Home charging options

[WannabeOwner]

Maybe worth buying a second umc cable to leave plugged in at home

Not a lot in it between UMC and wall charger price - assuming the work for Sparky to fit cable and Commando is the same effort as wiring for Wall Charger.

If similar Sparky cost then Wall Charger will be "free" if it is a grant approved model.

 

[pgkevet]

Additional point: Everyone's situation will be different but if installing a new high current line consider whether 'extras' are worth doing. In my case it was overhead to the barn some 70-80 feet away so sparky added two outside 13a sockets (and an extra 4 inside: 60A cable, sub box etc)) as well as my addition of another wireless access point since house wi-fi wouldn't give a good signal that far.

 

[Roy W.]

Additional point: Everyone's situation will be different but if installing a new high current line consider whether 'extras' are worth doing. In my case it was overhead to the barn some 70-80 feet away so sparky added two outside 13a sockets (and an extra 4 inside: 60A cable, sub box etc)) as well as my addition of another wireless access point since house wi-fi wouldn't give a good signal that far.

This is similar to the work I had done when we had a new garage built 4 years ago. I don’t know if it is the same now, but the OLEV-approved fitter of my Rolec insisted that the EV charger had its own dedicated 40A feed to the garage, fed from its own breaker in the consumer unit. This meant we had to run two cables from the house to the garage, one for the charger, and one for the rest of the sockets, lights etc. It may not be the same now, and of course if you’re using you own Sparky it won’t apply. YMMV.

On the WiFi front, I had very patchy coverage, even using extenders, until I got a mesh WiFi system. Only a cheap one, Tenda Nova MW3. After setting that up I now have a full signal covering the whole property, including the garage, waiting to feed software updates to my shiny new Model 3. At some point in the future.

 

[arg]

Maybe worth buying a second umc cable to leave plugged in at home (socket could be in garage) - anybody know what Tesla charge for them and/or if there are any pattern part makers?

Unless the prices have changed recently, the UMC is more expensive than the Wall Charger.

There are plenty of third-party Type2 EVSE, though most of the cheap ones are 13A only. There are some 32A ones around, though most are "premium" products and no cheaper than Tesla. Third-party units don't in general have the Tesla-specific button on the connector for chargeport unlocking.

 

[dst87]

Please let us know what they say. (I'm also in Scotland.)

I got a reply from them, quoted here. It sounds like you can place the order for the charger as soon as the EV loan (if applying) has been approved. You also need a quote from your chosen installer. I’ve emailed Andersen to ask if they can provide this, but I imagine you could apply with an image of the cart from their website, given the prices are the same for everyone.

An order form would do if it contains information on the vehicle as well as yourself.


To process your application, we require the following from you:


- A completed application form, which can be downloaded from our website here.

- Proof of purchase or lease of your electric vehicle. This can be in the form of a V5, invoice, order form or similar.

- A quote from your chosen installer with the final cost of installation after application of the OLEV discount indicated. You can find a list of our approved installers here, along with their contact details. We recommend you get quotes from more than one installer before you make your decision.

- If you have a company vehicle, we also require a letter from your employer confirming you are the designated primary user of the vehicle. A template of the format this letter should take can be found in Annex I (p.28) of OLEV’s guidance document here.


Upon receipt of these documents, we will issue you with a formal offer of grant funding.



NB: Please do not arrange for the charge point installation until after you have received your formal grant offer as we cannot retrospectively grant funding.


Additionally, if the delivery of your vehicle is subject to the approval of your EST loan, please do not progress with your charge point installation until your loan approval has been received.

 

[Baldrick]

Thanks,
A bit more work for you:
Eve Single S-line | Alfen N.V.
Eve Single Pro-line | Alfen N.V.

Sorry for the delay cizUK! I can't find UK quotes for this! ARGH!

 

[BelfastEV]

I ordered a white M3 on Tuesday. Live in Belfast and drive 75 miles a day for work.

Plan to charge from home at night on the best off peak tariff. A 7kw charger should do fine.

Am I missing something, why is Andersen such a big £500 premium over Pod Point ? I know Andersen looks better but what am I missing ?

Anyone else using Pod Point and any -ve or +ve feedback ??

 

[dst87]

Am I missing something, why is Andersen such a big £500 premium over Pod Point ? I know Andersen looks better but what am I missing ?

Anyone else using Pod Point and any -ve or +ve feedback ??

Don’t underestimate what people will pay for aesthetics. It’s a charger screwed to the front of your house, so how it looks is important to many people.

Andersen is the only tethered Charger with concealed cabling too, which is nice (again, aesthetic reasons).

PodPoint is definitely gonna work just fine if you’re happy with the look of it. It’s not that bad (better than those green and white Rolec monsters).

 

[GraemeS]

I got a reply from them, quoted here. It sounds like you can place the order for the charger as soon as the EV loan (if applying) has been approved. You also need a quote from your chosen installer. I’ve emailed Andersen to ask if they can provide this, but I imagine you could apply with an image of the cart from their website, given the prices are the same for everyone.

I didn't get the EV loan. The £300 grant was approved with my order number only.
And obviously all the paperwork from the installer. It is different from the OLEV grant in as much as it's claimed after installation. Well, was in my case - don't know if other installers claim it on your behalf.

 

[alflavor]

Only ordered my model 3 this week so got a while to wait Im sure, but have gone for getting a rolec fitted, a minefield knowing what to get!

 

[gr4z]

How is everyone choosing what they want for a home charger? There are loads, the Tesla seems the simple one to get but it seems there are others that are better. Anderson, Rolec and Pod Point seem the most popular. As others have mentioned it’s a minefield.

 

[WannabeOwner]

How is everyone choosing what they want for a home charger?

Tesla has some specific benefits (button to stop charging and release the "wand", 3-phase (unlikely to be a benefit for most people) and load-sharing for multiple chargers/cars [others have that too]). I guess some may like Tesla Charger to go with Tesla Car. The TEsla Charger was a referral prize, so you might find "signed-by-Elon ones" on eBay.

Tesla is not eligible for OLEV grant, and my guess would be that most people go for OLEV grant - but it seems that the grant should be about the same money as the charger (so you just wind up paying the Sparky install costs), but actually cost are typically a bit higher - so for OLEV you pay Sparky-install-plus-a-bit, and thus Tesla charger works about about £400 more than OLEV route.

For people who need the charger on the front of their house aesthetics may play a part.

For people who have PV, and the car is parked at home "sunshine hours" then something that can divert excess sunshine into battery may influence the choice - e.g. Zappi

There is a comparative list here:

EVSE Options

 

[BelfastEV]

My house is a large build from 1886 converted into two semis . The meter is indoor at the back door but I park at the front door so prob a good 15 meters of distance away . Only just thinking about the charger after the event of having ordered the car. But would like something that isn’t going to lead to a hell of a lot of visable leads running all round the house on the outside....anyone any ideas???

 

[miimura]

My house is a large build from 1886 converted into two semis . The meter is indoor at the back door but I park at the front door so prob a good 15 meters of distance away . Only just thinking about the charger after the event of having ordered the car. But would like something that isn’t going to lead to a hell of a lot of visable leads running all round the house on the outside....anyone any ideas???

If you really don't want the cables on the outside of the building and can't figure a way to take it through the building, then putting it underground around the perimeter of the building is probably the only remaining option.

 

[pgkevet]

It depends on the house shape etc but you may not have considered up the wall, through the attic and back down. Not so bad if near inside corners.

 

[arg]

A house that old would normally have floorboards on the gnd floor rather than concrete, so just lift a few boards and thread the cable underneath.

 

[davidmc]

A house that old would normally have floorboards on the gnd floor rather than concrete, so just lift a few boards and thread the cable underneath.

I was about to say the same thing. Also if your good at DIY, run the cable across yourself as above (4 - 6mm2 twin and earth but check with an Electrician first) and then hire the electrician to do all final connections and checking for you?

 

[squarepeg77]

Perhaps a silly question, but what are the interactions between the charger and the Tesla vehicles own control over charging?
Is it as simple as the charger control "flicks the power switch" and the Tesla decides whether to accept it or not?

1. Howe does the in-car scheduled charging interact with the scheduled charging that some of the chargers offer?
Do you have to set both to compatible times?

2. How does the Tesla app control over charging interact with the charger app (if available)?

 

[arg]

Perhaps a silly question, but what are the interactions between the charger and the Tesla vehicles own control over charging?
Is it as simple as the charger control "flicks the power switch" and the Tesla decides whether to accept it or not?

The underlying mechanism is:

The chargepoint advertises to the car how much current is available (or none at all), and if the car accepts the offer the power is turned on but the car then chooses how much it draws (up to the maximum the chargepoint offers). Minimum current offer is 6A, maximum for practical purposes is 32A (the protocol goes higher but it's not really used in Europe).

So if we are just talking timers rather than the variable current (eg. for solar consumption) then charging only occurs when both car's and chargepoint's timer say "yes". Typically you'd use only one or the other, though conceivably you might want to use Tesla's timer to start and the chargepoint's to enforce a stop time.

Tesla's timer only offers a start time - once the start time is reached, it will then charge until it is "full" (actually, you configure a level for 'full', but most people pick a number like 80% or 90% and don't change it except when going on a special trip). There's some extra logic to make sense of that - if you plug in within a few hours after the start time, it assumes you were 'late' and charges at once; if you plug in much later it assumes you are 'early' for the next day's charge and waits until the specified time. The timer setting is location-based: if you set up the timer when you are at home, the setting will be ignored when you are out and about but will be remembered when you are home again

 

[Compuguide]

Crazy question - but if you don't ask ...
I have Leasehold ownership of my 1st floor flat.
The local council, who manage the block, have refused to install a communal charge point on the grounds that "it would require maintenance". Go figure!
So I would like to have one of the suppliers (Chargepoint, Pod Point, Anderson, etc) install a device.
On the upside my flat is close to the parking area and I estimate that, despite being on the 1st floor, a cable run from my distribution box to the charge point would be about 10 meters. This is assuming the flat below doesn't mind me installing it on their exterior wall (but given that they have used my wall for their Sky dish I think I have some bargaining power!).
My question is: would the above suppliers refuse to install the device given the fact that I am not a Freehold owner?
Thanks