Charging a EV on hire

[Big Ears]

We're up for the Highland games in Braemar.

We're parked up facing 2 two car chargers, been here since 3pm, loads of cars have turned up all on 24 plates so assuming all hire cars, all seemed to have US accents all appeared to be mid to late 20, after what looked like a lot of Googling all drove away not having a clue.

 

[Rolfe]

You're going to have to explain a bit more. What sort of chargers? DC or AC? What do you think the people who turned up wanted? Did they actually get charged or not? I feel like you've given me about 10% of the story.

 

[Big Ears]

Don't ask me mateybubble, I've not a blessed clue and why would I, I just observed and reported.

I don't do EVs I'm sure folk who own them might know what to do but none of this lot did, one did turn up just now, got out plugged in and went to the pub so o assume he owned the car, but I'd not see them as a potential rental to those who have no knowledge of them.

 

[Bam Bam]

I think we have an extreme clash of punctuation and storytelling styles here!

A lot of people didn't seem to know how to charge so they left again. Had new plates so assumed to be rental cars.

 

[Rolfe]

If they're in that position, they're going to be in a world of trouble before the day is out, I would imagine.

I wouldn't see EVs as potential rental cars for people who've never had an EV either. Hire companies get them because they're so cheap to run and maintain, and seem to hand them out to customers with no thought about how they'll manage. I even wonder about the driving part. I was handed a Kia Soul EV this morning as a courtesy car, and I know what I'm doing with EVs, and I was scratching around trying to figure out what a lot of the controls did. How would they know what to do about regenerative braking or OPD or how to read the range estimate, never mind the charging? It's nuts.

And as for charging! Do they know the difference between AC and DC charging and which they want at any given time? Do they know that both sorts come in different powers that their car may or may not be able to make best use of? Do they know about RFID cards and apps and how to get a car to start charging on various different makes of charger? Do they even know how to find the chargers? (Google will not cut it.) Do they know how to use a journey planner to pick the most efficient charging stops?

It's totally not fair, and it gives EVs a bad name. People who have had that sort of nightmare with a hire car will be understandably reluctant to go there again. In an unfamiliar area where I was

None of it is that hard, but there is a learning curve. When we learn to drive we learn the basics of the care and feeding of ICE cars as we do it. We hardly realise that we're learning. And we drive various different ICE cars and we have a feel for them and know what we're about. When you get an EV you need to set aside some time to learn. Watch YouTube videos and so on. You'll pick it up in a few days. But that's a lot different from being handed this thing and told, here you are, off you go.

By the way, if you "don't do EVs", why are you even here? The clue is in the name. MGEVs Community. We're a forum for people who have and/or like cars that plug in to electricity. People who show up declaring that the ICE is always best, no contest, or who poke fun at EV drivers, tend to rub other members up the wrong way, and sometimes that doesn't end well.

 

[Big Ears]

I think we have an extreme clash of punctuation and storytelling styles here!

A lot of people didn't seem to know how to charge so they left again. Had new plates so assumed to be rental cars.

Sounds right to me.

If they're in that position, they're going to be in a world of trouble before the day is out, I would imagine.

I wouldn't see EVs as potential rental cars for people who've never had an EV either. Hire companies get them because they're so cheap to run and maintain, and seem to hand them out to customers with no thought about how they'll manage. I even wonder about the driving part. I was handed a Kia Soul EV this morning as a courtesy car, and I know what I'm doing with EVs, and I was scratching around trying to figure out what a lot of the controls did. How would they know what to do about regenerative braking or OPD or how to read the range estimate, never mind the charging? It's nuts.

And as for charging! Do they know the difference between AC and DC charging and which they want at any given time? Do they know that both sorts come in different powers that their car may or may not be able to make best use of? Do they know about RFID cards and apps and how to get a car to start charging on various different makes of charger? Do they even know how to find the chargers? (Google will not cut it.) Do they know how to use a journey planner to pick the most efficient charging stops?

It's totally not fair, and it gives EVs a bad name. People who have had that sort of nightmare with a hire car will be understandably reluctant to go there again. In an unfamiliar area where I was

None of it is that hard, but there is a learning curve. When we learn to drive we learn the basics of the care and feeding of ICE cars as we do it. We hardly realise that we're learning. And we drive various different ICE cars and we have a feel for them and know what we're about. When you get an EV you need to set aside some time to learn. Watch YouTube videos and so on. You'll pick it up in a few days. But that's a lot different from being handed this thing and told, here you are, off you go.

By the way, if you "don't do EVs", why are you even here? The clue is in the name. MGEVs Community. We're a forum for people who have and/or like cars that plug in to electricity. People who show up declaring that the ICE is always best, no contest, or who poke fun at EV drivers, tend to rub other members up the wrong way, and sometimes that doesn't end well.

You seem to like putting words out that I have not said, and as a mod you should think twice about that, you keep saying this is an EV FORUM, WRONG AGAIN, it is also about and for hybrids which if you bothered to check is what quite few of us have, try being a bit more open minded.

I have never ever said I'm anti EV, I may have said they're not for me, one day they will be worth me looking again but not yet, each to their own mate, I'll not try to ram an ICE car onto anyone.

 

[Rolfe]

Forget about my being a mod. I'm not posting as a mod. I'm saying what I would say anyway.

I pointed out that the forum is for cars you can plug in to electricity. People with cars that run purely on fossil fuels aren't talking the same language. It's like going to a tennis club when you only play badminton. And then going on and on about how shuttlecocks are self-evidently best, and you don't know anything about how to score tennis anyway.

 

[Ian Key]

Get a room you two. ?

 

[Big Ears]

Forget about my being a mod. I'm not posting as a mod. I'm saying what I would say anyway.

I pointed out that the forum is for cars you can plug in to electricity. People with cars that run purely on fossil fuels aren't talking the same language. It's like going to a tennis club when you only play badminton. And then going on and on about how shuttlecocks are self-evidently best, and you don't know anything about how to score tennis anyway.

You clearly have no clue do you mate? I have a MG3 HYBRID + TROPHY.

As such I can and do have an opinion and like you, the right to express it so just have a bit of respect if you can manage it and for the umpteenth time I have not knocked EVs of any kind so please wind your neck in and do a search to prove I have or stop making out I have as it is tiresome, dishonest and all in your mind.

As for not posting as a Mod, if it says mod under your name then unlike you I am not a mind reader you are posting as a Mod with all that entails.

Get a room you two. ?

That'll be a very firm pass Ian.

Just thought this might be a bit relevant.

MG to focus on hybrids as ‘pendulum swings’ away from EVs Stuff

 

[Gadget Geek]

Just thought this might be a bit relevant.

MG to focus on hybrids as ‘pendulum swings’ away from EVs Stuff

Please try to be a bit more understanding. When you post a vague story with scant detail, people are going to ask for more detail. You have a hybrid, so what? That is your choice. Some people may not agree with your choice, but will respect it. Please respect other people's choice to own and drive an EV. Saying "I don't do EVs I'm sure folk who own them might know what to do but none of this lot did", gives the impression that you have a low opinion of EV owners.

Just an observation and no offence is intended.

 

[Rolfe]

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I used to join homoeopathy forums and explain to the homoeopathy community that their so-called remedies were nothing but water (or alcohol), had repeatedly been shown to have no physiological effect at all, and that evidence-based medicine was where it was at. The thing is, I didn't get all surprised and huffy when I got pushback.

 

[Big Ears]

Please try to be a bit more understanding. When you post a vague story with scant detail, people are going to ask for more detail. You have a hybrid, so what? That is your choice. Some people may not agree with your choice, but will respect it. Please respect other people's choice to own and drive an EV. Saying "I don't do EVs I'm sure folk who own them might know what to do but none of this lot did", gives the impression that you have a low opinion of EV owners.

Just an observation and no offence is intended.

None taken, I could only say what I had seen in the OP, further to that just now a 60 + chap turned up in a Zoe, no messing about plugged in and gone in 2 minutes.

My comments re I don't do EVs has nothing to do with liking them or not, I have explained several times that I have nowhere to plug one in at home and I'm not paying silly charger rates, the car I have suits us perfectly.

 

[tsedge]

MG3 Hybrid+ owners are part of our community, there are good reasons why MG doesn't make a small EV yet and good reasons to own one of these vasty improved products.

This seems like another storm in a teacup, maybe the two of you could consider not replying to each others posts or putting the other in your Ignore list? Would help the rest of us.

 

[Big Ears]

A long time ago in a galaxy far far away I used to join homoeopathy forums and explain to the homoeopathy community that their so-called remedies were nothing but water (or alcohol), had repeatedly been shown to have no physiological effect at all, and that evidence-based medicine was where it was at. The thing is, I didn't get all surprised and huffy when I got pushback.

You do post some very odd, unintelligible out of context off topic comments.

MG3 Hybrid+ owners are part of our community, there are good reasons why MG doesn't make a small EV yet and good reasons to own one of these vasty improved products.

This seems like another storm in a teacup, maybe the two of you could consider not replying to each others posts or putting the other in your Ignore list? Would help the rest of us.

The point is i should not be being told what I can post, or how I should post it, I wasn't asked for more info, I was lambasted for not giving info I did not have, Role is rude and confrontational at best, also if responding to any post just think that you're face to face and consider the consequences of what you say.

Also be honest and not accuse others of saying something they didn't

 

[Gadget Geek]

That's it, I'm done. Another one added to my ignore list.

 

[tsedge]

Like many of us here, I don't care about your argument per se, but I would prefer if you had it in private.

 

[Big Ears]

That's it, I'm done. Another one added to my ignore list.

Me too mate, I don't need such people in my life, don't bother replying Rolfe I won't see it.

Just to finish off as I've no idea what's what with full EVs, these are the chargers.

The nearer one appears to have three different plugs, the other doesn't seem to have any at all, but not looked closely, as I'm not an owner but with an engineering mind surely a bit of joined up thinking at least on plugs and sockets would have simplified ownership.

 

[siteguru]

The first one is a combined AC charger (left plug, probably 7kW) and DC charger (middle = CCS2, right = CHAdeMO for Nissan Leafs) ... DC probably being 50kW. The other one is a 7kW AC charger with 2 sockets into which you plug in your own Type 2 cable.

 

[tsedge]

You are right that it is complicated, as @siteguru says you are seeing the history of charger designs there.

It has since simplified - this looks like an older charger - CCS2 is the standard now for Rapid charging and Type 2 for Fast destination charging, so most of the time you are only dealing with one type of plug.

All new technologies initially have a plethora of possible interfaces, then standardisation happens and over time a winner emerges.

 

[Big Ears]

I'd have posted pics last night but it was too dark.

Early investors must have loved all the joined up thinking.


Still think a full EV is a bad idea for hire companies, self chargers on the other hand would be perfect for hire.