Got to Reading Services and had to get round to the E/b >> side as W/b Chademo was U/s, got the manager out to kindly open the >> access barrier, connected as usual to ecotricity's Chademo and got a >> ground fault error. Tried again, same thing. 5 miles remaining. What to >> do? > >> Managed to get thru to ecotricity's help line who suggested going to >> Nissan in Reading but the post code (correct) takes you to the wrong >> place and twice round a busy dual carriageway before finding it (bear >> right at the BP and it's next to Audi). They were helpful and let me >> charge BUT despite it starting up ok, it kicked me out with a 'can >> receiving error'. Tried the button to resume and it did but kept on >> giving the same error after 10-30 seconds of charging. > >> Thinking I'm well >> stuck now with no miles at all, I spoke to the management again who >> said it was working fine for their Leaf, that morning. So tried ringing >> Peugeot who could only offer the AA. > >> Went back to the charger and tried >> again and it charged for about one minute and then gave same error. >> Noticed that each time i did this the car was charging a percent or two. >> By the time AA turned up (saying they thought it was a flat ICE battery >> and therefore no help at all) I was at 50% having been at Nissan for an >> hour. >> >> Then, after another few resets it continued without error. Believe this >> is due to the much lower current being drawn by now (50A compared with >> 120A when empty). So AA cleared off, I continued charging normally to 80% >> and then again to 85%, then drove on to Membury Services. Charged >> perfectly normally on the Chademo there. By now raining significantly. >> >> Off to Leigh Delamere services. Guess what, again after initially >> starting to charge, the ecotricity chademo kicked me out again with a >> ground fault error again. > >> By now it was raining quite hard. Ecotricity >> help line not answering anymore. Gave up trying to get where I was >> going, another 60 miles, and decided to divert to sister - 15 miles away >> but only 10 miles range! >> >> Managed to get to other side of services (nightmare) and, would you Adam >> and Eve it, Chademo works perfectly normally. Quick 10 mins fast >> charging and off to sisters in time for dinner. >> >> So, convinced problem is not with car as surely it would either charge >> normally or not at all (?) but equally convinced chargers should have a >> canopy to keep rain out of 300+V, 120A connections and that they should >> get fixed quicker! >> >> Not very impressed and realistically unlikely to trust ecotricity fast >> charge network again for a long time. >> >> Anyone else had any similar experiences? > - > > -- > http://www.fastmail.fm - mmm... Fastmail... > > _______________________________________________ > UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub > http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org > For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA > (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA) > _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org For EV drag racing discussion, please use NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
