Renault BEV owners discussion

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OldGeek

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#302825 24-Dec-2022 11:03

I have just bought a 2018 Zoe ZE40 imported from the UK as a used vehicle. Being a relatively new BEV owner I have had a steep learning curve on what it takes to own a car like this. For example it uses a Type 2 (AC) plug for charging and Chargenet has no chargers north of Auckland. Plugshare shows 'public' charging stations in various locations in Northland but most of them are Motels (ie destination chargers restricted to guests.

I also have some difficulty identifying the exact Zoe ZE40 variant I have.

If there are any other Zoe owners on GZ I would be happy to share experiences.

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#3013757 24-Dec-2022 12:49

Hi, dont have any Zoe experience, but just about to take possesion of an MG ZS so have been in EV info overload state. Chargenet show around 20 charge points around the north beyond Warkworth, would have thought that would be more than enough, they seem suitably distributed land wise.

Cyril

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#3013760 24-Dec-2022 13:25

The older Zoes are a bit of an anomolly, having no DC charging, AC only. The charging design is a number of years old, before DC charging became common and/or standard and uses the drive motor as part of the charging circuit. It means they can charge at up to 22 / 44 kW AC (depends on model) and weight is reduced due to less charger circuitry required. Pretty good idea at the time, but with DC now the standard for rapid charging, not so good for long distance travel. They are quite inefficient at low current single phase charging though, so if you can get at least 16A single phase at home it would be good.

Plugshare is the best place to look for charging options, but you're correct in that Charge Net having nothing north of Auckland CBD. There are a few other companies deploying AC charge points, but they seem limited to 7kW which is very slow if you are going long distance. Current model Zoes niow have Type 2 CCS (DC).

Grabbing a 16A EVSE with a caravan plug will open up a few more places you can charge, but the bulk of them are going to be accomodation of some sort, not just a commercial charger.

OldGeek

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#3013762 24-Dec-2022 14:07

Thanks @runningman - good to know. My use case involves just short-hop trips to town. I have an ICE all-wheel-drive for the boat (if we ever get one) and roadies. For charging I bought this: Portable plug in 8a EV Charger cord - Smart EV Chargers NZ. - with a type 2 socket. If I get frustrated with this I will look to upgrade to a wall charger.

I am also interested in any options that allow access to extended vehicle info in a similar way to Leafspy for Leafs. If anyone has any info on this (including the location of an OBD2 terminal) I would appreciate it.

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cyril7

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#3013764 24-Dec-2022 14:16

RunningMan:

Snip

Plugshare is the best place to look for charging options, but you're correct in that Charge Net having nothing north of Auckland CBD. There are a few other companies deploying AC charge points, but they seem limited to 7kW which is very slow if you are going long distance. Current model Zoes niow have Type 2 CCS (DC).

Hi, I know there are not a lot of ChargeNet chargers in the north, but to say "nothing" does not seem right, or I am reading something wrong.

Cyril

OldGeek

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#3013766 24-Dec-2022 14:33

There are no type 2 AC chargers on the Chargenet network north of Auckland. Sorry I should have been more specific in my post.

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RunningMan

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#3013773 24-Dec-2022 14:52

cyril7:

Hi, I know there are not a lot of ChargeNet chargers in the north, but to say "nothing" does not seem right, or I am reading something wrong.

Yep, you need to check the "AC" checkbox under connectors in the filters otherwise it will show CCS and CHAdeMO as well which is no use to the OP. For your MG, CCS and AC are the 2 that are useful to you.

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#3013774 24-Dec-2022 15:01

Cheers thanks for the clarification, lots to learn in this space, really looking forward to the adventure.

Cyril

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Batman

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#3013777 24-Dec-2022 15:20

i'd say join a facebook group. some of these EV groups can be very helpful.

RunningMan

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#3013779 24-Dec-2022 15:27

There's 4 basic charger plug types in use in NZ

1) Type 1 - 5 pin single phase AC. Primarily found on ex Japan or USA vehicles.

2) CHAdeMO - DC charging, primarily from Japan

3) Type 2 - 7 pin single or 3 phase AC - what your MG uses for AC charging. The 2 lowest pins are the extra phases so will often have no pins if single phase

4) Type 2 CCS - combined charging system type 2 - Is a type 2 AC plug at the top with 2 extra pins at the bottom for DC. Again, what the MG will use.

Commercial or public AC chargers usually use a type 2 socket which means you supply your own T2-T1 or T2-T2 cable (as required for your car). Some are tethered (cable is attached) but this means they are less versitile and can only be used by vehicles with the same plug type.

AC charging uses an on vehicle charger, so max charging rate is limited by that charger. With DC charging, the charger is external to the vehicle, with the DC current going direct to the battery pack. There is comms between the vehicle and charger to dtermine charging rate.

insane

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#3014436 27-Dec-2022 21:18

Batman:
i'd say join a facebook group. some of these EV groups can be very helpful.

But this is the problem, it's too complicated for something that's been around for the best part of a decade.

You shouldn't need to read through 500 pages of EV threads and join secret FB groups to unlock the secrets to using an EV.

There needs to be a single plug for all cars. Apart from the content, every fuel pump nozzle looks and behaves the same. The equivalent needs to exist for EVs irrespective of where you are charging it.

"Plug it in, wait, pay" is all anyone should need to know.

jarledb

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#3014445 27-Dec-2022 22:22

insane:

You shouldn't need to read through 500 pages of EV threads and join secret FB groups to unlock the secrets to using an EV.

There needs to be a single plug for all cars. Apart from the content, every fuel pump nozzle looks and behaves the same. The equivalent needs to exist for EVs irrespective of where you are charging it.

"Plug it in, wait, pay" is all anyone should need to know.

Hard to disagree on that. But you could use the same argument for diesel/petrol cars. Should be that easy there too right?

For me, it is that easy when I charge at a Tesla Supercharger. I just park, take the charging cable, push the button and the charging port opens and I can charge. No need to use an app or to use an RFID tag.

Other car manufacturers are working on similar systems, so sometime in the future it will be that easy. How is that process going for ICE cars? ;)

PS: There is a single plug that goes on basically all modern EVs: It is called a CCS charge cable.

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Batman

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#3014458 28-Dec-2022 01:40

insane:
Batman:

i'd say join a facebook group. some of these EV groups can be very helpful.

But this is the problem, it's too complicated for something that's been around for the best part of a decade.

You shouldn't need to read through 500 pages of EV threads and join secret FB groups to unlock the secrets to using an EV.

i had to do exactly that to figure out how the brakes work on my 10 year old Leaf.

jarledb

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#3014459 28-Dec-2022 02:13

Batman:

i had to do exactly that to figure out how the brakes work on my 10 year old Leaf.

I am curious: What was it you needed the manual for?!

RunningMan

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#3014465 28-Dec-2022 07:48

insane:

There needs to be a single plug for all cars. Apart from the content, every fuel pump nozzle looks and behaves the same. The equivalent needs to exist for EVs irrespective of where you are charging it.

With the exception of vehicles from Japan & USA, there is. Type 2 / Type 2 CCS. If we didn't have to account for used import LEAFs from Japan, then it would be even simpler.

The OP has an old design vehicle from before some of these things were standardised, hence reduced choice of public charging. No different to the introduction of any new technology, a few different ideas of what works best before a standard is settled on. It's already far far better for EVs than ICE vehicles - you can't irreparably damage an EV like you can putting petrol in a diesel vehicle. Just like you need to learn about the 3 primary octane ratings of petrol available in NZ and the 2 types of diesel flow rates for pumps in NZ there's a bit to learn about EVs, but it's arguably less than an ICE vehicle - you just take it for granted now.

And as for reading manuals to find out precisely how a specific function or feature works, that's no different between ICE and EV. Any modern vehicle will have a whole bunch of features that if you want to fully understand you'll need the manual. I expect the bulk of people will never bother though (regardless of vehicle type) and will just get in and drive. The people reading manuals and wanting the detail are the same people frequenting user groups and forums, and unlikely to be reflective of vehicle drivers as a whole.

OldGeek

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#3026869 25-Jan-2023 09:58

RunningMan:

The OP has an old design vehicle from before some of these things were standardised, hence reduced choice of public charging. No different to the introduction of any new technology, a few different ideas of what works best before a standard is settled on.

A 2018 model is an 'old design'? Reading Wikipedia about type 2 AC plugs, Type 2 connector - Wikipedia this is still current and an EU standard. I accept that it will be harder to find chargers that can accommodate this connector in NZ because EVs using Type 2 connectors are are few here.

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