Charging points for cars but what about electric bicycles?

On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:49:52 +0000
Jim A wrote:

It's a bit of a non-issue isn't it? I mean if you really need to
charge up at work you can wheel the bicycle in to the office and
charge it there.

Don't most leccy bikes have removable battery packs that you can just
slide out and take in to charge?

On 26 Feb, 20:03, "The Medway Handyman" davidl...@no-spam-
blueyonder.co.uk wrote:
Doug wrote:
Presumably they deliver mains voltage to chargers in the cars but
using hefty plugs instead of the standard three pin. If there was also
a three pin socket they could serve for bikes carrying their own
charger but I bet Boris hasn't thought of that., or doesn't want to.

Ever heard the expression 'he who pays the piper calls the tune'?

SNIP



"...Jenny Jones, Green Party member for the London Assembly, said the
announcement was "a healthy first step".

But she warned: "Electric vehicles are still cars, so they still cause
congestion, disruption, casualties and deaths on the roads."

****ing hell. �Is she Dougs mum or something?

I'm not sure Duhg had a mum, as such. I think he evolved (*) directly
from swamp slime.

* not by much

On 26 Feb, 21:07, Rob Morley wrote:
On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:49:52 +0000

Jim A wrote:
It's a bit of a non-issue isn't it? *I mean if you really need to
charge up at work you can wheel the bicycle in to the office and
charge it there.

Don't most leccy bikes have removable battery packs that you can just
slide out and take in to charge?

Yes but...

What if you are shopping instead of commuting? Also what about long
distance travel, from one charging point to the next?

--
Car Free Living Project
http://www.carfreelivingproject.org.uk/
For people wishing to live without a car

Doug wrote:
On 26 Feb, 21:07, Rob Morley wrote:
On Fri, 26 Feb 2010 07:49:52 +0000

Jim A wrote:
It's a bit of a non-issue isn't it? I mean if you really need to
charge up at work you can wheel the bicycle in to the office and
charge it there.
Don't most leccy bikes have removable battery packs that you can just
slide out and take in to charge?

Yes but...

What if you are shopping instead of commuting? Also what about long
distance travel, from one charging point to the next?

You don't believe that anyone has the right to travel long-distance without
official permission anyway. What better means of control than limited access
to fuel?

"Your papers, please...".

On 26 Feb, 20:03, "The Medway Handyman" davidl...@no-spam-
blueyonder.co.uk wrote:
Doug wrote:
Presumably they deliver mains voltage to chargers in the cars but
using hefty plugs instead of the standard three pin. If there was also
a three pin socket they could serve for bikes carrying their own
charger but I bet Boris hasn't thought of that., or doesn't want to.

Ever heard the expression 'he who pays the piper calls the tune'?

SNIP



"...Jenny Jones, Green Party member for the London Assembly, said the
announcement was "a healthy first step".

But she warned: "Electric vehicles are still cars, so they still cause
congestion, disruption, casualties and deaths on the roads."

****ing hell. *Is she Dougs mum or something?

Strange as it may seem to you, not everyone is taken in by motorists'
greenwash hype, i.e. the empty promise that they will all suddenly
become good little drivers and migrate to electric cars at some point
in the future and this would save on energy and carbon. Yeah sure! And
pigs might fly.

"Assuming a 50 kilowatt-hour battery pack and ideal charging
efficiency, a ten-minute, quick charge from 10% to 80% capacity would
require a power draw of 210 kilowatts from the electric grid. At 240
volts, this means a current draw of 875 Amperes from the outlet."

Whew! I wonder how much energy that would save and what if the energy
comes from a coal-fired power station which has not been retrofitted
with unproven carbon storage?

--
Car Free Living Project
http://www.carfreelivingproject.org.uk/
For people wishing to live without a car

Doug wrote:
Yes but...

What if you are shopping instead of commuting?

1. Ride the leccy bike to a bus stop
2. Catch a bus (often they are free) to the shopping mall & back
3. Ride home.

Also what about long
distance travel, from one charging point to the next?

Electric bicycles are not designed for long distance travel. People
have attempted long-distance journeys using Segways, milk floats,
fork-lift trucks and all sorts - good luck to them but with the best
will in the world, the number of people actually choosing an
electric-assist bicycle for long-distance touring is never going to be
big enough to justify the spend on specific infrastructure, especially
when so very many places already have standard 13-amp sockets which can
be used for the purpose.

If there's sufficient demand (I don't think there is, but am open to
persuasion), maybe the CTC could run a campaign to get cafes,
restaurants, tourist venues, shopping malls, camp-sites, youth hostels
and the like to advertise "free bicycle charging to customers available
here". There could be a website of leccy bike-friendly places. None of
these would require any or much public spend and might even benefit the
businesses involved.

--
www.slowbicyclemovement.org - enjoy the ride

Jim A wrote:
Doug wrote:
Yes but...

What if you are shopping instead of commuting?

1. Ride the leccy bike to a bus stop
2. Catch a bus (often they are free) to the shopping mall & back
3. Ride home.

Also what about long
distance travel, from one charging point to the next?

Electric bicycles are not designed for long distance travel. People
have attempted long-distance journeys using Segways, milk floats,
fork-lift trucks and all sorts - good luck to them but with the best
will in the world, the number of people actually choosing an
electric-assist bicycle for long-distance touring is never going to be
big enough to justify the spend on specific infrastructure, especially
when so very many places already have standard 13-amp sockets which
can be used for the purpose.

If there's sufficient demand (I don't think there is, but am open to
persuasion), maybe the CTC could run a campaign to get cafes,
restaurants, tourist venues, shopping malls, camp-sites, youth hostels
and the like to advertise "free bicycle charging to customers
available here". There could be a website of leccy bike-friendly
places. None of these would require any or much public spend and
might even benefit the businesses involved.

'Free'? Why should it be free - cyclists want everything for free.
Sponging freeloaders.


--
Dave - The Tax Paying Motorist