More Electric Cars, Not Charging Technology, Key To Mass Adoption Page 2
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Tesla Supercharger fast-charging system for electric cars
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German automakers and their U.S. counterparts are working on closely related (although not identical) fast-charging standards that build on the J-1772 coupler. The U.S. version of that standard is known as the "SAE Combo" connector, but the first cars to use it--let alone any fast-charging stations for it--will not hit the market until 2013 or 2014.
While this standards war is consuming the electric auto industry, the average car buyer has more pressing concerns.
How fast? How far? How much?
The answer to those questions isn’t found in the charger plug.
“Unless the industry zips up and starts getting serious about making electric vehicles, all the chargers in the world won’t give drivers a happy ending,” Sexton concludes.
What do you think? Leave your thoughts in the Comments below.
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Anyway, I blame John Voelcker for this mess after he called the SAE Combo connector a monstrosity. Dude, a SAE standard is preferable to the current mess.
Seriously, while a fast-charging standard is surely preferable to none, many Leaf + i-MiEV owners would say we already HAVE one, already installed + working: CHAdeMO.
SAE Combo backers offer many important long-term technical limitations in the CHAdeMO standard. I can't assess those.
But there is also a strong belief--with some justification, perhaps--that U.S. + German makers felt they could eliminate fast-charging as a competitive advantage for Japanese makers by allying to create a different, incompatible standard that would block global CHAdeMO use.
In the old days, we'd have called that FUD.
However... SAE combo offers one single connection with backward compatibility to J1772. That is what I call a winner and I hope it goes that way.
How is that a "fast" charger?
Even the theoretically fastest Chademo at around 60 kW is still nearly two hours to charge the big Model S pack
Chademo is only fast for a tiny little Leaf pack or similar.
Are you all not capable of math? Or not capable of seeing past the needs of your personal car to the needs of others or the future?
The reason few DCFC have been dialed down, sadly, is only to not trigger "demand charges" levied by some utilities. It's a financial decision, not a technological limitation.
Tesla's standard is faster and a more turnkey solution. Low cost, environmentally sound.
We can pillory Elon Musk for going his own way, but look at the results from the current charging standard: they clearly DO NOT inspire any confidence in the buying public.
Range anxiety (whether based in reality or in drivers' minds) is a fact of life and usually the first objection from a car buyer.
Unless electric cars are BETTER than ICE, then the shift will be glacial.
The Supercharger allows you to put 150 miles on your battery in 30 minutes. For free. Show me how SAE is better.
There is no such thing as fast Level 2 charging with a J-1772 connector. Tesla Motors is continually raising the bar by demonstrating what is possible with EV transportation. The existing public charging infrastructure is primarily 240V, 30A. This will give an EV driver 18miles of range per hour charged. This will never support mass adoption of EVs. Both Tesla & the gen. public know this. The only places those chargers really benefit drivers are places where the driver will spend a minimum of several hours (home/work/airports). Tesla's supercharger is welcome
The public will never accept an EV that takes hours to charge, people "perceive" a need to "fill up" quickly, while it may not always be needed, people buy products on what they perceive they need, not what they actually need.
The SuperCharger network was an absolutely brilliant move on Teslas part, 30 minute charging for 150 mies of range, and, it's free for life, and many will be powered by solar energy (taking care of another objection. "It's powered by dirty coal")
SAE wasn't defined at the time of the Model S's design, and it's rather unwieldy to handle, Teslas solution is much easier to use, and it's a single connector or both L2 up to 80A AC (62 MPH/hour of charge), or DCFC.
IMO the plug(s) used by the majority of vehicles on the road will set the standard. We don't see many paddle charges today as manufactures stopped using the form factor. The great thing about electricity, is it can be converted efficiently, so we are more likely to adapt. (via connectors/boxes).
With large network of J1772 chargers in existence, Tesla offers a J1772 adapter. How long before someone creates an adaptor to plug a J1772 into Tesla's free high power solar super chargers? (Does Tesla require a key-fob to access?)
Now, when will manufactures offer more EV models outside of California?
- The existing J1772 connector (not even Combo) is also rated up to 80A@240V = 19.2kW. Tesla drove this into the J1772 standard, but then didn't leverage it.
- Perhaps, the unique Tesla supercharger network is a brilliant strategy in another way. Tesla has J1772 adapters to their connector so they can use any public J1772 EVSE ..plus with their with unique connector, no one else besides Tesla drivers can use the Tesla Supercharger network. Tesla owners will not have to fight with any other PEV drivers for time slots on the Supercharger network but yet they can use everyone elses charging charging station.
As others have pointed out, most charging will be done at home. Longer trips (5% or less) will require supercharging. That's less than 50,000 trip needing supercharging. With each Supercharger having 4-8 chargers(expandable), there's just no need for gas station-like coverage.
CHAdeMO stations are actually battery chargers (unlike a j1772) that deliver directly what your battery needs to the battery. This lets the 400lbs box of power electronics to make a 50kW charger sit off-board the vehicle where it belongs rather than inside.
With an internal charger - and the Zoe can take up to 43kW fast charging - you can plug into almost any power source anywhere and it will use it appropriately to charge as fast as it can.
The little kids near a charging station stick their tongue into the connector? Nothing happens if it is J1772. Your solution? Dead kids.
You want millions of people to have have to remember to set the car to 12 amps when they plug into a home outlet and then 50 amps at an RV park?
It does not work. You get lots of tripped breakers (no charge at all) and lots of cars charging much more slowly than expected.
Might do nothing for you, but for Fred and Ethel and their little Johnny, it is necessary.
Chargiung at 3,3 kW responds to the needs of 99% of the users (drive at day time, charge at night time).
6,6 kW is nice, but for almost all unnecessary.
Anything above that is guilding the lily.
BEV's are short-distance means of transportation.
If you put >80 kWh into a car, you cater to the 1% who want, but do not need. And you need different technology. With a nuclear power plant nearby?.
Trucks also need higher output pumps than cars....
Everybody, and that certainly includes GM, Nissan, Renault, Daimler, the startups and the OEM's to follow will built what the market will take.
We are starting a paradigm change, that takes time. It will really work when everything else hurts
When you have the answer to that, you'll understand why FAST charging is a necessity.
AND
i can tell you, Fast charging is a game changer. i may not be able to drive across the country conveniently in my LEAF but the ability to drive from one end of Puget Sound to the other on electric is AWESOME!
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