The latest plug in hybrid cars have a small petrol engine to charge the battery but not connected to the drive chain a lot more mechanically simple
Electric Motorhomes at Scale, Can't be Far Away Now.
- Thread starter Jim
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- Sep 29, 2019
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Isn’t that how the massive quarry trucks work? Massive generator with electric propulsion?
Bet that would take a while to charge up hauling 200tons of rock.
Kilowatt-hours (kWh) is a unit of energy. It is not dependent on the voltage. It is a good way to compare the energy capacity of batteries, especially when different voltages are involved, which complicates matters. If you want to compare batteries in amp-hours you need to state the battery voltage to go with it. Then amp-hours x volts = watt-hours.
A 100Ah lithium leisure battery, with a voltage of 12V, has an energy capacity of 100 x 12 = 1200 watt-hours, ie 1.2 kilowatt-hours (kWh). So even half a dozen of these batteries (a large leisure battery installation) is only 7.2kWh. That is very small compared to a EV battery which is 40kWh to over 100kWh.
An EV battery is large even compared with the average house solar/battery storage installation. 10kWh is for storage is average, and 20kWh is considered quite large. So there is definitely some merit in the idea of using an EV battery for storage, assuming the vehicle is parked outside the house for maybe 50% of the time.
On the other hand that does mean that if you had an electric van with a 100kWh battery, it would last a long time without hookup when wild camping if you could use its battery as a leisure battery. It's equivalent to 8333Ah at 12V.
- Jul 29, 2024
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Well, yes, and diesel electric trains are like that as well!
- Oct 17, 2023
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Yes, the new MerseyRail trains can, and now do, run beyond the end of the electrified third rail.
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As do Metro trams in the West Midlands.
- Nov 27, 2024
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A couple of thoughts on this:
* We often tow a boat behind our Tesla. It does mean that we sometimes have to approach the charging points in unconventional ways, but it hasn't been a problem so far! Charging installers are becoming more aware of this and newer installations often have things like drive-through bays available. Rare at present, but coming...
* One thing non-EV users often forget is that, yes, refuelling takes longer, but you don't have to stand outside in the cold holding the handle of the pump for all that time! You can sit inside, with the heating on, watching movies or reading your favourite motorhome websites. I do that in the car at present (though, actually, with the speed at which Teslas can charge, by the time I've visited the loo and got a coffee, the car is usually ready to go). But if you had an electric campervan (as I hope my next one will be), you could make a cuppa or even have a little nap while charging, before continuing your journey refreshed, and hence safer!
* We often tow a boat behind our Tesla. It does mean that we sometimes have to approach the charging points in unconventional ways, but it hasn't been a problem so far! Charging installers are becoming more aware of this and newer installations often have things like drive-through bays available. Rare at present, but coming...
* One thing non-EV users often forget is that, yes, refuelling takes longer, but you don't have to stand outside in the cold holding the handle of the pump for all that time! You can sit inside, with the heating on, watching movies or reading your favourite motorhome websites. I do that in the car at present (though, actually, with the speed at which Teslas can charge, by the time I've visited the loo and got a coffee, the car is usually ready to go). But if you had an electric campervan (as I hope my next one will be), you could make a cuppa or even have a little nap while charging, before continuing your journey refreshed, and hence safer!
I have just last night watched a Guy Martin programme where he drove an EV to John O Groats and it was frightening...half the charging points he could find were not operational... range anxiety was plainly giving him massive stress... he then found a rapid charger and it cost him £60 to recharge for a 200mile range... add in to that access which is in no way suitable for a large van... no thank you very much.
Most EV traction batteries are 400v, some are now using 800v systems.
That's very true, and is one of the things they need to solve in order for EVs to become attractive for those who can't charge at home.
It's not just a question of charging infrastructure though, it's also about how electricity pricing works in the UK as a whole. It's interesting that the only time we've paid more than 40p per kW for public charging abroad is on a motorway. All other times have been sub 40,, the lowest being 26p (all CCS chargers).......considerably less than it would have cost in the UK.
AndyPK
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- Oct 7, 2015
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But, don’t forget, this is (usually) under cover, a ‘roof’ being something that most EV charging stations seem to lack……….
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Lenny HB
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That's quite an old program hopefully things have improved.
- Dec 3, 2021
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Even a Tesla has a 12 volt Battery in it
How often do you have to replace the 12v battery in a Tesla?
Typically, they last about 3 years. There is no way to check the health of your 12v on your own. Of note, it is not recommended to hook up a 12v battery tender as this can adversely affect the vehicle's management of the 12v system and lead to premature battery degradation and need for replacement.
- Sep 29, 2020
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Ours has a 12 v battery but also a plug in adapter supplies mains voltage from the main battery I think up to around 3kw.
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- Jan 10, 2025
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On our EV it's also 3 years. And it's only a wee renault zoe.
- Jul 12, 2023
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EV transition is happening in all forms of transport, private and commercial, but you won’t have or don’t need 50, 80 or 100kw charger at every pitch. Ten pitches alone each with say a 100kw charger would be a megawatt! 50kw up are enroute chargers to allow you recharge from say 20 to 80% in 30 minutes to 1hr, the BP pulse type multi-bay setups.
What you’ll have is 11/22kw chargers at every bay, a 32ah supply rather than the current 16. This is what you see at hotels and the likes, “destination chargers” for people who are staying overnight. So it’s no problem to get to that level. Most hotels now have multiple destination charging bays, and with motorhome parks all have 16a at each bay, it just means upgrading this service to 32a. Then you don’t need a charger at these bays either, just a 32a socket and have the vehicles carry a 10 to 32a box lead charger. These are 7kw in single phase or 11/22 in 3ph, but it’s just a 32amp supply. I’ve an EV as have many of my friends and we all have this charger as another charging option as with a plug adapter it works as anything from a granny to a 7kw charger.
So when you are doing an overnight at a site you simply plug in and are fully charged on departure. 12h @ a modest 7kw will do the trick as you’ll never arrive empty and batteries are rarely charged to 100%.
I think 7kW chargers at pitches will be plenty. Even if we end up with 150kWh batteries in our future BEV motorhomes. Worst case is it takes a full day to charge. But in reality, many people stay multiple days. And few arrive totally empty. 7kW posts will be a lot easier to install. Sites would initially just have a few BEV pitches, but it could grow over time.
I watched a recent YouTube video of a Swedish guy holidaying in the UK with a hired BEV car. He drove from Fort William to London in a day. Due to UK traffic, getting stuck in a major incident, speed limits and roadworks, it took him all day. Every couple of hours he'd stop for a snack and a wee. And plug in at the same time. And leave as soon as he was ready. The charging didn't cost him any extra time. I'm expecting battery motorhomes to be similar. Slow charging on pitch so you can top up overnight would significantly improve matters.
I watched a recent YouTube video of a Swedish guy holidaying in the UK with a hired BEV car. He drove from Fort William to London in a day. Due to UK traffic, getting stuck in a major incident, speed limits and roadworks, it took him all day. Every couple of hours he'd stop for a snack and a wee. And plug in at the same time. And leave as soon as he was ready. The charging didn't cost him any extra time. I'm expecting battery motorhomes to be similar. Slow charging on pitch so you can top up overnight would significantly improve matters.
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- Aug 15, 2022
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Given that roof mounted solar panels are commonplace, surely any off-grid usage could be replaced by these, as is the case now?
Potentially, could these panels also top-up the EV battery so extending range between charges?
Potentially, could these panels also top-up the EV battery so extending range between charges?
Solar on a motorhome roof just can't yield enough to be very much use. Most motorhomes couldn't get even 1000W of solar panels on the roof, and that would only yield about 5kWh on a summer day. Great for habitation electrics, but wouldn't make much of a dent in a 100kWh EV battery.
- Oct 12, 2009
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Opposite us is a LeClerc s/market with 4 x Tesla charging stations in the CP. This s/market has no height barrier but I wonder how many s/markets have height barriers, restricting access to charging points?
Same restriction might apply if they fitted roofs.
In which case they would not be accessible to MHs other than campers.
I should have thought that it would be rather missing the point though
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Sorry, wrong in part. The CCS only means the plugs and sockets are combined for ease of use. You can have either one or the other supplying power, but never both. The lower part of the connecter, the DC, will still need to use the signal connections in the AC part of the plug/socket to know that it is connected and safe for the chargepoint to deliver the power.Many cars like the BMW I3 have a 'CCS' (= Combined Charging System) connector. The top part is the same as a Type 2 connector. The lower part is two big power pins that take DC charging. It can charge at 22kW AC plus the DC. That can be 40kW, or over 80kW depending on what the car is built to take. It can use a Type 2 if that's the only one available, such as a home charge point, or a CCS when available.
I have seen EV chargers up to 350kW, and 150kW is quite common now. It's complicated, there are lots of connectors and charger combinations. If you want more detail, try here:
Charging Point Connector Types
Confused by all the electric car charging point connectors? Read our handy guide explaining plugs and sockets for home and rapid charging...electriccarhome.co.uk
I am guessing that is what the the 4,250kg derogation is all about
On my EV camper I use 345W solar to do my habitation charge of the 640ah lithium. On site (after asking!) I plug the site electric as normal into the EHU socket on the van. There is then a built in car charger box and lead to use this power to gently charge the car overnight. C&CC are fine with this as you are not charging the car directly but via the van. Most campsites here and in Europe have been OK with this. The amount of power used for the charge is around the same as I would use on habitation and I can show this to site owners using the charging box. It is possible to plug in the habitation battery to top up the car but would only gain 20 or so miles and would take a long time but I guess it is my "can of petrol" if I ever got really stuck. I am sure that in the future solar will be used to top up BEVs. With scaling up all things will be possible. Just not in my lifetime I think. For now the van is perfect for me as daily driver and for holidays.
funflair
LIFE MEMBER
I imagine that electric motorhomes or more specifically PVC will trickle down from Electric delivery vans, my guess is that it could be difficult for the converter to find a suitable location for water and gas tanks as the underfloor space will no doubt be taken up with batteries, then there will be a weight and cost issue to get over but the cost might increase not look so bad on a PVC build, again range could still be a challenge as essentially it will be a delivery van running fully loaded all the time.
After saying the above I can't see happening in the coach built and A class market anytime soon as the development really isn't there in the up to 7500kg delivery truck for the manufacturers to piggy back onto.
After saying the above I can't see happening in the coach built and A class market anytime soon as the development really isn't there in the up to 7500kg delivery truck for the manufacturers to piggy back onto.
It has been like this since 2011 and the Vauxhall Ampera/Chevrolet Volt. GM was really ahead of the game with these cars, but, for Vauxhall, they were badly supported by the dealership network, and Vauxhall/Opel head offices/management did not help them either. They are known as EREVs (Extended Range Electric Vehicles), no range anxiety if you can refill with petrol but all the benefits of an EV for economy and emissions in built-up areas.
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