Public Charging

[BarrieB]

I have just put my paper work through for my new company leased car which will be a white GX3 (existing lease not up until may though ). I will be arranging the free charging point at home once the order gets placed as proof of order is required to get the fully funded point installed.

What I want to know is: All of the public fast charging points seem to be type 2 points but the Outlander only has a type1 connector. If the charging point is tethered then I can't use it? If its not tethered then I can use it providing I have a type1 to type2 cable?

If that's correct and you don't get one of these cables with the car then one will need to be bought?

Where is the cheapest place to buy one? I don't plan on using these very often but it would be nice to have the option but don't particularly want to spend £200 on a cable I will hardly use.

One last thing: Are the rapid charging points tethered using the chademo connection?

 

[BeeJay]

Hi, and welcome.

So, all of the Rapids have tethered CHadeMO connectors, just rock up and plug in, you will need a free card from EcoTricity to use the ones in Motorway services. My experience is that you will go from 0 miles (30%) to about 20-24 miles (80%) in about 18-22 mins.

All of the other public chargers you see listed are typically Type2 (7kW), but that is a socket, you need to bring your own Type2-Type1 cable.

Best place to buy these (no affiliation) is nuworldenergy - http://nuworldenergy.co.uk/shop/mitsubishi-outlander-phev.html.

You are right in that £200 is a lot for a cable you rarely use, and even if it is free to charge a full charge is only worth the equivalent of about £4.50 of petrol, so you have to look at how often you are going to use it.

The other option is to do what I did and go for a 32A Untethered type 2 socket charger at home. That allows you some future-proofing with respect to charging other cars in the future. Glad I did instead of the 16A Type1 tethered as my wife is now interested in a Leaf or Soul to replace her car at some point and will be able to charge both of those quite quickly off the 32A.

If you go untethered at home then you can buy the cable to plug in at home and then take it with you if you know you will be charging somewhere else.

Me, I'm lazy, I bought an 8m for home and have a 5m in the car as I charge publicly 2-3 times a week either at the office or in a car park...

Occasionally you will find some 3kW posts that use the standard 3 pin plug cable that comes with the car.

You will have to look at where you will be charging publicly and make sure you have the appropriate network cards - check out https://www.zap-map.com & http://openchargemap.org/site/ (They don't both have all sites on) to see who runs the charger where you are going...

You may then want to buy a small padlock to put through the button on the type1 (car) end of the cable to stop people fiddling with it - won't stop a determined thief, but will deter mindless idiots. Some loop the cable through the wheel spokes and then padlock it with a more substantial padlock.

Good luck.

 

[BarrieB]

Thanks for the info.

I wonder if when I request a charging point at home I could get an untethered point but get them to include a cable? Worth a try. They can only say no...

Is there any recommendations for companies to do the install? I had contacted Jorro and they seemed really helpful but has anyone else had any dealings with them?

BTW I'm in Scotland

 

[BeeJay]

You can try asking for one, but a refusal will probably be the answer. Either way it is worth it in the long run getting the 32A untethered point fitted.

I even got them to run 10mm2 armoured cable to it so I could upgrade to 2 points at that location in future if I wanted to... ;-)

Not sure on companies in Scotland, I used PhoenixWorks who are based in Leeds I think but travelled all the way down to me in Bucks to fit mine and were excellent - the 32A untethered point cost me nothing from them and the service was great.

Others on here may be able to help with other companies.

 

[maby]

Hi, and welcome.

...
You are right in that £200 is a lot for a cable you rarely use, and even if it is free to charge a full charge is only worth the equivalent of about £4.50 of petrol, so you have to look at how often you are going to use it.

....

Good luck.

More like £2.50 of petrol - possibly less - it's not too difficult to get 40 mpg from an Outlander and the rapid charge will only give you around 20 miles on EV - we are not up to £9 per gallon yet!

 

[BeeJay]

Hi, and welcome.

...
You are right in that £200 is a lot for a cable you rarely use, and even if it is free to charge a full charge is only worth the equivalent of about £4.50 of petrol, so you have to look at how often you are going to use it.

....

Good luck.

More like £2.50 of petrol - possibly less - it's not too difficult to get 40 mpg from an Outlander and the rapid charge will only give you around 20 miles on EV - we are not up to £9 per gallon yet!

I have a google spreadsheet for this that I run...

Assumptions made are - full charge is 9.5kWh, and a full charge gives you 30 miles, a rapid taking you from 30% to 80% gives you 5/7 of a full charge in terms of mileage.

If you are talking rapid charging, then at today's local to me price of £1.039/L and assuming 33 mpg (which is what I get on mixed motorway at 70 on ACC and A-Roads on "NORMAL" with the heater on but not aircon, I am not some kind of martyr) - it is the equivalent of about £3.07 at a rapid, or £4.29 for a full charge (on a 7kW post, which is what I was referring to above with respect to buying a cable to use at 7kW posts).

At 40 mpg that changes to £2.53 for rapid and £3.54 for full charge.

At the moment I am seeing about 25 miles from a full charge, so these figures then become:

33mpg = £2.56 rapid or £3.58 full
40mpg = £2.11 rapid or £2.95 full

SO - where does the £4.50 come from, well, this was me, finger in the air, predicting future oil prices.

at 40mpg to be £4.50 for a full charge of 30 miles you are only looking at a fuel price of £1.319/L, which we had quite recently!

But Maby, you are correct - more like £2.50 in current UK weather from a rapid if getting 40mpg out of ICE and fuel prices are roughly £1.08/L.

However, in the context of my response which was in respect to the economics of buying a Type2 to Type1 cable for use at public charging posts, £4.50 a charge equivalent saving is a fair guide in my opinion.

;-)

P.S. - if there was a way of me uploading files, I would share the spreadsheet with you to show working.

 

[maby]

...I have a google spreadsheet for this that I run...

Assumptions made are - full charge is 9.5kWh, and a full charge gives you 30 miles, a rapid taking you from 30% to 80% gives you 5/7 of a full charge in terms of mileage.

If you are talking rapid charging, then at today's local to me price of £1.039/L and assuming 33 mpg (which is what I get on mixed motorway at 70 on ACC and A-Roads on "NORMAL" with the heater on but not aircon, I am not some kind of martyr) - it is the equivalent of about £3.07 at a rapid, or £4.29 for a full charge (on a 7kW post, which is what I was referring to above with respect to buying a cable to use at 7kW posts).

At 40 mpg that changes to £2.53 for rapid and £3.54 for full charge.

At the moment I am seeing about 25 miles from a full charge, so these figures then become:

33mpg = £2.56 rapid or £3.58 full
40mpg = £2.11 rapid or £2.95 full

SO - where does the £4.50 come from, well, this was me, finger in the air, predicting future oil prices.

at 40mpg to be £4.50 for a full charge of 30 miles you are only looking at a fuel price of £1.319/L, which we had quite recently!

But Maby, you are correct - more like £2.50 in current UK weather from a rapid if getting 40mpg out of ICE and fuel prices are roughly £1.08/L.

However, in the context of my response which was in respect to the economics of buying a Type2 to Type1 cable for use at public charging posts, £4.50 a charge equivalent saving is a fair guide in my opinion.

;-)

P.S. - if there was a way of me uploading files, I would share the spreadsheet with you to show working.

Ah, but be careful that you are not comparing apples with oranges! It is certainly true that you don't get 40mpg at high motorway speeds, but you don't get 30 miles out of the battery either...

 

[BeeJay]

Ah, but be careful that you are not comparing apples with oranges! It is certainly true that you don't get 40mpg at high motorway speeds, but you don't get 30 miles out of the battery either...

Indeed, which is why you will see I gave figures for getting both 25 miles and 30 miles out of the battery in my examples.

The spreadsheet I built is very simple but allows you to play with all these, just wish I could upload it here somehow for you to play with.

 

[maby]

Ah, but be careful that you are not comparing apples with oranges! It is certainly true that you don't get 40mpg at high motorway speeds, but you don't get 30 miles out of the battery either...

Indeed, which is why you will see I gave figures for getting both 25 miles and 30 miles out of the battery in my examples.

The spreadsheet I built is very simple but allows you to play with all these, just wish I could upload it here somehow for you to play with.

I have my own spreadsheet - I did extensive mathematical modelling before buying the car to evaluate the total cost of ownership. It was the tax breaks that swung the decision.

 

[BarrieB]

I have just placed my order for the EV point at home and I have gone for an untethered point as I have added the Mitsubishi charging cable with the order (5m type 1 to type 2). When I queried what type of connection the point has they said "Untethered units arrive with a universal socket"?

What type of connection is this? I have emailed them back but have not received any reply yet.

 

[maby]

I have just placed my order for the EV point at home and I have gone for an untethered point as I have added the Mitsubishi charging cable with the order (5m type 1 to type 2). When I queried what type of connection the point has they said "Untethered units arrive with a universal socket"?

What type of connection is this? I have emailed them back but have not received any reply yet.

It will match the cable you've ordered

 

[BarrieB]

Good,

I was starting to get worried thinking it was going to have a type 1 socket.