Electric Vehicle Charging - Anyone Doing These"

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cdslotz

Senior Member
We just had a presentation by our Leviton Rep, showing us their line of EV charging stations.
They have a complete line of Level 1, Level 2, and Level 3 stations.
They said these will be sold through distribution just like fixtures and gear, meaning the installs will be done by EC's.
They have units for private (your company employees, where in secure areas, single family) units, and public units (hotels, apartments, parking garages, city streets, etc). These require a credit card, or a pass card that you wave and it authorizes your purchase.
At this time, most of the stimulus money is going to the test cities like Austin here in Texas. And they are setting up entire grids in these cities. But this is going to flood every city market in the very near future.
And you resi guys will be selling these installs in every home very soon.

We had tons of questions that the rep had no answer for about the validity of electric cars in general, also theft, vandalism, cost, etc..... just general skepticism for such a market. And I still have tons of questions swirling in my head.
Bottom line is, it's coming and coming fast. Electricians will be selling this work, and I'm getting in on it!!!

Anyone else doing these or thinking about it?

Here's a link to a pdf about the Leviton unit.
Let me know if it doesn't open, I'll get another link.

http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ibcG...Cm5s4LlQ&label=IBE&appName=IBE&minisite=10091
 

augie47

Moderator
Staff member
Location
Tennessee
Occupation
State Electrical Inspector (Retired)
Who knows: Very mixed signals here......

In Tennseess newspapers:

In Tennessee, some 2,500 stations and 1,000 vehicles will be deployed in Nashville, Chattanooga and Knoxville. The project is being funded by a $99.8 million energy department grant to eTec, a Phoenix, Ariz.-based company that is developing zero-emission electric transportation with Nissan, maker of the new Leaf electric vehicle. Tennessee also is kicking in $5 million for electric vehicle infrastru

Obvioulsy some job opportunities for Contractors....

While at the same time:


Consumer Reports: GM's Volt 'doesn't really make a lot of sense'



 

hillbilly1

Senior Member
Location
North Georgia mountains
Occupation
Owner/electrical contractor
I doubt there will be any level 3's in residential, as it takes a 200 amp feed at 208 three phase! Level 2 at office buildings make some sense if it is an employee's car that will be there all day. But since the present administration has vowed to end coal use and production, and wind and solar will not make even the slightest dent in the output required for even a modest amount of electric cars, get your money while you can! Natural gas would be a cleaner and more efficent way to get off foreign oil.
 

cdslotz

Senior Member
Yeah the Level 1 and 2 will probably be used in resi.

Here's a link to EV's. Pretty interesting.

http://www.hybridcars.com/electric-car

I'm actually intrigued by the BYD E6 (on the page linked above)

the E6 is a five-passenger wagon capable of carting a typical American family. Moreover, the E6 has a range of 200 to 250 miles and boasts a 0 to 60 mph time of less than 10 seconds. Top speed is 100 mph. The vehicle can be fully charged in about 10 hours by plugging into a standard household outlet. BYD says that it takes only 10 minutes to charge to 50 percent capacity and 15 minutes to the 80 percent level.

I would consider one with a range like this. I drive 40 miles each way to work in a huge (paid for) F250 diesel.
I could easily make the payment on what I spend on diesel.

I think the technology will move fast, especially now that American mfrs will be pressured to meet the mandates. Also, American mfrs will not stand and watch the Chinese and EU mfrs outrun them in the market. Will they?
 

haskindm

Senior Member
Location
Maryland
Electric vehicles will be a very small piece of the automotive market for many years. If electrical vehicles became very popular the strain on our existing grid and generating facilities would be devastating, and the price of electricity would make the price of oil look like a bargain. Just my predictions, but my predictions are as valid as anyone else's. Unless somebody comes up with a MUCH more efficient battery (exponentially superior to anything we have now) electric cars for anything other than urban, very short, commutes will remain a dream. Fuel cells make more sense, but there are infrastructure demand there also, that will take years and cost billions $ to address. I would not invest heavily in this new unproven technology. There is no free lunch, and no easy solution to our energy problems.
 

cdslotz

Senior Member
Electric vehicles will be a very small piece of the automotive market for many years. If electrical vehicles became very popular the strain on our existing grid and generating facilities would be devastating, and the price of electricity would make the price of oil look like a bargain. Just my predictions, but my predictions are as valid as anyone else's. Unless somebody comes up with a MUCH more efficient battery (exponentially superior to anything we have now) electric cars for anything other than urban, very short, commutes will remain a dream. Fuel cells make more sense, but there are infrastructure demand there also, that will take years and cost billions $ to address. I would not invest heavily in this new unproven technology. There is no free lunch, and no easy solution to our energy problems.

So having said that, are you going to refuse to get in on the flood of installs coming? Because they ARE coming.
 

haskindm

Senior Member
Location
Maryland
So having said that, are you going to refuse to get in on the flood of installs coming? Because they ARE coming.

That is the "line" that someone with a vested interest is telling you. Personally I do not believe it. With the present technology an influx of large numbers of electric cars would create FAR more problems than they would solve. IF the technology is improved to the point where they are actually feasible, the requirements for charging them would be vastly different than what is in place today. If you want to "bet the farm" on technology that may result in a number of installation that you could count on your fingers per year, go ahead. I will wait to see what the real solution is, and as of today it is NOT electric cars. Fuel cells, small diesels, and even hybrids are much more promising than pure electric cars. Don't even get me started on the Solar Voltaic scams....
 

Loffgren

Senior Member
Location
CA
re

re

That is the "line" that someone with a vested interest is telling you. Personally I do not believe it. With the present technology an influx of large numbers of electric cars would create FAR more problems than they would solve. IF the technology is improved to the point where they are actually feasible, the requirements for charging them would be vastly different than what is in place today. If you want to "bet the farm" on technology that may result in a number of installation that you could count on your fingers per year, go ahead. I will wait to see what the real solution is, and as of today it is NOT electric cars. Fuel cells, small diesels, and even hybrids are much more promising than pure electric cars. Don't even get me started on the Solar Voltaic scams....

Agreed.
 

Sparky555

Senior Member
Electric vehicles will be a very small piece of the automotive market for many years. If electrical vehicles became very popular the strain on our existing grid and generating facilities would be devastating, and the price of electricity would make the price of oil look like a bargain. Just my predictions, but my predictions are as valid as anyone else's. Unless somebody comes up with a MUCH more efficient battery (exponentially superior to anything we have now) electric cars for anything other than urban, very short, commutes will remain a dream. Fuel cells make more sense, but there are infrastructure demand there also, that will take years and cost billions $ to address. I would not invest heavily in this new unproven technology. There is no free lunch, and no easy solution to our energy problems.

I agree that most of the electric cars will be used for commuting rather than cross-country trips. However, this will likely put the recharging demand in the evening and at night when electrical demand is lower and utilities have existing spare generating capacity.
 

cdslotz

Senior Member
If you want to "bet the farm" on technology that may result in a number of installation that you could count on your fingers per year, go ahead.

How is bidding on a project to install (I'm being hypothetical here) 20, level 2 charging stations at a downtown parking garage "betting the farm"?
I bid it just like I would bid the parking garage it's going in. To make money and go to the next one.
 

rodneee

Senior Member
So having said that, are you going to refuse to get in on the flood of installs coming? Because they ARE coming.

you can keep your hip wadders in the boat shed because when (and if) the flood of installs does come (now i am only speaking residential) the bulk of the work will be nothing more than adding a 30 amp 220v line to the homeowner's garage...then the same homeowner will purchase a similar pre-fab charging unit from walmart for 1/4 of what you would charge and hang it himself...thus leaving the EC with a very limited role...on the large scale comm side (say 500 +- pedestal chargers in a public parking lot) the bulk of the job is excavation, concrete, and paving...any GC with half a penchant for making money would have his own people lay the wire and set the pedestals...and (like shore power pedestals at a marina) it would not surprise me if the GC's people were to make all the connections...the EC might get a new service install out of the job...
 

bradleyelectric

Senior Member
Location
forest hill, md
you can keep your hip wadders in the boat shed because when (and if) the flood of installs does come (now i am only speaking residential) the bulk of the work will be nothing more than adding a 30 amp 220v line to the homeowner's garage...then the same homeowner will purchase a similar pre-fab charging unit from walmart for 1/4 of what you would charge and hang it himself...thus leaving the EC with a very limited role...on the large scale comm side (say 500 +- pedestal chargers in a public parking lot) the bulk of the job is excavation, concrete, and paving...any GC with half a penchant for making money would have his own people lay the wire and set the pedestals...and (like shore power pedestals at a marina) it would not surprise me if the GC's people were to make all the connections...the EC might get a new service install out of the job...

Where are you from? That is not permissable around here.
 
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