Which granny charger?

[Ursicles]

Just got my Skoda superb lease come through and it's a PHEV but don't know if I'm going to be in this house for that long so paying £1k+ for a wallbox seems to be not worth it, hence going the granny charger route.

What do people recommend? Have see the Ezgogo on Amazon that has a lot of reviews, tho masterplug is prob a better brand.

All absolutely new to me, so thought I'd ask those in the know.

[ALPandy90]

Does it not come with one?

Both my PHEVs have come with granny chargers in the boot.

[Ursicles]

Sadly not... Just the plug in wall one.

Edit - meant plug in wall charger type not 3 pin.

Edited by Ursicles on Thursday 26th March 14:07

[Liamjrhodes]

Ursicles said:

Sadly not... Just the plug in wall one.

The 'plug in wall one' is a granny charger isn't it?

[sixor8]

I presume the OP didn't get one with the car.

Any aftermarket 3 pin charger with the correct connector on the end (CCS I expect) would do, as long as you have an outside specific socket. Trailing a lead through a window to use an internal one is a no-no. I'd be tempted to buy a second hand one off eBay, they're usually limited to 2.3kW (10A max.), my Honda one for my eNy1 is limited to 10A.

[RizzoTheRat]

Make sure you get one long enough. They have a thermal cutout built in to the plug to ensure they don't overheat so you really don't want to be running one on an extension cable.

Liamjrhodes said:

Ursicles said:

Sadly not... Just the plug in wall one.

The 'plug in wall one' is a granny charger isn't it?

I assume he means a type2, my PHEV came with a type 2 and a granny charger but not all do.

[Ursicles]

Yep.. exactly that - didnt get a granny charger as no longer provided sadly.

Read the same about extension cables and then becoming a hazard, so a 10m one is enough id say.

So much choice out there and reviews tend to be paid for ads these days so who knows what to trust!

[Sway]

Be aware that the three pin socket should be a single, EV marked one - they're suitable for the constant amps, where a normal socket isn't.

[chrisman]

Sway said:

Be aware that the three pin socket should be a single, EV marked one - they're suitable for the constant amps, where a normal socket isn't.

Honest question? I was told that the maximum constant load should be less that 80% of max load. My PHEV granny charger is 2.3KW , so a draw of about 10amps out of the socket max of 13amps, so less than the recommended 80%. Is it really any worse than say an electric fire or tumble dryer which could also run for a few hours at a time?

I've been charging my PHEV from a normal wall socket and I've never noticed the plug or wiring getting warm.

[Sway]

chrisman said:

Sway said:

Be aware that the three pin socket should be a single, EV marked one - they're suitable for the constant amps, where a normal socket isn't.

Honest question? I was told that the maximum constant load should be less that 80% of max load. My PHEV granny charger is 2.3KW , so a draw of about 10amps out of the socket max of 13amps, so less than the recommended 80%. Is it really any worse than say an electric fire or tumble dryer which could also run for a few hours at a time?

I've been charging my PHEV from a normal wall socket and I've never noticed the plug or wiring getting warm.

Apparently so - aiui, normal sockets aren't necessarily suitable for a continuous 10A draw for the time you'd charge a car. (IANAE, this is from sparky I had round this week to quote for a granny charger outside socket along with some additional lights and sockets in my workshop.)

[SWoll]

chrisman said:

Sway said:

Be aware that the three pin socket should be a single, EV marked one - they're suitable for the constant amps, where a normal socket isn't.

Honest question? I was told that the maximum constant load should be less that 80% of max load. My PHEV granny charger is 2.3KW , so a draw of about 10amps out of the socket max of 13amps, so less than the recommended 80%. Is it really any worse than say an electric fire or tumble dryer which could also run for a few hours at a time?

I've been charging my PHEV from a normal wall socket and I've never noticed the plug or wiring getting warm.

We've charged multiple EV's for 7 years and 100k miles on granny chargers using multiple sockets. I've only ever seen an issue when running at 13 amps, 10 amps or less barely gets warm IME.

[LordGrover]

When I was waiting for my Hypervolt EVSE to be installed I used supplied granny charger for a few overnight charges.
The standard wall socket & plug got pretty warm to touch, but not hot-hot (though I suspect the plug's metal internals must've been hot to heat the plastic surrounds).

[JagYouAre]

ALPandy90 said:

Does it not come with one?

Both my PHEVs have come with granny chargers in the boot.

We've just ordered an Alpine A290 and it doesn't come with one, you can add it as an optional extra... for £280!

I've worked out that while I wait for the charger to be installed I will be able to use a public charger to 'fill up' quite a few times before it makes financial sense to buy a 3 pin adaptor. Probably still true if I were to buy a non-Alpine branded one.

[gmaz]

Ursicles said:

Just got my Skoda superb lease come through and it's a PHEV but don't know if I'm going to be in this house for that long so paying £1k+ for a wallbox seems to be not worth it, hence going the granny charger route.

What do people recommend? Have see the Ezgogo on Amazon that has a lot of reviews, tho masterplug is prob a better brand.

All absolutely new to me, so thought I'd ask those in the know.

Yeah both those brands are fine. The EzGoGo has scheduled charging but you can usually do that with the car. Just make sure your socket is well installed.

[Ursicles]

gmaz said:

Yeah both those brands are fine. The EzGoGo has scheduled charging but you can usually do that with the car. Just make sure your socket is well installed.

Much appreciated... I'll go with the Ezgogo.

[survivalist]

SWoll said:

chrisman said:

Sway said:

Be aware that the three pin socket should be a single, EV marked one - they're suitable for the constant amps, where a normal socket isn't.

Honest question? I was told that the maximum constant load should be less that 80% of max load. My PHEV granny charger is 2.3KW , so a draw of about 10amps out of the socket max of 13amps, so less than the recommended 80%. Is it really any worse than say an electric fire or tumble dryer which could also run for a few hours at a time?

I've been charging my PHEV from a normal wall socket and I've never noticed the plug or wiring getting warm.

We've charged multiple EV's for 7 years and 100k miles on granny chargers using multiple sockets. I've only ever seen an issue when running at 13 amps, 10 amps or less barely gets warm IME.

Charged ours for the last 2 years at 13 amps, no issues yet. Internal socket in the garage rather than outdoor/external. Guess there'd be no harm in dropping it down to 10 amps if things did start warming up.

[sixor8]

Sway said:

Be aware that the three pin socket should be a single, EV marked one - they're suitable for the constant amps, where a normal socket isn't.

Eh? Since when would a 3 pin plug be marked as such.

I've an outside wall, separate installed one by a previous owner and I've used it for 2 years now with no problems. Honda lead restricts it to 10A max. Personally, I wouldn't run at 13A even if possible.

[Ursicles]

sixor8 said:

Sway said:

Be aware that the three pin socket should be a single, EV marked one - they're suitable for the constant amps, where a normal socket isn't.

Eh? Since when would a 3 pin plug be marked as such.

I've an outside wall, separate installed one by a previous owner and I've used it for 2 years now with no problems. Honda lead restricts it to 10A max. Personally, I wouldn't run at 13A even if possible.

I did look into this after reading up about them and it's Def a 'thing'.

If you look at this plug, and zoom in on the back it's the right elec code and marked for EV (bottom right stamped into the plastic). Apparently they are tested to allow a constant flow (really not using the right words!)

https://www.screwfix.com/p/hager-sollysta-wmss81-1...

Not that pricey either so might be one to consider