EV first timer…be gentle with me

[Bannock]

Instavolt and Osprey are my go-to charging networks for reliability reasons. Not that I use public charging much, I've been running an EV for 5 years now and can still count the times I've used it on my fingers.

Welcome to the world of the enlightened.

[LarryUSA]

off_again said:

Home charger - game changer....



I am in the US, so cant offer advice on which ones to go for in the UK. But I would strongly recommend getting a decent one that has programable charge rates and the ability to select times / hours / rates for charging to maximize efficiency.

Dont do what I did and go for a tried and tested standard charger that is dumb - my electric company (PG&E, absolute F-ers) had flat rate costs, expensive, but no issues. This year? Yeah, forced everyone on to time of use costs.... damn it.... And the i3 doesnt really have the capability to selectively charge at particular times (can only do it via departure times, which sucks). So yeah, get recommendations from those on here - lots of good advice.

2/3 pin chargers are OK but you will likely find a time that you cant get a big charge. Getting a home charger makes everything just easier and simpler. Expensive, but worth it. And since you are looking at moving - make sure the location, panel and wiring is suitable for what you want / need. A lot of houses are simple (mine was), but some can be a nightmare of expensive re-wiring. If you pick a house that you want to try to buy, get a friendly electrician to help assess costs - heard horror stories about what should be a couple hundred quid end up being thousands.

Oh, and dont buy the Porsche charger - it looks nice, but are pretty cheaply made and really expensive for what it is - plenty of better alternatives and you dont need a branded one.....

Damn - we're with PG&E on their Electric Vehicle Rate Plan EV-A, we have not been moved to a time of use. However, I'm not sure it's available any more, we got this 6 years ago now. It's cheap from 11pm to 7am and we have solar, so 'free' to charge up the car. The eGolf you can set charge times, so it's just set from midnight to 7am to charge. Unless it is totally empty, that's enough.

[NDA]

TwoManyCars said:

coach said:

If your moving just pop in a commando socket as a stopgap

Is that a regular commando socket or 32Amp?

32amp. It's what I use. Adds about 32 miles of range in an hour.

[Rawhide]

I bought our first EV a couple of months ago somewhat as an experiment as the council forced me to install a EV charger to my property as a condition of planning permission. It's worked though as I bought a lowly 30KwH leaf but my wife and I really enjoy it. With a range of <100 miles we're going in at the deep end.

I'm thinking a Taycan would take forever to slow charge at home and that might get old very quick and dull the experience. I bought a used Type 2 charger from ebay and fitted it myself as the cable run was very easy. I didn't bother with grants etc as it was a false economy. if your moving house don't bother with a fancy charger, but a decent Type 2 charger would not break the bank. Perhaps 2-3 tanks of petrol. I expect it would be useful for the sale of the home also.

I learned quickly about charging speeds etc but I think for a new Taycan the transition will be very pleasant and stress free.

I did learn not to leave the car fully charged if getting low use. It's to do with the batteries not being stored at high voltage but I expect newer generations won't have that issue, or will have safeguards.

Edited by Rawhide on Friday 11th March 08:37

[AKA PABS]

TwoManyCars said:

And this is the reason I didn’t mention the car type in my original post! Why are their so many judgmental people on here??? Not all of us buy cars we can’t afford to buy outright.

Actually it’s replacing an RRS which is rather thirsty and an A110 that I’ve just sold so a big saving on both cars road tax and insurance costs, also congestion charge when I go into london a couple of times a week. Plus my company offer free parking and car charging so it makes perfect sense and will save me money. Oh and be in a nice environment that is fun to drive. Is this still a car forum or have I moved across to Accountancy International without realising it?

We call it man maths.

Edited by TwoManyCars on Wednesday 9th March 18:04

Well said!

[off_again]

LarryUSA said:

Damn - we're with PG&E on their Electric Vehicle Rate Plan EV-A, we have not been moved to a time of use. However, I'm not sure it's available any more, we got this 6 years ago now. It's cheap from 11pm to 7am and we have solar, so 'free' to charge up the car. The eGolf you can set charge times, so it's just set from midnight to 7am to charge. Unless it is totally empty, that's enough.

Yeah, got the letter last month for enforced switch by March 17th or something. TOU-A or TOU-B only. Looked at the EV plan, but didnt make sense on our usage. We are not high mile drivers so lots of charging isnt needed. Really want to go solar, but just had to spend $23k on a new roof last year so that pushed the solar install back a little. Fingers crossed we can save up this year and get it done though. I refuse to go for one of those 'zero down' leasing deals. Solar is absolutely the way to go though - 13% increase in electricity this year alone for me (though I do know that some in the UK are looking at a lot more than that!). And they changed the allocated number of units per house here too. Realistically, seen a 25% increase in electricity costs in the last 6 months and then they throw this at us. Sneaky f-ers....

I'll keep saying it - who knew that a monopoly was a bad idea? One of my colleagues that I work closely with was a lawyer and he worked on the team that prosecuted them for the San Bruno gas explosion - the corporate incompetence was shocking then and still is to this day.

[Evanivitch]

Rawhide said:

I'm thinking a Taycan would take forever to charge at home and that might get old very quick and dull the experience.

It will add kWh and miles just as quickly as the Leaf, it just has a bigger battery to fill...

And you'll probably do lost of it overnight at 7kW, so an easy 70kWh and 200 mile range per day.

Rawhide said:

I bought a used Type 2 charger from ebay and fitted it myself as the cable run was very easy. I didn't bother with grants etc as it was a false economy. if your moving house don't bother with a fancy charger, but a decent Type 2 charger would not break the bank. Perhaps 2-3 tanks of petrol. I expect it would be useful for the sale of the home also.

Bit of a minefield this. Yes, you would need to install a "smart" charger to qualify for the home charger grant (which ends in March anyway).

But, you also need to install a charge that is compliant to the electrical installation standards (Part P, Amdt 2). In which case an older Type 2 charger is probably missing a few issues like a TT earth, PEN fault detection and a DC-fault currents protected (Type B) RCD.

[TwoManyCars]

I was thinking maybe an EO Mini 7kW which I can install myself from a 32A breaker in my dist board using 6mm2 armoured (I’m BS7671 qualified and wired my house when I built it (tested, commissioned and signed off by a qualified electrician when completed).

This way I could take it with me when we move. But a 32A Commando socket it a lot cheaper!

[Evanivitch]

TwoManyCars said:

I was thinking maybe an EO Mini 7kW which I can install myself from a 32A breaker in my dist board using 6mm2 armoured (I’m BS7671 qualified and wired my house when I built it (tested, commissioned and signed off by a qualified electrician when completed).

This way I could take it with me when we move. But a 32A Commando socket it a lot cheaper!

Anything intended for the purpose of charging an Electric Car would need to be compliant to the Part P requirements. Which could include an installation with a Commando socket.

[Lily the Pink]

Evanivitch said:

Rawhide said:

I bought a used Type 2 charger from ebay and fitted it myself as the cable run was very easy. I didn't bother with grants etc as it was a false economy. if your moving house don't bother with a fancy charger, but a decent Type 2 charger would not break the bank. Perhaps 2-3 tanks of petrol. I expect it would be useful for the sale of the home also.

Bit of a minefield this. Yes, you would need to install a "smart" charger to qualify for the home charger grant (which ends in March anyway).

But, you also need to install a charge that is compliant to the electrical installation standards (Part P, Amdt 2). In which case an older Type 2 charger is probably missing a few issues like a TT earth, PEN fault detection and a DC-fault currents protected (Type B) RCD.

Don't you also need to notify your DNO (G98 for small single phase installations) ?

[off_again]

TwoManyCars said:

Thanks for the useful replies, especially about registering for congestion charge (I didn’t know that and assumed automatically exempt) and also adding a charge point as a destination.

Reasonably specced, not over the top:- Jet black metallic, 14way heated memory seats, folding tinting mirrors, rear tints, pan roof, Turbo Aero alloys, 2+1 rear seat, sport+ with clock, sport sound, BOSE, PASM, heated steering wheel, a few other bits that I can’t remember!

Nice! I was taking a look at a couple today! Still takes a few minutes to recalculate things on them - they are so low! Its easy to forget that so many other cars have got taller or are SUV's these days. Also very impressed by the driving position, though shouldnt be surprised. Dealer had a dark blue one, and a couple of white ones - though suspect they were either sold or customer cars - kind of hidden at the back.

I really think its growing on me. Nice wheels and a careful selection of spec and I think its a winner. Though the blue 4s they had at my local dealer is up for $142k with 10k miles on it.... the world has gone crazy!

[LordFlathead]

Evanivitch said:

TwoManyCars said:

It’s a Taycan.

We are planning on moving house this year (about to put it on the market) so will use 3pin plug for the time being.

Make sure it's a good socket, ideally not a ring or spur from existing. Start off at low current (6A) to check that.

What is a "good socket?" How would you ensure this is such?

Ignore any advice from this guys as he knows nothing yet professes to know everything. He is an unqualified internet fool.

Get a qualified 18th Edition electrician to calculate your requirements according to the current IET wiring regulations, and they will provide you with a supply that meets the requirements of your OEM recommendation.

Without actually performing an electrical survey on your installation, any recommendations are purely subjective. It need not be expensive but a qualified electrician will ensure that you have proper insurance cover and that there is minimal risk of being burned alive in your house as suggested by an internet idiot as quoted above

If you need specific advice, please feel to drop me a PM and I am happy to discuss any aspects of your installation.

[LordFlathead]

TwoManyCars said:

Just bought my first EV! I’ve been toying with the idea for nearly a year and finally made the decision to go for it. The biggest driver is the ridiculous prices we are seeing at the pumps.

So any tips welcomed on what I need to know ie best App to use, methods of payment that make life easier, how to find chargers in use etc.

Thanks in advance

Feel free to drop me a PM regarding anything to do with EV's. Lots of corporate experience supplying charging points at home or at work. It need not be expensive as most of the "smart charger" technology is not necessary with Gen3 EV's.

[Harry Flashman]

Rawhide said:

I bought our first EV a couple of months ago somewhat as an experiment as the council forced me to install a EV charger to my property as a condition of planning permission. It's worked though as I bought a lowly 30KwH leaf but my wife and I really enjoy it. With a range of <100 miles we're going in at the deep end.

I'm thinking a Taycan would take forever to charge at home and that might get old very quick and dull the experience. I bought a used Type 2 charger from ebay and fitted it myself as the cable run was very easy. I didn't bother with grants etc as it was a false economy. if your moving house don't bother with a fancy charger, but a decent Type 2 charger would not break the bank. Perhaps 2-3 tanks of petrol. I expect it would be useful for the sale of the home also.

I learned quickly about charging speeds etc but I think for a new Taycan the transition will be very pleasant and stress free.

I did learn not to leave the car fully charged if getting low use. It's to do with the batteries not being stored at high voltage but I expect newer generations won't have that issue, or will have safeguards.

We too got a lower spec Leaf to dip our toe in the EV water, and it's simply the best town car I have ever run (although if you look at my back catalogue, that's not hard ).

I would have a Taycan next, but it's just too big for London. At least, my wife would prefer a golf-sized car.

The new crop of small EV SUVs may be good. I need small footprint, awd and the ability to get to the continent a few times a year. Tesla Model Y is the logical choice, especially given the charger network in France for them is so good. But its an ugly beast for so much cash and I don't like the screen only controls much.

Anyway, OP, I have found the switch to EV to be a profound and worthwhile change for my usage pattern. My beloved 63AMG is likely to be sold this summer as I just don't use it much.

Also, on chargers, I preferred the tethered Pod Point, which is on the face of it big and obvious. Why?

- tethered cable, as I can't be bothered to take a cable out of the boot/garage whenever I want to charge the car

- and as such, the Pod Point is neat ad the cable easily wraps around that big round design nice and tidily.

Only problem I have found so far is that the app does not have an override button to charge/not charge remotely. Which is a bit odd: you have to use the timer and change it if you want an instant emergency charge. In practice not an issue as we have the timer set to charge at our Octopus tariff's low charge, and just remember to plug the car in whenever it gets to below 50%, which is about once a week as its a London runabout, mostly.

I once forgot to charge it at a friend's in Bucks, 70 miles away so incapable of returning home. Used Zapmap to find a working fast charger nearby and put enough range in it to return home quickly enough, but such error on my part would have meant missing any appointments. Wasn't an issue on a gentle Sunday meander home when the children could stay at my friends house with Lady F whilst I went and fast charged the car. But do get used to some planning on longer trips.

Edited by Harry Flashman on Friday 11th March 03:42

[TwoManyCars]

Harry Flashman said:

We too got a lower spec Leaf to dip our toe in the EV water, and it's simply the best town car I have ever run (although if you look at my back catalogue, that's not hard ).

I would have a Taycan next, but it's just too big for London. At least, my wife would prefer a golf-sized car.

The new crop of small EV SUVs may be good. I need small footprint, awd and the ability to get to the continent a few times a year. Tesla Model Y is the logical choice, especially given the charger network in France for them is so good. But its an ugly beast for so much cash and I don't like the screen only controls much.

Anyway, OP, I have found the switch to EV to be a profound and worthwhile change for my usage pattern. My beloved 63AMG is likely to be sold this summer as I just don't use it much.

Also, on chargers, I preferred the tethered Pod Point, which is on the face of it big and obvious. Why?

- tethered cable, as I can't be bothered to take a cable out of the boot/garage whenever I want to charge the car

- and as such, the Pod Point is neat ad the cable easily wraps around that big round design nice and tidily.

Only problem I have found so far is that the app does not have an override button to charge/not charge remotely. Which is a bit odd: you have to use the timer and change it if you want an instant emergency charge. In practice not an issue as we have the timer set to charge at our Octopus tariff's low charge, and just remember to plug the car in whenever it gets to below 50%, which is about once a week as its a London runabout, mostly.

I once forgot to charge it at a friend's in Bucks, 70 miles away so incapable of returning home. Used Zapmap to find a working fast charger nearby and put enough range in it to return home quickly enough, but such error on my part would have meant missing any appointments. Wasn't an issue on a gentle Sunday meander home when the children could stay at my friends house with Lady F whilst I went and fast charged the car. But do get used to some planning on longer trips.

Edited by Harry Flashman on Friday 11th March 03:42

I’ve driven a couple of iPace’s that size wise would be a step up from the Leaf. Seriously good cars - but for me maybe too fast! Noticeably quicker than the Taycan I’m collecting next week.

I really liked the iPace, and I’m still not sure that I’ve made the right decision choosing the Taycan over it!

[T1berious]

TwoManyCars said:

And this is the reason I didn’t mention the car type in my original post! Why are their so many judgmental people on here??? Not all of us buy cars we can’t afford to buy outright.

Actually it’s replacing an RRS which is rather thirsty and an A110 that I’ve just sold so a big saving on both cars road tax and insurance costs, also congestion charge when I go into london a couple of times a week. Plus my company offer free parking and car charging so it makes perfect sense and will save me money. Oh and be in a nice environment that is fun to drive. Is this still a car forum or have I moved across to Accountancy International without realising it?

We call it man maths.

Edited by TwoManyCars on Wednesday 9th March 18:04

+1

I recently moved to an EV and will mirror a few of the comments already made.

Not sure when you're moving house but get a 7kw charger ( We went with Pod point ), as home charging takes a lot of the pain out of running an EV.

Osprey and Instavolt are pretty reliable. Zap Map is a must! A Better Route Planner (ABRP) is also good if you plan on doing any longer journeys.

From my experience, cold weather and motorway speed driving are Kryptonite to an EV. WLTP is nowhere near real world usage.

For 99% of our journeys its been brilliant but that odd time when you need to "top up" via a motorway its been a mixed bag.

Great choice on the Taycan! I'm looking at a test drive as I have much want for a Taycan Sport Turismo.

[NDA]

Harry Flashman said:

- tethered cable, as I can't be bothered to take a cable out of the boot/garage whenever I want to charge the car

I use a 7kw commando socket - the car is the 'smart' bit, so I don't need a smart charger which the electricity company could control. The socket is in my garage and I leave the cable (under the garage door) permanently outside. It behaves effectively like a tethered cable.

[S600BSB]

TwoManyCars said:

Harry Flashman said:

We too got a lower spec Leaf to dip our toe in the EV water, and it's simply the best town car I have ever run (although if you look at my back catalogue, that's not hard ).

I would have a Taycan next, but it's just too big for London. At least, my wife would prefer a golf-sized car.

The new crop of small EV SUVs may be good. I need small footprint, awd and the ability to get to the continent a few times a year. Tesla Model Y is the logical choice, especially given the charger network in France for them is so good. But its an ugly beast for so much cash and I don't like the screen only controls much.

Anyway, OP, I have found the switch to EV to be a profound and worthwhile change for my usage pattern. My beloved 63AMG is likely to be sold this summer as I just don't use it much.

Also, on chargers, I preferred the tethered Pod Point, which is on the face of it big and obvious. Why?

- tethered cable, as I can't be bothered to take a cable out of the boot/garage whenever I want to charge the car

- and as such, the Pod Point is neat ad the cable easily wraps around that big round design nice and tidily.

Only problem I have found so far is that the app does not have an override button to charge/not charge remotely. Which is a bit odd: you have to use the timer and change it if you want an instant emergency charge. In practice not an issue as we have the timer set to charge at our Octopus tariff's low charge, and just remember to plug the car in whenever it gets to below 50%, which is about once a week as its a London runabout, mostly.

I once forgot to charge it at a friend's in Bucks, 70 miles away so incapable of returning home. Used Zapmap to find a working fast charger nearby and put enough range in it to return home quickly enough, but such error on my part would have meant missing any appointments. Wasn't an issue on a gentle Sunday meander home when the children could stay at my friends house with Lady F whilst I went and fast charged the car. But do get used to some planning on longer trips.

Edited by Harry Flashman on Friday 11th March 03:42

I’ve driven a couple of iPace’s that size wise would be a step up from the Leaf. Seriously good cars - but for me maybe too fast! Noticeably quicker than the Taycan I’m collecting next week.

I really liked the iPace, and I’m still not sure that I’ve made the right decision choosing the Taycan over it!

I have had my ipace for 15 months and love it as a daily - approx 1,000 miles a month. Agree with comments above about getting a home charger. I have a tethered Pod Point in the garage and have only used a public charger on 2 occasions (the first just out of curiosity so I knew how to etc!).

[Lily the Pink]

Harry Flashman said:

I would have a Taycan next, but it's just too big for London. At least, my wife would prefer a golf-sized car.

I wanted to get away from SUVs but wanted to stick with an estate of some description and the only option was an MG5 - which is actually a lot better than I had expected. Virtually the same size as our Golf estate.

Before choosing a EVSE (charger), consider whether you have or will have solar energy. I have a HyperVolt which I can set to use only solar, only grid or a combination of both. For the last couple of weeks I have run the MG on solar alone; granted I only do a low mileage, but it's a nice thought that they are free (well except for tyres, brakes ... and the cost of installing the PV kit).

[ChocolateFrog]

Evanivitch said:

Bit of a minefield this. Yes, you would need to install a "smart" charger to qualify for the home charger grant (which ends in March anyway).

But, you also need to install a charge that is compliant to the electrical installation standards (Part P, Amdt 2). In which case an older Type 2 charger is probably missing a few issues like a TT earth, PEN fault detection and a DC-fault currents protected (Type B) RCD.

I've read contradictory things on this, as I'm about to fit my own 16A commando plug outlet.

Seems that what you define as the charger is important, I.e. not the outlet but the lead or the car.