Author: Rob Dean

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Why You Should “Ruin” Your Weekend in an EV

Many of you may have heard about the cheeky Facebook group “I ruined the weekend“. For those that haven’t its a full of photos and reports on how Electric Vehicle owners have made use of their vehicles going on long outback trips, visiting a country Vineyard, towing a Boat, and generally going about business as usual whilst driving electric rather than petrol or diesel. The Facebook group was a clever idea by long time West Aussie EV owner Ant Day, who like myself and hundreds of owners across Australia are thoroughly sickened by the continual fear campaign aimed at EVs. Politicians Scott Morrison and Michaela Cash claiming that Electric Vehicles will ruin your weekend was an audacious slogan that needed countering.

So why should you “Ruin your weekend”?

On one side of the fence we have a small but vocal group of EV owners supporting the electric transition, on the other side are the naysayers who believe EVs are not the answer, in reality this second group are people who know the electric transition will be detrimental to their business. In the middle are the fence sitters, the vast majority of Australians that have an interest in Electric Vehicles but struggle to separate fact from opinion from all the mud being thrown around, these are the potential owners that need to be convinced. It’s far better to do this with facts rather than opinion.

The best way to achieve this is prove it can be done, get out for a weekender to the country, tow the boat down to the ramp, go camping at some secluded location, go for an interstate trip, but most importantly leave the petrol car at home. Taking your EV to a place it’s apparently not supposed to be is a great conversation starter, it gets fence sitters attention and the conversation around the BBQ gets changed in a positive way. It’s no longer opinion, it’s fact, pessimism has been replaced with optimism. This is something the naysayers will never have, they can never show it can’t be done but you can show it can.

A Charge of Teslas holidaying in Kalbarri, Western Australia
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Why AC Charging is Still Vital

When most people refer to electric vehicle charging they discuss the DC variant, and without doubt DC only charging is useful in three EV charging scenarios.

  • DC charging of at least 100kw power output is critical on highways between Australian towns and cities, the vast majority of non EV owners firmly believe fast charging times that are closer to petrol refill times are essential if they’re going to purchase an EV, these future new owners will soon realise that a 15 minute stop every 250kms is nowhere near the issue they expected.
  • There’s a small percentage of car owners that live in multi story buildings with no electricity outlet near their allocated parking spot, when these residents purchase an EV they’ll rely on public charging, for many DC charging will be the preferred choice.
  • The third EV charging scenario is the Taxi industry, to make the day to day operation as smooth as possible they’ll need the easy access to reliable DC charging.

So why is AC charging still so vital?

Despite what the EV naysayers would like to portray, the vast majority of Australian car owners have the ability to charge an EV at home or work. It doesn’t need to be 3 phase power, 10, 15 or even 32amp single phase is more than sufficient to replace the average days driving.

Compared to DC charging an AC charging set up is extremely cheap and fast to install. Public DC chargers are currently very expensive to install, sometimes expensive to maintain and often attract a lot of red tape that drags the build time out for months on end. At the moment there’s a very low number of electric vehicles on the road compared to the rest of the vehicle fleet so having EVs charging at their local DC charger is handy advertising, as the transition to plug in electric drivetrains rapidly increase this may very well cause issues if the DC charging infrastructure in built up areas can’t keep up with demand.

Those EV drivers mentioned earlier in the scenarios above will heavily rely on local DC charging, so getting as many owners as possible with the ability to charge at home or work from AC charging is vital to making the nationwide EV transition as smooth as possible.

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Model 3 USA build v China build

Energy efficiency and charging speed comparison

This test was scheduled to compare the different supercharging speeds between a USA and China built model 3 standard range, we also took the opportunity to test the energy efficiency of both cars. The energy efficiency test produced some unexpected results but nothing that would make one car far superior to the other over its whole life.

Conditions for the day were fine and dry, with the outside air temperature starting at 19C and creeping up to 26C over the next 4 hours, the roads had light to moderate traffic allowing for both cars to stay visible to each other, there was no tailgating each other or drafting larger vehicles.

We attempted to drive a combination of suburban and highway routes although a significant section of the journey was at 110kmh on a fairly coarse road surface that has a negative effect on range, I’ve driven the same Forest highway dozens of times in a model S in the past 6 years and it’s certainly chews up the energy as much as any West Australian road I can think of.

To make the test as tidy as possible both cars had the same cold tyre pressures (45psi) using the same brand and size tyres, both climate controls set to 22C throughout the full test when driving, 2 occupants each. Both cars preheated their batteries on approach to the supercharger. We had the good fortune to have the Eaton V2 Superchargers to ourselves avoiding shared cabinets.

The Supercharging Speed Test

Not really a groundbreaking surprise here but more of a reminder that the USA installed NCA batteries have a slightly different charging profile to the China installed LFP batteries, the good news is both cars had a reasonable good charging speed between 20% and 90% on a V2 Supercharger capped at 135kw, USA build taking 33 minutes, the China build taking 32 minutes.

Note: 97Kw figure at 40% was double checked and is correct.

The Efficiency Test

The Trip A south in temperatures between 19C and 22C was a total distance of 129kms  via a detour through Pinjarra, this produced a small surprise that we initially put down to a margin of error, the USA car had a trip average of 153Wh/km against the China car of 157Wh/km, I didn’t expect the China car to have any advantage on such a mild day, a cold day would have certainly given it a win.

The Trip B north was a more direct 103kms with temperatures between 23C and 26C, this did throw up an interesting result, the USA car averaged 145Wh/km, the China car 158Wh/km, that sort of gap wasn’t expected.

So why such difference? It wasn’t driver behaviour, we swapped passengers at the supercharger so I spent time with both drivers, there wasn’t any significant difference in accelerating or braking. As the cars had been matched as close as possible the only difference was the age of the tyres, although the China model 3 had 1200kms on its tyres it appears they need some more age and distance before the tyres produce their best efficiency.

Many thanks to Nigel and Alex for giving up their Saturday morning to conduct this test.

Rob.

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Avoid switching off the air conditioner to save energy.

I’ve noticed a lot of drivers recently tell how they turn off the air conditioner to gain extra range, this stems from a misunderstanding of how much energy a Tesla HVAC system (Heating, Ventilation and Air Conditioner) consumes under various conditions. It’s only if you’re driving in areas north of Geraldton or east of Merredin that you should be concerned with energy consumption (or if you’re paying insanely high electricity prices). In the city and suburbs crank up the cooling or heating and enjoy that car.

As virtually all country areas in Western Australia that may require some energy conservation are warmer areas, I’ll stick to discussing HVAC cooling.

So why not turn off the HVAC cooling or open the windows?

Driving an aerodynamic vehicle with the windows open above 40-50kmh is a backward step, more energy will be consumed from poor aerodynamics than an air conditioner would normally consume, the faster you drive the bigger the difference.

Driving a long distance in a car with a hot interior is not worth it unless the situation is desperate, besides the safety risk of possibly losing concentration, you’re also reducing the enjoyment of driving a Tesla.

When cooling the amount of energy the HVAC consumes depends on a couple of factors; how low a temperature the HVAC is set too, the interior and outside air temperature and often lastly but often overlooked; how long the car has been sitting in the full sun before switching on the HVAC, a significant part of the heat absorbed by the cars bodywork will transfer through to the interior adding to the task of cooling the inside air.

How to get the best range while still using the HVAC cooling.

  • Try and park the car under shade before departure, this could save 10-15kms of range over a 350km trip.
  • Pre cool the interior whilst the car is still charging, on AC charging this may reduce the charge speed but getting extra distance covered is more important than the few extra minutes it may take.
  • Set the thermostat higher, you may enjoy being spoilt with a 20C interior around the city but 23C over a long drive is better than no cooling at all.
  • Drop 5kmh- If the choice is drive at 100kmh with no HVAC cooling or 95kmh with cooling the 95kmh journey is going to be far more enjoyable, besides driving at 95kmh only makes the 350km trip 11 minutes slower.

Over the long term as DC fast chargers are installed in WA country areas reducing most trips to below 250kms the above advice will no longer be applicable, but in the meantime stay cool and enjoy that car.

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TOCEVA Racing at the Shannons Targa Rallysprint Series

Article by Andrew Harvey, TOCEVA Racing and TOCWA committee member.

The newly formed TOCEVA Racing is a group of EV enthusiasts who come from the Tesla Owners Club of Western Australia and the Australian Electric Vehicle Association.  The TOCEVA plated 2019 Tesla Model 3 Performance, driven by Jurgen and Helen Lunsmann has placed 4th overall and fastest in the Targa Cup class of Round 2 of the Shannons Targa Rallysprint Series, ahead of a tough field of almost 80 cars.

Jurgen piloted the TOCEVA Racing Model 3 under Helens calm guidance through four runs around the Perth Motorplex course for a total time of just over 9 minutes.  The field is separated by type of car and engine capacity, something that is hard to define for the Tesla, but there are two main classes.  The Rallysprint cars are heavily modified racing cars while the Targa Cup cars must adhere to strict rules governing Targa racing.

The TOCEVA Racing Model 3 is effectively a standard Tesla Performance Model 3 with the only upgrades being racing brake pads, racing tyres (on standard 18in wheels) and this was the first race with the recently (as in last week!) installed roll cage.  The TOCEVA Racing team led by Jon Edwards worked through the holiday break to strip the interior ready for the roll cage, then painstakingly replaced, altered and fabricated new parts for the interior to get the car ready for today’s race.

Another Tesla Model 3 Performance competed, Nigel Ball driving his everyday car (with racing brake pads, wheels and tyres but no roll cage) impressively coming in 9th place overall.

Coming off a tremendous 4th place overall in last season’s Targa Cup (competing in the Targa 130 class speed limited to 130km/h) this is the first of many races for 2021 for TOCEVA Racing, competing in the open class of the Targa Cup for the first time.

We are looking forward to the next round on the 28th January again at the Perth Motorplex.  Spectator entry is free so come down and watch some great motorsport.  Where else can you see a Tesla quietly showing the racing fraternity what electric really can do?

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Comparing the Eaton Supercharger with the Treendale DC charger

These two sets of chargers are 5kms apart not far from the Forrest highway 160kms south of Perth, they’re are both excellent charging facilities that provide a welcome link for drivers heading to the south west corner of the state.

Treendale consists of 2 charging outlets with a maximum charge rate of 350kw, although currently there are no electric vehicles in Australia that can accept that power output. As of today (28/12/2020) the cost is 40 cents per kWh with no connection fee via the Chargefox network. In addition to the reasonable cost per unit the ability for 2019 onward Tesla’s to charge at rates as high as 190kw makes the Treendale charger an attractive alternative.

Treendale 350 kW fast chargers

The Eaton Superchargers are part of the Tesla network, the bank of 6 charging outlets have a maximum charge rate of 135kw, for those without access to free supercharging credits the 52 cents per kWh cost can appear excessive compared to charging at home but is acceptable for a top up every few weeks.

Eaton Superchargers

The clear advantage of the Tesla supercharger is the convenience of the set up, firstly you can detour into Eaton with the surety that at least one of the 6 charging bays will be available to use, having the ability to check via the Tesla app how many chargers are occupied before arrival is an added bonus, but best of all the “plug in and walk off” set up is so much better than opening a phone app and waiting for a connection as often occurs with most other non Tesla chargers.

In summary, if you have a newer Tesla with the ability to charge at higher rates the Treendale chargers are the better alternative, the downside is you run the risk that eventually both charge bays will be occupied on arrival. If your not concerned about saving a few minutes and a few dollars the Eaton superchargers are the best option, park up, plug in, walk off completely hassle free.

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Why Kojonup is the most critical DC charger in Western Australia.

If you think that’s an overblown headline it’s best you read on, the fact is I doubt there will ever be an electric vehicle charger installed in WA that will have a bigger impact. It may only be a 50kw charger but it’s going to power up more than just electric vehicles.

Kojonjup DC charger

Perception

Most of the EV driving I’ve done has been in country areas, especially locations with limited charging options across every state and territory of Australia. Charging downtime using AC power provides a unique opportunity to discuss electric vehicles with the general public, many can’t tell the difference between an EV and a traditional vehicle until they see you plugging in to a power source, it then doesn’t take long for a conversation to start. No matter what some media outlets attempt to portray the general public are intrigued by electric vehicles, they may not know much about the technology but many Australian drivers are keen for their next vehicle to be electric, their biggest concern is almost always charging speeds on long journeys.

The Albany highway between Perth and Albany is possibly the busiest WA country road outside of the Perth to Margaret River corridor, at 415kms, most petrol or diesel vehicle drivers knock the trip off in 4 to 5 hours.  Up until now an electric vehicle needed 450kms of real range to cover the same journey in a 4 to 5 hour time frame, the Albany highway is a fairly harsh surface that increases energy use, it’s also not a road that can be driven slowly.  For the most part the highway contains 110kmh zones with insufficient overtaking lanes, anyone driving at less than 90kmh during the day will become a nuisance to other road users. For those adventurous types a 2 hour AC top up at Williams or Kojonup has been part of the bigger picture, for those looking at a transition from petrol to electric a two hour delay on a 4 hour trip is not acceptable and never will be, DC charging is the only solution. For the thousands of passenger vehicles that drive the Albany highway every week DC charging will bring a positive change in thinking.

Competition

I would confidentially guess that less than 10% of Western Australia’s electric vehicle drivers have even considered driving to Albany, this is mostly due to the lack of DC charging. Now that Kojonup DC is in place even a car with 350kms range will only require a 20-30 minute top up, expect to see many more electric vehicles travel the Albany highway during the Summer of 2020-21.  This will eventually provide an incentive for other towns and businesses along the highway to install DC charging, very few like to take the lead but none wish to miss out.

I have no doubt that multiple locations along the Albany highway will have banks of DC chargers far more powerful than 50kw within the next 5 years, Kojonup DC will be the one that kick started it all.

Footnote: The Chargepod DC installed at Arthur River in mid 2019 was the instigator to getting the first grid connected DC charger along this major Perth to Albany route, thanks to the efforts of a community minded individual for making it possible.

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Tesla Destination Charger Problem Solving

On occasions you’ll plug into a destination charger that doesn’t appear to work, a small number of these public chargers are becoming unreliable mostly due to the cable getting mistreated, to add some confusion the same charger will not work for one car and then work first time for the following car on the same day, the Williams Woolshed destination charger is a great example.

To make the Tesla experience a bit easier here are the steps to work through that will hopefully get a Tesla destination unit to charge:

If there’s no Green or Red light strip light on the front check that power is switched on at the meter box, some premises keep it switched off for various reason, this will be often noted on the Plugshare app.

If you’ve established that the unit is powered up but a Red light is showing check that the cable is not twisted or stretched in any form, also check the cable is not pulled out from the bottom of the charging unit, that is you can see each individual colored cable rather than the black insulation.

Once the above steps are done locate the Red reset button on the side of the unit, using your thumb press it in and hold until all lights go off and wait until the Red/Orange light on the front turns Green, this will take between 5 and 30 seconds, if all goes to plan the Green light will start moving and the car will charge. If it doesn’t work the first time give it another go, also try unplugging and plugging back in before attempting a third reset, once again make sure the cable is not unduly stressed. If the charging doesn’t start after 4 resets the chances of it working at all on your car are very low.

If you do get charging started don’t rush off, hang around for a minute until the cars charging at full amps, if the unit has a fault it is likely to trip off within the first minute, if it does trip off it’s best to no longer attempt charging and report the issue. If you have no other choice and desperately need to charge try dropping the amps down via the cars touchscreen, keep in mind this is an absolute last resort. As an extra precaution if you walk away from the car to visit the shops or cafe check the phone app after 15 minutes, it’s very likely charging is still okay but there’s no harm making sure.

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PlugShare is Critical in Charger Challenged Western Australia

If the majority of your driving is in the metro area PlugShare is a useful app but not essential, the moment you plan a longer trip away from the safety of home charging the Plugshare app becomes an important tool in reaching your destination with the minimum of fuss. Let me be very clear on this, PlugShare is the format used by the early adopters of electric vehicles in Western Australia while exploring the roads north, east and south of Perth, the information available is far superior to anything supplied by the RAC, Better Route Planner or any other system including the Tesla car maps. Don’t completely dismiss Better Route Planner or Tesla maps, but when cross referencing PlugShare is likely to be more up to date.

To get the best out of PlugShare try the following advice:

Remove all filters – If you have the filter options ticked there’s a good chance you’ll miss useful charging stations, there’s not a lot of location pins in regional WA so make sure every charging option is visible, trust your common sense to individually filter out the options available.

Be patient with the app – give PlugShare time to load correctly then zoom in and out of the location slowly until you’re sure all pins are visible.

Zoom in all the way – Often the better charging point is hidden by a less useful location due to the pins being so close together, the  Lake Grace DC charger is a good example.

Always read comments – Not just the previous charging comments but the location comments, often the critical information can’t be seen unless the location comments are read to the end. Taking 2 minutes to read the comments correctly will likely save hours of wasted time.

Use the message option on PlugShare – if you’re not sure about a location message the previous user before departure.

Check through the photos – there’s some handy photos showing the exact location of the charge point, two minutes scanning photos will often save 15 minutes quizzing locals that may not even know a EV charger exists.

Always be charging – EV charging points in regional WA are few and far between, it doesn’t matter how confident you are that the next charging location is operational, if your car is happily charging at a reasonable rate don’t be in a hurry to unplug and dash to the next location, to do this is possibly setting yourself up to fail, at they end of the day you won’t get to your final destination any quicker, be patient and enjoy the journey.

Happy travels, Rob

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Why Tesla Superchargers should not be located in Perth

No one would benefit more from a Perth Supercharger than myself, I live 70kms from the Perth GPO, make the return trip at least 50 times per year and have free supercharging for life, what’s not to like? Read on.

The two questions I get asked the most when discussing Tesla: How long does it take to charge? and When will Superchargers be installed in Perth? The second question is usually asked by people looking at buying a Tesla but won’t make the move until a Perth Supercharger is installed. This sounds like a poor excuse as most owners can easily charge at home in Western Australia, but unfortunately the media continually promoting the misconception of DC fast charging being the be all and end all of owning an electric car has completely misinformed the public.

Superchargers are intended for placement on highways between built up areas. In extremely high population regions in Europe and Asia they’re also placed in city areas due to the lack of home charging, WA barely has that problem. Yes, there are a small handful of Perth drivers with no access to home charging, but there’s also no shortage of AC charging outlets at shopping and recreation areas.

The Official opening of the Western Australia Supercharger in Eaton.

At the moment the one and only Supercharger site in WA is the bank of 6 near the Eaton shopping complex 170kms south of Perth, this is well chosen location that provides a link to many towns all the way to Augusta. The second Supercharger site planned for Williams will provide far better access to Albany, Hopetoun and Esperance. When Tesla install more at a later date the most useful locations would be approximately halfway to Geraldton and on the way to Kalgoorlie, this is where drivers need charging that only requires a 15-20 minute stop rather than the 2-3 hours it currently takes.

So, are there any other reasons not to install Superchargers in Perth? Yes, one reason that has raised its ugly head in other parts of the world from time to time and is starting to happen on the East coast of Australia is a handful of Tesla owners that don’t understand (or by some reports don’t care) about supercharger etiquette, these owners paid for a Tesla and will use a supercharger when they have a carport and charge point at home only 5kms down the road. There are also a handful of owners that park in a supercharger bay without even plugging in just so they can secure a prime parking spot while shopping, this sort of behaviour soon spoils the EV experience for those visiting the area that genuinely need to charge.

Parked front in, no intention of charging.

If Tesla do install supercharger sites close to Perth, it is areas next to the highway near Joondalup, Mundaring and the Baldivis service stops that would offer a solution which will benefit all drivers.