Home charging options

[NullException]

Hi newbie poster here.

Back on the topic of home EVSE/chargers...

I went for a Model S test drive today (Bristol showroom), and asked about home charging options. The response I got was:

• buy the Tesla wall connector, that's all they recommend
• it's available now
• it's not covered by OLEV - salesman's view was that the cost difference in reality was small, or an OLEV approved charger could be more expensive!

I can't believe that buying the Tesla wall charger and paying an electrician to install it would be cheaper than getting a Rolec or similar on the OLEV scheme?

 

[vitz]

I wrote to my local MP to get the official word on home charging and OLEV grants, and the grant for home chargers runs out at the end of July this year. So if you are going to go to a third party charger that is OLEV eligible, do it now. You do have to prove that you own an electric car (so I guess fellow Model 3 reservation holders don't apply here).

Think I'm going to get the Tesla Wall Charger (£438 for the long cable version) and use one of their electricians who have quoted me £400 (£480 incl VAT) for installation. I'm in no rush to get it installed quickly as my Model 3 isn't coming for a while.

 

[arg]

I can't believe that buying the Tesla wall charger and paying an electrician to install it would be cheaper than getting a Rolec or similar on the OLEV scheme?

It could be, though typically a shade more expensive, and changes are apparently on the way for the OLEV scheme.

The hardware is very close in price to the cheapest of the OLEV units, so the actual job should be about the same and you'd be expecting it to come out cheaper by the amount of the grant. However, much of the grant is eaten up by extra costs:

• There's significant paperwork in obtaining the grant and the admin time has to be paid for.
• The effort needed to become an OLEV registered installer means that they are nearly all national firms - hence incurring significant travel costs and/or using local subcontractors with extra margin then needing to be added.
• Current OLEV rules require remote monitoring of the amount of use. This then requires an additional smartmeter that you wouldn't otherwise have installed (or else a more complex chargepoint with the equivalent inside), plus a three-year mobile phone contract to transfer the data (these units all have a standard SIM in them).
• A three-year on-site warranty must be offered, incurring those travel costs again.
• The installation must be done to the standard required by the IET Code of Practice for EV Charging Equipment Installation. Probably you wouldn't deliberately cut corners, but when comparing quotes between an OLEV install (required to follow the best practice) and a local electrican (who may be unaware of the issues, or willing to cut corners) this can make the OLEV install look more expensive.

It is rumoured that OLEV may drop the data requirement shortly. It would also be possible for an installer to get the Tesla point approved for install under the OLEV scheme (but none have done so yet). So things are in a state of flux, but looking at the issue right now it's a finely balanced argument between Tesla unit off-grant and something non-Tesla with the grant. Costs and benefits will vary for your personal situation.

 

[NullException]

@vitz , @arg ,

Thank you both, that's really useful info. I've been talking to a local electrician about some other work on my home; I'll get a quote from him and compare.