Comments on: Conference Raises Questions About Standards for Plug-in Cars

By: X_man

X_man — Sun, 30 Aug 2009 00:56:22 +0000

im sooooo happy that ALOT of car companys and i mean ALOT are deciding to go hybrid. It seems like each day they come up with the smartest Ideas to save enrgey and make hybrids better cars.

By: Jack Rickard

Jack Rickard — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 00:31:39 +0000

The issue comes up mostly with public charging stations. There actually ISN'T a standard plug. J1772 hasn't been approved, and Yazaki, the only manufacturer currently, has gone back to the drawing board after some problems.

120VAC actually is NOT sufficient. If your car has any signficant range and battery pack, it simply takes too long to charge it. Fortunately, 240VAC is not as hard as they make it out. It's already in your panel, and it is simply a matter of running a heavy gage circuit and putting in a plug - typically an L6-30 available at any hardware store. The average DIYer can do it, but a licensed electrician is advisable for the rest - typically $200--$300 in this part of the country for a short run from the panel to the garage wall.

The issue is real, San Franisco and Vancouver have announced a race to see who can put in the most public charging stations. Without a standard plug this is nonsense.

Jack Rickard
http://evtv.me

By: Dave K.

Dave K. — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 12:13:48 +0000

No need to get excited, 120V home charging is fine for the Volt, should fully recharge in about 6hrs, since it’s a PHEV you have the gas backup. The Nissan would benifit more from a 240V charger but for most people it is still not necessary, most just don’t drive that much in a normal day. On the other hand I’m glad to see a common connector this time around, it would be nice to be able to count on public infrastructure working with your car.

By: Samie

Samie — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 02:05:21 +0000

Pessimistic conference at best. Lets cool down a bit & actually focus on delivering the first wave of mass produced plug-ins & EV vehicles. We all know that there will be limits in range, family options & not being able to take long distant trips. So its not like in 1-3 yrs we will see 20 percent of car buyers purchasing these vehicles. I suspect that there will be plenty of behind the scenes agreements before EV’s leap out of a niche market.

Enough w/ that but I found an interesting article about the Nissan Leaf. http://features.csmonitor.com/innovation/2009/08/11/nissan-laughs-off-threat-from-chevy-volt/

I was wondering if Hybridcars.com could do a follow up to a article a few days ago on the Leaf maybe talk to Nissan insiders to see if driving range is true & whats going on w/ the pricing & if it will be around 24K will Nissan be able to ramp up production for what could be heavy demand for this vehicle. Also is the 24k after the 7,500 rebate? Why was stories about EV’s & plug hybrids a few months ago saying most will start around 40K while there is a chance that Nissan is going to somehow produce this for 24K? Anyways would be interesting to find out more about this vehicle w/c could be a game changer for Nissan if they play their cards right. This is due to a in house system that only can get better if Nissan really wants to be a top tier car producer in Japan & the U.S.

By: Dj

Dj — Thu, 13 Aug 2009 01:28:13 +0000

This is a good step for all car maker.........get it together now but for it is too late

Dj