2 ms·
As I said before, I believe the general idea of a docking station is the best approach. I'll extend that to add that, in the interest of consumers the auto ind
by rebootthesystem 12y ago
As I said before, I believe the general idea of a docking station is the best approach. I'll extend that to add that, in the interest of consumers the auto industry ought to arrive at a common standard for docking stations. All this Tesla stuff is neat but it does not allow for ideas such as docking stations at mall parking lots (charge while you shop) or even at work.
This is where, again, the humble charge cord wins again: It is far easier to agree on a common connector than to design a docking system that will work with all cars for the next 50 years. In many ways this is not unlike all cars using a refueling port that is compatible with the nozzles at all gas stations.
With a common charge cord and connector design one could imagine a future where malls intall charge stations in a selected number of charging parking spots, even as profit centers. Companies could provide similar benefits to their employees either for free or paid.
Thinking through this argument makes me conclude that electric cars might not truly mature until charging mechanisms are standardize to the extent that they are compatible with any electric car or truck produced.
Tesla can do whatever they want, of course, yet the fact remains that if I buy a BMW and my wife a Tesla we will have two completely different charging systems to contend with rather than one. This, I think, will be an important consideration as the electric car evolves.
- greglindahl 12y agoIt's called J1772. My local malls already have J1772-based charge stations. Local companies to my office have J1772-based charge stations in their parking lots. Looks like your future arrived a few years ago.
- rebootthesystem 12y agoI don't have an electric car so I haven't really paid attention to the hardware. Are J1772 connectors compatible with all electric cars made today?
- greglindahl 12y agoYes, all of the electric cars in volume production today use J1772. I'm pretty astonished that you commented so much without knowing that! Oh, and I'm still hoping you'll post a citation for the $30,000 price for Tesla's snake.
- rebootthesystem 12y agoOne thing has nothing to do with the other. With over thirthy years of hardware and software engineering experience, including being published by ACM robotics I think I can voice opinion about a design concept. The nature and details of the connector have nothing whatsoever to do with the validity of my arguments. As for the $30K price point for a robotic snake charger. Well, let's just say I have designed and manufactured enough hardware during my career to have an idea. It sure as hell won't be $3,000.
- rebootthesystem 12y agoAh. I just did a bit of research. It seems that while, yes, the SAE J1772 standard does exist and Tesla actually sat on the committee they, and others, decided to do it their own way. Apparently Europe and China diverge from the US and Tesla on this. To me it sounds like there are no standards at this point. Here's an interesting interview: http://articles.sae.org/11923/ http://articles.sae.org/11923/ Here's the SAE J1772 standard on Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772 The Tesla adapter: http://shop.teslamotors.com/products/sae-j1772 http://shop.teslamotors.com/products/sae-j1772 An article bitching about the whole thing: http://www.forbes.com/sites/pikeresearch/2013/02/26/tesla-test-drive-controversy-misses-the-big-picture/ http://www.forbes.com/sites/pikeresearch/2013/02/26/tesla-te...