Trip around Australia

[OzFred]

Since Covid-19 arrived and lock downs in Australia especially Victoria I have been using A better route planner for plan for escapes (EV trips) when we can cross the state boundaries. 

So I would like to share the Plan to drive around Australia trying to keep to the major Highways. This has meant I need to add in manually the proposed stops (I used Plugshare) that i found as the east cost of Australia is the only place that there are fast chargers and The planner is brilliant at sorting out. The car I used is Hyundai Kona 64 Kwh version so after completing the planning it totalled 13,556 kms.

This exercise just shows how brilliant the Planner is and the people who are developing it are exceptional as they are on the other side of the globe but have an incredible application that can be adapted to anywhere on the globe. 

Anyway enough of that he is the shared version of my planner    https://abetterrouteplanner.com/?plan_uuid=26b09dfa-9d0f-4d8d-aab4-55d475028a27 

You maybe interested in checking it out...

  

Edited August 31, 2020 by OzFred
wrong kms figure and needed to make the link clickable

[caf]

Yeah ABRP needs those AC charging locations to be added to make it most useful in remote areas of Australia.

[Katya-ABRP]

Hi @OzFred, @caf,

OzFred, that's lovely to hear!  

Regarding missing chargers, we're aware that our coverage is a bit lacking in Australia and we'd be more than happy to have charger networks you'd like added, suggested to us. There are always things local users know better than us.

If you haven't read the blog article about how to have chargers added, it is here:

/Katya

[chuq]

Hey @OzFred @caf and @Katya (ABRP),

Travelling across remote parts of Australia has been a challenging issue for EV drivers.  It's a long way to cover with DC fast chargers, but fortunately EV drivers have come up with a bit of a workaround   Here is the backstory:

A few years ago, members of the Australian Electric Vehicle Association and the Tesla Owners Club of Australia attempted to do some travelling outside the existing charge infrastructure area, and found that a particular style of outlet we have in Australia - the 3-phase 32 amp 5-pin socket - which exists in many remote towns at places such as showgrounds and sometimes caravan parks - is well suited to enabling AC charging at up to 22 kW.  With a portable EVSE such as as JuiceBooster 2, they will allow a suitably capable vehicle to charge at over 100km of range per hour.  Not a DC fast charger but better than a power point!

The two associations agreed to contribute some funds to purchase in bulk and donate more of these outlets (and EV charging signs) to various other councils, roadhouses, caravan parks and motels across remote parts of Australia to build what would become the "Round Australia Electric Highway" (RAEH).

You can read about it here: https://www.teslaowners.org.au/round-australia  (Note: some of the maps of other chargers later on this page are a bit outdated now!)

Now, how does ABRP fit in?

One of ABRP's sources is the "Australian fast charger locations" Google Sheet which I maintain. https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1A6jrzPsrrUyWzEQ4HVpoaHK85cK3un0auG1b5Gc85NA/edit#gid=0

I tested adding a "Round Australia Electric Highway" entry to this list a while back, to see if it would import.  It didn't, presumably because the plug types available in ABRP do not include the Australian 3-phase 32A plug.

ABRP users can currently only choose between Europe and North America:

It would be great to have an "Oceania" region.  The minimum "Types of chargers" to include would be:

• Type 2 (same as EU)
• Type 2 Tesla (same as EU)
• J1772 (same as NA)
• 3-phase 32A  (NEW! The commonly accepted short name for a 3-phase 32A 5-pin socket - technically its a 56P532 but no-one will know what this means!)

Once this is done, let me know how I should label such sockets in the spreadsheet and I can start adding RAEH locations.  Actually if you look at the "RAEH" tab you'll see where I started such a list some time ago (unrelated to ABRP), but this tab could be adapted for use by ABRP as a source, just as the primary "Data" tab is now.  (I'd rather keep the fast chargers separate on the "Data" tab)

ABRP admins, let me know if you're able to add the "Oceania" options as mentioned above! I can do up a graphic for the 3-phase socket icon.  When ready, I'll start populating the sheet (with assistance!).  The 21 entries already listed are *only* the Perth to Adelaide route - I haven't got a complete count but probably a hundred locations all up!

 

Edited October 11, 2020 by chuq

[chuq]

I just realised I made a similar request earlier, except that involved importing from OCM and not my spreadsheet!  Either is fine, although it's a lot quick to add them to a spreadsheet!

 

[Katya-ABRP]

Hi @chuq,

We're looking into having another region added. A few questions;

How common are the 56P532 ?

Would New Zealand have the same types?

/Katya

[caf]

Hey @chuq, @Katya (ABRP)

"56P532" is just the Clipsal product name (it's from their product line called the "56 Series").

The generic name for these is AS/NZS 3123 sockets (a standard which includes both single and three phase sockets and a range of current ratings).  AS being "Australian Standard" and NZS being "New Zealand Standard".

They're fairly common, and in remote areas are likely to be your best option for charging.

 

[chuq]

Thanks @caf for the correction on the name... I found that in a few locations so thought it was official.  "3-phase 32A" is the best short name then.

Also as caf says, these standards also exist in NZ.

There are a few lower power options (wall outlets) but probably best to leave these out - they are of minimal use while planning road trips as they only charge between 2.4-3.6 kW.  They can always be added later if needed.