Report 1, March-July 1999
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Report 1, March-July 1999
The first on-street charging point in the UK for an electric vehicle (EV) has now been in commission for 20 weeks.
The Peugeot 106 electric was received on Wednesday 3rd March 1999. This report covers the period up to Wednesday 21st July 1999, a total of 140 days. The total distance driven was 1272 miles, mainly by Dr Sarah Bruml with occasional use by Simon Roberts.
In all ways, the on-street charging point and EV can be proclaimed a great success meeting all objectives, as detailed below and on separate pages.
| Post and cable | Reserved parking | Electric vehicle | Convenience | Energy use | Costs | Conclusion | Looking ahead |
Post and cable There has been no interruption in supply. The post can be relied upon to provide power: immediately at the normal electricity cost or overnight at the lower rate as controlled by the internal time switch.
At no time has there been any vandalism or even interference with the cable or its connection to the vehicle. This is perhaps surprising considering the area. Though the street itself, Lansdowne Gardens, consists of housing in the "higher price bracket", it is used as a rat run for traffic and is bounded on all sides by council estates with some degree of litter, graffitti and vandalism.
There have been no problems with rain, either when making the connection or during charging. The channel across the pavement collects some leaves and litter but these are easy to clear out.
There have been no known complaints from pedestrians or road users. No one is known to have tripped up on the cable where it runs between the kerb edge and the car. We have only heard that the charging post is sometimes confused as a pay-and-display ticket dispenser. (Perhaps a coin slot should be added!)
Reserved parking Parking is difficult in Lansdowne Gardens: car ownership is increasing; out-of-town commuters increase pressure during the day because the nearest Underground station is less than 10 minutes walk; Restricted Parking Area schemes are being introduced in neighbouring areas. Nevertheless there have been no problems with obstruction of the EV bay. It has always been clear for parking and, more importantly, charging.
Once, a stolen car was left in the bay and remained under police surveillance for a few hours before the owner was brought. Taxis have pulled into the bay while waiting for their pickup so as to allow traffic by, but no problem for our use of the bay.
The parking restriction sign is identical to one for residents parking in the district of "EV"!
We were concerned that the car did not have the appropriate windscreen sticker to make us "Permit holders", as the sign states. However a Restricted Parking Area does not apply for this area, so the agency used by Lambeth Council to administer their parking schemes, Drakes Contractors, could not supply a sticker. For that matter, nor would they be able to enforce the parking restriction, not that we have needed to call upon their services.
Electric vehicle
The acceleration performance of the Peugeot 106 electric has met the needs of all driving conditions found within a 10 mile radius. This includes pulling out into fast moving traffic and going up steep hills. The load various from one adult alone to two adults and three children. When taken on the A3 where the speed limit is above 50 mph, a top speed of 59 mph has been reached which reduces slightly on an uphill gradient.
Driving comfort is excellent with a very smooth ride. There are no jerks on accelerating up to speed then slowing down on "regen" (the braking affect of recharging the batteries) before only having to touch the foot brake on bringing the car to a stop. Coupled with the lack of noise and vibration, driving in conjested start-stop conditions is almost tolerable!
The average predicted range is 40 miles. The best estimated range achieved of 54 miles was for one occupant and driving with care taken not to accelerate rapidly (keeping the "ECO" needle for current flow within the green zone). The lowest estimated range was 23 miles.
When advocating "going green", some people are put off by the threatened change of life style. No change has been necessary. The charging point and Peugeot 106 electric have met the needs of a family with working parents and young children. Journeys have been a combination commuting, attending meetings, shopping, taxiing children and leisure.
The average consumption rate overall has been 434 Wh/mile. For individual charges, the consumption rate has varied from 290 Wh/mile to 693 Wh/mile.
Compared to an ICE (internal combustion engine) consumption of 20 mpg in London conditions (as measured for a Ford Escort 1.6 over an extended period), the use of an electric car has displaced 64 gallons of petrol and the air pollution this produces at street level from short bursts of acceleration. If this electricity were to be generated from renewable technologies, this would displace 800 kg of CO2.
Fuel use for the heater burner was 1.5 gallons (7 litres).
Costs The running costs for the first 20 weeks of operation have been £15 for electricity together with an overhead of £662 that includes a lease with Peugeot for the traction batteries. For the 1272 miles covered, this works out to:
The concept of a socket in a public place works for restricted but unattended use. It is convenient to operate and has not caused any problems to other users of the footway or highway.
The Peugeot 106 electric meets the needs of an urban family admirably.
On the basis of the experience so far, an electric car together with on-street charging can be strongly recommended for domestic car drivers in urban centres as one option for reducing their environmental impact.
Here are some plans for the next period of use and its reporting:
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