Granny/trickle charger...Mini says no
Discussion
I am looking at getting a Mini e for my wife,approx 50 miles per week of use.
Mini advise a wallbox but i was thinking of using the granny charger due to low use and wonder would it be ok due to only charging a few times per month.
Total ev newbie but it is a toe dipping exercise that would lead onto a ev purchase of my own.
Thanks
Mini advise a wallbox but i was thinking of using the granny charger due to low use and wonder would it be ok due to only charging a few times per month.
Total ev newbie but it is a toe dipping exercise that would lead onto a ev purchase of my own.
Thanks
Edited by Norton850 on Friday 29th April 06:38
We charged an MG5 with a granny plug for a few weeks, doing max 100 miles a day and it was fine with the MG supplied granny converter, always topped up by the morning.
However...
When the wallbox we subsequently bought failed and had to charge a Jag ipace with same MG charger i nearly burnt the garage down, it was drawing too much power apparently.
Does MINI not supply a 3-pin and a type2 lead?
However...
When the wallbox we subsequently bought failed and had to charge a Jag ipace with same MG charger i nearly burnt the garage down, it was drawing too much power apparently.
Does MINI not supply a 3-pin and a type2 lead?
Sorry guys i wanted to edit my post but deleted it..
I spoke with Mini sales team and they suggested a wall box, perhaps to cover themselves rather than granny charge
But the car will only do approx 50 miles a week as my wife frequently motorcycles to work so little use,also i want to dip my toe into ev ownership so thought why not granny charge until i commit to a wall box.
Would you risk it i suppose is the question
I spoke with Mini sales team and they suggested a wall box, perhaps to cover themselves rather than granny charge
But the car will only do approx 50 miles a week as my wife frequently motorcycles to work so little use,also i want to dip my toe into ev ownership so thought why not granny charge until i commit to a wall box.
Would you risk it i suppose is the question
Norton850 said:
Sorry guys i wanted to edit my post but deleted it..
I spoke with Mini sales team and they suggested a wall box, perhaps to cover themselves rather than granny charge
But the car will only do approx 50 miles a week as my wife frequently motorcycles to work so little use,also i want to dip my toe into ev ownership so thought why not granny charge until i commit to a wall box.
Would you risk it i suppose is the question
I'm doing 50 miles a day in my e-up, and only ever use a granny charger with no problems at all. It's not as convenient as a wall box but I'm only charging twice a week. I check the plug and socket frequently and they barely get warm. I spoke with Mini sales team and they suggested a wall box, perhaps to cover themselves rather than granny charge
But the car will only do approx 50 miles a week as my wife frequently motorcycles to work so little use,also i want to dip my toe into ev ownership so thought why not granny charge until i commit to a wall box.
Would you risk it i suppose is the question
If you are charging the mini once a fortnight I wouldn't bother with the expense of a wall box yet.
doesthiswork said:
I'm doing 50 miles a day in my e-up, and only ever use a granny charger with no problems at all. It's not as convenient as a wall box but I'm only charging twice a week. I check the plug and socket frequently and they barely get warm.
If you are charging the mini once a fortnight I wouldn't bother with the expense of a wall box yet.
Apologies for the thread hijack, but did your e-Up arrive with a granny charger? If not, which one did you buy?If you are charging the mini once a fortnight I wouldn't bother with the expense of a wall box yet.
We have an e-Up arriving shortly and I’m not planning on installing a wall charger initially.
I moved house in February and still haven't fitted a charger. Long story but essentially there's groundwork involved and as I'm also in the process of scoping out 3-phase, powerwall and so on I want to incorporate EV charging in that scheme rather than just banging in any 32A charger which may become redundant.
I've been keeping both cars (e-tron 55 and mini) charged on a granny for nearly 3 months now. I'm currently charging the mini using the supplied charger and doing approx 50 miles per day (so 5x the OP's requirement) and its fine, charging in approx 7 hours at 2.1kw
I did have an electrician inspect the garage and house electrics and confirm it was suitable for continual 10A and the plug socket is never warm, however as the link between house and garage is only rated for 20A I refrain from plugging two granny chargers simultaneously.
Obviously there's a longer term plan to have proper charging but the 3-pin stopgap is working better than I thought it would.
I've been keeping both cars (e-tron 55 and mini) charged on a granny for nearly 3 months now. I'm currently charging the mini using the supplied charger and doing approx 50 miles per day (so 5x the OP's requirement) and its fine, charging in approx 7 hours at 2.1kw
I did have an electrician inspect the garage and house electrics and confirm it was suitable for continual 10A and the plug socket is never warm, however as the link between house and garage is only rated for 20A I refrain from plugging two granny chargers simultaneously.
Obviously there's a longer term plan to have proper charging but the 3-pin stopgap is working better than I thought it would.
Norton850 said:
Sorry guys i wanted to edit my post but deleted it..
I spoke with Mini sales team and they suggested a wall box, perhaps to cover themselves rather than granny charge
But the car will only do approx 50 miles a week as my wife frequently motorcycles to work so little use,also i want to dip my toe into ev ownership so thought why not granny charge until i commit to a wall box.
Would you risk it i suppose is the question
I use the 3pin come with my i3I spoke with Mini sales team and they suggested a wall box, perhaps to cover themselves rather than granny charge
But the car will only do approx 50 miles a week as my wife frequently motorcycles to work so little use,also i want to dip my toe into ev ownership so thought why not granny charge until i commit to a wall box.
Would you risk it i suppose is the question
The plug could get quite hot in summer, I have a temperature trigger on the wall socket and it jump a few times in those hottest day
Norton850 said:
I am interested in what you think of the e-up so hi jack away..
Sorry for thread hijack but I love it. The ride quality/suspension and lack of noise make it feel like a bigger car, it's got just enough get up and go to be fun to drive and has all the kit I need. Previous car was a Skoda Karoq so I was worried this would be a step down but it really doesn't feel like it. Range is accurate, I'm averaging 4.6 miles/kw, best indicated range was 181 miles in eco mode, worst was 130ish on a cold March morning.For JQ - the e-up comes with a granny charger. I bought a 10 meter extension from Tough Leads with a waterproof socket housing, so the extension stays plugged in to the shed and runs to the front of the house and I plug the granny charger into that.
I've had my I3s for about 8 months now I do about 100 miles a week, I charge using the 3 pin granny charger overnight at the weekend on the low setting. Typically I am managing this and use at the weekend from about 20% to 90% come Monday.
No cables or plugs get hot, so far no issues what so ever.
This is my first EV and like you I worried about whether this was appropriate or not. I looked in to getting wall boxes, everything and to be honest I gave up. It's confusing, there is mostly just self serving advice or anecdotal experience etc so I opted for see how it goes...
I haven't changed and I am not considering changing my approach. I think anyone doing around 100 miles a week in a fairly regular pattern really doesn't need to worry. If I am caught short I will use a public charger for 30 mins. Anywhere I might need to go in an emergency is within the 20% capacity of my battery so no worries.
I appreciate everyone's circumstances are different, but it works for me (see... more "advice" on the internet that just detracts from advice with factual validity, for clarity I am not well informed or educated on EV charging or residential electrics).
For what it's worth, I am guessing the Mini as it is based on the I3 has the same ability to set the charge rate. Use the 3 pin, set it to low, have a little check of it every now and then to make sure it's not getting warm and I reckon you'll be fine.
I have found it a pretty relaxed way to run a car.
No cables or plugs get hot, so far no issues what so ever.
This is my first EV and like you I worried about whether this was appropriate or not. I looked in to getting wall boxes, everything and to be honest I gave up. It's confusing, there is mostly just self serving advice or anecdotal experience etc so I opted for see how it goes...
I haven't changed and I am not considering changing my approach. I think anyone doing around 100 miles a week in a fairly regular pattern really doesn't need to worry. If I am caught short I will use a public charger for 30 mins. Anywhere I might need to go in an emergency is within the 20% capacity of my battery so no worries.
I appreciate everyone's circumstances are different, but it works for me (see... more "advice" on the internet that just detracts from advice with factual validity, for clarity I am not well informed or educated on EV charging or residential electrics).
For what it's worth, I am guessing the Mini as it is based on the I3 has the same ability to set the charge rate. Use the 3 pin, set it to low, have a little check of it every now and then to make sure it's not getting warm and I reckon you'll be fine.
I have found it a pretty relaxed way to run a car.
Edited by Moonpie21 on Friday 29th April 08:36
Norton850 said:
Sorry guys i wanted to edit my post but deleted it..
I spoke with Mini sales team and they suggested a wall box, perhaps to cover themselves rather than granny charge
But the car will only do approx 50 miles a week as my wife frequently motorcycles to work so little use,also i want to dip my toe into ev ownership so thought why not granny charge until i commit to a wall box.
Would you risk it i suppose is the question
Have you got a rapid charger near you? A trip there for 30 mins once every couple of weeks would give enough charge.I spoke with Mini sales team and they suggested a wall box, perhaps to cover themselves rather than granny charge
But the car will only do approx 50 miles a week as my wife frequently motorcycles to work so little use,also i want to dip my toe into ev ownership so thought why not granny charge until i commit to a wall box.
Would you risk it i suppose is the question
Maracus said:
For 50 miles a week I would use the Granny lead.
I'd look into two things:
- how much power does it draw
- is it adjustable
So being able to adjust the load would be nice.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff