Charge your cars on VMs Network
28-01-2019, 10:46
|
#1
|
The Dark Satanic Mills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: floating in the ether
Posts: 12,083
|
Charge your cars on VMs Network
__________________
The wheel's still turning but the hamsters dead.
|
|
|
28-01-2019, 14:08
|
#2
|
cf.mega poster
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Northampton
Services: Virgin Media TV&BB 350Mb,
V6 STB
Posts: 7,867
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Non-paywall link
Quote:
Liberty Global will test how its Virgin Media street cabinets, fibre and subterranean duct network could be used to embed charging points in residential streets. The cabinets are already powered and could be used to roll out thousands of charging points across the country. Deutsche Telekom has already tapped into its street furniture in Germany after announcing plans last year to convert 12,000 cabinets into charging stations.
|
|
|
|
28-01-2019, 18:10
|
#3
|
Perfect Soldier
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Worthing West Sussex
Age: 67
Services: VM 500M SH3 thingy
in modem mode
XL TV V6 Sony Bravia smart TV and M phone
Posts: 11,018
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Probably only trickle charge at peak times.
__________________
History is much like an endless waltz: The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever.
However history will change with my coronation - Mariemaia Khushrenada
|
|
|
28-01-2019, 20:41
|
#4
|
Dr Pepper Addict
Cable Forum Team
Join Date: Oct 2003
Location: Nottingham
Age: 61
Services: Flextel SIP : Sky Mobile : Sky Q TV : VM BB (1000 Mbps) : Aquiss FTTP (900 Mbps)
Posts: 27,881
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Do cabinets really have the kind of high capacity power supply to them that would allow this, and still power the cabinet ? Seems a bit unlikely to me.
__________________
Baby, I was born this way.
|
|
|
28-01-2019, 21:56
|
#5
|
The Dark Satanic Mills
Join Date: Dec 2003
Location: floating in the ether
Posts: 12,083
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Quote:
Originally Posted by Paul M
Do cabinets really have the kind of high capacity power supply to them that would allow this, and still power the cabinet ? Seems a bit unlikely to me.
|
Unlikely to you, but they do and it works and has been proven to do so.
The question, and only question, is if it’s commercially viable.
__________________
The wheel's still turning but the hamsters dead.
|
|
|
01-02-2019, 11:37
|
#6
|
cf.mega poster
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: West Herts
Services: Maxit + Movies/Sports HD (V6x2), BB350, Anytime Chatter. Freeview/Freesat HD, ASDA/Tesco PAYG
Posts: 1,865
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
In our area the powered cabinets are every 500 metres or so, & run a load of slave cabinets with no mains.
This will also make any powered cabinet a magnet for car parking. Thankfully our street cab is not mains powered, as it is right adjacent to our driveway.
Conversion of streetlighting columns to charge points is a far better option.
It is also to be seen what the health & safety brigade will make of cables trailling across footpaths & sidewalks to get to these charge points.
Last edited by nodrogd; 01-02-2019 at 11:41.
|
|
|
01-02-2019, 11:51
|
#7
|
Virgin Media Staff
Join Date: Nov 2006
Location: Manchester
Services: 360 x2, Maxit TV, Sky Sports and Sky Cinema. Gig1
Posts: 17,929
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Quote:
Originally Posted by nodrogd
This will also make any powered cabinet a magnet for car parking. Thankfully our street cab is not mains powered, as it is right adjacent to our driveway.
|
I suppose it depends how it's done. It could be that it's simpler to use the cabinet supply as the source and spread out the charging points along the road via the cable ducts.
Doing that is cheaper that running whole new supplies by digging down to the electrical cables and starting from there.[COLOR="Silver"]
Quote:
Originally Posted by nodrogd
Conversion of streetlighting columns to charge points is a far better option.
|
I wonder if the move to LED lighting would be an issue there as the supplies to the poles may be lower rated than is needed for cars.
__________________
I work for Virgin Media but all views are my own.
|
|
|
01-02-2019, 12:12
|
#8
|
cf.mega poster
Join Date: Jun 2003
Posts: 8,920
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenMcr
I suppose it depends how it's done. It could be that it's simpler to use the cabinet supply as the source and spread out the charging points along the road via the cable ducts.
|
I think this must be what is being proposed. You couldn't actually connect the car directly to the cabinet, because it would mean either trailing cables across the pavement or parking on it.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BenMcr
I wonder if the move to LED lighting would be an issue there as the supplies to the poles may be lower rated than is needed for cars.
|
On the other hand, it could mean there is more spare capacity.
|
|
|
01-02-2019, 13:58
|
#9
|
Perfect Soldier
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: Worthing West Sussex
Age: 67
Services: VM 500M SH3 thingy
in modem mode
XL TV V6 Sony Bravia smart TV and M phone
Posts: 11,018
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
I've seen the guage of cabling to lamp posts when ours were being upgraded. It's pretty low current being about the diameter of a Biro. Of course it can be upsized if needed but that also means digging up the paths.
__________________
History is much like an endless waltz: The three beats of war, peace and revolution continue on forever.
However history will change with my coronation - Mariemaia Khushrenada
|
|
|
02-02-2019, 21:17
|
#10
|
Mum 15/08/46 - 30/09/20
Join Date: Mar 2004
Location: Galactic Sector ZZ9 Plural Z Alpha, A secret Moonbase (shh don't tell anybody)
Age: 55
Services: 1 V6, 2x1TB TiVo, SH3. Samsung Galaxy Note 10+ 5G, Ton's of Smart Home stuff, & Cuddy Toy
Posts: 16,945
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Charging is 100% usless in my street, we don't have guaranteed parking, we only two street lights.
__________________
I'm a Trustee & Secretary for a local charity
STAY AT HOME: I found out that mum will never walk again as the coronavirus attacked her nervous system. She died on September 30th.
|
|
|
04-02-2019, 11:55
|
#11
|
-
Join Date: Jun 2003
Location: Somewhere
Services: Virgin for TV and Internet, BT for phone
Posts: 26,536
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
It is potentially a good use for their existing infrastructure, and potentially a good source of income (even if it's free initially, I shouldn't think for a second it's going to stay free).
That said, while battery technology is better than it was a few years ago, I think people will have to change their attitude toward powering the car.
With a fossil fuel car, you can go into the fuel station with almost no fuel, and have a full tank in a few minutes. That's not feasible with current battery technology, and I don't think it's going to be feasible for a long time. Electric cars apparently work best if you fully charge them over night, then use chargers outside the house to top up the charge, if necessary.
Even Tesla seem to have given up the fight to give electric cars a full charge quickly, and seem to have switched tactics so they are putting superchargers in places where there are things to do, so people won't mind hanging round for hours while the car charges, rather than building service stations all over the country where they swap your empty battery for a fully charged one.
Reading this post again, it appears I am quite anti electric cars. I am not. One of my neighbours has a Tesla Model S, and I think it's an amazing car. I would buy one tomorrow if I could afford it, and I could drive. And yes, my neighbour does charge it overnight, ready for work in the morning, then top up the charge if and when needed.
|
|
|
04-02-2019, 16:08
|
#12
|
cf.mega poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 10,174
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Quote:
Originally Posted by Stuart
It is potentially a good use for their existing infrastructure, and potentially a good source of income (even if it's free initially, I shouldn't think for a second it's going to stay free).
That said, while battery technology is better than it was a few years ago, I think people will have to change their attitude toward powering the car.
With a fossil fuel car, you can go into the fuel station with almost no fuel, and have a full tank in a few minutes. That's not feasible with current battery technology, and I don't think it's going to be feasible for a long time. Electric cars apparently work best if you fully charge them over night, then use chargers outside the house to top up the charge, if necessary.
Even Tesla seem to have given up the fight to give electric cars a full charge quickly, and seem to have switched tactics so they are putting superchargers in places where there are things to do, so people won't mind hanging round for hours while the car charges, rather than building service stations all over the country where they swap your empty battery for a fully charged one.
Reading this post again, it appears I am quite anti electric cars. I am not. One of my neighbours has a Tesla Model S, and I think it's an amazing car. I would buy one tomorrow if I could afford it, and I could drive. And yes, my neighbour does charge it overnight, ready for work in the morning, then top up the charge if and when needed.
|
I suspect that most people will do as they do with their mobile phones and leave their electric car to charge overnight.
I intend to get one when they become self driving (no idea when this will happen though) as i'm not allowed to drive for medical reasons.
|
|
|
04-02-2019, 16:19
|
#13
|
cf.mega poster
Join Date: Oct 2009
Posts: 2,065
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Big assumption there. I would suggest, at least, initially, if not for ever, you will need a valid driver’s licence to ‘drive’ a driverless car. Presumably you would need to be able to drive the car manually should the need arise, for whatever reason.
|
|
|
04-02-2019, 16:45
|
#14
|
cf.mega poster
Join Date: Jan 2008
Posts: 10,174
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Quote:
Originally Posted by RobboEdin
Big assumption there. I would suggest, at least, initially, if not for ever, you will need a valid driver’s licence to ‘drive’ a driverless car. Presumably you would need to be able to drive the car manually should the need arise, for whatever reason.
|
That's a good point actually. I've also heard some people say that driverless cars would enable them to safely drink and 'drive', but this may not be allowed for the same reasons that you outlined above.
|
|
|
04-02-2019, 18:44
|
#15
|
FORMER Virgin Media Staff
Join Date: Dec 2010
Location: Warrington
Posts: 4,737
|
Re: Charge your cars on VMs Network
Quote:
Originally Posted by RichardCoulter
I suspect that most people will do as they do with their mobile phones and leave their electric car to charge overnight.
I intend to get one when they become self driving (no idea when this will happen though) as i'm not allowed to drive for medical reasons.
|
Hey, me too!
I think fully-autonomous self-driving cars are a ways off but as pointed out, there's a lot of legal gubbins to sort out with regards to safety and whether or not a qualified legal "driver" needs to be present. They are designing cars without steering wheels so it's definitely on someone's radar, but it remains to be seen how regulation turns out.
All that being said, I suspect self-driving cars will be more like subscription taxi services than a vehicle you just buy outright.
|
|
|
Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)
|
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT +1. The time now is 16:04.
|