[DSLRed]

Watched EVMs latest offering on YT yesterday and I have to admit, it was thought provoking. He was offering debate on the potential safety issues associated with using lonely single chargers stuck at the arse end of an unlit carpark, especially if you are a woman using it at night. Plus the problem of any person faced with a threatening situation being stuck in the car unable to drive off because they need to get out to release the cable.

I must admit, I hadn't given this much thought but can see the issue. Hopefully, the problem of crummy lonely chargers in unlit dangerous locations will diminish quickly as more hubs and more chargers in fuel stations mean that people have the choice of avoiding the crappy dangerous ones. But it does now seem like an obvious safety measure to have a button inside the car to jettison the charger cable in an emergency so someone feeling threatened can get the hell out of there. Why has this never been addressed?

Has anyone actually found themselves in such a situation?

 

[Bill N]

My i3 has a release / unlock cable button, and some cars (eg ID3) have a button to stop DC charging, so you just need that last step of being able to actually eject the cable whilst still locked in the car.

Trouble is, you’d then probably have some idiots doing it whenever they felt like it. So you really need the cable to be held from above by a charger arm so when ejected it’s sort of reeled back in, doesn’t smack onto the ground and also doesn’t clang into your car.

 

[DSLRed]

Clanging into your car is probably ok though. People who need to get away in a hurry will accept that a scratch from the charger connector is a price that may need to paid. And the possibility of it happening stops lazy people using it as their de facto method for terminating a charge leaving the cable on the floor. Otherwise, no doubt there would be some. Either that, or make the release button call the emergency services at the same time.

 

[Tooks]

It’s one of the things putting my wife off an EV, the frankly dubious location of many chargers, and I’ve had a couple of late night situations that have made me think I won’t get out of the car just yet.

I’m not sure that designing and implementing a charger cable jettison system is the answer though, better locating of chargers, lighting and some actual policing would be though.

 

[Bill N]

better locating of chargers, lighting and some actual policing would be though.

(1) doesn’t solve the issue in relation to existing chargers with this problem though. New chargers are increasingly better located anyway, so it’s the existing locations that are the main issue.
(2) would likely help a bit, mainly in making drivers feel a bit better, but people who do bad stuff are getting more and more brazen, I believe.
(3) could help in the general sense of making certain forms of crime less attractive, but highly unlikely to ever have local bobbies patrolling hotel car parks at a quarter to midnight on Tuesday evenings.

I think, ultimately, if you are somewhere that feels a bit dodgy but locked inside an ICE car with routes of escape you feel on pretty safe ground - you can just drive off whenever.

The problem is clearly therefore (a) with being physically tethered to the ground and (b) with having to remove yourself from the relative security of a locked car in order to untether the car.

Makes most sense to me for technology (pretty simple technology at that) to solve the problem directly and enable the tether to be detached from inside the car in an emergency.

There’re also potentially other types of emergency (eg fire outside the car - perhaps the charger itself on fire) where it would be very handy to be able to eject the cable from the car and get the car and contents (family, small kids in cumbersome travel seats etc) out of harm’s way ASAP.

 

[DSLRed]

There’re also potentially other types of emergency (eg fire outside the car - perhaps the charger itself on fire) where it would be very handy to be able to eject the cable from the car and get the car and contents (family, small kids in cumbersome travel seats etc) out of harm’s way ASAP.

Absolutely - really good point.

 

[Tooks]

There’re also potentially other types of emergency (eg fire outside the car - perhaps the charger itself on fire) where it would be very handy to be able to eject the cable from the car and get the car and contents (family, small kids in cumbersome travel seats etc) out of harm’s way ASAP.

I think the reality is that small kids are already doing something far more dangerous in the form of traveling in a car in the first place, the chances of a charger fire being statistically insignificant on top of that.

Don’t get me wrong, I can see some merit in such an idea especially if you were starting from zero, just can’t ever see it happening practically. There are plenty of barriers to rapid charger rollout already without introducing another compliance standard to cover a rare event.

I think it’s just easier to avoid those dodgy charger locations in the first place, whether you’re a lone female or not.

 

[gofer]

My i3 has a release / unlock cable button, and some cars (eg ID3) have a button to stop DC charging, so you just need that last step of being able to actually eject the cable whilst still locked in the car.

In the i3 are you referring to the manual release cable pulls? Aren't these in the footwell and would need to open the door anyway to access?

 

[Geoff_S]

Has this one been included in the reasons for not buying an EV thread?

 

[dk6780]

There are plenty of barriers to rapid charger rollout already without introducing another compliance standard to cover a rare event.

I think it’s just easier to avoid those dodgy charger locations in the first place, whether you’re a lone female or not.

Whilst I agree with taking our custom elsewhere, I feel that it conflicts with encouraging further roll out of better chargepoints as providers are more likely to consider the lack of use (and hence financial returns) from the existing ones as a barrier rather than consider the reasons for it.

 

[Aragorn]

Sounds like a bit of a non-issue to me? Do you really live somewhere that dark car-parks are crawling with murderers? If so, you need to move.

I dont think i've ever been in a situation in my ICE, where i've had to make a hasty escape from a car park. There must be hundreds of thousands of people every day that get off a train or bus and walk to their car in a dark unlit or poorly lit park and ride carpark... These car parks are also often rammed to capacity, so you'll often find yourself parked in the furthest corner just to get a space. And really, do lights actually make any difference? The car park could be lit like a football stadium, its still not any more or less dangerous.

 

[Bill N]

I was thinking of the iDrive button

 

[Bill N]

Sounds like a bit of a non-issue to me? Do you really live somewhere that dark car-parks are crawling with murderers? If so, you need to move.

I think most people don’t public charge near to where they live.

 

[Bill N]

I think this is more about how people feel, rather than what the actual level of risk is.

It’s apparent that some people do feel vulnerable when they are alone and sitting in a quiet place, especially if they are in a high value item which is tethered to the ground.

I wouldn’t be surprised if we see start to see instances of desirable EVs being hijacked at charging stations. It would be so easy for a car full of professional criminals to target cars like e-Trons and EQCs charging in quiet car parks. Much easier than having to break into homes to get the key fob.

I think it would be good to help people feel safer, whether that be through lighting, CCTV, cable ejection, better locations etc, rather than just dismiss their feelings.

 

[Bill N]

I think the reality is that small kids are already doing something far more dangerous in the form of traveling in a car in the first place, the chances of a charger fire being statistically insignificant on top of that.

Yes, the fire example was just one example that came to mind of additional situations, besides (fear of) criminal activity, that make may it desirable to have a way of disconnecting without having to exit the car.

Ideally, I think chargers of the future would make it possible to connect remotely too. That could be a big benefit in horrible weather, or for disabled / elderly drivers.

 

[Tooks]

Yes, the fire example was just one example that came to mind of additional situations, besides (fear of) criminal activity, that make may it desirable to have a way of disconnecting without having to exit the car.

Ideally, I think chargers of the future would make it possible to connect remotely too. That could be a big benefit in horrible weather, or for disabled / elderly drivers.

Something like this could be a solution? Adopting a standard would be the issue I guess, like lots of things.

Charging robots: Revolution in the underground parking garage

Volkswagen Group Components presents a visionary charging concept. ...

www.volkswagenag.com

 

[srichards]

This is one area where wireless charging is actually useful...

 

[Scrooge]

Rapids, my love hate relationship, lol

1. Many chargers are in completely unlit areas, not great in winter.
2. The randomness of steel bollards, some are easy to hit.
3. Cables are a real trip hazard unlike the original rapid aka petrol pump
4. Chargers reported as working but are broke
5. Chargers reported as broke but actually work
6. Chargers reported as working but all the connectors are broke and taped up
7. Chargers that work with the app but not the RFID
8. Chargers that work with the RFID but not the app
9. Chargers reported as working but are blocked by roadworks
10. Chargers that work for others but not for me even though no errors
11. Chargers that don't report status
12. Chargers located right at the entrance to busy car parks and you have reverse towards them
13. Single site rapids
14. Rapids taken over by the local taxi co. so permanently blocked
15. Rapids that take months to fix
16. Rapids that are relocated with no warning
17. New rapids not added to the live map for weeks
18. Rapids used as EV parking spaces
19. Rapids used by slow charging hybrids
20. Rapids ice'd
21. I'd like to drive side-on to chargers like a petrol pump
22. Rapids which cost more than diesel yet offer zero convenience/facilities
23. Yet to have any success starting a rapid with issues by phoning the helpline
24. Councils that install rapids but have no money for maintenance
25. Rapids located in sports centers, bays unpainted with minimal signage so always blocked at peak times
26. Rapids located on council sites where clearly the staff are operating a rota system on what is a public charger.
27. Rapids buried knee deep in the middle of large housing estates surrounded by a million speed bumps.
28. Rapids should be accessible from main roads.
29. The T&Cs of rapids here state the vehicle should not be left unattended................
30. The council generally installs rapids in areas least likely to buy them so subject to vandals, generally no rapids in affluent areas.
31. Unreliable rapids that cut off requiring a restart and incur another connection charge to remedy
32. Rapids with screens that are worn out and it's only experience that allows you to start a charge
33. Rapids that are missing their identification code for starting with the app or reporting faults
34. Never had a pleasant response to reporting faulty rapids
35. Public charging is inconvenient and slow
36. Experienced occasional outages where every single charger on the CPS network was down.
37. The CPS/CYC app is crap especially the search function with no ability to filter chargers and clearly has no knowledge of some large towns/area.

This is why my wife will never public charge...

I'm sure I've come across more issues