Global automakers to demo Combined Charging System at EVS26

[Vike]

My interest in Level 3 is not for routine use. I'm mainly interested in the flexibility it would offer, maybe for an emergency run to a location 40 miles away, maybe to facilitate a busier than usual day of errands that inconveniently run me back and forth across town. I do intend to use our ICE hybrid for such things normally, but hey, life can throw the unexpected curve. It's just not hard to imagine that it might come in real handy to tack on another 30-40 miles range in little more time than it takes to fill up at a gas station.

 

[iMiEV808]

Remember that old 7-up commercial?

Try it and you'll like it.

Level 3 charging is great, takes the whole EV experience to near ICE convenience levels. Needed to go somewhere but the battery level was too low make the round trip. On the drive back, drove to a Quick Charger and got enough juice and more to get back home. 80% in 1/2 hour. As long as there was not another car there.

In Japan, Mitsubishi developed a inverter that connects to the quick charge port of the imiev and turns your car into a power source for your appliances. This acessory is a little pricey.Yen to US $ = $2,400. Maybe handy if you want to power up the 60 inch LCD while tailgating in the ball park parking lot.

 

[Vike]

Remember that old 7-up commercial?
Try it and you'll like it.
Level 3 charging is great, takes the whole EV experience to near ICE convenience levels.

Actually, that was an Alka-Seltzer commercial ("So I tried it - thought I was gonna die.")

Anyway, sure, I think Level 3 charging's a swell idea - wouldn't buy an EV that couldn't do it, as noted earlier. I'm just not a) counting on a lot of it being available in New Mexico any time soon (though it would sure be handy between Albuquerque and Santa Fe), or b) confused about its ability to turn my i-MiEV into a freeway cruiser (stopping every 40-50 miles for a 20 minute coffee break could make for some pretty tedious road trips).

I do hope and expect that any L3 infrastructure that shows up in the next five years will be CHAdeMO or dual CHAdeMO/SAE-CCS (GM's "embargo" talk notwithstanding), but if not, I figure it's not that big a bet to lose, and the i can still do everything I really need w/L2 charging in my garage.

 

[MLucas]

All Canadian "i"'s come with the CHAdeMO L3 port standard on all models. I have the standard "i" with the port. Not sure if I'd ever use it as there are barely any L2 chargers in the Buffalo/Niagara region on either side of the border. There is a parking lot about 10 miles from my office that has L2 chargers, the rest are at AAA and dealership locations. If I lived in a larger Canadian metropolis like Toronto, I'm sure I'd have a lot more public charging options available. But, nothing to speak of around here.