EV first timer…be gentle with me
Discussion
NDA said:
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
Tbh, with me, the cost of getting a sparks in London to put in a socket where I wanted it (the latter being key - middle of bay window in middle of drive so can charge car parked on either side) was barely any cheaper than the subsidised 7kw charger at 600 all in. And add a smart cable, it was actually more expensive.
Hence the Pod Point installation. when I got the Leaf. It was fuss free, easy, and cheaper than messing around with commando socket and smart charger.
Admittedly a lot of this has to do with the nightmare location of my consumer unit in the basement, and London electrician prices. But still, price the work up against an all in one I stallation by one of the EV charging companies, and the difference won't be as much as you think. The subsidy counts for enough to make it marginal for some folk, like me.
Sure, you could DIY. But I don't, with electrical work. I wanted everything properly done, certified and RCD protected etc and the wiring tested by someone who knew what they were doing.
And less tangible, having a properly installed and visible EV charge point on your house, vs DIY bodge when selling the house? Also probably worth something, even just from a kerb appeal/utility standpoint.
Hence the Pod Point installation. when I got the Leaf. It was fuss free, easy, and cheaper than messing around with commando socket and smart charger.
Admittedly a lot of this has to do with the nightmare location of my consumer unit in the basement, and London electrician prices. But still, price the work up against an all in one I stallation by one of the EV charging companies, and the difference won't be as much as you think. The subsidy counts for enough to make it marginal for some folk, like me.
Sure, you could DIY. But I don't, with electrical work. I wanted everything properly done, certified and RCD protected etc and the wiring tested by someone who knew what they were doing.
And less tangible, having a properly installed and visible EV charge point on your house, vs DIY bodge when selling the house? Also probably worth something, even just from a kerb appeal/utility standpoint.
LordFlathead said:
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.
Oh it's the IET now, nice to see you've finally caught up. 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.
Typically, you're always ensuring a "trained professional" with an NVQ Level 2 gets some cash for what is a simple checklist for a reasonably sane person.
Typically the last person I knew who was a self proclaimed Lord and told everyone about his "supercars" was scamming old ladies with fake gas boilers. Starting to sound familiar...
ChocolateFrog said:
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.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.
Seems that what you define as the charger is important, I.e. not the outlet but the lead or the car.
The whole installation would need to be compliant. The cable could solve some of those issues itself (like PEN fault detection or DC leakage), but not all issues.
Harry Flashman said:
Tbh, with me, the cost of getting a sparks in London to put in a socket where I wanted it (the latter being key - middle of bay window in middle of drive so can charge car parked on either side) was barely any cheaper than the subsidised 7kw charger at 600 all in. And add a smart cable, it was actually more expensive.
Hence the Pod Point installation. when I got the Leaf. It was fuss free, easy, and cheaper than messing around with commando socket and smart charger.
Admittedly a lot of this has to do with the nightmare location of my consumer unit in the basement, and London electrician prices. But still, price the work up against an all in one I stallation by one of the EV charging companies, and the difference won't be as much as you think. The subsidy counts for enough to make it marginal for some folk, like me.
Sure, you could DIY. But I don't, with electrical work. I wanted everything properly done, certified and RCD protected etc and the wiring tested by someone who knew what they were doing.
And less tangible, having a properly installed and visible EV charge point on your house, vs DIY bodge when selling the house? Also probably worth something, even just from a kerb appeal/utility standpoint.
DIY bodge? More often than not the work of 'pros' is far worse than anything I could do. I'll likely just replace the commando socket with a double 3 pin outdoor socket for pressure washer, Christmas lights etc, it'll take no more than 15 mins and look totally fine. Hence the Pod Point installation. when I got the Leaf. It was fuss free, easy, and cheaper than messing around with commando socket and smart charger.
Admittedly a lot of this has to do with the nightmare location of my consumer unit in the basement, and London electrician prices. But still, price the work up against an all in one I stallation by one of the EV charging companies, and the difference won't be as much as you think. The subsidy counts for enough to make it marginal for some folk, like me.
Sure, you could DIY. But I don't, with electrical work. I wanted everything properly done, certified and RCD protected etc and the wiring tested by someone who knew what they were doing.
And less tangible, having a properly installed and visible EV charge point on your house, vs DIY bodge when selling the house? Also probably worth something, even just from a kerb appeal/utility standpoint.
This is the last pro I had in the house.
The subsidy has gone now anyway, well it goes on the 31st but you can't book a slot before then so it's effectively ended already.
ChocolateFrog said:
DIY bodge? More often than not the work of 'pros' is far worse than anything I could do. I'll likely just replace the commando socket with a double 3 pin outdoor socket for pressure washer, Christmas lights etc, it'll take no more than 15 mins and look totally fine.
This is the last pro I had in the house.
The subsidy has gone now anyway, well it goes on the 31st but you can't book a slot before then so it's effectively ended already.
I’m with you on some ‘pros’ being bodgers. When it comes down to it, they are doing a job for money, they often don’t really care how it looks. There are exceptions who take real pride in what they do.This is the last pro I had in the house.
The subsidy has gone now anyway, well it goes on the 31st but you can't book a slot before then so it's effectively ended already.
When I built my own house (I probably did 70% myself and 30% by others) I had people in to help BUT I supervised 95% of it, the 5% I didn’t is where I’ve had problems.
A real oddity I found with regards to trades was that the shoddiest work was done by the more expensive people! So much so that I refused to pay one chap because I had to redo all his work (I supplied all materials).
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