Car charging points

[HughF]

Slap up a couple of type 2 charge points, earth rod required, make them 6.6kW (32a). If you want to go for a managed deal on one of the networks, go for pod point.

People will choose your cottages over others in the area if you have charging.

I live and breathe this stuff if you want more information.

 

[addjunkie]

Slap up a couple of type 2 charge points, earth rod required, make them 6.6kW (32a). If you want to go for a managed deal on one of the networks, go for pod point.

People will choose your cottages over others in the area if you have charging.

I live and breathe this stuff if you want more information.

Why pod point over others?

 

[HughF]

Why pod point over others?

They have risen to the top of the crop and are well regarded by users. Polar (now bp chargemaster/bp pulse) are rubbish, EVCharge.online is now better than it was (it was terrible), Newmotion is good (but very few drivers will have used them/be aware of them). Tesla destination is a good option, they install two types, red which only charge Teslas and white which charge any type-2 capable car. They are small, sleek and load share.

 

[addjunkie]

Theres another called zappi, made by the same folk who make the solar panel economiser things to put juice back into your water system. Quite like the Pid one if I can charge folk for using it. Or 32 amps on all night could eat into my margins

 

[HughF]

Theres another called zappi, made by the same folk who make the solar panel economiser things to put juice back into your water system. Quite like the Pid one if I can charge folk for using it. Or 32 amps on all night could eat into my margins

Zappi makes sense for homeowners who are looking to divert their solar and make maximum use of their generation (which they get paid very little for on the net metering tarrif)... I'd throw the charging costs in with the night rate and switch to octopus go, or another E7 tarrif... Forget about charging people for the negligible usage...

7kW for a 10 hr overnight charge, that's 70kWh - at 20p/kW that's 14 quid... A typical modern EV will do 3.5miles/kWh so those figures are typical if your guests were driving 245 miles per day and charging up every night... When on holiday, that's unlikey to happen imho. Switch to octopus go and you'll get 4hrs at 5p/kWh overnight, set the charger to only charge at that time and you'll still provide 28kWh of capacity for 1.40... Most EV owners are perfectly happy with the concept of an overnight/timed charge

*I have a US keyboard, hence no 'GBP/pound' sign

 

[addjunkie]

Zappi makes sense for homeowners who are looking to divert their solar and make maximum use of their generation (which they get paid very little for on the net metering tarrif)... I'd throw the charging costs in with the night rate and switch to octopus go, or another E7 tarrif... Forget about charging people for the negligible usage...

7kW for a 10 hr overnight charge, that's 70kWh - at 20p/kW that's 14 quid... A typical modern EV will do 3.5miles/kWh so those figures are typical if your guests were driving 245 miles per day and charging up every night... When on holiday, that's unlikey to happen imho. Switch to octopus go and you'll get 4hrs at 5p/kWh overnight, set the charger to only charge at that time and you'll still provide 28kWh of capacity for 1.40... Most EV owners are perfectly happy with the concept of an overnight/timed charge

*I have a US keyboard, hence no 'GBP/pound' sign

Thanks for the info, worth looking when you look at it from that perspective.

 

[HughF]

Thanks for the info, worth looking when you look at it from that perspective.

Glad to help... Happy to talk further if you need any assistance.

 

[HughF]

A few people on here have said 'just install a 13a socket and be done with it'. Whilst I have done the bulk of my 3yrs of charging (on average 20kWh/24hr period) on the supplied 'granny charger' - most new EVs that are being delivered in the 2021 do not come with a 13a granny charger. Manufacturers are supplying a suitable typ2-type2 cable for public charging.

Personally if I were installing at my holiday cottages, type2 chargers all the way... Even if limited to 3kW because of supply constraints.

 

[addjunkie]

Yes think it will be type twos. Have outside socket already!

 

[HughF]

Yes think it will be type twos. Have outside socket already!

Best of both worlds....

 

[DAPPH]

After my wife ripped the charging lead off the charger ( she'd disconnected it but looped it over the tow bar and not realised it , as it was dark & raining hard when she drove off ) . I put in a seven metre replacement cable . the power to the charging point is a 20 amp stilw from a sub fuse box inside the meter cupboard . As we had solar PV panels I decided to get a time clock swithch with over ride put in a box next to th cupboard so that in day time I can over ride it to take unused solar PV to charge the car and turn it back to normal set up so it charges in off peak if needed .

Thought.... the low Ioff peak rate It might only apply to disabled people with a motability vehicle . It's saved us an arm an a leg for the daytime excess generation is usually free of cost and we get the FIT for it as well . Alison calculated we get a 31 mile ( Outlander PHEV ) charge for around 19 p .
In 3 years besides holiday times towing the caravan in 2019 she's only had to put in a half tank of juice in the car because the cars computer tells her she hasn't used enough fuel in the last 12 months ( we're covid self isolating and have done less than 600 miles in the last year .

 

[DAPPH]

I have at home for the Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV, it only requires a standard 13 amp household socket

The charging lead they supply is only fitted with a regular 3 pin plug

if I went to the trouble of buying the fancy cable and high capacity 3 phase charging it would cost me mega money to save 20 mins on charging

most folk only have the standard cable. Keep it simple and cheap

The charging point for my Outlander PHEV is 240 volt with a 16 amp fused double pole consumer unit taken off the house incoming point at the meter to the fused 16 amp consumer unit it's wired from this consumer unit for six meters along the outside wall then out through the charger to a 9 metre heavy duty charging cable & vehicle plug .
Some days running local from home or whilst on holiday we have recharged the Outlander three times between 07.00 till 18 . 30 & then re-topped it up overnight in the summer months .

 

[HughF]

After my wife ripped the charging lead off the charger ( she'd disconnected it but looped it over the tow bar and not realised it , as it was dark & raining hard when she drove off ) . I put in a seven metre replacement cable . the power to the charging point is a 20 amp stilw from a sub fuse box inside the meter cupboard . As we had solar PV panels I decided to get a time clock swithch with over ride put in a box next to th cupboard so that in day time I can over ride it to take unused solar PV to charge the car and turn it back to normal set up so it charges in off peak if needed .

Thought.... the low Ioff peak rate It might only apply to disabled people with a motability vehicle . It's saved us an arm an a leg for the daytime excess generation is usually free of cost and we get the FIT for it as well . Alison calculated we get a 31 mile ( Outlander PHEV ) charge for around 19 p .
In 3 years besides holiday times towing the caravan in 2019 she's only had to put in a half tank of juice in the car because the cars computer tells her she hasn't used enough fuel in the last 12 months ( we're covid self isolating and have done less than 600 miles in the last year .

Octopus Go, Go Faster and Agile are available to everyone - irrespective of vehicle ownership or disability status.

It's encouraging to hear you using your Outlander as intended. If I'm not driving my Ampera, I'm charging it - the way it should be. The last year of lockdowns has resulted in me staying at my wife's house and leaving my parents to shield. My commute has gone from 30 miles/day and one charge to 110 miles/day. I've done 18k miles since April 2020!

*living with one's wife, that'll never catch on

 

[addjunkie]

*living with one's wife, that'll never catch on

Lots less grief than someone elses wife.

 

[HughF]

Lots less grief than someone elses wife.

very true...

 

[DAPPH]

Octopus Go, Go Faster and Agile are available to everyone - irrespective of vehicle ownership or disability status.

It's encouraging to hear you using your Outlander as intended. If I'm not driving my Ampera, I'm charging it - the way it should be. The last year of lockdowns has resulted in me staying at my wife's house and leaving my parents to shield. My commute has gone from 30 miles/day and one charge to 110 miles/day. I've done 18k miles since April 2020!

*living with one's wife, that'll never catch on

Sorry I didn't make it clear we got a special low night rate due to me being on motability & with an electric car ..the charger & fitting was FOC via the dealership when we got the PHEV brand new .
Thought .......... we are not supposed to recharge ( manufacturers hand book info ) unless we have dropped below 1/3 of charge capacity as it affects the battery life . Do you have such a restriction on your car?

 

[johnyev]

Question for the EV owners, what would make me pay £1000 for a “special “ charger socket?
13,16 & 32amp outside sockets are cheap.
I thought those funky prices were because of inbuilt chargers!

 

[premmington]

Slap up a couple of type 2 charge points, earth rod required, make them 6.6kW (32a). If you want to go for a managed deal on one of the networks, go for pod point.

People will choose your cottages over others in the area if you have charging.

I live and breathe this stuff if you want more information.

 

[premmington]

Lots less grief than someone elses wife.

Could be lots more fun for the first few weeks?

 

[HughF]

Question for the EV owners, what would make me pay £1000 for a “special “ charger socket?
13,16 & 32amp outside sockets are cheap.
I thought those funky prices were because of inbuilt chargers!

On all EVs the charger is actually in the car (well, the AC charger anyway). The technical term for the 'charge socket' is an EVSE, it contains a protocol controller (typically 70 quid at retail costs, although most chargepoint manufacturers roll their own) an RCBO and a contactor.

The 'granny cable' that comes with the car (sometimes, see my earlier post about this) allowing you to charge from a direct AC socket, 13A or Shuko for example, contains all this circuitry which is why they run around 150-200 quid. Typically however these are limited to 10A only, irrespective of the size of your onboard charger. High current and three phase capable granny chargers are available but they aren't cheap. However they could be connected to a 16/32a commando socket to provide the full AC supply to the car. Some EV owners use these cables but it is much more common to have a charge point installed (often under the OLEV grant scheme) and use a type2-type2 cable.

Typical 16a type2 chargepoint costs are between 300-500 retail. Anyone spending 1000 on one has champagne tastes.