MAY 2018
MAGAZINE ISSUE 1
ELECTRIC VEHICLES
> FLEET
> CHARGING
> BUSINESS
> I N N O VAT I O N
REDEFINING THE FUTURE OF MOTORING
INSIDE THIS ISSUE:
04
06
12
EV LAMPPOST CHARGING
Q&A FROM AWARDWINNING JOURNALIST QUENTIN WILSON
NEW NISSAN LEAF DRIVEN
02 Contents
Image | Alfen Load Balanced demand managed charging system install at Garage-Bewerkt
03
04
05
EDITOR’S LETTER
ON STREET LAMPPOST FOR EV CHARGING?
JUST CHARGE ON A 3-PIN PLUG?
06-07
08
10
Q&A WITH QUENTIN WILSON
RANGE ANXIETY? WAKE UP!
EV MISCONCEPTION
11
12-13
14-15
16
HOW FAR HAVE WE COME?
NISSAN LEAF REVIEW
IMI CASE STUDY
HOME CHARGE
03 Guest Editor Dan Martin Commercial Director Elmtronics
TAKE A LOOK AROUND YOU… WHAT DO YOU SEE? From your smart Electric TV - to your Alexa intelligent personal assistant, the way we live and relish the luxuries around us is changing and changing fast. The electric car market is growing at a rapid rate with an estimated 60,000 electric vehicles due to be on the road by the end of 2018.
Becoming fully electric will change the way we drive forever, charging the vehicle each night and then topping up at work when necessary rather than queuing each week at your local petrol station. With over 13,000 public charging points across the UK there’s no excuse not to change. And, let’s not mention paying well over the odd for fuel these days, compared to petrol or diesel, electricity is cheap. Electric cars have only three main components meaning there are a lot less things that can go wrong, less parts to be maintained, means saving money! So, yes, the way we drive will change and for the better, not only will you financially benefit, but pure electric cars have no emissions which help contribute to improving our air quality, particularly in urban areas and at the roadside where air quality can be at its worse. With the industry changing at such a rapid growth, the need to share more information has become fundamentally important, which is the reason we decided the launch the ‘Hubsta’ magazine. We will take you through industry updates, Q&A from industry specialists, new electric vehicle reviews, misconceptions and some interesting news stories along the way.
We hope you enjoy the magazine and the topics we have covered, if you would like to feature in this magazine or have any suggestions we would love to hear from you. Email us at info@hubsta.co.uk
04 Charging aficionado, David Room’s take on lamppost charging.
ON STREET LAMPPOST FOR EV CHARGING? Across the 22 million plus residential properties of the UK, nearly 30% of the housing is classified as either small or medium/ large terraced housing. This would suggest that a potential 6.6m homes in the UK, do not have off street parking For residents of these homes moving away from fossil fuelled car to full electric or gaining the full pollution reduction benefits of a hybrid in most cases will require careful forethought and planning.
Practicalities installing a ‘Charging Socket’ in existing lamppost standards. The Lamppost Lampposts are controlled by a small standalone feeder pillar set in the pavement which houses the Electricity Suppliers incomer. This consists of power companies connection point, their fuse and cut out. One or more fuses for the lamp standards may be contained within it. These lampposts may need to be replace to accommodate additional equipment to house a charging socket.
Electricity meter
When drives and garages are not available, drivers have to rely on public infrastructure using ‘onstreet’ chargers. Local authorities are hesitant to undertake large scale on street charging projects due to the costs of installing these floor mounted units.
In many installations to save money, authorities and power suppliers agree a block price for the cost. Electricity supplied for charging points fall outside the scope of these agreements due to load and unpredictable use, there may be some instances were a local agreement is in place.
One method of tackling this, is lamppost charging in which a charging unit is retro fitted to an existing lamppost.
Earth requirements
Read more www.elmtronics.co.uk
Some authorities for street lighting, depending on application allow what is called PME (protective multiple earthing). This is when the earth wire and neutral have been bonded together at the feed pillar and several earth electrodes are bonded to the neutral wire upstream.
In other instances what is called a TT (Terra-Terra) earth is installed. The electricity supply is connected to an independent earth electrode located near the charge point or feeder pillar. Charge points, by code (BS7671 regulation 722.411.4.201 if load exceeds 2 kW) must be connected to a TT earth system. In addition, equipotential earth bonding must be taken into account. What this means, if there is any metallic street furniture e.g. bollard, sign, litter bin etc. which can be touched at the same time as a plugged-in car or the charge point; then each object must have its own earth bonding wire connected to the TT earth system. The logic behind this is, should a fault occur causing the charge point or car to become energised, it grounds via the earth system and not via the body of anyone who is touching the equipment.
Advantages • Enables EV drivers • • •
with no off-street parking to charge up Relatively low cost charging solution Can be connected to a charging network or metered directly through a dedicated lead Simple and quick to install
Disadvantages • Maximum of a 10A charge, a relatively •
slow charging solution In the UK a great number of lamppost are street side and can’t be utilised for charging
05
JUST CHARGE ON A 3-PIN PLUG? In 2004, the Indian built Reva or as it was known in the UK, the G-Wiz, laid the foundation for the modern electric car. The vehicles had eight 6V batteries connected in series giving a typical car 50-mile downhill range and a top speed of around 40/50 MPH. The initial batteries being lead acid (8.8 kWh) could only be charged slowly by a fairly basic on-board charger (approximately 1 kWh in capacity) and take eight hours to fully charge. As the charging load was very low, it made common sense to use domestic (13 A) plug sockets and this in turn was reflected in the public charging infrastructure. With the advent of lithium ion batteries with their higher energy density, larger capacity and ability to be charged at a higher rate than lead acid, a more robust charging solution had to be found.
The result was “Mode 3” charging (EN61851-1) with control and safety measures included. To work with the then public infrastructure and home charging, cars were initially supplied with what euphonically known as “magic cables” in that they had a dedicated EV connector at one end and a 3-pin plug at the other. In the middle was a control box which communicated with the car giving a level of protection and limited the power delivered to 10 A (2.4 kWh). This is close to the maximum power a 3-pin plug can handle. The socket in the garage could be an unknown and at worst be simple spur from another circuit, thus leading to potential overloads. In addition, the power delivered to charge an electric car is in excess for the majority of extension leads, causing the latter to heat up and potentially cause a fire. As the majority of cars are now supplied as standard with true mode 3 cables and the end to end safety measures this provides. Should you have a “magic cable” with a 3-pin plug, at least one car manufacture is now saying it should only be used for emergencies.
06 Q&A
AWARD-WINNING M O T O R I N G J O U R N A L I S T, A U T H O R , T V PRESENTER AND CAMPAIGNER QUENTIN WILSON IS AN AWARD-WINNING MOTORING JOURNALIST AND PRESENTER OF THE CLASSIC CAR SHOW. HE FRONTED TOP GEAR FOR A DECADE AND WRITES FOR NUMEROUS NATIONAL PUBLICATIONS, WHILE CAMPAIGNING TIRELESSLY ON B E H A L F O F B R I TA I N ’ S M OTO R I S T S .
07 Quentin took time out to answer some EV related question for Elmtronics after having his new Charger installed by them.
Q. Do you believe EV will keep evolving in the market place? A. EVs will carry on improving. Every car maker is now taking electrifications very seriously and spending bundles on R&D. We’ve passed the point where these were just ‘compliance cars’ - to reduce the CO2 of car maker’s model ranges - and they’re now seeing EVs and PHEVs as a growing market in its own right. Just look at the new Tesla Roadster. The range and performance are twice the numbers of the original first-gen Roadster. Q. Have you seen a cost benefit on changing to Nissan Leaf? A. I’ve been running EVs for seven years, so I know what the cost benefits are. I reckon my 24kw Leaf saves me around £2,000 in fuel, maintenance and VED over a year so the savings are very solid. Q. Why have you chosen Elmtronics as an installer for you EV charger? A. I chose Elmtronics because they don’t muck about. They were quick, efficient, well-priced and (here’s the important bit) I was able to speak to someone on the ‘phone rather than do it all online like some charger providers do. I didn’t want online chat but expert verbal advice on where to mount the wall unit, length of cable, charge times, costs and suitability. Elmtronics were brilliant.
Q. What do you think needs to happen to drive further demand for EV’s? A. EV demand needs to be encouraged by public trust drive events and greater accessibility for mainstream consumers. But the most important driver towards mass electrification will be longer battery ranges. The 100 to 150 mile average at the moment isn’t really enough for consumers to consider them as their main car. Once we get the Lithium Ion battery on affordable EVs to average 250 miles to one charge, plus a bigger rapid charging infrastructure, we’ll see greater take up. Q. How do you see the market developing over the next few years? A. Over the next few years we’ll see Mercedes, JLR, Honda, Ford and GM roll out their own EVs and battery development will improve with things like Lithium Sulpher and possibly Graphene as a new battery material. Hopefully we’ll see ranges on PHEVs improve as they only average around 30 to 40 miles on battery alone. We will also see the arrival of ‘charging hubs’ rather than individual on-street chargers, where as many as 20 EVs can charge at any one time. They’re unlikely to be at conventional fuel stations because there isn’t the forecourt space, so we’ll see them as standalone EV centres in prime site locations. These will be a major, and high visibility, reassurance to consumers that a 21st century EV charging infrastructure is being developed.
‘Educating consumers is a major part of driving the future forward.’
Q. Is technology improving fast enough to give end user confidence in EVs? A. The pace of technology isn’t fast enough, and politicians are overpromising. Few MPs or Ministers I’ve met have driven an EV for longer than a few miles and they really need to understand the realities of living with and charging up an EV on a daily basis. Expecting consumers to suddenly give up their petrol and diesel cars and switch to battery only EVs while ranges are so limited is causing confusion and market instability. Managing consumer expectations is very important and if we disappoint mainstream EV buyers by over-hyping EVs we’ll set the whole transport revolution back. This needs to be carefully managed. Q. Could the government do more to help the industry? A. The government is doing (and has done) a lot to support the UK EV industry but the most important thing is to roll out a huge charging network that helps reduce range anxiety. The more charging hubs we have and the less distance between them means that anxious fear of running out of charge will be reduced. But we need this network to be country-wide and the final bill will be measured in many billions. I’m not quite sure Westminster understand just how expensive all that infrastructure will be. The private sector is the key to all this and there are lots of companies working on EV Hubs now. Q. Do you think more education will improve consumers’ confidence in EV? A. Educating consumers is a major part of driving the future forward. This can’t be done with print or TV ads we need them to actually drive EVs and experience the ’transformational moment’. In the spring I’ll be hosting a major test drive event across the UK but we need EV test drives available in supermarkets, shopping centres and in as many public spaces as possible. The more test drives we have - the more conversions we get. Consumers won’t do this at dealers they want to do it somewhere neutral and convenient.
08 Editorial by Richard Shrubb Writer and social media professional Skype: Shrubberz1 Web: www.richardshrubb.com
RANGE ANXIETY? WAKE UP! IF YOU BELIEVE WHAT ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) HATERS SAY IN THE MEDIA, THERE’S NO POINT IN HAVING AN EV AS IT JUST HASN’T THE RANGE. WHAT RUBBISH! Commuting The average distance a UK commuter will
Here’s five EVs on the market today that will do your 120 miles weekly without needing to be recharged: 1. The 2018 BMW i3S has a real-world range of 125 miles 2. The Renault Zoe with a 41kWh battery has a 180 mile range 3. The pure electric Hyundai Ioniq has a claimed range of 170 miles 4. The 40kWh Nissan Leaf will get you 235 miles 5. And the 7-seater Nissan eNV200 Combi with the 40kWh battery will get you around 125 miles
drive every day to work and back is 24 miles. That means for most people every EV on the £18,000-£30,000 price range has more than enough juice to only be charged once a week. Yes - once a week!
Other uses That myth busted, let’s look at some of the other things you’ll do with your car. The average distance a UK driver goes for every purpose throughout the year is 7500 miles. That’s 144 miles a week including commuting, shopping, getting the kids to school and perhaps the odd night out. If you are an average person doing average things in an average life you will only have to charge your BMW i3S and the eNV200 once a week, while in theory at least you’ll still not have to charge any of the other cars up until the weekend.
Bigger trips Not everyone is average! Most people have in-laws and friends who live a few miles away and will have to do a run of more than 100 miles. I do a 350-mile round trip to Luton roughly once every two months and will see my wife’s family (120 mile round trip) or my mother (240 miles) every month. Many charging stations around the UK (such as the Elmtronics network) will give you a fast top up in around 40 minutes. I have a two year old daughter who will raise hellfire if we don’t stop around once in 90 minutes for around half an hour. If you’re like me, just plug the car in while refuelling the midget in the back - is that such a hardship?!
MAKE THE SWITCH
£8,000 *
TOWARDS THE PURCHASE OF A NEW EV80*
GRANT SCHEME
To find out more about the benefits of owning an ultra low emission vehicle, including the UK Government’s Plug-in Car and Van Grant and funding for chargepoints, visit www.GoUltraLow.com
visit myldv.co.uk OFFICE FOR LOW EMISSION VEHICLES PLUG-IN VAN GRANT APPROVED *T&C’s Apply refer to www.myldv.co.uk
10
EV MISCONCEPTION What is a battery EV? A battery electric vehicle (BEV) is a vehicle that uses an electric motor to convert chemical energy stored in rechargeable batteries into forward or reverse motion. Pure BEVs have no on-board internal combustion engine.
What is a plug-in-Hybrid? A plug-in hybrid electric vehicle (PHEV) is like a conventional hybrid in that it retains a petrol or diesel engine. However larger battery size increases electric-only range, while the biggest difference is the ability to charge via mains electricity.
It is different to drive an electric vehicle. Driving an electric car certainly feels different the first-time round. Most notably an electric car is almost silent (except for wind and road noise). Apart from that electric vehicles are like most automatic petrol or diesel equivalents. One noticeable difference is that the torque (driving force) is much higher than conventional vehicles at lower speed, which means EVs can accelerate fast from standstill.
Electric vehicles don’t have good battery range.
Electric vehicles are horrible to drive in the snow.
A 30kW Pure Electric Nissan Leaf can carry 155 miles worth of charge. This means you can travel 155 miles before needing to recharge. For example, you can travel from London to Sheffield without needing to recharge till you are in Sheffield. The battery is a 150kw for a full charge on a 22kw fast charger this would take 6hours and 40minutes. While travelling for long distances you can also stop at motorway services and find a rapid charger which will charge the leaf in approximately 15minutes from the battery being flat.
Driving an electric vehicle in the snow is no different if not better than a combustion engine car. Other EV drivers have said that they placed the car in eco mode so that they could drive slow and smooth and stops spinning of the wheels. EV drivers also said that with snow tires they could see no difference to combustion engine cars.
You can’t start an electric car on a cold morning. Starting an electric car in the cold weather is easier than starting a combustion engine car. This is because EVs use electricity from the grid to warm and condition the battery while charging overnight.
Is there a priority at charging stations? No one has priority although out of courtesy Hybrids should give priority to pure electric cars. This is due to that hybrids have petrol to fall ack on whereas pure electric does not and might be stranded until they can charge their battery. Although you should never unplug someone else’s vehicle from charging. If you are aware that a car has been charging for a long time and you need to charge you should ask a member of staff to make an announcement to find the owner and ask them if they would mind moving.
11
HOW FAR HAVE WE COME? 2017 was a record year for electric and plug-in car registrations! Best-ever year for 100% electric and plug-in hybrid vehicle registrations, up 27% year on year with sixth consecutive annual rise Across the country, several regions stood out with London (9,274) and Eastern England (8,685) registering the most electric vehicles (EVs), a rise of 42% and 21% respectively on 2016. Meanwhile, the South West and Scotland grew the fastest, boosting plug-in uptake by 140% and 70% respectively against the previous year. The demand for 100% electric cars, such as the UK’s best seller – the Nissan LEAF, continued to grow with the sector’s registrations increasing by around a third, to top 13,000. Meanwhile, plug-in hybrid cars like the popular BMW 330e, VW Golf GTE, and Hyundai IONIQ, delivered the highest volume of registrations with more than 33,000 arriving on UK roads, an increase of a quarter versus 2016.
2018 EV registrations could reach 60,000 Greater choice of models and growing consumer appetite for ultra-low emission cars means that 2018 looks set to be another record-breaking year. If similar growth continues, 60,000 vehicles* could be registered during 2018 taking the total number of plug-in cars on our roads to more than 190,000.
Top five UK regions Plug-in car total registrations 2017 vs 2016 *If the market continues to grow at the current rate of 27% by 2018 the market would achieve more than 59,000 registrations – meaning the 60,000 registrations could be achieved by the end of 2018!
Landmark year as total number of plug-in cars on UK roads passes 130,000, with numbers set to grow further in 2018 fuelled by expanding model choice There are already more than 130,000 electric vehicles on UK roads, a figure that could pass 190,000 this year as new models come to market and consumers reap the cost saving benefits of electric driving.
Smart driving. Eco-Friendly.
12 Review by Victoria Lewis Washington, Tyne and Wear.
So, after arranging the Nissan LEAF for the day with the local Nissan dealership - Lookers Gateshead, Peter Waugh and his team were more than happy to help. I was greeted a lovely gentleman at the dealership ‘Adrian Lees’, who arranged the insurance paperwork and then for me to be shown the car and all its features.
NISSAN LEAF The new version of the world’s best-selling electric car gains a bigger battery and more power…So how does this feel to Drive? Not only am I test driving the world’s bestselling electric car, I’m also experiencing driving an electric car for the first time!
First in the car - I was a little sceptical after hearing about the new ‘ePedal’ surely you can’t drive from just using ONE pedal! How wrong I was, but not only that I loved it! It does take a short while to get used to and putting your trust in the car that it will actually brake in time but once you’ve got it, it becomes second nature. The new ‘ePedal’ system means you get a strong regenerative braking, just by lifting off the accelerator. It means you can avoid the brake pedal most of the time. It’s a surprisingly relaxing and simple way to drive - a smooth and silent journey! This does not take away what the LEAF can still achieve, you still have the power, if not more, at reaching your achieved speed and then once achieved, still has enough acceleration when moving onto the motorway.
‘I was a little sceptical after hearing about the new ‘ePedal’ surely you can’t drive from just using ONE pedal! How wrong I was...’
The downsides of the LEAF (and this is really looking for them) The steering column doesn’t telescope, so you might find it too close or distant unless you recline the seat in a way you aren’t used to. But once you obtain a comfortable position in your seat, this doesn’t become an issue, you set of driving in ease! The interior is very pleasing plus easy to navigate around and everything at your fingertips what’s not to love! The main downside for me personall,y was having to give this car back….and really realising how quiet my journey had been after driving my Mini Cooper for a few minutes!!!! I would urge anyone that hasn’t had the chance to test drive this car to do so and more importantly, if you’ve never driven an electric car…what are you waiting for? Change the way you drive…you’ll be very surprised!
14
IMI
INSTITUTE OF THE MOTOR INDUSTRY Project Brief IMI is the professional association for individuals working in the retail motor industry and the authoritative voice of the sector. IMI is transforming the automotive industry by setting, upholding and promoting professional standards.
Elmtronics - Scope of Work
Customer Overview
Elmtronics worked with David to understand the needs of IMI, what the charging unit would be used for, how often these would be used, to provide the best solution for their business. Elmtronics went on to then provided the service with a full EV charging infrastructure report, this included smart and reliable equipment at a competitive price.
In your own words - how you thought the process went, were you satisfied with the job carried out - has this made a difference to IMI?
Once we knew the work was to take place, Elmtronics offered IMI a full turnkey installation, which included;
• • •
Full ground work Electrical installation Commissioning
All installation work was carried out by a qualified Electrician to BS7671 (2011) and IET Code of Practice Standards and completed within a few days. Prior to handover, Elmtronics engineers fully inspected the installation and an electrical certificate was issued, certifying the units were ready for operation. Upon handover, the customer was fully briefed and trained on the equipment and given training on their software portal, to create reports on usage and enable remote
“On contacting elmtronics I had instance phone call back arranging a time for a survey to be carried out. A friendly member of the team arrived on time on the day given. The survey wasn’t rushed and all my questions were answered as honestly as possible. The project had the go ahead and the installation team were on site, on time, every day, without fail. All safety measures were taken into account every day before work commenced. The project manager was on hand every day to oversee that I was happy with all undergoing work. I found that very reassuring. The chargers were activated and with one little issue the installation department were on scene and everything possible was done to rectify. Everyone at Elmtronics kept me informed 24hr a day to be honest. I’m so grateful for their service”. David Bignell IMI
Smart driving. Eco-Friendly.
15
THE REASON THAT THE IMI HAVE GONE ELECTRIC
“WE WANT TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE FUTURE IN REDUCING GREENHOUSE G A S E S ” . THE WAY FORWARD IS ELECTRIC CARS AND SLOWLY BUT S U R E LY MORE A N D MORE PEOPLE ARE INVESTING IN HYBRID CARS.
Say Hello to ‘EO Mini’ the new Home Charger for Elmtronics! The smallest fast charger on the market; designed and built specifically for charging-up at home.
The Elmtronics EO MINI is part of a group for Home Charging units that we supply and install, the EO MINI is our smallest basic socket - making this smaller in height and length than an Apple IPAD Mini! The EO MINI has a charging range from 3.7kW to 7.4kW. The E-MO appearance nicely blends into its surroundings. The unit can be mounted against all materials so no matter what type of housing you live in the EO MINI socket would be suitable. All versions of the charging station are very user-friendly, and the charging process is easily started by simply, plugging in. The Elmtronics EO MINI has been accredited by OLEV (Office for Low Emission Vehicles), meaning it is eligible for the Home Charge Grant. The home grant amount currently stands at 75% of the value of the charger (including installation), up to £500. The Elmtronics EO MINI units are designed for installation in both open air or protected environments. The product should be installed by a certified electrician and uses industry standard mechanical fittings and electrical connections. Elmtronics can, in some territories, provide a turn-key service for the installation and commissioning of charge points. Please note, to validate the product warranty, installation must be done in accordance with manufacturers charging guidance and all relevant legislation. You can have the new Elmtronics EO MINI supplied and installed into your home for as little as £199*.
If you would like any more information on this charge point or the range of charge points we use, please email us at info@elmtronics.co.uk *This price includes eligibility of the OLEV Grant.