Electric Tour! charging stops needed....can you help?

[Chris200]

Hi All.

I am going to attempt a journey from Portsmouth to Widecombe on the moor (Dartmoor) in December. Yes I know the weather is likely to be s**t I am looking for anyone along my route that might be able to offer me a stop to charge up. happy to pay or maybe make a donation to a charity of your choice. specifically I am looking for stops around:

Salisbury
Bruton
wellington/ taunton
Moreton hampstead

That said if your anywhere on the route and can spare a plug I would love to hear from you. Any advice re friendly pubs/cafes/bike shops would be greatly appreciated too.

here is a link to the route (komoot or outdoor active)

Westbourne to Karuna | bike ride | Komoot

Chris Harris planned an outdoor adventure with komoot! Distance: 299 km | Duration: 16:22 h

www.komoot.com

Westbourne to Karuna

www.outdooractive.com

Thanks All

 

[sjpt]

If you change your mind on routes and decide to deviate via Winchester send me a PM. Probably a prettier route, but hillier and further than the one you have planned. If so, look at the Handlebar Cafe just outside Winchester and the Bike Hub in the centre; or I'm sure we can spare a coffee or soup.

 

[Chris200]

If you change your mind on routes and decide to deviate via Winchester send me a PM. Probably a prettier route, but hillier and further than the one you have planned. If so, look at the Handlebar Cafe just outside Winchester and the Bike Hub in the centre; or I'm sure we can spare a coffee or soup.

Thanks!! i will bare that in mind. im always flexible with routes so i may well take you up on that

 

[The Silverfox]

Sorry, nowhere near your route but it brought to mind what a great addition to Komoot it would be to be able to find friendly recharging stops on a route. If you have an electric car you most likely use Zap-Map and that has the ability for individuals with charging points to put their details on there. It shows them on a map so if you desperately need a charge you can call them.

I think you will find many pubs and cafes won’t mind you charging while having a pint or coffee. I was on a cycling weekend with some friends recently and one had an electric bike that was running down quite rapidly. We stopped at a pub for lunch and they let him top up his battery while we were there so he got a couple of hours charge.

Hope you have a good trip.

 

[flecc]

Sorry, nowhere near your route but it brought to mind what a great addition to Komoot it would be to be able to find friendly recharging stops on a route. If you have an electric car you most likely use Zap-Map and that has the ability for individuals with charging points to put their details on there. It shows them on a map so if you desperately need a charge you can call them.

Two members back in 2012 started a scheme called Cyclecharge, basically recruiting pubs, cafes, restaurants etc into a network of places where e-bikers could charge while consuming. Some of us gave donations to help it succeed, but sadly it failed back then. It might have had a better chance now with far more pedelecs on the road.

There's a link mentioning it at the foot of this post and that whole thread is about the scheme.

It's not widely known but one can buy an adapter to charge an e-bike using it's charger from most e-car charging points. Of course from a security point of view not everywhere would be suitable and it means twiddling one's thumbs for a few hours while it charges.

Cyclecharge Link
.
Car charging point adapters
.

 

[The Silverfox]

Two members back in 2012 started a scheme called Cyclecharge, basically recruiting pubs, cafes, restaurants etc into a network of places where e-bikers could charge while consuming. Some of us gave donations to help it succeed, but sadly it failed back then. It might have had a better chance now with far more pedelecs on the road.

There's a link mentioning it at the foot of this post and that whole thread is about the scheme.

It's not widely known but one can buy an adapter to charge an e-bike using it's charger from most e-car charging points. Of course from a security point of view not everywhere would be suitable and it means twiddling one's thumbs for a few hours while it charges.

Cyclecharge Link
.
Car charging point adapters
.

That’s a shame it didn’t take off. As you say, probably a bit too early. I notice that the website is no longer there so I assume they have abandoned it.

I didn’t know about those charge point adapters. Interesting. Although as an electric car owner I would be pretty annoyed if I found a bike was taking up the charge point. It’s bad enough to when a non-electric car parks in a charging space (know as being ICEd). I wonder what it would be called if a bike was there - being Biked?

 

[flecc]

That’s a shame it didn’t take off. As you say, probably a bit too early. I notice that the website is no longer there so I assume they have abandoned it.

Yes, long ago. Lynda the co-founder went down with cancer during the first year which of course was also a huge setback.

I didn’t know about those charge point adapters. Interesting. Although as an electric car owner I would be pretty annoyed if I found a bike was taking up the charge point. It’s bad enough to when a non-electric car parks in a charging space (know as being ICEd). I wonder what it would be called if a bike was there - being Biked?

Also being an e-car owner I know what you mean. Could be worse if a group of e-bikers were using a multi socket strip and charging six e-bikes in the bay!

However the surplus of less popular slow and fast points is growing very fast now there's so many new rapid and ultra rapid points opening, so it's likely to be a reducing problem.

Fuel stations down to about 6000 in the UK now, charge points on Zap Map 26,000.
.

 

[matthewslack]

Chris,

Just go for it - you'll be fine. I have just started long journeys on a Ridgeback X2 pulling a Burley Nomad trailer, and I just stop for food and drink at any cafe / pub, ask if I can charge while I eat and no one has ever said no. I also have contacted places I wanted to visit enroute beforehand, like tourist attractions or well known stopping points (Falkirk Wheel visitor centre, Green Welly stop in Tyndrum etc.) and likewise, all have been very happy to help.

So far four big trips - 330 miles / 5 days (August), 405 miles / 5 days (October), 500 miles / 7 days (October/November) and 240 miles, 4 days (November).

Biggest tip, which you might have under control already, is that charging rate is the most important thing for touring and charging on the way, during the day. It matters more than the size of your battery. Two smaller batteries are more use than one big one because you can use two chargers.

On my first trip I had two batteries (basic 418Wh) but only the original 1.8A Shimano charger. Big mistake! I sat in Stornoway for over 5 hours one day... Second trip I bought an E8004 fast charger (4.6A), so I could plug in both batteries and get 6.4A. Now I have two E8004s, and charge at 9.2A! More than five times as fast, which means charging stops are only 20% as long. Makes all the difference in the short winter days - that 5 hours in Stornoway would now only be an hour.

Be interested to hear how you get on.