Curbside plug-in for your Typ-1?

[c0mp13x]

AutoblogGreen reports on a company proposing curb-side "Smartlets" to provide charging for EVs.

Time for the Aptera crew to consider (I'm sure they already have), a passenger side charging port for these curb-side hook ups.

ABG reports on "Smartlets" (http://www.autobloggreen.com/2008/03/24/new-vocabulary-smartlets-could-charge-plug-in-vehicles-from-s/)

Note how the illustration paints the charge parking spot green, can you imagine how that would tick the ICE (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internal_combustion_engine) drivers off if you took parking spots away? Or, are these spots open to everyone and offer charging capabilities?

Who would like to speculate on what a 1-2 hour charge would cost at a "Smartlet"? Could there be government subsidies of the electricity to encourage EV use? If there is a parking meter for that spot too, I better be carrying a bunch of quarters!

:D

[LQUAN]

I speculate the charge would be around $2/hr.

Speaking of curbside charging...Aptera charging inlet is on the driver side. Does this mean I have to run an extension cable under the car and up to the charging post?

[KarenRei]

Even if you pay $0.15/kWh (I pay $0.05/kWh), a full charge of an Aptera (from dead to topped off) would only use perhaps $1.75 worth of power (accounting for losses). That's not exactly a big subsidy. ;)

[garygid]

Instead of having the charging "plug" on the driver's side
of the Aptera, wouldn't it be better located on the curb's
side of the car?

[gg222]

Seems logical to me.

[LQUAN]

If they put the charger plug on the right side of the car, then they must have interlock to prevent the driver from starting the car. Otherwise, if the plug is not right in front of you when you enter the car, someday, you may forget to unplug before driving off.:eek:

[garygid]

I think the car basically has an auto-unplug feature built in,
that will self-activate when one drives away. (yank, grin)
It might bend the charging port's pins, however.

Further, it does not stop one from leaving the extension cord behind.

Is there any reason that one should be allowed to move
the vehicle while it is charging? Usually not, I suspect.
Maybe in service "mode" when the back wheel is off the ground?

So, the "no-go while charging" could be a programmed-in feature,
which could have a temporarily override (a checkbox on the
control computer's service screen).

[Aptera 1103]

I have always thought about dangling an extension cord out of the back back of my Insight as a joke as so many people asked me where you plug it in. In the end I decided not to confuse them even more:D