6 ms·

I'd seen the idea of using street-furniture, such as lamp-posts - but can't help seeing visions of coils of cable looping all over the pavement/sidewalk (in the

by goldcd 7y ago

I'd seen the idea of using street-furniture, such as lamp-posts - but can't help seeing visions of coils of cable looping all over the pavement/sidewalk (in the UK at least, lamp posts tend not to be on the road side of the pavement). Plus, if this isn't new-build, whatever's powering those lamps isn't going to charge your car. Well.. it might charge one or two, but once you've got 20 cars, all wanting to be charged overnight.. If you're going to have to lay new lines, then cheapest approach is surely to just put cable in the gutter, and then protect it with something similar to those rubber speed-bumps you can bolt into the ground. Downside is the low profile prevents great big connectors/supply units - but would be fine for the equivalent of the domestic-plug.... ...I'm meandering now, but wonder if you could retro-fit drain covers to contain chargers...

baybal2 7y ago
In China, small shops and restaurants buy coin chargers for their patrons. 1 CNY buys you 300Wh or about 4 times less the market price =D. Though, the shopkeeper often charge extra from patrons for small change.
theandrewbailey 7y ago
Since you mentioned all the cabling everywhere, I'd be concerned about copper thieves stealing the cables.
- goldcd 7y ago
  Many years ago I went out to South Africa to work in telco. When cabling up an area, they laid: 1) Deep cables to carry the data 2) Shallow cables to be dug up and stolen, without affecting the data-carrying ones.
mattlutze 7y ago
In Stuttgart, Germany, Daimler piloted a rent-by-the-minute electric car program (which is proliferating with normal petrol cars elsewhere, called Car2Go). The Smart ForTwos that they use are all electric, and the cable is bolted into the trunk of the car, so it takes its cable with it. The charging unit and car's "fuel port" are both receptive sides of the connection, and both the car and the charging station (the city installed them so anyone with the right cables can use them) has a lock that keeps the cable from getting removed when it's in use. Works pretty well and this sort of model would likely work fine, with you keeping your cable yourself.
- gsk22 7y ago
  Car2Go used to operate in my US city, but they pulled out a couple years ago under the guise of "an onerous new tax burden" (despite no new taxes being passed). I think the real issue was they were just plain expensive -- barely cheaper than an Uber, and way less comfortable. Other rent-by-time companies like ZipCar are similarly expensive. I'm not convinced that business model works, at least the ways I've seen it implemented.
  - mattlutze 7y ago
    Car2Go works here that you don't have to leave or pick them up from designated spots -- they have an agreement with each city to allow general parking, even in neighborhood zones. Not sure if it was the same in your city, I'm used to ZipCars having special spots which is a little less convenient. It's a good alternative to public transport when you need to cross a city and transfers would be annoying.
throw0101a 7y ago
Fully Charged had an episode on Ubitricity: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKaEhBjt1ls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKaEhBjt1ls This mostly works if the posts are closer to the curb, but in some places they are on people's front lawns so the sidewalks are completely clear.
mantap 7y ago
Where I live (London) there's a few of these lamppost chargers and people do use them. The thing about cars is that they... move. So you can drive your car to a vacant lamppost charger 5 minutes away and park it there. The walk back home, not a big deal.

by goldcd 7y ago

baybal2 7y ago

In China, small shops and restaurants buy coin chargers for their patrons. 1 CNY buys you 300Wh or about 4 times less the market price =D. Though, the shopkeeper often charge extra from patrons for small change.

theandrewbailey 7y ago

Since you mentioned all the cabling everywhere, I'd be concerned about copper thieves stealing the cables.

goldcd 7y ago
Many years ago I went out to South Africa to work in telco. When cabling up an area, they laid: 1) Deep cables to carry the data 2) Shallow cables to be dug up and stolen, without affecting the data-carrying ones.

mattlutze 7y ago

In Stuttgart, Germany, Daimler piloted a rent-by-the-minute electric car program (which is proliferating with normal petrol cars elsewhere, called Car2Go). The Smart ForTwos that they use are all electric, and the cable is bolted into the trunk of the car, so it takes its cable with it. The charging unit and car's "fuel port" are both receptive sides of the connection, and both the car and the charging station (the city installed them so anyone with the right cables can use them) has a lock that keeps the cable from getting removed when it's in use. Works pretty well and this sort of model would likely work fine, with you keeping your cable yourself.

gsk22 7y ago
Car2Go used to operate in my US city, but they pulled out a couple years ago under the guise of "an onerous new tax burden" (despite no new taxes being passed). I think the real issue was they were just plain expensive -- barely cheaper than an Uber, and way less comfortable. Other rent-by-time companies like ZipCar are similarly expensive. I'm not convinced that business model works, at least the ways I've seen it implemented.
- mattlutze 7y ago
  Car2Go works here that you don't have to leave or pick them up from designated spots -- they have an agreement with each city to allow general parking, even in neighborhood zones. Not sure if it was the same in your city, I'm used to ZipCars having special spots which is a little less convenient. It's a good alternative to public transport when you need to cross a city and transfers would be annoying.

throw0101a 7y ago

Fully Charged had an episode on Ubitricity: * https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKaEhBjt1ls https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rKaEhBjt1ls This mostly works if the posts are closer to the curb, but in some places they are on people's front lawns so the sidewalks are completely clear.

mantap 7y ago

Where I live (London) there's a few of these lamppost chargers and people do use them. The thing about cars is that they... move. So you can drive your car to a vacant lamppost charger 5 minutes away and park it there. The walk back home, not a big deal.