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Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 10:20am 21 Oct 2019

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wow lots of questions. its been a long day again and I wish to retire until 5am.

I was up at 4.30am. Glen was up soon after. Looked at the charge plan and decided to skip a few points. Planned to just go to the Gold Coast with a dump in between. Got everything packed up and headed of at 5.17am. Bye Simone. She didnt wake up. Thanks Simone for a good dinner and the floor space for my swag. Glen also appreciated your spare bed. Glen crashes early every night. Tonight aleady, about 7.30pm.

I didnt document anywhere near enough today. First dump started at 6.35am. Dont know what time we got going again. it was 89km to Gold Coast.

Arrived at the Gold Coast at 7.30am.

Left the Gold Coast at 9.10am.
Dont know when we got to Mercato shopping centre in Byron Bay. It took a while to find the EV Charging spaces. Internet service was very poor inside underground carpark. Could not use phone app to switch on the charge outlets. Eventually worked out how to connect to the shopping centre wifi. Even that had trouble to connect to the charge outlets. Got one outlet working. Then the othe other and the whole box shuts down. Eventually got 2 outlets working. 1 from each of the 2 boxes available. The other 2 boxes were down the next level, deeper in the ground.

At the Gold Coast we looked at the possible charge points again for the day.
At Mercato shopping centre, we looked at the charge plan more. We decided to skip Lismore and just go to Maclean. At dumping time (in the cane paddock), we found that Grafton showgrounds had 3ph and camping allowed. So the plan was then to try to make it all the way to Graften. We considered the power we had and figured it would be tight but possible. We had to do a double dump to MGEV and EV Hilux would use the rest from T-Rev. We made it with all 3 vehicles very empty.

First dump

Second dump

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 11:21pm 21 Oct 2019

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One question was,'what do we do with all the time wgile charging.
1. Eat lunch, sometimes cook first. wash up the dishes and pack it up again.
2. Sometimes you have to sort/ revisit/ organise the charge plan. Sometimes you have to ring ahead to make sure charging is possible, particularly with showgrounds or other business premises.
3. Talk to people on the street. Its really annoying when you have 10 people asking questions before you even get out of the car. I want to plug in first. Sometimes you are still talking when charge is finished and time to pack up and move on.
4. Glen tries to rest when he can. He is a bit older and says it is hard work driving the MGEV. It is a little rough, bounces you around.
5. Compare power usage and driving conditions
6. Answer enquiries/ customers on email where I can.
7. Some people text to get a direct answer where you are up to..

lots of things come up. Glen went shopping once.

I thought I would be able to keep a much more regular blog but so far very luttle spare time to waffle on......

Charge is almost done at Coffs Harbour showgrounds.

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Ralph2k6

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Joined: 24/09/2017
Location: Australia
Posts: 129

Posted: 07:33am 22 Oct 2019

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Thanks for posting about your journey, it has been quite an interesting read.

Ralph

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 08:46am 22 Oct 2019

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Left Grafton at 6.30am. (all times past the Qld border are in NSW time). Silly NSW time mucks me up.

Dump from T-Rev to MGEV.

Arrived at Coffs Harbour at 8.23am Cost $10

Left at 10.25am.
Charged at Macksville,by the river.

Left Macksville at 12.49pm
Arrived at Kempsey showgrounds at 1.52pm. Cost $10. I did have a picture but somehow it got deleted.

Dump along the way from T-Rev to MGEV.
Arrived at Taree showgrounds at 5.55pm.
Charging and camping here. Cost $24.

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 08:52am 22 Oct 2019

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Some other costs that I haven't put in yet.
1. Cost $10 fot the 2 cars to park at the Mercato shopping centre. The power was free.
2. Cost $20 for camping with power at Grafton.

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 10:05pm 22 Oct 2019

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Left Taree at 6.25am.
Nice sunrise, just as we were about to leave. 13 degrees C. Yesterday morning at Grafton was 10 degrees C.

Pulled up at Bulahdelah, 7.57am, to do a dump from T-Rev to MGEV. Drove 74km. Very quiet little town. Everyone still sleeping this time of the morning.

Dumped 50Ah in 1 hour 7 min. It is mow 9.04am. Tome to move on.

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 01:49am 23 Oct 2019

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Another quiet location. Arrived at Stroud showgrounds at 10.17am. Lots or mountain range road to get here. Steep up and down. Very windy (lots of bends and turns) and some places quite narrow.
Rang the number at the gate. The lady said she would get someone to come and show us in. 10 minutes no one came so went in and spoke with the man on the lawn mower. Then got it all plugged in.

Drove 114.5km from Taree to Stroud.
2 1/2 hours to charge all 3 vehicles.
Finished charging at 12.47pm

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Davo99
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Joined: 03/06/2019
Location: Australia
Posts: 1578

Posted: 03:21am 23 Oct 2019

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Where are you heading to now?
I was under the impression you were coming to Sydney?

Denlalor
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Joined: 22/10/2019
Location: Australia
Posts: 2

Posted: 09:26am 23 Oct 2019

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Following your journey with interest. I did a trip to miriam vale and back to sunshine coast in my little mitsubishi ev van - starting out Sunday morning. I think I left Gympie Nelson park not long before you arrived. Saw the MGEV not far north of Gympie.

My timing for the trip didn't take into account the batteries needed time to cool during the day. It seems the BMS slows down charging from quick charge chademo above a certain temperature.

-Den

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 09:29am 23 Oct 2019

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Yes Davo. Going to Sydney. Just following the high powered outlets.

Arrived at No.2 Sportsground much later than we should have. Google maps got us lost and so we went round in circles for a while till we found it. Got there at 2.47pm.

Left Newcastle at 4.28pm.
Arrived at my brothers place in Cooranbong at 5.30pm

Tomorrow we plan to wash the cars and have some rest.

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Davo99
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Joined: 03/06/2019
Location: Australia
Posts: 1578

Posted: 11:58am 23 Oct 2019

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You well need and have deserved a rest!
Your patience and Dedication completely astounds me!

I do the Taree to Sydney trip Regularly. Takes me exactly 1hr 20 Min from Heatherbrae to outside Taree. Heatherbrae is about 30 Min from Newcastle. Lets call it 2 Hours to round it out from Taree. It took you 10 Hours to do the same trip.
I WOULD go nuts. More over, I'd be so damn tired and frustrated, it wouldn't be funny.

Normally I Have dinner with my father and leave Taree about 8pm. I'm back in the(far) outskirts of Sydney by 12 at the latest and that's with a Coffee pickup at Maccas at Heatherbrae. Before I moved and was more in the heart of the city the trip took me 3:20 min. I thought 4 hours felt long now.
10 hours to Newcastle and 2 days to Sydney, I wouldn't be mentally up to it. Only time I did an overnighter was Sydney to Bundaberg and that was only a day and half... and 25 years ago.

I went up to Taree and back in the same day on the weekend. Matter of fact, I went up and back with an hours stop in less time than you took to get to Newcastle.
I couldn't do it.

I do Syd to the Gold coast in a day and the only time I stop is at coffs for something to eat and top up the veg oil. On the way back I'll go to Casino to see my Aunt and Uncle and stop at taree Over night or for a few days to see Dad. I don't like stopping too long throughout the drive, the hanging around makes me more tired. I'm better off to keep going and stay alert than sitting round other than for a meal and a pit stop.

Might have come from when I was a kid and did a lot of touring with my grandparents.
We used to go to a place just outside Taree where my grandparents had a Holiday house. Would take a day to get there because we'd have to stop 3 times for a cuppa.
Still remember... At Brooklyn Bridge, Swansea and Bulladealah. Seemed to take forever.

I take it You'll be able to get to Sydney in a day from where you are now?

If I was going to Taree next week I'd tow the trailer up there for you to make the trip home a little quicker and easier.

You blokes sure get my award for the most patient Men I ever heard of! You should get some award from the show organisers for coming so far and taking so much of your time to be there. It's a BIG effort!

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 03:49am 25 Oct 2019

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Bragging rights really, Davo. AEVA (Australian Electric Vehicle Association) recognise Glen George as the first to drive around Australia in an electric car. I won the Glen George trophy last year.

I wanted Glen George to win his own trophy at least once. His batteries only give about 70km range now, That takes a lot more time in lots more stops to recharge. Often from T-Rev because the public outlets are too far apart.

So.......
We cleaned the cars yesterday.
Left Cooranbong at 6.00am.
Charged at Gosford showground

Dump power at 'The old road cafe

Arrived at Sydney Olympic Park at 10.30am

Cars set up in Hall 6

Speedo reading on arrival, 94964km.
Total travel distance recorded, 2062km.

I sure hope no one else is driving electric further than that. To win the trophy, its the longest EV Drive to this event each year, but does have other criteria as well. Glen and I travelled the same distance (he recorded 2078km) but Glen having smaller battery pack gives him more points than I get, so he wins over me.
Edited 2019-10-25 13:58 by Trev

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Denlalor
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Joined: 22/10/2019
Location: Australia
Posts: 2

Posted: 11:30am 25 Oct 2019

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Well done Trev and Glen. I had driven up to Miriam Vale to start the trip to Sydney from there and get a realistic idea of charging times on the road. Alas the journey home from Sydney would have taken more time then I had available so abandoned the idea. Glen's battery would be around 25kwh? Would take a lot to beat that for the 'Glen Trophy' I reckon.
Are you both driving back together?
Might be a new fast charge station open by then half way between Brisbane and Cooroy.

Den

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 11:09pm 25 Oct 2019

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Den, MGEV battery would be 27kw when new. It is 8 yrs old now and can only get 70ah usable now.

I was going to point out too..... that we did not use the gennie at all, for the whole trip.

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 11:23pm 25 Oct 2019

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Doors have just opened to the public. Not a great rush like Brisbane last year.

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 09:53am 27 Oct 2019

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A very good show. A good variety of electric cars

Glen is the winner of the Glen George trophy. I dont know how many entered. I did hear a wisper in the wind someone drove from Tasmania.

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 09:59pm 27 Oct 2019

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The return journey has begun.

We had slept in the best bush patch we could find in the city. Lane Cove Holiday Park. Very nice park.
This picture was taken late yesterday afternoon.

Glen has left his MGEV with a friend to take it to a trucking company depot.
Glen and I were up at 4.15am, packed up swags and headed off to the airport. Glen is flying home.

I left the airport at 5.30am. Got lost a few times trying to find my way out of the city. Absolute madness. I have no idea why people want to live that way. Skinny (well she has to be to fit in my phone - google maps) did well to direct me.
Lost quite a bit of time at St. Ives shopping centre. Couldnt get in to the red level carpark for charging. Then it didnt work anyway.

Skinny got me lost trying to find St. Ives showgrounds. Charging at St. Ives showgrounds now. Time now is 8.58am. Maybe 20 minutes left of charging.

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 02:35am 28 Oct 2019

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Left St. Ives at 9.30am
Arrived at Newcastle No. 2 Sportsground at 12.16pm. Skinny got me lost again like on the way down.
Used 21.1kW from EV Hilux and 95.5Ah from T-Rev.
149.2km

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Trev

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Joined: 15/07/2006
Location: Australia
Posts: 640

Posted: 06:41am 28 Oct 2019

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Left No. 2 Sportsground at 1.55pm

Arrived at Taree showgrounds at around 5.00pm.
171.3km
25kW from EV Hilux
100Ah from T-Rev
Offered $5 which was accepted.

A lot of smoke in the air here.

Trev @ drivebynature.com

Davo99
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Joined: 03/06/2019
Location: Australia
Posts: 1578

Posted: 10:13am 28 Oct 2019

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Sydney to Taree in just one day? The trip home is going to be a lot faster!

Can you leave the ute and the Bike Connected as you drive or do you have to stop to transfer power?

I wanted to get to the show but had to do things here with the wind storm on Saturday and then on Sunday had to go to a crook Family turn.

Look forward to seeing your rapid progress home.

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