March 14, 201115 yr Author Looks a lovely place. I havent found any problems with people agreeing to a quick charge whilst having lunch/coffee etc. The first place I asked was a farm cafe on the left halfway between bridport and abbetsbury, and although a bit startled when I asked, I assured them it used very little electric and they let me plug it in right next to our table ! I think a list of places, preferably with people better than me at remembering the name of the place would be a really good idea and free publicity for the businesses. Is there some way of organizing a list quite easily for members to add to on the forum ? When I first spoke to Hillers they were a bit bemused until I explained that it only needed a standard socket and consumed about the same power a a laptop computer. Putting it that way gives a quick visualisation of what the chargers do, i.e. you are not plugging in something that is burning kilowatt hours!
March 14, 201115 yr When I first spoke to Hillers they were a bit bemused until I explained that it only needed a standard socket and consumed about the same power a a laptop computer. Putting it that way gives a quick visualisation of what the chargers do, i.e. you are not plugging in something that is burning kilowatt hours! Thats a really good idea comparing it to a laptop
March 15, 201115 yr It should be sufficient to say that the cost of a full charge taking 3 to 5 hours is between 5 and 10 pence, depending on battery size. Less of course for shorter part charges. .
March 15, 201115 yr Author I came across this which, taking it at face value, is the launch of the first common standard for Light Electric Vehicles (including pedelecs). There are some big players behind this including Panasonic and BionX. Maybe this will be the future for pedelecs all sharing compatible systems, including battery charging connectors. Clearly early days for this so will be interesting to see how it develops. EnergyBus Standard (EBS) to be Unveiled in Taipei - ExtraEnergy.org
March 15, 201115 yr looked at this site a few times before. it seems to indicate that ebikes can be charged via these stations & gives a list of locations for charging all across the country they even seem to advertise a good few ebikes Charging Station Locations - Smartebike.co.uk Electric Bikes Greater London
March 15, 201115 yr Author looked at this site a few times before. it seems to indicate that ebikes can be charged via these stations & gives a list of locations for charging all across the country they even seem to advertise a good few ebikes Charging Station Locations - Smartebike.co.uk Electric Bikes Greater London Interesting. Although it has a yellow cord for plugging into electric cars, the other end is a standard 240 volts/13 amp socket into which you could plug an ebike charger. It would, of course, only work if you could plug directly into an on-board charger. Not one near me though unfortunately. Edited March 15, 201115 yr by Barry Heaven
March 16, 201115 yr Interesting to hear of peoples experiences when asking to charge up a battery. I have found that explaining how much electricity is used is comparable to have a 100w light bulb powered for the same amount of time(approx). Nevertheless they still seem to think it's going to bankrupt their business unless you offer a substanstial reward for doing so. To say they are wary would be an understatement. I'm not sure many understand kilowatts or the fractions of kilowatts from a monetary point of view. Another thing might be insurance liability for them. Do your chargers display an indate PAT tested certificate? mine don't....yet! I am sure there are many places that would let you charge an ebike for customers but (i think) there maybe more that are uncomfortable with the idea. Why not have some 'ebikers friendly' stickers made we can give out to be displayed once you have assured them it's good for their business? I would donate some cash towards it. It can't be that expensive to have a few hundred made. Question for Funkylyn, would that cafe between Bridport and Abbotsbury be the Hive Beach cafe? I'm planning a ride down to Westbay from Yeovil sometime soon and it would be nice to know that i can get the pack recharged before the ride home. Edited March 16, 201115 yr by wurly
March 16, 201115 yr I got a reply from pod POD Point - Next Generation Electric Vehicle Charging Network who are the other supplier of public charging points. All their points have a standard 13a socket. This is not only about E-Bike charging as there are lots of mobile devices that could do with a charging point now, especially as increased function means battery life of less than a day. Laptops, iPhones, iPods all come to mind. We really should encourage cafes, restaurants, petrol stations, train stations, airport lounges and so on to provide easily accessible 13A sockets for on the go charging. A quick top up charge of our removable batteries is just one more use. From our point of view making the charger easy to carry as well as making the battery easily removable is just one more design criteria. And I don't really see why a transformerless battery charger should be any less robust than the battery itself. And given how small laptop chargers are now, E-Bike chargers should go the same way.
March 31, 201115 yr I got a reply from pod POD Point - Next Generation Electric Vehicle Charging Network who are the other supplier of public charging points. All their points have a standard 13a socket. This is not only about E-Bike charging as there are lots of mobile devices that could do with a charging point now, especially as increased function means battery life of less than a day. Laptops, iPhones, iPods all come to mind. We really should encourage cafes, restaurants, petrol stations, train stations, airport lounges and so on to provide easily accessible 13A sockets for on the go charging. A quick top up charge of our removable batteries is just one more use. From our point of view making the charger easy to carry as well as making the battery easily removable is just one more design criteria. And I don't really see why a transformerless battery charger should be any less robust than the battery itself. And given how small laptop chargers are now, E-Bike chargers should go the same way. I can see a problem with that as it takes much longer to charge a battery than drink a coffee, people will be tying up their seats and sockets but not spending any money.
March 31, 201115 yr I can see a problem with that as it takes much longer to charge a battery than drink a coffee, people will be tying up their seats and sockets but not spending any money. Sure. But a half hour charge might be enough to get you home.
January 17, 201511 yr My Dental Practice in NW London has a secure bike park with a charger for eBikes outside; free for anyone to use. www.ecladent.co.uk
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