Plug In Security

WOW, it looks like the only thing left is death ! Seriously, one can loop the cable through the wheel, with a lock to protect your own cable. The chargepoint cable is not your concern. One cannot control all factors, so, don't try.

 

This is not true. The current generation of vehicles capable of being plugged in have pretty much adopted the J1772 standard. This includes the PiP and the Chargepoint and Blink chargers you see in the wild. In fact, every public charger I have seen is a J1772, with the exception of the ancient ones at my local Costco.

SAE J1772 - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

But yes, if you leave your $1200 charging cable/EVSE laying out unlocked in public, it is quite possible it will get stolen. This probability will increase greatly once the general public realizes how much they're worth and what people would be willing to pay for one on eBay/Craigslist.

 

The fast DC charger (which the PiP doesn't support) is a different connector, isn't it?

 

It is different. It is called chaedemo which I understand is Japanese for something like "have some tea". I have this port on my imiev. Supposedly can charge my battery to 80% in 15 minutes...just enough time for tea. I say supposedly because I have never see one.

 

Yes, you are correct. But I dont believe there is any EV/PHV that ONLY has the quick charge plug. I know the Leaf has both.. and without looking, I'm guessing the iMiev has both too. I think the Tesla Roadster didnt/doesnt using the J1772 connector though, but there's some kind of adapter? Ah, yes.. here it is: J1772 Mobile Connector | Charging Solutions | Tesla Motors

 

Virtually all plug-in cars use the J1772: Nissan Leaf, Toyota Prius, BMW, Mitsubishi, Chevy, and some others. It's clearly become the de facto standard.

The ChaDeMo 480 Volt fast charger is intended for electric-only vehicles travelling on freeways. They'll be deployed every 75 miles or so, allowing you to travel long distances with range-limited EV's. It's not intended for daily use, but rather to allow EV's to take the kind of occasional long trips that we take with our ordinary cars.

I've charged my PiP at about six different locations, using my Blink and ChargePoint cards.

 

Depends on which one. CHAdeMO is on the Leaf, i-Miev and others. See CHAdeMO Association.

GM and a bunch of other automakers (who don't have any shipping QC capable vehicles) are trying to derail it with the so-called J1772 combo plug/aka





J1772 'combo connector' shown at the 2012 Electric Vehicle Symposium
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Vehicle Electrification - SAE which isn't even finalized yet. GM even tried pull a bunch of shenigans mentioned at My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - SAE Planning vote to formally deny CHAdeMO in US.

There's one troll on MNL who has a Volt (so it's not even QC capable and it doesn't even look like Frankenplug connectors will even fit on his Volt) keeps siding w/Frankenplug. I ended up adding him to my foe (ignore) list.

I started My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - SAE combo plug/Frankenplug EV/PHEV car list for people to post which cars will actually have Frankenplug.

There are a few other QC standards like Tesla's own and supposedly another in China.

 

On the iMiev, the chaedemo fast charge port is an option. I have one. Pretty useless right now, but it would be fantastic if larger gas stations on highways and if service areas on toll roads put them in. I predict they will, to attract a captive audience in their restaurants and gift shops, not to mention they can charge outrageous amounts of money for the juice.

So there will be a few different charging standards...the larger stations, the only practical place for these fast chargers, will have multiple cords on them to enable charging the various standards...just like we now have different fuels, regular, plus, premium, diesel, ethanol.

Sorry I got off topic.

 

We stopped in Benicia to check out the charging station and it had two common 110 Vac outlets, which were being used by Benicia City Gen II converted Pri, and two other types of charge connectors, neither of which will work on our Prius.

*I would have uploaded the pics here that I took of them but when I tried, it says each one is too large*

One looks like what I think is used on a Leaf, but I didn't recognize the other. Also these chargers were installed on a fence with landscaping in front that was not really meant for foot traffic. I think this was an early attempt by the city of Benicia to be 'electric vehicle friendly' but it appears to be dying a slow death.

r

 

CHAdeMO - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia has pic of the CHAdeMO connector.

Is it possible one the other was a inductive paddle charger? (My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Avcon charging a Leaf!)

 

Nope, it didn't look like that CHAdeMO. And yes, I would guess the other was a 'paddle charger' connector.


r

 

OK, here's one of the chargers....

 

That one is one of the ancient paddle clunkers.....

 

CHAdeMO is really awesome... i used the one at the stanford mall a month or so ago. charged the leaf from almost empty to 80% in something like 20 minutes. i walked away from the EVSE to test drive a ford focus EV, so i don't know exactly how long it took.

CHAdeMO is kind of a ridiculous acronym. it's derived from "ocha demo ikaga desuka" which in it's entirety literally means "is something like tea okay?" but translated into english "how about some tea?" is better. the idea being that the time it takes to charge a leaf is about how long it would take to have tea with someone. then they backronym'd this to mean "Charge de Move" (yes, apparently mixing english with french), or "charge for moving"... sigh.

CHAdeMO would charge the PIP in about 3-5 minutes i suppose, though since they have to start tapering down the current as the battery fills up, it could take longer.

 

This was a concern of mine. That's why I asked the dealer about replacement cost -- yes, he quoted $1200. I looked into locking it, but I don't want to carry a key around to start driving my keyless car. (Or bother with a combination lock.) I just reduced my comprehensive car insurance deductible -- if the cable goes away, a new one will be $100... If that starts to happen a lot in the area, or my own gets stolen, I'll reconsider the combination lock thing. But until then it's not worth the trouble.

(The comprehensive also covers vandalism, which also was a concern -- I live in NH and there are a lot of teabaggers in the area.)

Happened to me, except for the blocks part. Thief broke into my car (Honda Accord hatchback at the time) and rooted around in back for the jack; not finding it (it was dark, and in that car it was behind a side panel) they jacked up my car with their own jack (which they left behind) and stole both left wheels. (One snow tire and one regular. Losers. ) Left a nasty dent in the runner below the door, too, because they set their jack in the middle to get both wheels rather than on a reinforced spot front or back. Winter of '91 or thereabouts.

 

The rotten nogoodnicks!