Ebike charging using Street EV chargers for electric cars

danielrlee

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Possibly:
Potentially the level could be so low the station will not recognise it as a "proper" charge, from being some sort of fault?
There's lots of examples of individuals using EV charging points to charge regular electric bike batteries and I've never encountered any evidence to suggest that this would be the case. Why do you consider this a possibility?
 

vfr400

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Jun 12, 2011
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Let's say it works. What's the difference in sitting in McDs for 5 hours while your battery charges or Asda. At least in McDs, you have your battery and charger with you. How are you going to stop someone nicking your charger or are you going to stand next to it for 5 hours?
 

danielrlee

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Let's say it works. What's the difference in sitting in McDs for 5 hours while your battery charges or Asda. At least in McDs, you have your battery and charger with you. How are you going to stop someone nicking your charger or are you going to stand next to it for 5 hours?
You're asking the wrong person. All my bikes use high C rate LiCo cells and allow charging at 3000W.
 

Ocsid

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Aug 2, 2017
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There's lots of examples of individuals using EV charging points to charge regular electric bike batteries and I've never encountered any evidence to suggest that this would be the case. Why do you consider this a possibility?
For the reason I said, that it is quite possible the designers of these EV charging points might well have implemented a provision to expect the characteristics of an EV?
Seeing otherwise, as a potential tampering attempt or another abnormally, but not as intend and go into a protection role.

This is certainly the case with LA smart chargers, [mine anyway], there if they don't see what they "ought" they don't supply.

From what you say then they have no such client or self-protection of that sort, to me very surprising.
 

Nealh

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Huh? Your charger will regulate the charge current just as it does when plugged in to any other 3-pin electrical socket.
I wasn't thinking straight when I answered, I was thinking direct plug in but that isn't possible. Bugger carrying a charger along with you, just easier to have enough wh to cover the ride period.
Using you own charger will have no faster charge rate then doing so at home.
 
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Edward Elizabeth

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Aug 10, 2020
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I wouldn't worry. There aren't enough rare earth metals to make sufficient batteries to replace every ICE car 1:1 with an electric one. The lions share of what there is available is situated on countries not terribly well disposed to the west mainly China. A trade war or even a real shooting conflic tpand suddenly over 2/3 of the Worlds supply stops dead.

Initially folk will hang on to their fossil fuel cars for dear life when this realisation sinks into the public consciousness, but evenually they'll gall by the wayside leaving electeic cars only, but not enougn to go around.

This scarcity will hit prices, which will make them less affordable for the average person.

Add these factors up and the bottom line is in 20 or 25 years time there will be far fewer cars of any type, and far more personal mobility in the form of bicycles and ebikes. The massive demand on the national grid from 30 million odd electeic automobiles is simply never going to happen.

Society needs to get it into its thick skull that the age of unfettered autombile use without consequences is drawing to an end, and the sooner they figure it out then the less painful that realisation will be socially, economically, strategically and personally.
 
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fl2021

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 21, 2021
7
2
I wasn't thinking straight when I answered, I was thinking direct plug in but that isn't possible. Bugger carrying a charger along with you, just easier to have enough wh to cover the ride period.
Using you own charger will have no faster charge rate then doing so at home.
Well I'd obviously be plugging the charger into the UK 3 pin, secondly the aim of extending my distance would be for bike packing/camping so I'd also be prepared for carrying the extra weight.

Where I plan to camp is only 23 miles away which is in range one way of a single charge (36v 10ah) however I need to get back, the Asda at 13 miles is one of the last stops before going up on into a mountainous national park which I'll also need a healthy amount of battery for.

Let's say it works. What's the difference in sitting in McDs for 5 hours while your battery charges or Asda. At least in McDs, you have your battery and charger with you. How are you going to stop someone nicking your charger or are you going to stand next to it for 5 hours?
It's rural so there's not a McD's near, there are a few pubs and restaurants scattered further that way but when things do open up there might still be a chance of them operating under strict covid restrictions particularly outdoor and takeaway service only so getting a charge from them might be harder.

As for long charge times I only should need around 2-3 hours to fill it up from 50%, while it might look a bit weird to passers by a could pop out a camping stool and watch Netflix on a tablet while it charges and it's at the back of the car park anyway.

It would be nice in general to know whether these BP Chargemaster 3kw stations with 3 pin sockets are a viable option for ebike charging, here's a map:

 

Ocsid

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Aug 2, 2017
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Has anyone contacted these providers, such as BP-pulse for their take on the use of these public EV charging stations for our ebikes?
_____________________________________________________

I presume the outlets, irrespective of the plug type are 230 VAC at 50 Hz, with possibly single and three phases. [With Tesla being a major EV player assuming the AC is to European standards, might be a questionable assumption?]
Are there adaptor plugs converting Type 2 & Type 1 to a single phase UK standard 13 amp socket, as our chargers generally feature?
 

danielrlee

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May 27, 2012
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Has anyone contacted these providers, such as BP-pulse for their take on the use of these public EV charging stations for our ebikes?
_____________________________________________________

I presume the outlets, irrespective of the plug type are 230 VAC at 50 Hz, with possibly single and three phases. [With Tesla being a major EV player assuming the AC is to European standards, might be a questionable assumption?]
Are there adaptor plugs converting Type 2 & Type 1 to a single phase UK standard 13 amp socket, as our chargers generally feature?
 
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Nealh

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For bike packing then carrying a charger isn't an issue really, I hadn't thought about that scenario.
 

fl2021

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 21, 2021
7
2
Since posting I've actually decided to go the solar charging route instead, bought a 120w folding solar panel and an MPPT boost controller which should enable me to be more off grid and have a more bike packing experience should weather allow.

Testing it earlier was giving me 60 watts of charging in some patchy cloud & sun conditions, solar panel weighs 3.5kg and folded should fit onto a pannier just fine.
 

WheezyRider

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Apr 20, 2020
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Since posting I've actually decided to go the solar charging route instead, bought a 120w folding solar panel and an MPPT boost controller which should enable me to be more off grid and have a more bike packing experience should weather allow.

Testing it earlier was giving me 60 watts of charging in some patchy cloud & sun conditions, solar panel weighs 3.5kg and folded should fit onto a pannier just fine.
Interesting, show some pics if you can.

Just have to hope for good weather when you go camping! On an overcast day, power output can drop to a tiny fraction of the panel's rated power.
 

Nealh

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A few years ago I came across a bike packer heading North on the Downs link and he had an array of folding solar panels charging his battery, he was also charging as he went with a smaller one. It all looked very heath to me and quite a faff compared to just plugging in to a socket somewhere, for me I think I would bite the bullet and simply ride with two smaller wh batteries. I guess it all boils down to distance one plans to cover in a day.
My max day ride is about 160k give or take.
 

fl2021

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 21, 2021
7
2
Interesting, show some pics if you can.

Just have to hope for good weather when you go camping! On an overcast day, power output can drop to a tiny fraction of the panel's rated power.
Can't show it charging atm as it's night time but here's the basic setup, panel cost £100 and solar charger (needed to boost voltage from 21.6v to 42v and maintain current to 2a) was around £32. Panel needs a pannier rack but not overly bulky or too much hassle.

Also while 50% of the rated PV power at 60 watts which I obtained earlier it would charge my 36v 10ah battery in only a few hours and only a little more time than an actual wall charger. Perfect summertime conditions could probably boost it close to the 84 watts that the wall charger does, doubt any folding panel does what's rated on the side and there's always going to be efficiency loss in the boost up.
 

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fl2021

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 21, 2021
7
2
Testing the solar panel again out today, despite it being quite sunny could only get around 30W out of it at 3pm, not the best angle for it as the panel needs to be directly pointed at the sun and I'm lacking a bike stand atm.

Had some weird looks from passersby and only did this for around 10 mins during my daily exercise, here's some more pics:
 

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Nealh

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The guy I met had a high level aerofoil type device on his bike ( a kin to the late 60's/ 70,s lotus's in F1 ), he would charge on the move as well but like your folding array had about 3 X that amount laid out in the sun.
 

fl2021

Finding my (electric) wheels
Feb 21, 2021
7
2
The guy I met had a high level aerofoil type device on his bike ( a kin to the late 60's/ 70,s lotus's in F1 ), he would charge on the move as well but like your folding array had about 3 X that amount laid out in the sun.
There's someone on youtube that has ridden to China purely on solar with massive panels on a trailer:


Not doing anything that ridiculous though, I've simply gone with a lightweight solution I can charge alongside a tent while camping. When packed up most people probably can't tell the difference from pannier bags. Not got anything hanging off the back while riding.
 
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Deleted member 33385

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There's someone on youtube that has ridden to China purely on solar with massive panels on a trailer:


Not doing anything that ridiculous though, I've simply gone with a lightweight solution I can charge alongside a tent while camping. When packed up most people probably can't tell the difference from pannier bags. Not got anything hanging off the back while riding.

That's amazing. Imagine if solar panels get more efficient! He recommends opening the motor and replacing the factory grease with another type of grease, to prevent the nylon gears from disintegrating - isn't nylon resistant to oil damage anyway?
 

Scorpio

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Apr 13, 2020
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Portugal Algarve (temporary)
Putting this here rather than start a new thread, a neat idea if you rent a "bike & battery" package, I'd not want to swap my new & well looked after battery for one with an unknown history.

Hot-swappabe battery exchange base station ?batteries.jpg