I have driven a few EVs over the years. Homebuilts, conversions,
C-Cars, EVA Metro, Leaf, etc.
But my favourite location for the charging port is still beside the
driver's door. Like my son's Ford Focus EV.
Yes, most modern EVs won't let you drive away with the vehicle plugged
in. However, that still means in a too-early-in-the-morning bleary-eyed
haze, I can still get into the car without unplugging the charging cord
before the car starts beeping at me, and I have to get out again to
unplug it.
On my Green14 conversion, I consciously put the charging port right
behind the driver door such that it was possible, but inconvenient to
open the driver door with the cord plugged in.
Conversely, I think the C-Cars putting the connection behind the
passenger door where it's invisible to the driver was the worst choice I
have encountered.
Not as aerodynamic perhaps as current preferred placements, and for
heavier cables, I can see where front or rear as close to the cable
parked position would be preferred.
Darryl
Date: Wed, 07 Aug 2024 21:04:43 +0200
From: "EV List Lackey" <evp...@drmm.net>
To: ev@lists.evdl.org
Subject: [EVDL] Charging port locations
Message-ID: <66b3e16b.14846.55...@evpost.drmm.net>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII
I've noticed that many EVs have their charging ports in the rear. They're
often roughly where the fuel filler would be on an ICEV.
Why?
Our Zoe has its charging port in the middle of the front, where a grille
would be on an ICEV. AFAIK, the Nissan Leaf still uses the same location,
center front. Same with the Dacia Spring.
IMO, this works pretty well for most charging situations.
At public charging in parking lots, you can pull right up to the charging
point. It's seldom a stretch to reach from the EVSE to the port. With on-
street charging points, it's not much more distance.
But many recent EVs have their charging ports at the rear.
The Peugeot E208 and E2008 are two I'm familiar with, charging from left
rear, where the fuel filler would be on their ICEV kin.
Every Tesla I've seen charging also feeds from the left rear.
The Hyundai Ionic 5 and Fiat 500E charge at the right rear.
With a port at the side-rear, drivers pretty much have to back up to parking
lot charging points. In some cases, the connector sticks out so that people
walking next to the car can bump into it, potentially damaging it.
You also get on-street charging scenes like this:
https://www.theverge.com/2024/8/6/24214581/electric-vehicle-charging-
reliability-study-chargehelp
shortcut https://cntp.me/ZY0A9tc
Other than being sort of similar to the ICEV fuel filler's location, what
kind of sense does it make to put the charging port in the side at the rear?
David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey
--
Darryl McMahon
Freelance Project Manager (sustainable systems)
Do not mistake patience for weakness, nor action for strategy.
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