[londonguy]

Hey everyone,

Absolute newbie EV owner here, with a couple of weeks to go until delivery. Super excited about the transition to electric!

Just got a very newbie question about public rapid chargers and cable lengths. The EV I've gone for (the new Corsa-e) has a rear charging port in the same place the fuel cap would be in a petrol car.

If I drive in to a space and the charger is at the front of the space, would the rapid charger tethered cable generally reach the back, or will I always need to back in to a space?

The reason I ask is because my closest rapid charger is on a one way road with the charger sited at the front (not side, for some reason) of the bay.

Thank you!

 

[80698]

You'll have to reverse in. You'll also find that at places where one charger has two bays you may only be able to park in one of them on order for the cable to reach. This is definitely the case in other EVs I've driven with rear charging ports, like the BMW i3 for example.

For the benefit of your battery, hopefully you won't be relying on that rapid charger too much anyways. Its always good to get some slower AC charges instead if possible. Going by your name that shouldn't be a problem with companies like Ubitricity fitting lamppost charging sockets in many streets meaning you shouldn't have to go far for somewhere to charge even if you can't plug in at home due to a lack of driveway. Take a look at Zap Map if you haven't already to see what else is around.

 

[londonguy]

@80698 thank you so much, very helpful. Yes, unfortunately my apartment block doesn't yet have electric charging in the car park so for now I'll have to rely on public charging.

Good tip about getting some slower AC charging, looks like there are plenty around. Just a shame the cables aren't longer though, aha!

 

[Snax]

We discovered one on the A40 near ours, where youd have to perform a 3 point turn on the actual A40 to get the port nearer to the charger. If interested it’s the Perivale one next to the church.

it used to be 50mph before Hanger Lane with speed traps, now its all average speed checks but it’s still no consolation

 

[Chickster]

You will quickly learn that it will vary from place to place. Only complete imbeciles design the charging bay markings and placement of the chargers. You'll be fine when charger is at the end of a bay but sadly lots have the charger somewhere at the side of the bay with short cables so you have to park before or over the markings to get cable to reach. To non-EV drivers you just look like a stupid driver who can't park. My local Ionity chargers have a retracting wire at top of cable to allow more length but unless you park outside of lines, the cable can lie across your paintwork and cause scratches. Just park how you need to to charge but being considerate to other EV's charging too.