Electric Vehicles

I've just purchased a BYD Dolphin Surf with 38kWh battery. It came with a plethora of charging goodness ranging from 7kW wall charger, 3kW plug in mobile charger, EV to load cable and an EV to EV cable. Currently I've just plugged the mobile charger in and seems to charge decently well, enough that should be able to charge from 10% to 100% in around 12 hours. While the mobile charger should be fine, I would like to install the wall charger though, and initially I thought this would be straight forward, but pretty much everything I have read seems to indicate requiring municipal permits. Is this really the case or will a CoC on completion suffice (I am no electrician, bu…

In England the GWR are piloting a battery powered train. They are running it on a short line- about 4 miles. During the testing the train did 200 miles - which is a record. The pilot should provide reassurance about trains not catching fire, trains not stopping in the middle of nowhere, and recharging. There is no other source of power for this train. Previous pilots in the late 50s relied on diesel to power the heating for the carriages and for illumination. With the new train EVERYTHING is powered from the battery.

The GoodWe HCA G2 11kW charger is connected to the internet via cable and is also connected to the GW10K-ET inverter. The communication status with the grid, inverter, and cloud is normal. I connected my car and started charging the vehicle in Fast mode. Initially, the power was around 3000W, but then it dropped to 1500W for no apparent reason. I updated the charger's firmware to the latest version. I thought it would improve things, but it got worse. The charger seems to start, and the car initiates charging, but in practice, it immediately disconnects without actually starting the charge.The only workaround is to disconnect the RS485 cable from the inverter. When I do…

Hi I just watched a video of a fire at an EV station in the US. It got me thinking about the EV stations in SA. There needs to be a way to easily turn off the power to an EV station in the event of a fire. Watch for yourself https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9ZwgzMG1bQ

Hey everyone, I’ve been seriously considering getting an electric vehicle, but I’m currently looking at the used EV market since it fits my budget better. I’ve seen a few second-hand Leafs, i3s, and even a couple of older Kona EVs around. Just wanted to ask — for those of you who have experience with used EVs, what should I be looking out for? Especially in terms of battery health, software updates, and any red flags during a test drive? Also, do most EVs allow you to check battery degradation easily, or would I need special tools/apps? Appreciate any tips or things I should ask the seller. Hoping to make the switch to electric soon. Thanks in advance!

Selling 73Kwh of ev cells Comes in 6 Modules from a low mileage vehicle ( cells are CATL) Total of 96 cells packed into Modules (6) that are 8s x 2 (16s when strung together) Comes with cell harness and some bus bars . Vehicle had covered 350Kms . Price is 130K ZAR incl vat

I am considering buying an e vehicle and would like to charge it at home using a PV system. I want to do this to reduce my carbon foot print and because is my hoppy. So the cost (within reason) is not the main issue how to proceed. I have a CoCT signed off 4.4kWp/4.6kVA/14kWh lithium battery hybrid GTI system on a single phase 60A grid supply. The system is just big enough to cover my present energy demand. If I want to charge an e vehicle I would need more PV generation capacity. What would be my options? I am already on the legal limit with my GT system so it would probably have to be an off grid solution. What do you suggest? There is lots of roof space available to i…

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Can a conversion like that be done on a petrol Disco 2? Has it been done? I will probably have to look at ways to make the vehicle lighter. Can solar be used to slightly increase the range?Can 4x4 drive be retained?

Sovereign Mini Bloemfontein was kind enough to lend me the Mini SE for the weekend. Some pics: Charging in my driveway. Pretty normal Mini Cooper interior apart from the special SE "wrap" on the dash. Driver cluster shows the electric usage and re-gen. a R650k electric car. Almost 200k more expensive than the Ice equivalent. Is it worth it. As so many reviews have stated... No it is not. If you charge only from solar the ROI is 42 years at R20/L. Okay so this will come down as fuel prices increase but still a very long term "investment". But is it worth it if you have the coin and want to use it for urban env onl…

We have stock of VDA Modules available if any one needs for an electric vehicle conversion please send me a DM price is 5800 Rand inc Vat . They can handle 300amps for 20 seconds and 600amps for 10 seconds. come with wiring harness . Came out of a vehicle with 30 000kms . Cells are CATL with aluminium casing and plastic lid that can be removed . Some have the BMS Board attached some dont . The bms units have a LTC chipset for 18 cells but of course each bms will be wired into 12 cells . BMU and contactor box can be arranged for those wishing to build the full battery which is 18 Modules (44Kwh )

https://carnewschina.com/2023/12/01/catl-developed-a-skateboard-chassis-with-a-1000-km-range-the-first-car-to-launch-in-2024/ Takes 5min to charge for 300km travel 😀😀

how much battery power do we need to drive a plane for 3 hours ? we can fly if we have an air lock oxygen mask and a cooling system for the battery and the body space what do you think ??? something like a flying car or so maybe then we can fly at different speed altitude in the sky what do you think guys it sounds impossible but i do know that nothing is impossible !!!

Hi All , (Not sure if this is the correct place/thread/forum to ask this question) How can i change the initial acceleration on this EV tricycle's throttle, from standing still to first movement? Can i add a capacitor/resistor in order to decrease the quick acceleration when the throttle is barely touched. I want the bike to slowly creep a bit first before ramping up the speed . . it is difficult to manoeuvre the bike slowly when driving in confined spaces . . it jumps forward immediately even when the throttle is slowly twisted for a millimeter. It feels as if the speed stays the same if the the throttle is held in the same place ,the tricycle is on a…

I drive 13km to work in traffic, because the backroad had a bridge that was closed for use with a car. That back route is 4km and is between houses so there will be absolutely no traffic. I am looking for a cheap motorcycle to use to drive to work and back. I don't really want an ICE motorcycle, but they are very cheap second hand. I saw this and was wondering if anybody has one or has driven one. If anybody knows of an electric alternative that's available to buy locally without importing it myself. Please let me know.

After 90000km in our BMW i3 Rex that we bought during November 2016, earlier this year we sold it and took delivery in April of a Volvo XC40 Twin Recharge that we had ordered 10 months before. Currently have driven 10000km already and are really chuffed with it.

Hi gents I am in prosses of converting Mini Cooper in to EV. .Result of my research broth me to $5000 96v 180Ahbatteries which is to high for me. I came to idea of using solar batteries ( pylontech type ). Would it be possible? Any respond will be highly appreciate

Today is World Electric Vehicle Day. With the massive jump in oil prices over recent months and the steep increases in fuel prices here in South Africa over the last year, many people are opting for either Hybrid or fully electric cars. eNCA's Gareth Edwards is following this story.

I am in the planning stage of converting my 1969 Austin Healey Sprite to be an electric vehicle. I have had this vehicle for many years. I believe it is an ideal candidate for this upgrade because there are very few accessories to draw power away from the purpose of turning the wheels. These cars are a thrill to drive due to their style and simplicity. I have done quite a bit of research up to this point. My resources are currently going into solar panels in our home, but over the next few years, this project will begin to move forward. In posting this here, I hope to collaborate with others and learn what challenges I can expect and the different …

Found this interesting video, the guy is using his EV's battery to send power (330V @ 6A =1 980w) to his house inverter using his SOLAR MPPT controller.

When I first saw the Bajaj Qute, I thought this was an awesome vehicle/ Although it isn't exactly a "solar" solution, it came across a a beautiful solution for our daily environment. I then took the trip to Jhb (I am a KZN boy) to test drive this almost amazing new "car".... I cannot fault the specifications on this vehicle, I was amazed at the "normality" of this vehicle and the fact that it carried more safety certifications than some of the retail vehicles in SA currently. But it does have it's downfalls... South Africa is not flat - the Qute is not designed for any environment that is not flat, going up a steep local hill can make it's speed hug…

This is an organisation (sponsored by BMW, or maybe actually are BMW) to look at the challenges involving the use of EVs in SA. They have a two day virtual conference coming up. Follow them on Twitter @EMCSACongress or see their web site at https://www.evfuture.co.za/. I recently saw a charging station on a forecourt in Petrus Steyn.

I am going to do a electric quad bike conversion. Since we run a lodge, there is lots of short running around errands on the farm, between cottages etc. So lots of short trips, up to 2km and maybe a total of 20-30km over a weekend. So I need a utility type quad that can carry a load of up to 20kg say, that I can charge from solar to do these short errands. I am assuming this will be quite simple to do having 3 major components : 1. A suitable quad with a blown engine. I have spoken to our local motorbike fixer who does a lot of quad bikes, and he is on the lookout for one for me.. 2. An electric conversion kit. There are a few of these available like this: http…

Understand the VW ID-4 will be on sale in SA in 2022 Two friends, one in Paris and one in Leicester (UK) are both on their second EVs Paris lady has a Renault ZOE. She says the range and performance exceed the first Renault she had by a large margin. Last week she did a trip from Paris to Geneva (430km). She travelled between 120 and 130km/hr and stopped at 12.30 for lunch at a motorway services. There are 22 charge points and 4 were available. If you buy lunch at the Auchan food market, you get a €22 voucher for the recharge cost as well as some free charging. The actual recharge took 55 mins, that got it to 100% capacity. She works at a Paris univers…