 | Home > Off Topic > PHEV charging / charging ports |
 
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| Lodelaner Member Since: 04 Feb 2010 Location: Lambourn Posts: 632   
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I had the same thoughts and figured that on the charge time I had on a Golf GTE (3:45 hrs on the granny charger (2.6kw) vs 2:30 hrs on 3.6 kw) it was a bit mad to fit a dedicated charger.
So I bought this IP66 weatherproof unit from screwfix for £50 and wired it into the garage. It's lockable, I put an isolator switch on the inside of the garage and it has an RCD in the unit. https://www.screwfix.com/p/masterplug-mode...tion/512gv I now have a very handy socket for power tools and jet washer when I'm working outside as well!  Click image to enlarge JB @Lodelaner Instagram Youtube greenlaning and other LR related content |
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23rd Mar 2022 2:59pm |
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| Intercept Member Since: 27 Feb 2017 Location: Suffolk Posts: 587 
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I installed this years ago when the garage was built - when most electric vehicles were milk floats. It's on a dedicated 16A spur and the idea was that it'd be useful for pressure washers and (starter) battery charging. But now it qualifies as an EV charging point from an estate agent's perspective
My other thought was that it'd be a good place for connecting a generator in the event of an extended power outage... obviously having disconnected the property from the grid first 
Click image to enlarge |
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23rd Mar 2022 3:53pm |
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| Balvaig Member Since: 19 Feb 2016 Location: Fife Posts: 732  
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From what you say, there is no advantage in a dedicated charge point.
I have had my PHEV for 2 1/2 years charging overnight from a waterproof outside socket with no problems. Like you the car takes 5 hours to charge. Never used a rapid charger. Save your money for now and see what technology is like when you get your next car. |
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23rd Mar 2022 5:07pm |
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| JOW240725 Member Since: 04 May 2015 Location: Suffolk Posts: 7906 
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I had the same thought a couple of years ago when I was given a plug in hybrid. As it will only get charged over night it just wasn't worth getting a bigger socket fitted.
For your interest you can get special electric car tariffs which give you 4 hours over night at a very cheap rate. Might be worth looking into. James MY2012 110 2.2TDCi XS SW Orkney Grey - http://www.defender2.net/forum/topic43410.html MY1990 110 200TDi SW beautifully faded Portofino Red - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post743641.html#743641 MY1984 90 V8 Slate Grey - https://www.defender2.net/forum/post744557.html#744557 Instagram @suffolk_rovers |
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23rd Mar 2022 5:55pm |
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| miker Member Since: 13 Sep 2015 Location: Surrey Posts: 1763 
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Electric car charging is unlikely to "move on" significantly in a domestic sense. 7kW charge points are probably as high as most properties are going to be able to support, and there's really not much clever in the wallbox. However as you say if you're only charging overnight, there's no significant benefits.
Of course, the only way to do that would be via a male to male "widow maker", which are both totally unsafe and unfathomably stupid. So I'm sure you'd never actually do that. |
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23rd Mar 2022 6:35pm |
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| Intercept Member Since: 27 Feb 2017 Location: Suffolk Posts: 587
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I'd install a Neutrik Powercon inlet in parallel if it was ever to be used as a generator connection in order to avoid the stupidity of a widow maker cable. |
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23rd Mar 2022 7:20pm |
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| miker Member Since: 13 Sep 2015 Location: Surrey Posts: 1763
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Top choice. Lots of my stuff has powercons!
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23rd Mar 2022 10:25pm |
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| Mean Green Member Since: 15 Sep 2011 Location: South Ayrshire Posts: 280
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Thanks for the input and confirming my thoughts.
So next question - could an additional outside socket be spurred off an existing indoor socket - ie there are several sockets around the house on an outside wall. Drill hole through wall and take a feed from there?? Or would it need a direct feed from the consumer unit? Also - the cable for the car lead is fairly thick, I doubt a standard external socket cover would clamp over it. Had anyone come across any outside sockets with a larger cable gland?? |
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23rd Mar 2022 11:53pm |
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| Balvaig Member Since: 19 Feb 2016 Location: Fife Posts: 732
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Cannot advise on where to take power from - not an electrician.
I used a MK waterproof outside dual socket. The gland takes the 13 amp plug and wire supplied with the car which as you say is slightly thicker than say a normal extension lead. The outside socket is supplied by armoured underground cable direct from the consumer unit in the garage and is protected by RCD and MCB. |
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24th Mar 2022 8:23am |
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| lohr500 Member Since: 14 Sep 2014 Location: Skipton Posts: 1317 
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Firstly, as others have suggested, I would just use the granny charger. That's what I did for my Mitsubishi Outlander pHEV.
I ended up buying a second granny charger with a 10 meter total length from Screwfix. This allowed me to locate the mains plug and charger block inside our garage and run the rest of the cable outside to the vehicle. The charger was left powered up permanently so it was simply a case of plugging in the vehicle as needed. I also bought a cheap £10 combined cable tidy and charging connector holster from eBay to hang the cable on outside when not in use. The original granny charger was kept in the boot so I could use it when out and about. I'm sure a qualified electrician will be able to answer with more authority than me, but as I understand it, you can add a single unfused spur with one twin socket or one fixed appliance off an existing ring main. So if you can find a socket inside the house which is on a ring main, then it shouldn't be a problem. |
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24th Mar 2022 8:36am |
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| Tim in Scotland Member Since: 23 May 2007 Location: The Land that time forgot Posts: 3753 
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Have you applied for a ChargePlace Scotland RFID card? £10 one off payment and way more reliable than their app which is particularly “flaky” if you don’t have a good 4G signal.
I used the granny charger at home on my Countryman PHEV and the RFID card on CPS public chargers. Since getting the Mini SE BEV I took advantage of the U.K. Government grant to install a charger (ends on 31st March 2022) and an Energy Trust Scotland grant to buy and have installed a Zappi EV charger. I chose the Zappi because it has the ability to sense when my solar panels are producing more than 1.4kW and divert the sunbeams into the Mini’s HV battery. Since the installation was completed in Dec we haven’t had enough days of solar generation to justify the cost of the Zappi but as we get greater daylight it’s getting better. It’s still cheaper for me to drive 9 miles to the nearest free CPS 50kW charger in Aberfoyle than for me to charge on my home charger, however the previous closest free charger went payable at 25p/kWhr on Christmas Eve and more site owners are levying a 25p/kwhr rate on CPS. I now recharge at one of the two low carbon hubs in Stirling when I do the weeks shopping and top off to 100% on my home charger in the offpeak period at night - usually adding 6-7kwhr after the 16 miles drive home from the public charger. It’s only going to be a matter of time before CPS starts asking for payment on their chargers with the rate at which electricity costs are going up in which case it may become cheaper to charge at home……… My Mini c are with 12 months free use of BP Pulse chargers but as the nearest one to me is 30 miles from home I haven’t attempted a charge yet on that network. Also download the Zap-Map app or PlugShare app to see public chargers - many of the big name supermarkets are installing free chargers in their car parks and they are listed on the apps as people report them coming on line, with a PHEV ‘s small battery you could get a full free charge while doing the week’s shopping! Tesco’s in Stirling now has a bank of free chargers but whenever I;ve tried to use them them either have a OHEV on them or they are ICED up. Pangea Green D250 90 HSE with Air Suspension, Off-road Pack, Towing Pack, Black Contrast roof , rear recovery eyes, Front bash plate, Classic flaps all round, extended wheel arch kit and a few bits from PowerfulUK Expel Clear Gloss PPF to come 2020 D240 1st Edition in Pangea Green with Acorn interior. Now gone - old faithful, no mechanical issues whatsoever ever but the leaks and rattles all over the place won’t be missed! |
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25th Mar 2022 7:05am |
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