HyperVolt Charge Points [megathread]

[DM206433]

So I spoke to Hypervolt this morning. They wanted a video of the issue and asked if I was willing to file down the hole on the charge cable. umm.... how about no.

They're going to sort a cable and speak to the installer. Can be able a week or so lead time for the cable alone apparently. Not too happy about that as the problem is getting worse.

 

[DM206433]

Cable swapped over. The replacement cable they sent, however, is clearly just a filed down version of the original cable - I could actually have done a better job myself quite honestly. So while the turnaround was quick, this shouldn't have been required in the first place.

 

[Fury1]

what have they filed down exactly? On a few occasions my cable has failed to release

 

[Simonpat]

I reported my issue to Hypervolt support yesterday and the installer is scheduled to replace the cable on Friday.

 

[Forty_Two]

Cable swapped over. The replacement cable they sent, however, is clearly just a filed down version of the original cable - I could actually have done a better job myself quite honestly. So while the turnaround was quick, this shouldn't have been required in the first place.

I presume it's a tethered unit ? In that case is the cable easily detached to replace it with w new cable?

 

[Bobly]

 

[DM206433]

I presume it's a tethered unit ? In that case is the cable easily detached to replace it with w new cable?

Yes, easy for the electrician to replace the cable which is good. My issue is that Hypervolt have known since September that these cables are problematic, yet are still shipping them out with new units. The replacement cable I received today was just an original that had been poorly filed down. I ended up cleaning up the crap job they did to get rid of the sharp edges.

In any case, it appears to be sorted now.

 

[Casss]

Yes, easy for the electrician to replace the cable which is good. My issue is that Hypervolt have known since September that these cables are problematic, yet are still shipping them out with new units. The replacement cable I received today was just an original that had been poorly filed down. I ended up cleaning up the crap job they did to get rid of the sharp edges.

In any case, it appears to be sorted now.

I’m sure if they had cables which didn’t require modifying, they would give you one or would be shipping them out. This leads me to believe they’re working on it, or have a load of inventory of the previous cable?

At that point it becomes a question of: would you rather file down a bit of plastic which is ultimately rarely visible if ever, or wait indefinitely, unable to charge, for them to design and manufacture a new cable end? I know which I’d rather do!

Sorry not trying to have a go here, but seems a pragmatic solution to me given the circumstances . I had to drill huge holes in my exterior wall to fit the cable holder, so wouldn’t mind filing down a bit of small plastic but maybe that’s just me

If you’re really unhappy - maybe tell them?

 

[Adopado]

I had to drill huge holes in my exterior wall to fit the cable holder, so wouldn’t mind filing down a bit of small plastic but maybe that’s just me

Yes ... I would have filed my own connector and then I would have it sorted quicker and know it was done with care. (I did a like for like replacement of my Zappi rather than wait weeks for a contractor. It turned out that it was easier than wiring a 13amp plug since everything was in situ.)

 

[Forty_Two]

Did your installation include . . . .
Switchgear
Surge Protection
TP Link Wifi Extender
Paperwork (NICEIC / EIRC certificates)

Are these things 'extras' or do they come with the unit.

 

[Casss]

Did your installation include . . . .
Switchgear
Surge Protection
TP Link Wifi Extender
Paperwork (NICEIC / EIRC certificates)

Are these things 'extras' or do they come with the unit.

What do you mean by switchgear? Your installer will install the unit with the appropriate hardware for your home in your consumer unit which will be included in their installation fee…

If there are no available slots for an RCBO in your consumer unit, they may quote for an additional unit to be added.

You do not not need an Earth rod for the Hypervolt units.

You would definitely need to specify a Wi-Fi extender or mesh setup if you know that your parking space has no Wi-Fi or cellular coverage. This would not be included as standard.

Paperwork is done by the contractor, you just sign off on the work when complete.

 

[Forty_Two]

What do you mean by switchgear?

You would definitely need to specify a Wi-Fi extender or mesh setup if you know that your parking space has no Wi-Fi or cellular coverage. This would not be included as standard.

I presume 'switchgear is an isolation switch i.e. some means of 'switching' off the power to the unit.
I presume wi-fi coverage means the distance the unit is from the router? The question is - what distance does the unit need to be within without the need for an 'extender'?

 

[Adopado]

I presume 'switchgear is an isolation switch i.e. some means of 'switching' off the power to the unit.
I presume wi-fi coverage means the distance the unit is from the router? The question is - what distance does the unit need to be within without the need for an 'extender'?

All installations will include the necessary breakers and switching to isolate the circuit. Wifi coverage is completely individual to your property so hard to predict. The Tesla itself needs a good strenth of Wifi signal so if the car can connect to your wifi then there's a very strong chance indeed that the charger will too. (Disclaimer: I have no specific experience of connecting a Hypervolt to a wifi network!)

 

[Casss]

I presume 'switchgear is an isolation switch i.e. some means of 'switching' off the power to the unit.
I presume wi-fi coverage means the distance the unit is from the router? The question is - what distance does the unit need to be within without the need for an 'extender'?

As above, completely unique to your house. And can confirm the only way to do a manual shutdown of the unit i.e. not through the app, is by flipping the breaker in your consumer unit.

With my Hypervolt I simply checked that I could pick up the home wifi on my phone by standing where the car is parked on the driveway. If you can do this, you shouldn't have an issue. If your driveway or parking space is a wifi and cellular dead-zone you might just want to look into a range extender as close to your parking area as possible, or look at a mesh or exterior range extender solution.

The other option is they can run an Ethernet data cable from the unit, along the same path as the shielded cabling directly into your home if you would rather have a wired connection to the unit. If you want to do that, you should let your installer know in advance. Depending on how far your unit is being installed from your consumer unit, this may work out dearer than just extending your wifi, but cat5 or cat6 ethernet cable is not expensive in and of itself unless you need to do a long or complex run.

 

[Jitm]

View attachment 757174

I has same issue and after filing, it worked for me.

 

[Overworked]

Will the HyperVolt charger work if not connected to wifi, effectively as a "dumb charger"?

Can you tether it with an iphone etc for any data transfer?

I have an external place to install that has lots of power (incl 3 phase etc if I needed it) but it is far away from the wifi for the house. There is no grant/cost issue to worry about.

 

[Adopado]

Will the HyperVolt charger work if not connected to wifi, effectively as a "dumb charger"?

Can you tether it with an iphone etc for any data transfer?

I have an external place to install that has lots of power (incl 3 phase etc if I needed it) but it is far away from the wifi for the house. There is no grant/cost issue to worry about.

Running an ethernet cable is also an option also I believe. I use powerline adapters (via the mains) to send my network to an access point far away from the house that is used by my Zappi. If you're on 3 phase that may or may not be possible depending on how the phases are used. AFAIK all charge points will work in a dumb mode quite happily without a network connection.

 

[Casss]

Will the HyperVolt charger work if not connected to wifi, effectively as a "dumb charger"?

Can you tether it with an iphone etc for any data transfer?

I have an external place to install that has lots of power (incl 3 phase etc if I needed it) but it is far away from the wifi for the house. There is no grant/cost issue to worry about.

AFAIK, Based on my experience they don’t work as a dumb charger. They need an Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection. I’ve never tried tethering, in theory it might work but it would be a hassle unless that tethered device was always on, because I believe the unit requires a constant connection to the HV servers, otherwise will throw error codes.

Might be one to check with them as I might be wrong, but all of the controls for the unit are app based, and have to go via HV servers, so unless your unit is connected to their HQ, it won’t receive your instructions making it pretty useless.

Worth considering for the point about tethering, is that If it lost connection whilst charging, it would probably finish the charge, but would then sit idle and would not operate properly until reconnected.

Edit: adopado beat me to it on the point about powerline adapters. That or an Ethernet cable also work as per my previous comment.

 

[Adopado]

AFAIK, Based on my experience they don’t work as a dumb charger. They need an Ethernet or Wi-Fi connection. I’ve never tried tethering, in theory it might work but it would be a hassle unless that tethered device was always on, because I believe the unit requires a constant connection to the HV servers, otherwise will throw error codes.

Wow that's quite a revelation! That may sway quite a few decisions on charge point choice. Can anyone guarantee that they will never have an overnight network outage? It may not happen very often but a failed charge even infrequently would be a killer. The Zappi works in dumb mode thankfully.

 

[BlueWave]

Wow that's quite a revelation! That may sway quite a few decisions on charge point choice. Can anyone guarantee that they will never have an overnight network outage? It may not happen very often but a failed charge even infrequently would be a killer. The Zappi works in dumb mode thankfully.

It charges fine without network connectivity