New Gridserve opened in Essex
Discussion
Not sure I see the need where the one I've seen in Essex is.
I wouldn't expect it's a massive through route and most people in the locale will be able to charge off street.
Would have been better to apply the tech etc to Freeport's car park IMO. I'd see that being more "the future" than simply copying a petrol forecourt but putting plugs in instead of pumps.
I wouldn't expect it's a massive through route and most people in the locale will be able to charge off street.
Would have been better to apply the tech etc to Freeport's car park IMO. I'd see that being more "the future" than simply copying a petrol forecourt but putting plugs in instead of pumps.
Iwantafusca said:
Why can’t chargers be inside a car accessible building? No car fumes or petrol ones to worry about ? Get away as mentioned from the petrol forecourt style completely.
It's probably because they don't want to have to clean up after them, but I like your thinking.Perhaps they want people to be able to see the site and the chargers out in the open, to show people they are there.
jjwilde said:
Iwantafusca said:
Why can’t chargers be inside a car accessible building? No car fumes or petrol ones to worry about ? Get away as mentioned from the petrol forecourt style completely.
It's probably because they don't want to have to clean up after them, but I like your thinking.Perhaps they want people to be able to see the site and the chargers out in the open, to show people they are there.
Murph7355 said:
Not sure I see the need where the one I've seen in Essex is.
I wouldn't expect it's a massive through route and most people in the locale will be able to charge off street.
Would have been better to apply the tech etc to Freeport's car park IMO. I'd see that being more "the future" than simply copying a petrol forecourt but putting plugs in instead of pumps.
There’s a massive business park being built on all that land SW of Braintree. I wouldn't expect it's a massive through route and most people in the locale will be able to charge off street.
Would have been better to apply the tech etc to Freeport's car park IMO. I'd see that being more "the future" than simply copying a petrol forecourt but putting plugs in instead of pumps.
It might make more sense if you think of them as a solar and battery company (this site has a 6MWh battery) who also do car charging. Good grid connection and cheap land probably count for more than absolute convenience off the busiest routes. Apparently the site will make enough money soaking up cheap renewable power then selling back on the grid at peak times, even without the car charging bit.
sjg said:
There’s a massive business park being built on all that land SW of Braintree.
It might make more sense if you think of them as a solar and battery company (this site has a 6MWh battery) who also do car charging. Good grid connection and cheap land probably count for more than absolute convenience off the busiest routes. Apparently the site will make enough money soaking up cheap renewable power then selling back on the grid at peak times, even without the car charging bit.
I suspect a small number of people are going to get rich and an awful lot of investor money will go up in flames there. It might make more sense if you think of them as a solar and battery company (this site has a 6MWh battery) who also do car charging. Good grid connection and cheap land probably count for more than absolute convenience off the busiest routes. Apparently the site will make enough money soaking up cheap renewable power then selling back on the grid at peak times, even without the car charging bit.
A lot of people are falling into the trap of believing that because something is true today, it will remain true forever. Right now there is money to be made arbitraging power over a 24 hour period. Power is being given away for free during the night - FREE, how could you not make money out of FREE?
The thing is that if the electric vision becomes true, every man + dog will be making money out of FREE in short order. Very rapidly, there won’t be excess supply during the night, as the actions of the arbitrageurs shape the market. In 5 years time there will be a razor thin margin between overnight and daytime, and in 10 years time, the market is likely to be inverted - there will be massive demand during the night, possibly more than daytime.
And that’s before you run the numbers on the fact that “journey charging” will be a tiny percentage of the overall demand.
Iwantafusca said:
Why can’t chargers be inside a car accessible building? No car fumes or petrol ones to worry about ? Get away as mentioned from the petrol forecourt style completely.
I supect it's deliberate, as on a cold damp day, people will plug in and be more likely to then go into the coffee shop / shops on site!rxe said:
sjg said:
There’s a massive business park being built on all that land SW of Braintree.
It might make more sense if you think of them as a solar and battery company (this site has a 6MWh battery) who also do car charging. Good grid connection and cheap land probably count for more than absolute convenience off the busiest routes. Apparently the site will make enough money soaking up cheap renewable power then selling back on the grid at peak times, even without the car charging bit.
I suspect a small number of people are going to get rich and an awful lot of investor money will go up in flames there. It might make more sense if you think of them as a solar and battery company (this site has a 6MWh battery) who also do car charging. Good grid connection and cheap land probably count for more than absolute convenience off the busiest routes. Apparently the site will make enough money soaking up cheap renewable power then selling back on the grid at peak times, even without the car charging bit.
A lot of people are falling into the trap of believing that because something is true today, it will remain true forever. Right now there is money to be made arbitraging power over a 24 hour period. Power is being given away for free during the night - FREE, how could you not make money out of FREE?
The thing is that if the electric vision becomes true, every man + dog will be making money out of FREE in short order. Very rapidly, there won’t be excess supply during the night, as the actions of the arbitrageurs shape the market. In 5 years time there will be a razor thin margin between overnight and daytime, and in 10 years time, the market is likely to be inverted - there will be massive demand during the night, possibly more than daytime.
And that’s before you run the numbers on the fact that “journey charging” will be a tiny percentage of the overall demand.
The opportunity for arbitrage may drop, as you say, but the requirement for grid stabilisation will only increase as more renewables come online and conventional power plants are shut down. That's where the long-term money is: the Tesla mega-battery in Oz is doing very well out of it.
Iwantafusca said:
Why can’t chargers be inside a car accessible building? No car fumes or petrol ones to worry about ? Get away as mentioned from the petrol forecourt style completely.
As with others I like your idea, however charging costs/shopping levies would also have to cover:- Heating & ventilation.
- Safety access in case of a car fire.
- Safety access in case of a charger fire (ok power supply, yes the car has the charger but you know what I mean).
- Method to remove damp when it's raining.
- Easy access to replace failed charger units or to add additional ones.
- Easy way for cars to be moved to regular parking when no longer charging.
sjg said:
Murph7355 said:
Not sure I see the need where the one I've seen in Essex is.
I wouldn't expect it's a massive through route and most people in the locale will be able to charge off street.
Would have been better to apply the tech etc to Freeport's car park IMO. I'd see that being more "the future" than simply copying a petrol forecourt but putting plugs in instead of pumps.
There’s a massive business park being built on all that land SW of Braintree. I wouldn't expect it's a massive through route and most people in the locale will be able to charge off street.
Would have been better to apply the tech etc to Freeport's car park IMO. I'd see that being more "the future" than simply copying a petrol forecourt but putting plugs in instead of pumps.
It might make more sense if you think of them as a solar and battery company (this site has a 6MWh battery) who also do car charging. Good grid connection and cheap land probably count for more than absolute convenience off the busiest routes. Apparently the site will make enough money soaking up cheap renewable power then selling back on the grid at peak times, even without the car charging bit.
It looks great but I would have thought these would make far more sense as an addition to existing motorway services not a standalone. Most of them have plenty of (presumably) cheap land around them, are in well thought out locations for passing traffic and already have more amenities inside than can be supported 36 charging points.
Al's 991 said:
A site has been given the go ahead in Norwich. To be finished in 2121.
Crikey, I hope it's nice after a century of building 
I heard about these a few months ago through work. I admire that it's more familiar to us as we emerge from ICE dominance but I thought one of the major benefits was charging from home so I'm interested to see how much these take off.
I wonder what percentage of their power comes from solar? I know they're huge panels but they can't account for much of the consumption. Every little helps I suppose.
Any Tesla Model X Owners know why the white one has a huge blue cable hanging out from it? Seems like more of a trip hazard to me. I thought they'd be on retracting reels like the current fuel hoses are? Maybe with a lock on it so it doesn't pull itself off while you're charging.
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