electromotive charging stations?

[subevo]

ive just found out that there is an electromotive charging station in glasgow.can anyone plug in or do you have to pay a membership fee.also can these stations be purchased and if so how much.

[timpootle]

Where did you see it, subevo? There are some listed on http://ev-network.memberlodge.org/ at the Braehead and St Enoch shopping centres. Is this them?

The Electrobay is a 13amp socket with vandal proof cover and some 'intelligent' user protection. I used one at the Potteries shopping centre in Stoke, but the Berlingo supply detection and the Electrobay user protection didn't play nicely together. What rate do you charge your Daewoo at?

Electromotive will be very happy to sell you an electrobay, but personally I think they are the wrong thing for personal use or a company with secure parking. They are very good as street furniture, weather- and vandal-proof, but overkill for normal use. Get a 16A or 32A industrial blue socket instead.

[MB]

Yes, the Elektrobay charging posts cost a fortune to buy for yourself. Tim is absolutely right, fit an external 16amp industrial commando-style socket instead.

[subevo]

yes i saw it listed on the web site you mention.i was just wondering if i could plug in for free or do i need to do something like register first.also ive got a zivan ng3 charger at 3kw.
i checked my electricity bill and im charged 11pence per kwh and it takes 4kwh to charge up from 50% discharge so 44pence to do 8miles one way. recharging at work for free just now .how come when i see electric cars advertised it says 2pence/mile.mines is 5.5pence/mile(one way).my weekly commute is 100miles so £5.50 (with free electricity on return leg).my previous suzuki swift cost £10 /week .my honda accord type r costs £16/week.if i had to pay for electricity at both ends then i would be £11/week which is dearer than the swift.or is there something wrong with my calculations or set up.

[subevo]

oops i made a boo boo! its costing me £2.25/week one way and £5.50 altogether if i had to pay at work(which i dont at the moment).thats better.

[timpootle]

yes i saw it listed on the web site you mention.i was just wondering if i could plug in for free or do i need to do something like register first.also ive got a zivan ng3 charger at 3kw.

3kw is 13A at 240v, so you may encounter the same problems Tim Strutt and I did with our Berlingos and the Electrobay. On the other hand, maybe the Zivan is just a dumb current draw, not doing the weird error checking that the Citroen does.

You should probably ring the shopping centre in advance to check what you need to do. The Electrobay is accessed with an RFID keyfob, which the people at the Potteries thought all EV owners were issued with at birth! They did however have some 'spare' keyfobs behind the customer services desk (right at the top of the shopping centre, as far away from the car park as it was possible to be) which they allowed me to use and return. I was their first customer, doing a press call for the opening, so they hadn't quite got the technique sorted then.

At the Potteries they see the charging bays as good publicity. Not only was I not charged money for charging up, but the parking fee was also being waived for people using the facility. Free parking in the city centre!

This will undoubtably change as EVs become the norm, but make the most of it while it lasts.