• 3arn0wl@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    arrow-up
    1
    arrow-down
    1
    ·
    3 years ago

    Are people not concerned about high voltage electricity around petrol fumes? Isn’t that a potentially explosive combination?

    • AgreeableLandscape@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      4
      ·
      edit-2
      3 years ago

      As long as they’re kept reasonably far away (I imagine a few meters would be enough), it should be fine. The internal combustion engines driving on all sides of the pumps don’t usually ignite it, neither do trolley bus wires (which occasionally let out fairly sizeable sparks) or just general overhead power lines. There’s also no oxygen in the storage tank or feed lines, so even if the vapours catch on fire, it really shouldn’t explode like in the movies.

    • Cysioland
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      3
      ·
      3 years ago

      There’s not much sparking when using electric vehicle chargers

      • 3arn0wl@lemmy.ml
        link
        fedilink
        arrow-up
        2
        ·
        3 years ago

        There’s not much sparking when you use a mobile phone either… but that’s an activity that’s been banned on forecourts.

        idk… I think petrol stations are the wrong locations for charging points anyway. Street lights are better. Car parks. Charging takes a while, after all.

        • Jedrax@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          3 years ago

          Yeah, one of my biggest concerns about current electric cars is long trips and the waiting involved with charging - even super charging isn’t as fast as you would think.

        • AgreeableLandscape@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          3 years ago

          Another idea I’ve had is for EVs to place contacts on the undercarriage, and prongs built into the ground at parking spaces can be raised to meet them for charging. No wires required, and way more efficient than those giant inductive charging pads under the cars (basically a beefed up version of wireless charging for your phone) that some companies thought were a good idea for some reason. Though it would definitely have to be standardised so every EV can work with it.

          Some streetcars (trams) already do essentially this. See APS. While the tram is moving, no less.

        • Cysioland
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          3 years ago

          Over here in Poland I can pretty much use a smartphone right at the pump, they even have a payment method that involves you scanning a QR code on the pump and confirming payment with your card on the phone.

        • AgreeableLandscape@lemmy.ml
          link
          fedilink
          arrow-up
          1
          ·
          edit-2
          3 years ago

          Build solar panel roofs over parking lots and use those to offset the charging energy (I doubt current solar is effienent enough for a car sized area to actually satisfy the entire charging energy requirement, at least not when every space is filled with cars using the array… It will also mitigate the problem of cars getting insanely hot on sunny days and needing to waste energy running the AC to cool it down.

    • Jedrax@lemmy.ml
      link
      fedilink
      arrow-up
      1
      ·
      3 years ago

      There is high voltage electricity coursing through gas stations at any given time. There is not real concern here.