Site electricity usage - recharging electric cars???

[philann]

I’m guessing that this is the company……..

Pop-up solar-powered electric vehicle charging hub launched

A pop-up, solar-powered electric vehicle (EV) charging hub, which is deployable in just 24 hours, has been launched by 3ti.

www.fleetnews.co.uk

That looks interesting, built around a shipping container with a 250kWh battery. It looks like the two sides and top are covered in solar panels and the sides open up to form the canopy. Can see the unit being dropped off, opened up and bobs your uncle.
It does say it will trickle charge cars over several hours to provide enough charge for “day to day” use. It seems to be designed for workplaces so you have enough charge to get home and back to the office the next day!

 

[AndyPK]

I wonder how long it will be before the ability to ‘charge your car at work’ is seen as a ‘benefit-in-kind’, and a taxable perk………?

 

[Harrogate motorhomer]

Should have told them .

Did it again last night. I’m not telling he’s a lot bigger/ muscular than me & half my age. Let them find out for themselves which will no doubt be when they look at the electric bill. On second thoughts I might tell when we’re leaving!

 

[gus-lopez]

I wonder how long it will be before the ability to ‘charge your car at work’ is seen as a ‘benefit-in-kind’, and a taxable perk………?

What I said months ago.

 

[denisejoe]

Huh? sorry didn't follow you on that one sorry

Can you see any cables attached to the cars

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[Gromett]

Can you see any cables attached to the cars

Where? what? Huh? sorry I have no idea what you mean?

 

[denisejoe]

is the photo not a charging station

 

[gus-lopez]

is the photo not a charging station

no.Just a generic picture of parking using solar panel roof

 

[denisejoe]

Looks like a charging station to me

 

[Lenny HB]

I wonder how long it will be before the ability to ‘charge your car at work’ is seen as a ‘benefit-in-kind’, and a taxable perk………?

Why not petrol & diesel are.

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[Gromett]

is the photo not a charging station

The photo I posted? That is nothing to do with the company being discussed. I just gave the picture as an example of the fast construction method for the canopy.

 

[Brains]

eddievanbitz Jim

Just an observation:
We have just come back from two months of touring in Holland, Germany, Austria and northern Italy.
Mostly staying on upper quality camp sites and a couple of Stellplatz'es.

With a few notable exceptions, almost every site (including the Stellplatzes) is now equipped to recharge electric cars (for a fee of course).

It's no longer a case of 'if' you should fit EV charging facilities, but 'when' you need to fit EV charging facilities.

 

[Brains]

Campsites will always have an issue with 'creeping featurism'.
EV charging is just the latest.

Now we all expect WiFi.
A few years ago, electrical bollards became expected.
No doubt hot showers a bit before that,
and if you go back far enough, there must have been those sites that resisted upgrading the latrine trench to a loo in a building!
People will be wanting water out of a tap next!

(I remember going on Scout Camps in the early 1970's where all we had was a field for two weeks.
Water from a stream and first task was to dig the latrine pit.
Scouts can still do this now, but a Scout leader needs a 'Greenfield' certificate, which are rarely granted)

 

[minesapint]

eddievanbitz Jim

Just an observation:
We have just come back from two months of touring in Holland, Germany, Austria and northern Italy.
Mostly staying on upper quality camp sites and a couple of Stellplatz'es.

With a few notable exceptions, almost every site (including the Stellplatzes) is now equipped to recharge electric cars (for a fee of course).

It's no longer a case of 'if' you should fit EV charging facilities, but 'when' you need to fit EV charging facilities.

As long as it does not put up the already high charges to people with normal vehicles.
If EV drivers want to charge up after their 100 or so miles they should pay for all of the infrastructure needed to put in the heavier cables etc.

 

[tonyidle]

As long as it does not put up the already high charges to people with normal vehicles.
If EV drivers want to charge up after their 100 or so miles they should pay for all of the infrastructure needed to put in the heavier cables etc.

Not too far in the future EV drivers will be the norm.

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[MisterB]

eddievanbitz Jim

Just an observation:
We have just come back from two months of touring in Holland, Germany, Austria and northern Italy.
Mostly staying on upper quality camp sites and a couple of Stellplatz'es.

With a few notable exceptions, almost every site (including the Stellplatzes) is now equipped to recharge electric cars (for a fee of course).

It's no longer a case of 'if' you should fit EV charging facilities, but 'when' you need to fit EV charging facilities.

i think it was last year that grants became available for hotels etc and AirBnB apparently to have EV charging points fitted. i think the downside was that you paid a damn sight more with the grant than you would have done without it, similar to the solar panel (and now heat pump) 'opportunities'.

we have 4kw of solar and i am thinking of doubling that, we dont have an EV but if i could find some way to harness and use the energy cost effectively (power walls are so bloody expensive), then i would bite the bullet, especially as i would like to build a canopy for the motorhome and making the roof out of solar panels seems to be a good design choice .....

 

[Brains]

As long as it does not put up the already high charges to people with normal vehicles.
If EV drivers want to charge up after their 100 or so miles they should pay for all of the infrastructure needed to put in the heavier cables etc.

They will.

EV charging posts are separate to the pitch bollards and a need a credit card to activate.
They will become another profit centre for campsites.

That said; I've not got a problem paying for the electricity I use.
All of the Stellplatze'es we stayed on had coin meter electricity.
We were typically putting in about €3-5 per day to run the fridge, some lights and an occasional couple of hours of a DVD/TV.

 

[AndyPK]

Not too far in the future EV drivers will be the norm.

Discuss…….. (NOT ‘flirty’)

 

[minesapint]

Not too far in the future EV drivers will be the norm.

Not if you have a large Motorhome. You need more than the 100 or so miles it would give.

 

[eddie]

eddievanbitz Jim

Just an observation:
We have just come back from two months of touring in Holland, Germany, Austria and northern Italy.
Mostly staying on upper quality camp sites and a couple of Stellplatz'es.

With a few notable exceptions, almost every site (including the Stellplatzes) is now equipped to recharge electric cars (for a fee of course).

It's no longer a case of 'if' you should fit EV charging facilities, but 'when' you need to fit EV charging facilities.

I resisted the temptation to put petrol pumps in, and that didn’t adversely affect me, so I’ll pass

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[DelMar]

In Spain this year on a well known camp site when arriving at our allotted pitch, found someone else plugged into my metered and numbered electric point. These are read and then paid for by the leaving previous occupant.
Therefore this guy was having free electric from an empty pitch at my expense as the next occupant. Was it a mistake or a deliberate ploy on his part, because the sockets were clearly marked for each pitch.
When I told reception on paying my bill, they didn’t seem concerned, after all they got paid anyway.

 

[nicholsong]

In Spain this year on a well known camp site when arriving at our allotted pitch, found someone else plugged into my metered and numbered electric point. These are read and then paid for by the leaving previous occupant.
Therefore this guy was having free electric from an empty pitch at my expense as the next occupant. Was it a mistake or a deliberate ploy on his part, because the sockets were clearly marked for each pitch.
When I told reception on paying my bill, they didn’t seem concerned, after all they got paid anyway.

When you found the situation on arrival why did you not ask for the meter to be re-read after unplugging the the other persons cable?

 

[Tombola]

It's no longer a case of 'if' you should fit EV charging facilities, but 'when' you need to fit EV charging facilities

There are new companies already starting to put in drawings/ideas for caravans with the lowest drag and some varying forms of "self propulsion" / solar aids to help the Evs of the future to not lose too much range when towing them.

Plus by then expect battery tech to have gotten better, to give more miles under less strain.

Similar way in that when aircraft were first born, the main issue was getting them to travel forward fast enough to generate enough lift for the weight versus lift ratio.

 

[AndyPK]

There are new companies already starting to put in drawings/ideas for caravans with the lowest drag and some varying forms of "self propulsion" / solar aids to help the Evs of the future to not lose too much range when towing them.

Plus by then expect battery tech to have gotten better, to give more miles under less strain.

Similar way in that when aircraft were first born, the main issue was getting them to travel forward fast enough to generate enough lift for the weight versus lift ratio.

Now there’s a thought! Wings on the ‘van to generate lift………….increase payload…….double win!!! (NOT ‘flirty’)

 

[DelMar]

After we set up on arrival, I got sidetracked and I forgot until I went to pay.

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[Coolcats]

CAMC charge, I think, £9 per day to charge electric cars. You have to do it from your unit, not directly from the bollard for some reason.

Electric vehicle charging on Club sites

www.caravanclub.co.uk

During lockdown I had a Y splitter one cable for a portable freezer and one for the MoHo (fridge but tiny freezer) The warden advised I could not use the splitter but could power the Freezer directly from the MoHo.

As it was in 2020 the warden let me use the Y splitter but what he said was that CAMC could not condone the use of the splitter as they do not know the safety of each component people use and they have to have a policy of the power going to the MoHo and if customers connect to the MoHo such as our freezer then its our (Customer) responsibility for the safety of anything connected. Is I guess there is a health and safety logic in that the MoHo should be to a electrical standard otherwise they will have anything connected to the power outlets.

 

[tonyidle]

Not if you have a large Motorhome. You need more than the 100 or so miles it would give.

I meant that more people will own electric cars.

 

[nicholsong]

After we set up on arrival, I got sidetracked and I forgot until I went to pay.

Beer?

 

[DelMar]

 

[TheCaller]

Don’t get me wrong, I think if you use electricity you should pay for what you use and anyone else at a location should not have subsidise you. It’s extremely rare that I ever need to plug in and would have to be a real emergency in which case I would pay whatever applied. I thought this was fine and an excellent place to stop and explore, will go again but I don’t need power.

Posting this to show you can charge more than power costs, there must be something to allow it somewhere.

There is.

You can only sell electricity for domestic use at the same price that you paid for it. You can charge what you like for the cost of getting that electricity from your incoming meter to the point of final supply.

Let's take some hypothetical easy figures. You (the campsite owner) pay 25p/unit for all the electricity used on the site.
It costs £500 to put in metering equipment on each pitch. You expect it to last for 10 years before it all has to be replaced & you expect to pay £50/yr in maintenance costs. So it will cost £100 per pitch per year to get the electricity from your meter to the output of the pitch meter.

From past experience, you know how roughly many units are used per pitch night. I've no idea what the real figure is - let's say it's 10 units. Your pitches are occupied for say, 200 nights per year. So you need 50p per night to cover your costs to supply.

You are permitted to charge that 50p per night on top of the 25p/unit. You are also permitted to apportion these costs according to usage, so you could just charge 30p/unit, made up of 25p electricity cost & 5p infrastructure cost. You are obliged to show the way in which you calculate recharges to any user who asks, so a notice in reception would be required.

But you can achieve the same thing without a lot of hassle by just charging everyone £3 a night for any pitch that has an EHU point & if you can attract enough customers to stay on that basis, then why bother to install metering?

As I say, these figures are hypothetical & as the real figures change, the argument swings in one direction or the other. If there is sufficient demand for non-EHU pitches, or for metered pitches, then site owners will react accordingly.

I guess Car recharging is different, you are paying for the extra speed the higher charges are for ‘Ultra’ fast chargers, fast chargers 50kWH are typically £0.50 per kWH, still more than any electricity company standard tariff, at least for the time being.

No it isn't .There is no differentiation.A unit of elctricity is a unit.

Yes, there is a difference. Only electricity for domestic use is regulated in this way. Charging an electric vehicle is a commercial use & not subject to the same resale price limit. That is part of the reason some sites are installing dedicated car charging points & banning recharging vehicles via the domestic supply bollard.

Incidently, has it ever been tested in court as to whether the supply to a touring vehicle is included in the term 'domestic supply'? It looks like poor drafting to me - was it ever the intention of Parliament to include touring campsites under the regulations or did they consider it opened up too many loopholes to exclude them? Ofgen's guidance specifically includes them, but does the actual legislation?

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