Which home charging point?

[theboss]

For multiple chargers, install two devices that communicate and can be configured to respect a group import limit as well as an overall grid import limit.

I have this with 2 x Zappi albeit on a 3-phase supply, but the principle is the same in any case. Mine max at 32A combined therefore my DNO approved capacity for EV charging (whether 7.4kW or 22kW) is respected at all times.

If I installed a third (and so on) charger the same limit could be applied.

[Basil Brush]

Grapevine226 said:

Another vote for Ohme and Intelligent Octopus. Had our Model Y a month now and has been seamless. Managed to shift a good chunk of our household electrical usage to the times when the car's charging, reducing our effective rate to less than 15Pppkwh.

If you do go with Ohme and IO, join this group and follow the featured video about setting up. Works perfectly if you do that:

https://www.facebook.com/groups/ohmeevseintelligen...

I've got a Wallbox Pulsar through Octopus. It was installed before I got my PS2 and typically, when I did try and use it a week or two later, it wouldn't work. Replacement then took a few weeks as they had to order a new unit, whereas the guy doing it had a stock of Ohme units on his van, so could have sorted it out straight away. Hindsight!

[Otispunkmeyer]

My concern with the Ohme stuff is there is a 3G/4G sim inside that they pay for for 3 years, then I guess you have to pay for it after that. Don't really fancy having to sign up to yet another monthly debit so are there any chargers out there that connect via WiFi to your home network?

All I really need to be able to do is set the charger to work at specific times over night so it doesn't even need to be that smart.

[Downward]

Stevil said:

I got the impression he was looking to plug in two at once, but I don't think most chargers (or home electrical supplies) are able to handle that, at least for now.

Edited by Stevil on Wednesday 10th January 10:49

Hmm yes.
Sorry I have. type 1 tethered charger at the moment. A new car is Type 2.

Probably best to get another charging unit

[Stevil]

Downward said:

Hmm yes.
Sorry I have. type 1 tethered charger at the moment. A new car is Type 2.

Probably best to get another charging unit

I've just done the same myself, changed the cable on my Podpoint from type 1 to type 2. Cable was about £100. Changing from tethered to untethered would be more involved though. Didn't want to pay Podpoint as they essentially wanted to charge me for an entirely new installation at nearly £1200.

[Basil Brush]

Otispunkmeyer said:

My concern with the Ohme stuff is there is a 3G/4G sim inside that they pay for for 3 years, then I guess you have to pay for it after that. Don't really fancy having to sign up to yet another monthly debit so are there any chargers out there that connect via WiFi to your home network?

All I really need to be able to do is set the charger to work at specific times over night so it doesn't even need to be that smart.

My Wallbox uses wifi.

[CivicDuties]

Stevil said:

Downward said:

Hmm yes.
Sorry I have. type 1 tethered charger at the moment. A new car is Type 2.

Probably best to get another charging unit

I've just done the same myself, changed the cable on my Podpoint from type 1 to type 2. Cable was about £100. Changing from tethered to untethered would be more involved though. Didn't want to pay Podpoint as they essentially wanted to charge me for an entirely new installation at nearly £1200.

Interesting. I might need to do this soon, I have a Type 1 tethered PodPoint but might be changing to a car with a Type 2 port. Did you change the cable yourself or get an electrician to do it? If yourself, how easy was it? Where did you get the new cable from?

[Stevil]

CivicDuties said:

Stevil said:

Downward said:

Hmm yes.
Sorry I have. type 1 tethered charger at the moment. A new car is Type 2.

Probably best to get another charging unit

I've just done the same myself, changed the cable on my Podpoint from type 1 to type 2. Cable was about £100. Changing from tethered to untethered would be more involved though. Didn't want to pay Podpoint as they essentially wanted to charge me for an entirely new installation at nearly £1200.

Interesting. I might need to do this soon, I have a Type 1 tethered PodPoint but might be changing to a car with a Type 2 port. Did you change the cable yourself or get an electrician to do it? If yourself, how easy was it? Where did you get the new cable from?

I bought one of these https://ev-extras.com/collections/tethered-cables/...

Ended up swapping it over myself in the end, had to get some new ferrules for the end and crimp them up myself as the end caps supplied didn't fit.

Took about 15 mins to do, but I have some electricians over working on my kitchen and I'm going to get them to sign off on it.

[Downward]

Stevil said:

CivicDuties said:

Stevil said:

Downward said:

Hmm yes.
Sorry I have. type 1 tethered charger at the moment. A new car is Type 2.

Probably best to get another charging unit

I've just done the same myself, changed the cable on my Podpoint from type 1 to type 2. Cable was about £100. Changing from tethered to untethered would be more involved though. Didn't want to pay Podpoint as they essentially wanted to charge me for an entirely new installation at nearly £1200.

Interesting. I might need to do this soon, I have a Type 1 tethered PodPoint but might be changing to a car with a Type 2 port. Did you change the cable yourself or get an electrician to do it? If yourself, how easy was it? Where did you get the new cable from?

I bought one of these https://ev-extras.com/collections/tethered-cables/...

Ended up swapping it over myself in the end, had to get some new ferrules for the end and crimp them up myself as the end caps supplied didn't fit.

Took about 15 mins to do, but I have some electricians over working on my kitchen and I'm going to get them to sign off on it.

Well the Leaf charges at 3.6kw or whatever as that’s max so maybe get the podpoint changed to type 2 and use the plug in charger for the lead. The podpoint is 32a so can do 7kw charging.

[duff]

Basil Brush said:

I've got a Wallbox Pulsar through Octopus. It was installed before I got my PS2 and typically, when I did try and use it a week or two later, it wouldn't work. Replacement then took a few weeks as they had to order a new unit, whereas the guy doing it had a stock of Ohme units on his van, so could have sorted it out straight away. Hindsight!

That’s similar to my experience except the Octopus installer couldn’t even get mine working on the day. It’s taken nearly 2 weeks for Wallbox to send out a new unit and I’m waiting for one of their engineers to contact me to arrange installation so god knows how long this is going to take. They don’t list a phone number anywhere so all contact is via email which can be slow.

The Octopus installer called me the day before installation and tried to steer me towards an OHME but I wanted one that uses Wi-Fi as the mobile signal here is terrible.

[CivicDuties]

Stevil said:

CivicDuties said:

Stevil said:

Downward said:

Hmm yes.
Sorry I have. type 1 tethered charger at the moment. A new car is Type 2.

Probably best to get another charging unit

I've just done the same myself, changed the cable on my Podpoint from type 1 to type 2. Cable was about £100. Changing from tethered to untethered would be more involved though. Didn't want to pay Podpoint as they essentially wanted to charge me for an entirely new installation at nearly £1200.

Interesting. I might need to do this soon, I have a Type 1 tethered PodPoint but might be changing to a car with a Type 2 port. Did you change the cable yourself or get an electrician to do it? If yourself, how easy was it? Where did you get the new cable from?

I bought one of these https://ev-extras.com/collections/tethered-cables/...

Ended up swapping it over myself in the end, had to get some new ferrules for the end and crimp them up myself as the end caps supplied didn't fit.

Took about 15 mins to do, but I have some electricians over working on my kitchen and I'm going to get them to sign off on it.

Mega, thank you. No way I'm touching it myself from what you've said, I'll call a man to do it!

[Danm1les]

duff said:

Basil Brush said:

I've got a Wallbox Pulsar through Octopus. It was installed before I got my PS2 and typically, when I did try and use it a week or two later, it wouldn't work. Replacement then took a few weeks as they had to order a new unit, whereas the guy doing it had a stock of Ohme units on his van, so could have sorted it out straight away. Hindsight!

That’s similar to my experience except the Octopus installer couldn’t even get mine working on the day. It’s taken nearly 2 weeks for Wallbox to send out a new unit and I’m waiting for one of their engineers to contact me to arrange installation so god knows how long this is going to take. They don’t list a phone number anywhere so all contact is via email which can be slow.

The Octopus installer called me the day before installation and tried to steer me towards an OHME but I wanted one that uses Wi-Fi as the mobile signal here is terrible.

I have a Wallbox Pulsar and since install I have had no issues at all, so hopefully once sorted it will all be ok. Its very easy to set up and the app is ok too, to be honest once you have set it up, there is no need to touch it again.

[doodlebug]

C63sxb said:

Don’t go for an Indra. We installed quite a few, they all had issues.


Ohme are pretty solid, as are Hypervolt

Hypervolt are not supported by "smart" energy tariffs such as Octopus and OVO.

The CEO has said that they aren't looking to integrate with Octopus. Hypervolt announced they may be OVO compatible soon, but I wouldn't hold my breath. They are very slow implementing new features - I've had my Hypervolt over 2 years and they still don't support features they promised before I bought it.

[Basil Brush]

duff said:

Basil Brush said:

I've got a Wallbox Pulsar through Octopus. It was installed before I got my PS2 and typically, when I did try and use it a week or two later, it wouldn't work. Replacement then took a few weeks as they had to order a new unit, whereas the guy doing it had a stock of Ohme units on his van, so could have sorted it out straight away. Hindsight!

That’s similar to my experience except the Octopus installer couldn’t even get mine working on the day. It’s taken nearly 2 weeks for Wallbox to send out a new unit and I’m waiting for one of their engineers to contact me to arrange installation so god knows how long this is going to take. They don’t list a phone number anywhere so all contact is via email which can be slow.

The Octopus installer called me the day before installation and tried to steer me towards an OHME but I wanted one that uses Wi-Fi as the mobile signal here is terrible.

I did speak to Octopus a few times on the phone as was less than happy. There is a number on the website but I had to hold for a while to get through.

It is working perfectly now though.

Edited by Basil Brush on Thursday 11th January 12:20

[blank]

Otispunkmeyer said:

My concern with the Ohme stuff is there is a 3G/4G sim inside that they pay for for 3 years, then I guess you have to pay for it after that. Don't really fancy having to sign up to yet another monthly debit so are there any chargers out there that connect via WiFi to your home network?

All I really need to be able to do is set the charger to work at specific times over night so it doesn't even need to be that smart.

Most chargers use WiFi or wired ethernet. Ohme are pretty unusual using 4G so it is a bit of an unknown if there is no other way.

It's usually better to set schedules in the vehicle rather than the charger, and have the charger set to "dumb" mode so it always allows charge. This is because some cars will go to sleep and then not wake up when the charger starts allowing charge.

[duff]

Basil Brush said:

duff said:

Basil Brush said:

I've got a Wallbox Pulsar through Octopus. It was installed before I got my PS2 and typically, when I did try and use it a week or two later, it wouldn't work. Replacement then took a few weeks as they had to order a new unit, whereas the guy doing it had a stock of Ohme units on his van, so could have sorted it out straight away. Hindsight!

That’s similar to my experience except the Octopus installer couldn’t even get mine working on the day. It’s taken nearly 2 weeks for Wallbox to send out a new unit and I’m waiting for one of their engineers to contact me to arrange installation so god knows how long this is going to take. They don’t list a phone number anywhere so all contact is via email which can be slow.

The Octopus installer called me the day before installation and tried to steer me towards an OHME but I wanted one that uses Wi-Fi as the mobile signal here is terrible.

I did speak to Octopus a few times on the phone as was less than happy. There is a number on the website but I had to hold for a while to get through.

It is working perfectly now though.

Edited by Basil Brush on Thursday 11th January 12:20

Sorry I should probably have been clearer, I’ve been dealing directly with Wallbox as they contacted me after speaking to the installer when diagnosing a faulty charger. I thought it would be easier dealing direct but they’ve not been the quickest or most helpful but then I’ve not been that impressed with Octopus either.

My installer said the Wallbox can be a pain to set up but is pretty reliable once it’s working. Quite frustrating at the moment as we are full EV at home now and whilst I can charge at work, I don’t go that often. I’m also missing out on cheaper rates for the household so will have to chase up Octopus as it’s been 2 weeks now.

[Otispunkmeyer]

blank said:

Otispunkmeyer said:

My concern with the Ohme stuff is there is a 3G/4G sim inside that they pay for for 3 years, then I guess you have to pay for it after that. Don't really fancy having to sign up to yet another monthly debit so are there any chargers out there that connect via WiFi to your home network?

All I really need to be able to do is set the charger to work at specific times over night so it doesn't even need to be that smart.

Most chargers use WiFi or wired ethernet. Ohme are pretty unusual using 4G so it is a bit of an unknown if there is no other way.

It's usually better to set schedules in the vehicle rather than the charger, and have the charger set to "dumb" mode so it always allows charge. This is because some cars will go to sleep and then not wake up when the charger starts allowing charge.

you don't have a kia then!

our EV6 loses its set times at least twice a week. every week. seems like a common problem with using the app with the car.

[richatnort]

Morning gang, I will need a charger fitting at home but feel a bit overwhelmed with it all if I’m honest and not sure what I need to be looking for.

I am with octopus and don’t want to change providers any time soon as very happy with the company. I may in the next 5-10 years get solar fitted as I have a good roof space that gets solar.

It’s a very straight forward install as I need a new consumer unit and that’s right behind the electric meter and I want the charger to the right of fuse box.

I like the idea of being able to put a cable into the charger rather than one with one on it but I’m not super precious about that as you can get long cables that will go the full length of the drive.

Any idea of articles or YouTube videos or even your own personal experience of what you did and now have installed?

[df76]

richatnort said:

Morning gang, I will need a charger fitting at home but feel a bit overwhelmed with it all if I’m honest and not sure what I need to be looking for.

I am with octopus and don’t want to change providers any time soon as very happy with the company. I may in the next 5-10 years get solar fitted as I have a good roof space that gets solar.

It’s a very straight forward install as I need a new consumer unit and that’s right behind the electric meter and I want the charger to the right of fuse box.

I like the idea of being able to put a cable into the charger rather than one with one on it but I’m not super precious about that as you can get long cables that will go the full length of the drive.

Any idea of articles or YouTube videos or even your own personal experience of what you did and now have installed?

I’m starting to look now, and in a very similar situation as you describe. A zappi charger appears to be the best solution.

https://www.myenergi.com/zappi-ev-charger/

[mikeiow]

df76 said:

richatnort said:

Morning gang, I will need a charger fitting at home but feel a bit overwhelmed with it all if I’m honest and not sure what I need to be looking for.

I am with octopus and don’t want to change providers any time soon as very happy with the company. I may in the next 5-10 years get solar fitted as I have a good roof space that gets solar.

It’s a very straight forward install as I need a new consumer unit and that’s right behind the electric meter and I want the charger to the right of fuse box.

I like the idea of being able to put a cable into the charger rather than one with one on it but I’m not super precious about that as you can get long cables that will go the full length of the drive.

Any idea of articles or YouTube videos or even your own personal experience of what you did and now have installed?

I’m starting to look now, and in a very similar situation as you describe. A zappi charger appears to be the best solution.

https://www.myenergi.com/zappi-ev-charger/

We had a Zappi installed by our box 4 years ago.
Think we have a 5m cable, although we park close to it. Sure you can get a 7.5m one.
It is definitely far easier to manage having a tethered cable that easily wraps round - minimal faff factor!

Works very well with the ability to divert solar. I’m sure many others do that now, but MyEnergi are a decent British success story in this area, I feel.

As an aside:
We also had 14.4kWh of home batteries deployed around 16 months ago.
Also Octopus customer - they are streets ahead (IMHO) with their ethos for energy.
On a 4 hour cheap rate (00:30-04:30), but the combo of solar+battery means 97% of our electric use is at off peak pricing….so average for us is 9.7p/kWh.