Stupid questions from EV newbie

[dbsb3233]

Call me cynical, but even if the outlets are within sight of a manned booth in a "secured" lot, what are the chances that a minimum wage guard would observe/decide to act/actively stop some dirtbag from stealing my mobile charger from my unattended MME?
No idea what the copper in the cable is worth, but it's certainly nonzero. Also, people steal stuff they don't even want/need and cannot easily sell just because they can.
The only way I would consider this is if the cable & charger could be locked together and the cable locked to the car.
Even if the cable was not stolen, it could be unplugged (accidentally or on purpose) and then you come back to a near-empty battery.
Wondering if anal-retentive should be hyphenated (asking for a friend).

There's always that chance, anywhere outside using your own charger. I've often said there should be an easy spot somewhere (like a tow hook or something) to loop a bicycles lock through to lock the charger cord.

Now, if they're just gonna steal it for the copper, then they just cut it. But they can do the same thing to a mounted charger too (and probably get more copper as they're often heavier cords).

Vandalism/theft is going to be an issue to deal with with BEVs. But they're an issue with other cars too. Nothing is 100% secure.

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[buffasnow]

There's always that chance, anywhere outside using your own charger. I've often said there should be an easy spot somewhere (like a tow hook or something) to loop a bicycles lock through to lock the charger cord.

Now, if they're just gonna steal it for the copper, then they just cut it. But they can do the same thing to a mounted charger too (and probably get more copper as they're often heavier cords).

Vandalism/theft is going to be an issue to deal with with BEVs. But they're an issue with other cars too. Nothing is 100% secure.

Excellent idea on the lock. As with a bicycle, a determined thief will eventually win, but I can live with making mine harder to steal than all the other nearby targets. That or put the trunk monkey back to work.
I would be interested in a feature that backfeeds a healthy charge from my MME through the cable to "discourage" someone attacking my cable with cable cutters........

 

[dbsb3233]

Excellent idea on the lock. As with a bicycle, a determined thief will eventually win, but I can live with making mine harder to steal than all the other nearby targets. That or put the trunk monkey back to work.
I would be interested in a feature that backfeeds a healthy charge from my MME through the cable to "discourage" someone attacking my cable with cable cutters........

Only place I can think of right now on the car that might work for a lock spot is the wheel spokes. Not sure if a U-lock could be looped through there or not.

If charger theft becomes a thing, some 3rd party will surely come up with a better lock of some kind. Like a steel floor plate with a collar loop that you could set on the ground and drive the car on top of. I've heard of some people driving onto the cable itself but I can't imagine that's good for the cable.

An easy method for outlets it simply a hinged box cover with a paddlelock eyelet. It could just close the plug inside and people could use their own lock. (Although unfortunately that wouldn't do much for one that has a pigtail connector in it.)

 

[NotSoJon]

Only place I can think of right now on the car that might work for a lock spot is the wheel spokes. Not sure if a U-lock could be looped through there or not.

If charger theft becomes a thing, some 3rd party will surely come up with a better lock of some kind. Like a steel floor plate with a collar loop that you could set on the ground and drive the car on top of. I've heard of some people driving onto the cable itself but I can't imagine that's good for the cable.

An easy method for outlets it simply a hinged box cover with a paddlelock eyelet. It could just close the plug inside and people could use their own lock. (Although unfortunately that wouldn't do much for one that has a pigtail connector in it.)

Let's be honest, the future of EV's is not corded charging. When I come home, I put my phone on a placemat and it charges wireless. At some point in the future there will be charging pads for cars. Pull up on the pad, wireless handshake, boom. This is how cars will get charged in parallel parking spots on city streets, maybe even while driving.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Let's be honest, the future of EV's is not corded charging. When I come home, I put my phone on a placemat and it charges wireless. At some point in the future there will be charging pads for cars. Pull up on the pad, wireless handshake, boom. This is how cars will get charged in parallel parking spots on city streets, maybe even while driving.

We actually have a thread in that here ... somewhere.

 

[NotSoJon]

We actually have a thread in that here ... somewhere.

By this point, there's a thread for everything in this forum! Now that all our cars are delayed three months, you know what that means!!!! More threads!!!!

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

By this point, there's a thread for everything in this forum! Now that all our cars are delayed three months, you know what that means!!!! Now threads!!!!

Oddly, I found it.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/wirless-car-charging.2152/

 

[ChasingCoral]

Oddly, I found it.

https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/wirless-car-charging.2152/

Who would have ever thought to find a wireless car charging thread under wireless car charging?

 

[dbsb3233]

Let's be honest, the future of EV's is not corded charging. When I come home, I put my phone on a placemat and it charges wireless. At some point in the future there will be charging pads for cars. Pull up on the pad, wireless handshake, boom. This is how cars will get charged in parallel parking spots on city streets, maybe even while driving.

Like everything, it'll come down to the costs. If they can make/install that for less (or similar) cost, we'll probably see some of it. But I'm doubting it'll be that cheap, for a long time anyway. I suspect that's gonna be a pretty expensive option (both as an enhancement to the car, and to install the charger).

And much more expensive means much fewer of them being bought and installed.

 

[JamieGeek]

Excellent idea on the lock. As with a bicycle, a determined thief will eventually win, but I can live with making mine harder to steal than all the other nearby targets. That or put the trunk monkey back to work.
I would be interested in a feature that backfeeds a healthy charge from my MME through the cable to "discourage" someone attacking my cable with cable cutters........

Many EV'ers will pop the hood and run the cable under the hood (then close it) to "lock" the portable EVSE while charging (or in the trunk).

Edit: You could but the EVSE in the frunk and it would keep the shimps warm.

 

[jhalkias]

back when travel existed, one of the reasons I used the off-site airport parking lot I did was they had "EV spaces" (which was just a block of eight 120V outlets with dedicated spaces for them, really). That's where I first saw a Bolt, a Volt, and each model Tesla really up close, except the Y (came out too late)... saw the Outlander PHEV, Leaf, pretty much everything you can name except a Fisker Karma (*). The Fusion Energi battery was just big enough to do the trip in summer all-EV if you took the right route, but not quite enough for winter. For me, that meant the charging was a big deal, so I could get home on all-EV or mostly-EV. The spaces almost always had at least one, and if you knew about it, there was actually one weird "secret" area on a hill not with the main spaces you could use. (**)

For the Mach-E, I doubt I'd bother, unless I did something like deliberately run the battery sort of low, then charge it on their dime for like a week or something.

(*) there is another, covered parking lot nearby, that costs more, that also has EV spots, but like 3, so they almost never have an open spot. One of the very few times I went there, they had a Fisker Karma, which was a major surprise. So I've seen one, just not at the lot in question.

(**) "one weird secret spot" no I'm not in Internet advertising but maybe I could be? ?

You’ll have to fill me in on where that is assuming CLE and if we ever travel again. Hoping I will be going to Denver in October.

 

[jhalkias]

Like everything, it'll come down to the costs. If they can make/install that for less (or similar) cost, we'll probably see some of it. But I'm doubting it'll be that cheap, for a long time anyway. I suspect that's gonna be a pretty expensive option (both as an enhancement to the car, and to install the charger).

And much more expensive means much fewer of them being bought and installed.

Well, it would also add cost and possibly weight to the car if they use current technology or similar (coils) and there is loss of power and efficiency with that method too. And how would you get direct contact with the road clearance distance. All of this is probably on that other thread that I am too lazy to go to right now.

 

[Kamuelaflyer]

Who would have ever thought to find a wireless car charging thread under wireless car charging?

yeah and incredibly enough @ChasingCoral it was only on the second page of the search results!

 

[zhackwyatt]

Who would have ever thought to find a wireless car charging thread under wireless car charging?

In this forum, there are no guarantees...

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

In this forum, there are no guarantees...

there's a reason I go through so many ticket books. and it's only partially that I keep screwing up filling out the tickets.

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