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Fill 'er up, sun ... new solar charge for electric cars
David Williams, Motoring Correspondent24 Jun 2011
Motorists with electric cars will be able to "fill-up" directly from the sun when Britain's first public solar-powered charger opens in London next month.
It comes just weeks after Boris Johnson pledged to make London the "epicentre of electric driving in Europe", promising at least 1,300 charging points by next year - enough to outstrip the number of petrol stations in the capital.
Use The Sun, which is managing the project in Rainham and carrying out the installation, says motorists will pay £1 to plug in, and then 63p an hour. A three-hour charge will cost a motorist about £2.90 and deliver a range of about 47 miles. A motorist driving a similar-sized traditional car would spend about £5.90 to travel the same distance.
Six cars can park underneath each booth at a time and draw current directly from the sun, into their cars' batteries.
When the sun isn't shining, the charger draws power from the National Grid. The facility is being installed at the Centre for Engineering and Manufacturing Excellence and will be unveiled by transport minister Norman Baker on July 6.
Looking like a cross between a futuristic domestic car port and a giant sun canopy, the "solar garage" contains hundreds of photo-sensitive cells.
When it is not charging up cars such as Citroen's C-Zero and Peugeot's iOn, the eTap will produce enough electricity to power more than 100 40-watt light bulbs or 23 laptops.
Use The Sun managing director Charles Montlake says the eTap is capable of topping up an electric car's range by about 15 miles for each hour it is plugged in. But there are plans to upgrade the system, enabling it to charge vehicles twice as quickly.
The cost of installing and buying a six-bay eTap is about £55,000 but, claims Mr Montlake, it would cover its cost in 10 years.
Reader views (2)
The new focus on Electric Cars and Solar-Powered Charging Stations, is to be given every encouragement.
However, BORIS Cancelled the well-prepared Cross-River Tram to bring Electric Trams to Central London:
Linking Main-Line Rail Terminii in Camden, to Waterloo, Clapham Junction, and Peckham. It would ease the pressure on London's Streets and relieve over-demand on the Tubes.
Electric Cars are for Individual useage.
Mass-Transit Electric TRAMS, would be massively more effective in relieving transport congestion Grid-Lock.
- CHRISTOPHER CROWDY, Chelsea SW3, 27/06/2011 11:20
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The new attention being given to Electric Cars and ways to provide Re-Charging Stations, especially the
proposal for Solar-Powered Charging Stations, is to be given every encouragement. However, Boris Johnson missed a major opportunity, when he cancelled the well-prepared Cross-River Tram scheme, to bring on-street Modern Electric Trams to Central London. Linking Camden and adjacent Major Main-Line RAILWAY TERMINII, from Kings Cross, Euro-Star St Pancras, Euston, Waterloo, with Clapham Junction to the West and Elephant & Castle, and Peckham to the South. Cross-River Tram could still be a massive contributor to easing the Grid-Lock on both London's streets and the failure of the Tubes to cope with over-demand. Electric Cars are mainly for INDIVIDUALS and will not resolve the problems that would be greatly-eased by attractive, frequent on-street Mass-Transit Electric TRAMS.
- CHRISTOPHER CROWDY, Chelsea SW3, 27/06/2011 10:02
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