[Smythy buzz]

Just been to the rapid charger at charnock Richard services northbound and one of the chargers is not commissioned yet and the other one the card reader isn't working ...
But forget that for a minute
I rang the help centre to get it working and the chap was very helpful he bypassed the system and got me charging but what ever way he did to the charger kept going way past 80% in the end I had to ring up to get turned off ...
I don't know would this work again but I will try it cause this may be a way to get a 100% charge off a rapid charger

 

[Smythy buzz]

PS
Can I just say the ecotricity lads were very helpful when I rang up

 

[PaulMorris]

PS
Can I just say the ecotricity lads were very helpful when I rang up

Good to know.

I think this is the norm. I've used a number this month along the M4, and I've stopped all the charge sessions bar one myself. They seem to either time out, or give up in the early nineties if left alone on the odd occasion I got trapped in some work emails at Chievley, and this week stuck in a queue for food behind a coach party at Membury - sorry to the driver of the black LEAF waiting patiently for me to return to my 93% charge - which was still going! Only planned to take 75% & cut & run

There do seem to be menu options when selecting charging, but it seems quite complicated - I just press start charging and get on with it.

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

If you start charging with the car at 50% or above it will continue on to nearly full. That is normal

 

[Smythy buzz]

If you start charging with the car at 50% or above it will continue on to nearly full. That is normal

Is it? I thought there was an in built safety threshold that cuts out at 80%
Cheers

 

[Paul]

Nope. In fact this seems to vary car by car charger by charger, but there doesn't seem to be enough data to really know what's what.

I should probably ask Nissan and Ecotricity for the official lines on this though, I've charged mine regularly from low to over 80, I'm sure once it stopped at 80 (ish) but that was just once in all my rapid charges.

 

[PaulMorris]

I was definitely in the twenties at Chieveley and, and maybe forties at Membury. There seems to be no logic. Membury had been running for 34 minutes by the time I got back to the car and stopped it!

 

[MK Tom]

All the rapids should be locked down to deliver 30min of charge only otherwise not fair on the next person waiting who is under 20% and needs the charge to get home to wait 45-60 mins for your car to 'trickle' charge above 80%.
I've had 2 experiences in the last 2 weeks where I've been in this position and annoyingly someone left their car with no contact number in dash so I had to wait for their car to get to the 95 max percent charge to release the cable which took 60 mins

 

[Edd Beesley]

All the rapids should be locked down to deliver 30min of charge only otherwise not fair on the next person waiting who is under 20% and needs the charge to get home to wait 45-60 mins for your car to 'trickle' charge above 80%.
I've had 2 experiences in the last 2 weeks where I've been in this position and annoyingly someone left their car with no contact number in dash so I had to wait for their car to get to the 95 max percent charge to release the cable which took 60 mins

I believe a more appropriate solution is more, lots more, rapid chargers. A motorway services site should not have one rapid charger. Once the whole passenger vehicle fleet of the country is electric they need about 30 units, with cabling in the ground to support at least 250kw per unit. To save costs they should be intelligent load sharing units (ie 2-4 plugs per charger that can share the 250kw as the first vehicle to attach ramps down or disconnects etc)

But definitely I don't think a totally arbitrary 30 minute limit is a good idea. That will come back to haunt you when you have a car with a larger battery!

 

[MK Tom]

I believe a more appropriate solution is more, lots more, rapid chargers. A motorway services site should not have one rapid charger. Once the whole passenger vehicle fleet of the country is electric they need about 30 units, with cabling in the ground to support at least 250kw per unit. To save costs they should be intelligent load sharing units (ie 2-4 plugs per charger that can share the 250kw as the first vehicle to attach ramps down or disconnects etc)

But definitely I don't think a totally arbitrary 30 minute limit is a good idea. That will come back to haunt you when you have a car with a larger battery!

The point is they are RAPID chargers and cars dont rapid charge over 80% (in fact the leaf slows from around 60% due to hitting max voltage of 395v on the pack). And after 80% you are just unfairly hogging the equipment when someone in more need could be waiting.
As technoligy progresses, rapid chargers will deliver more energy in 30mins which will probably match the increasing battery capacity but still then, the energy required per mile will stay the same so your 30min charge will get you further but there will be more cars at that point so even with more chargers, charge time should still be limited to 30mins.

 

[Paul]

The point is they are RAPID chargers and cars dont rapid charge over 80% (in fact the leaf slows from around 60% due to hitting max voltage of 395v on the pack). And after 80% you are just unfairly hogging the equipment when someone in more need could be waiting.
As technoligy progresses, rapid chargers will deliver more energy in 30mins which will probably match the increasing battery capacity but still then, the energy required per mile will stay the same so your 30min charge will get you further but there will be more cars at that point so even with more chargers, charge time should still be limited to 30mins.

"Rapid", as in charge rate, not "short stay". It really depends on the scenario.

I have been in situations due to lack of working chargers where I've HAD to push up to around 90% on a rapid. I was there longer than I wanted to be, but without it I'm not sure what my family and I would have done on those particular journeys. There wasn't anyone waiting, but even so, I don't see why there should be an enforced limit. Again though with this I think user behaviour will decide.

For some companies at this moment in time, charging for time and not power as they do, I bet they'd love for folk to be there as long as possible, drawing less and less power as their rack up their fees!

 

[PaulMorris]

All the rapids should be locked down to deliver 30min of charge only otherwise not fair on the next person waiting who is under 20% and needs the charge to get home to wait 45-60 mins for your car to 'trickle' charge above 80%.
I've had 2 experiences in the last 2 weeks where I've been in this position and annoyingly someone left their car with no contact number in dash so I had to wait for their car to get to the 95 max percent charge to release the cable which took 60 mins

Some kind of lock down on the default behaviour would be appreciated. I was very embarrassed to return to a car at 93% with 34 minutes on the clock after a big delay in the restaurant, when I'd only planned a quick 20 min stop to get 70-something. Luckily the driver of the Black LEAF who'd arrived behind me was very polite and had 'only just arrived' according to them.

I'd arrived with thirty something percent, so certainly didn't expect it to go on past 80.

Edit: Note default - if someone wants more, then use the fiddly menus to select 100% or restart the session, whatever the charge point owner wants to allow.

 

[Paul]

This is of course where ChargeBump and a bit of common courtesy will shine.

 

[PaulMorris]

This is of course where ChargeBump and a bit of common courtesy will shine.

Shameless plug, executed perfectly. Well done

 

[tony1tf]

Just got my Mark 1 2012 Leaf (£12K 9700 miles). Local services at M1 Leicester Forest East North has 2 Ecotricity rapid chargers - one AC/DC (Nissan) and a newer one DC/DC (with power consumption meter on back). I discovered that the DC/DC will only charge to 80%, but the older AC/DC can be incremented in 2 X 5% steps from the default 80% to 90% max.
I was even able to unplug the car from the 80% charger and get the extra 10% from the old charger. Then home a mile away to top up to 100% from the EVSE 10A brick while the sun is shining on my 4kW Solar PV and 3kW immersion is off. BG coming next week - hopefully to fit one of the last of the free 16A charging stations, but really only need for emergency top-ups. So far, am really enjoying this free motoring! (Apart from the buy in and slow battery deterioration - although this battery seems at the peak of performance - had 100miles range indicated for a few minutes yesterday ) No doubt it wont last forever when the government decide they need to raise more revenue.
Tony

 

[Paul]

Not sure if this applies to MK1 LEAF but I've always found if a rapid stops at any pre-set value unplugging and re-plugging starts you up again in our MK2 / 2013 LEAF.

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

Just got my Mark 1 2012 Leaf (£12K 9700 miles). Local services at M1 Leicester Forest East North has 2 Ecotricity rapid chargers - one AC/DC (Nissan) and a newer one DC/DC (with power consumption meter on back). I discovered that the DC/DC will only charge to 80%, but the older AC/DC can be incremented in 2 X 5% steps from the default 80% to 90% max.

Sounds like you are trying to set a percentage. What if you don't set a percentage and just start the charge? If you are starting at over 50% full then it should go to 100% (or nearly 100%).

I never set a percentage. For me it always goes to 80% if starting under 50% and to full if starting over 50%.

Don't forget that with a Mark 1 the charger over reads by about 10% at the top end.

 

[planetf1]

remember also that with the dbt (and probably all units) you don't literally need to unplug, just restarting from the menus is enough

 

[MK Tom]

No one seems to be noting here that manufacturers recommend you don't rapid charge past 80% as it puts massive stress on the battery. Also not to start a charge if batt is over 80% and not to let battery get too hot.
I suppose if you only want to keep car for 3 years max that your not bothered if the battery is really worn out then you hand it back...

 

[Matt Beard]

No one seems to be noting here that manufacturers recommend you don't rapid charge past 80% as it puts massive stress on the battery. Also not to start a charge if batt is over 80% and not to let battery get too hot.
I suppose if you only want to keep car for 3 years max that your not bothered if the battery is really worn out then you hand it back...

Do you have a source for these claims?