What power socket?

[lee kendall]

Hi, I haven't read all your forums but i am sure this may be elsewhere so apologies upfront if what I am to ask seems like a silly question.

I am a Transport Planning consultant who has been appointed to prepare a Travel Plan document for an office site in Reading. This Travel Plan is to fulfill the obligations of a Legal Agreement between the landholder and the Council. Despite my job, I have had no experience of electric vehicles before!

As part of this Agreement, the landholder has to install an electric car charging point at the site to encourage the use of electric vehicles.

My problem is, I don't know what to specify for the electric car charge point. In theory there are no problems, but what are the practical aspects; i.e. what kind of plug socket (is there a standard one?), what manufacturers make them, how many cars can be charged at once and is the industry standardised yet?

Is it really as simple as running a domestic plug socket outside and placing it in a secure box like a caravan park?

Any advice would be GREATLY appreciated!!
Lee

[Tim]

Hi Lee,

The BVS is currently preparing guidance on what is needed to make an EV charge point.

The draft guidance recommends us of a 16 Amp IP44 "Commando" connector like the blue ones that you find at caravan sites. They are illustrated at the EV Network. Lots of manufacturers make them.

You can charge one vehicle per socket, but I'd always recommend that they be done in pairs using a twin outlet at the junction between two adajcent parking spaces. It's only marginally more expensive than a single outlet, but you get double the result. The circuit needs to be adequately rated to allow each socket to draw the full rated current, unlike a house for example where you'd trip your house long before you managed to draw 13 Amps from everysocket.

Spaces should be reserved for EVs like disabled spaces are reserved.

Also if available to visitors to the offices they should be registered in the database so that visitors know that they are there.

Check the website and e-mail me if unclear - Tim at EV-Network.org.uk.

Tim

[lee kendall]

Thanks very much Tim,

I have used all the information you kindly provided in my report and I expect that in a few weeks / months time the new charging point will be in operation. I have also recommended that the facility be entered into the EV database.

Thanks again and regards,

Lee

[ChrisB]

As Tim says we are at this very moment producing a paper for this exact thing.

My recomendation would be to contact Rob our secretary who has been putting a lot of this together

http://www.batteryvehiclesociety.org.uk ... ofile&u=27

Hope that helps to

ChrisB

[timpootle]

Tim- you have said in six lines what we were trying to do in six pages! Excellent job, succinctly put.

[gwing]

Some success - My employer is now asking me what is required to install charging points in our new offices

PM sent to the sec. to see if we now have anything available to send.