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Some people are building their own charging station this weekend and doing a video so we can all do the same if we want to.
I broadly support this kind of project. It is fun and innovotive and a cheaper solution to charging on the go. I have not seen this unit myself yet and I look forward to seeing the video next week but as I understand it it will be a unit that can be plugged into a variety of sockets and set to charge at the appropriate rate for the socket it is plugged into.
This is all very well if the correct charging current is set to match the socket it is plugged into but setting the correct charge current is going to be done manually via a switch and so it is prone to someone making a mistake, setting too high a current for the type of socket they are using and at worst blowing the fuse (tripping the circuit breaker) or worse, setting fire to the house wiring!
I have thought hard about whether I am just being a "jobsworth" or whether my comments are a bit nanny-ish. I have been assured via Twitter that they will make sure that the appropriate safety warnings are mentioned and while that may absolve them from responsibility should any incident occur I still feel that may not be adequate to prevent a serious incident happening should someone who builds this unit set the wrong charge current.
The argument has been put to me that there are a million and one things people can do themselves that are potentially dangerous and so people should be able to make up their own minds and take responsibility for their own actions. I agree with all whole-heartedly and that is true for all DIY projects isn't it. But this project is being supported and, in part, instigated, by the charity Zero Carbon World and so because of that fact, it may give the public a false sense of safety especially as they sell and supply charging stations commercially.
My fear is that this DIY-home charging station might be seen by non-enthusiasts as a cheaper/better alternative to a commercially available one and of course, in many respects it is... that is why they are building it! However, commercial units have a certain degree of safety build into them that will not be present in this DIY unit.
I want to support their inventive and innovotive spirit and as a DIY project and for those with adequate experience, and for thoise fully aware of the dangers, it is fun! But on the other hand, I am scared that something may go wrong. Not with the unit they are building but with a unit someone else builds after watching this publicised event. For example, if the unit is set to charge at say, 16A and then plugged into a 13A socket either on purpose (unlikely) or by accident (quite possible), then there is a real risk of overheating the wiring circuit and a fire. You would have to go well out of your way to do that with a commercial unit at all and it certainly could not be done by accident.
I have been called a whole bunch of names for raising this kind of concern and told to mind my own business but I see it like this: if we don't raise the genuine concerns we have then who will look out for the innocent people that are the ones that stand to suffer? We should all be on the look out for dangers like this and making sure that they are raised and discussed openly. I certainly don't want to stop this kind of project but I do feel that the dangers must be adequately pointed out and not trivialised particularly if it is publicised.
I hope the day goes well. I might even build one myself, as I say, I am not against the project, but then I am fully aware of the dangers!!!
Some people are building their own charging station this weekend and doing a video so we can all do the same if we want to.
I broadly support this kind of project. It is fun and innovotive and a cheaper solution to charging on the go. I have not seen this unit myself yet and I look forward to seeing the video next week but as I understand it it will be a unit that can be plugged into a variety of sockets and set to charge at the appropriate rate for the socket it is plugged into.
This is all very well if the correct charging current is set to match the socket it is plugged into but setting the correct charge current is going to be done manually via a switch and so it is prone to someone making a mistake, setting too high a current for the type of socket they are using and at worst blowing the fuse (tripping the circuit breaker) or worse, setting fire to the house wiring!
I have thought hard about whether I am just being a "jobsworth" or whether my comments are a bit nanny-ish. I have been assured via Twitter that they will make sure that the appropriate safety warnings are mentioned and while that may absolve them from responsibility should any incident occur I still feel that may not be adequate to prevent a serious incident happening should someone who builds this unit set the wrong charge current.
The argument has been put to me that there are a million and one things people can do themselves that are potentially dangerous and so people should be able to make up their own minds and take responsibility for their own actions. I agree with all whole-heartedly and that is true for all DIY projects isn't it. But this project is being supported and, in part, instigated, by the charity Zero Carbon World and so because of that fact, it may give the public a false sense of safety especially as they sell and supply charging stations commercially.
My fear is that this DIY-home charging station might be seen by non-enthusiasts as a cheaper/better alternative to a commercially available one and of course, in many respects it is... that is why they are building it! However, commercial units have a certain degree of safety build into them that will not be present in this DIY unit.
I want to support their inventive and innovotive spirit and as a DIY project and for those with adequate experience, and for thoise fully aware of the dangers, it is fun! But on the other hand, I am scared that something may go wrong. Not with the unit they are building but with a unit someone else builds after watching this publicised event. For example, if the unit is set to charge at say, 16A and then plugged into a 13A socket either on purpose (unlikely) or by accident (quite possible), then there is a real risk of overheating the wiring circuit and a fire. You would have to go well out of your way to do that with a commercial unit at all and it certainly could not be done by accident.
I have been called a whole bunch of names for raising this kind of concern and told to mind my own business but I see it like this: if we don't raise the genuine concerns we have then who will look out for the innocent people that are the ones that stand to suffer? We should all be on the look out for dangers like this and making sure that they are raised and discussed openly. I certainly don't want to stop this kind of project but I do feel that the dangers must be adequately pointed out and not trivialised particularly if it is publicised.
I hope the day goes well. I might even build one myself, as I say, I am not against the project, but then I am fully aware of the dangers!!!
