โJul-20-2015 02:08 PM
โMay-21-2016 07:19 PM
โAug-27-2015 02:39 PM
โAug-27-2015 12:46 PM
John & Angela wrote:SRockwood wrote:westernrvparkowner wrote:
We specifically prohibit charging of electric vehicles. No campground's electrical system is designed to handle both the load of a 50 amp RV and the load created by charging an electric vehicle. Multiple units on an electrical loop would quickly trip the main breakers cutting power to all the rigs on the loop.
Today, electric cars are not much more than a curiosity piece. If the manufacturers ever want them to become mainstream, one thing they are going to have to do is come up with a recharging infrastructure that does not rely on the goodness of others. No one expects an RV park to fuel up their diesel pickup tow vehicle or their Honda CRV toad and it shouldn't fall upon the parks to fuel up someone's electric car.
Or, you could turn a profit on it:
Require that all EV owners plug their cars into their coaches. This will keep them under the 50a limit and within your infrastructure's initial design considerations. Keep in mind that someone with a strong desktop computer will draw about 3-4a continuously and as much as 15a for short periods. Most 110v chargers on EVs draw around 7-10a as they were designed for regular outlets.
To help out on the money side of things, charge patrons a nominal fee ($3-5?) per electric vehicle per day on top of their usual reservation rates. Of the "normal" EVs out there (not the $100k+ Teslas, etc), the Nissan Leaf has the largest battery at 24kwH. At $0.18/kwH, if all of your EV patrons completely drained their Leaf batteries to nothing every single day (highly unlikely, as it would require a software change AND would murder that battery in no time), you'd still turn a profit of $0.68/day if you charged $5. Bonus is you wouldn't need to turn patrons away or listen to generators so they could charge it on their own dime. Since most people will only discharge the battery to about 50% (the EV considers the the battery nearly dead at about 70-80% depending on manufacturer), you'd turn a profit of about $2-3 per day for EVs on your lot.
Currently, I assume you don't get anything for gasoline-powered vehicles unless you have a gas station on site as well, so EVs = $$$ for you if you take advantage of it.
You know thats kinda of a cool idea. Advertise it as EV friendly etc. I'd pay a few bucks for the convenience. Most major centres have lots of level 2 charging facilities now but smaller centres not so much. Maybe there is a market there.
โAug-27-2015 09:52 AM
SRockwood wrote:westernrvparkowner wrote:
We specifically prohibit charging of electric vehicles. No campground's electrical system is designed to handle both the load of a 50 amp RV and the load created by charging an electric vehicle. Multiple units on an electrical loop would quickly trip the main breakers cutting power to all the rigs on the loop.
Today, electric cars are not much more than a curiosity piece. If the manufacturers ever want them to become mainstream, one thing they are going to have to do is come up with a recharging infrastructure that does not rely on the goodness of others. No one expects an RV park to fuel up their diesel pickup tow vehicle or their Honda CRV toad and it shouldn't fall upon the parks to fuel up someone's electric car.
Or, you could turn a profit on it:
Require that all EV owners plug their cars into their coaches. This will keep them under the 50a limit and within your infrastructure's initial design considerations. Keep in mind that someone with a strong desktop computer will draw about 3-4a continuously and as much as 15a for short periods. Most 110v chargers on EVs draw around 7-10a as they were designed for regular outlets.
To help out on the money side of things, charge patrons a nominal fee ($3-5?) per electric vehicle per day on top of their usual reservation rates. Of the "normal" EVs out there (not the $100k+ Teslas, etc), the Nissan Leaf has the largest battery at 24kwH. At $0.18/kwH, if all of your EV patrons completely drained their Leaf batteries to nothing every single day (highly unlikely, as it would require a software change AND would murder that battery in no time), you'd still turn a profit of $0.68/day if you charged $5. Bonus is you wouldn't need to turn patrons away or listen to generators so they could charge it on their own dime. Since most people will only discharge the battery to about 50% (the EV considers the the battery nearly dead at about 70-80% depending on manufacturer), you'd turn a profit of about $2-3 per day for EVs on your lot.
Currently, I assume you don't get anything for gasoline-powered vehicles unless you have a gas station on site as well, so EVs = $$$ for you if you take advantage of it.
โAug-27-2015 08:31 AM
westernrvparkowner wrote:
We specifically prohibit charging of electric vehicles. No campground's electrical system is designed to handle both the load of a 50 amp RV and the load created by charging an electric vehicle. Multiple units on an electrical loop would quickly trip the main breakers cutting power to all the rigs on the loop.
Today, electric cars are not much more than a curiosity piece. If the manufacturers ever want them to become mainstream, one thing they are going to have to do is come up with a recharging infrastructure that does not rely on the goodness of others. No one expects an RV park to fuel up their diesel pickup tow vehicle or their Honda CRV toad and it shouldn't fall upon the parks to fuel up someone's electric car.
โAug-26-2015 09:03 PM
jimbo98 wrote:
That is a sweet ride. Congratulations. I have been using Plugshare.com and its phone app to find quick charging stations around the city. It shows Level 2 and 3 charging stations on a map and users rate them and post pictures. Great for planning trips that require a charge.
Can you tow your smart car on all four tires or do you trailer it?
โAug-26-2015 08:48 PM
โAug-26-2015 06:48 PM
jimbo98 wrote:
We just bought a used 2012 Mitsubishi I-MiEV SE full electric car with 5700 miles. It has a 62 mile range on a full charge, perfect for going in to town to run errands. Charges easily on a 120V plug drawing about 8 amps which gives it a full charge in 20 hours. The car is so easy to park. It does need to be towed on a trailer. Cant tow it on the rear wheels, which are the drive wheels. The car weighs about 2500 lbs, so even with a small trailer, it can be towed by my Itasca Navion (3500 lb. limit) I don't see any issue regarding over loading RV park electrical systems. It is a minor current draw compared to what RV's draw for running A/C's, lights, battery charging.
The best part is the cost savings. No more paying for gas, oil changes, maintenance. Less than $2 to fully charge the battery. The car was $7800. No tax rebates. Only on new EV's.
โAug-26-2015 05:43 PM
โJul-23-2015 06:52 AM
hpdrver wrote:
My Chevy Volt charges easily off a 15 amp 110 V outlet and costs only $1.25 for a full charge if electricity is 10 cents a kilowatt. It will take 8 hours to charge at this 110V rate but it does not overburden the electric infrastructure. Higher charge voltage if available is nice but not necessary. I get 42 miles on a complete charge and will be trading my 2012 Volt for the 2nd Generation Volt coming out this fall. This has been the most trouble free car that I have owned.
โJul-23-2015 06:42 AM
โJul-23-2015 06:11 AM
Bumpyroad wrote:John & Angela wrote:
Anyway, I would suspect that we will frequent any business, shopping mall or whatever that provides charging stations for our car....when we get it. ๐ Just gotta wear out these durn smart cars first. ๐ Into year 10 and counting. ๐
this reminds me of an article in the local paper a while back where they reported on the installation of a charging station on the counties/states? dime as a test at a local winery. I wrote a letter to the paper questioning the wisdom of such an installation. I mean people go to a winery for what 1/2 an hour??? why not put it in the parking lot for circuit court where people could be stuck for all day jury duty? would make a lot more sense to me.
bumpy
โJul-23-2015 03:36 AM
John & Angela wrote:
Anyway, I would suspect that we will frequent any business, shopping mall or whatever that provides charging stations for our car....when we get it. ๐ Just gotta wear out these durn smart cars first. ๐ Into year 10 and counting. ๐
โJul-22-2015 04:49 PM
4x4van wrote:westernrvparkowner wrote:
We specifically prohibit charging of electric vehicles. No campground's electrical system is designed to handle both the load of a 50 amp RV and the load created by charging an electric vehicle. Multiple units on an electrical loop would quickly trip the main breakers cutting power to all the rigs on the loop.
Today, electric cars are not much more than a curiosity piece. If the manufacturers ever want them to become mainstream, one thing they are going to have to do is come up with a recharging infrastructure that does not rely on the goodness of others. No one expects an RV park to fuel up their diesel pickup tow vehicle or their Honda CRV toad and it shouldn't fall upon the parks to fuel up someone's electric car.
Exactly what I was thinking! Those of you who think it's fine to charge your EV off the campground pedestal will be directly responsible for campgrounds increasing their prices to reflect the additional electricity as well as the requirement to upgrade their facilities.
The entire US does not have the infrastructure (nor the generating capability) to charge EVs if they become the norm. EVs are not "green"; the manufacture and disposal of the huge batteries are an environmental nightmare, and the electricity to charge them has to come from somewhere. Currently, most comes from the burning of coal and natural gas. Driving an EV actually does nothing for the environment.