[DRIVING] VW Beetle 2003

[johu]

Oh wow, does not shed a good light on the infrastructure. Or would you blame the car also?
Glad you didn't need a tow and can double your range now

[Bigpie]

Not sure. My default position is to assume its the car, but the abandoned leaf makes me think that chademo was broken.

I don't know how the units work, but the EVSE was reporting back 0 volts where as my setup was reporting pack voltage and that the contractors were closed, but CCS still worked. I'd have though the big clunk they do is a hefty pair of contactors selecting the output cable.
I spoke to someone in an Etron that was getting nervous about finding a charge at 40% after the last charger he tried didn't work.

Just looked though zapmap comments, other chademo user have also reported it doesn't work in last couple of days.

[Alibro]

In the future we'll look back at the situation today and laugh.
Not quite so funny now tho.

I think the first thing I'll do when I get my car working and on the road is to join the AA or RAC.

[Bigpie]

No idea what Ireland is like, but if you ever go out of range, I'd say it's a must.

[m.art.y]

My aunt lives about 10 miles from this charger and there's no other rapids in range, Leicester is pretty poor for a major city.

Don't these rapid chargers also have an AC plug that you can use? But to be honest I know the feeling of travelling like that, it once took me 12 hours to drive 240 miles (380km) and I was only AC charging (17kw).

[Bigpie]

Nope, the instavolts are DC only. Back on chademo at the moment forgot to plug in last night

[janosch]

...
Each time you use an instavolt they put a £30 preauth on the card, so by now I much have £300 of preauth transactions on my card that take a few days to go.
...

Worth installing the app if you try a lot of times.

In debugging days I had a few hundred £ blocked on business card, personal card & credit card for weeks!

[Bigpie]

Ahh, I thought the app worked the same. Will use the app on future

[Alibro]

Nope, the instavolts are DC only. Back on chademo at the moment forgot to plug in last night

Are you using your own shield and Due for Chademo charging? I had a look at it but struggled to figure out how to use the PCB building service.
Have you any links or videos that would help explain the process?

Thanks

[Bigpie]

Is the video of the day.

@alibro, I am currently using the Due shield, but working on a standalone ESP32 port with Dues getting very expensive recently. Just need to debug a few more issues but might be a better option than the Due shield

[Alibro]

Thanks mate,
I found a genuine Due sealed in box on ebay and the buyer took £23 for it so I now have a couple of spares but happy to hold on if your having issues.
I still have a way to go before I'll need it anyway.
Congrats on the road trip.

[Bigpie]

Due is working fine. I think I have an old populated Due shield board if you want it? I'm just wanting to move away from the Due and ESP32 everything.

[Alibro]

Due is working fine. I think I have an old populated Due shield board if you want it? I'm just wanting to move away from the Due and ESP32 everything.

If you have a spare I'd be more than happy to be a guinea pig for it.

Let me know what you need for it and I'll send the dosh.

[mattb67]

Hi, Has your Beetle been seen by DVLA now? Have they allowed you to change the fuel type to electric?

I have a 2002 3dr Golf MK4 TDI that I love dearly (apart from the stinky engine) and have been hanging onto it with an ambition to convert. But last year at fullychargedshow a company that does EV conversions said DVLA won't allow the fuel type to be changed for a vehicle registered after 2001.

[Bigpie]

They've inspected it maybe 12 months ago now I think. They've not updated the fuel type and continue refusing to do so.
I've written to my MP multiple times, been in The Telegraph and a couple of other publications. Fully Charged weren't interested in covering it. Quentin Wilson keeps saying he's writing to the DVLA, I've been told the Office for Zero Emission Vehicles are also writing to them.
Since EVs are going to be taxed l, I've again written to my MP to seek for this issue to be addressed at the same time. I've asked for it to be referred to parliamentary review. No response.

DVLA won't budge without been ordered to do so, I don't have funds to taken them to court. So I've given up trying. I just pay tax as a petrol and point the stupidity out if anyone interested.

[arber333]

I would say force them by certificate. Once they have your car registered as a petrol they are obviously not obliged to change it for individual change... which our conversion really is btw. However if you would go for certificate to say ireland and return they would have to input your change as first certification after import. There is an agreement for this now between UK and EU. So they would be obliged to enter factual data . I dont know if it would be worth it though...

[Bigpie]

It would be more cost than it's worth to export to Ireland, get it registered as electric and then try reimport it.

It's funny how they say you must update the V5 fuel type changes but then refuse to do so.

[JaniK]

So they have a rule that you need to change fuel type but they don't do it?

What? If you change from petrol to diesel engine they would?

I don't get it, it clearly says in that picture that it must be updated.

Glad I have been visiting my local "MOT" office for all my conversion questions before doing anything. They said just have battery mounted properly and have an electrician inspect the vehicle and do a "pre use checkup" like you would have to do if you DIY a grid-tie-solar or diy toaster or whatever.

[rstevens81]

Strictly speaking the battery box test has not been specified anywhere, there is nothing on the mot that requires it either, but probably a piece of mind they want before before testing it and if your not 1000% sure about your battery box would be highly advisable.

Dvla's stance currently is that a 2001-2017 tax class (co2) is set at manufacture and cannot be changed, because fuel type is linked to tax class therefore it cannot be changed, which is stupid as I have had a petrol car turned into an alternative fuel car (LPG) in the past.
In 2024 the current exemption will be removed and at least the fuel type can be changed from petrol/diesel to electric.

Zero ev claim to be doing work for DVLA on standards for an electric car tax class (conversion) however as they have a commercial interest in making it a closed club (similar to you have to be a uklpg installer to get fuel type updated) I remain sceptical what benefits this will actually give us ...or if they even listen to thair advice and create something totally bonkers.

As I have stated in other threads to make sure your car wouldn't be heading to the crusher:
(1) don't weld or drill bolt holes anywhere.
(2) reuse existing bolt holes and make frames to hang stuff off
(3) number 1 again!!! I have heard DVLA even revoking reg for not using the engine mounts!!

[mattb67]

They've inspected it maybe 12 months ago now I think. They've not updated the fuel type and continue refusing to do so.

Pants! I can't see that changing anytime soon. Must be the car makers lobbying, afraid of people converting their cars and getting years more life out of them instead of buying new. I used to run the MK4 on chip fat biodiesel, until the local place got shut down by licensing. I kept hoping someone in the south of England would set up HVO pumps. EV conversion was starting to look a possibility, but now it looks like the next time I get a big bill it'll have to be the end of the road for my mk4, and I'll end up with a Zoe at some point.

Bah!

[mattb67]

In 2024 the current exemption will be removed and at least the fuel type can be changed from petrol/diesel to electric.

I've just realised I probably didn't read your post properly first time. Does that mean if I do the conversion next year, DVLA would let me change my old Golf to electric? Will Bigpie be able to change his fuel type next year?

Thanks

[rstevens81]

In theory yes...but with DVLA anything is possible, they dig out another excuse. I'm hoping that fuel type will change, I expect they will create an electric tax class at some point to capture all years.
I'm basically banking on this as my wife likes the Audi A2 (like johu's conversation) and am going to do that as a second project (making the car wife proof will be hard )

[Bigpie]

Cars been lowered

Unfortunately it wasn't desired.

I heard a clunk when I set off then the ride was pretty terrible.

[johu]

Wow, how did that happen? Did it take out that HV cable?

[Bigpie]

No idea, I'm assuming it's rusted and snapped. Not had a good look yet.