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Tesla Home Charger

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Hi all

I’m nearing the pull the trigger time now for choosing and installing a decent home charger.

Already got the Zappi on the preferred chargers (don’t have solar tho).

Anyone here for the Tesla charger, if so what do you think? I’m aware of the OLEV business etc but it’s decent priced I suppose and dare I say it Tesla don’t make rubbish gear!
 
I had a Tesla Wall Charger with a 7.5m tethered cable installed in June, cost me £1100. It looks good and the installation was neat and tidy. It took just under 3 hours to install it, and a new distribution box with RCD, from a company called Ecoplugg.
I will find out how good it is on 7th September when I wander over to Southampton docks to collect my car and park it in my driveway. :)
 
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Some are not so keen to line the pockets of the companies coining it in from the grant schemes. Some prefer the look of the Tesla product. Some don’t mind spending the extra.

Equally some folks get good service from the grant route and get a fair quote, which makes it win-win.

In the end I decided I didn’t like any of the wall charger options so went for enhanced portable version with various adaptors (Juice Booster 2). I am hoping it lasts the lease life of this company car and next after that - then it will have been worth it and gives 1/3 phase AC options, plus have the Tesla Type 2 cable for alternative connectivity when away from home.

I need to charge at 2 different physical locations at home so this option makes sense for my charging needs - but there are enough £500 grant-supported options for everyone to get what suits them :)
 
Am I missing something but why would you pay £1100 for a Tesla charger over a £500 charger. Is there something I’m missing???
It seemed like a good idea at the time - getting a charger that matched the car plus I wanted the extra long lead.
Not being an APP aficionado I wasn't looking for, or particularly wanted, an APP controlled charger.
Many other "clever" chargers seem to have weird faults with them over time.
 
Am I missing something but why would you pay £1100 for a Tesla charger over a £500 charger. Is there something I’m missing???

Sometimes simplicity is best. Some may also not like losing total control of charging when third parties take over control of the charge cycle. And the stop charge/unlock cable button can be useful although other workarounds. And you only need to look at the cable to see how well built it is.

For me, simplicity, having the car and charger being same make so no one blaming the other if things don't work as expected and the ability of the Tesla wall connector to load share with other Tesla wall connectors. On latter, point, I will also be able to use the same mechanism to control the charge myself should I need, basically turn it into solar, battery and tarrif aware charge point.

But the grant and the conditions that it imposes is still a good option for many.

And being totally pedantic. Its not a charger but a charge point/wall connector etc etc. The charger is actually built into the car.
 
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Sometimes simplicity is best. Some may also not like losing total control of charging when third parties take over control of the charge cycle. And the stop charge/unlock cable button can be useful although other workarounds. And you only need to look at the cable to see how well built it is.

For me, simplicity, having the car and charger being same make so no one blaming the other if things don't work as expected and the ability of the Tesla wall connector to load share with other Tesla wall connectors. On latter, point, I will also be able to use the same mechanism to control the charge myself should I need, basically turn it into solar, battery and tarrif aware charge point.

But the grant and the conditions that it imposes is still a good option for many.

And being totally pedantic. Its not a charger but a charge point/wall connector etc etc. The charger is actually built into the car.

This perfectly sums up my reason for going the Tesla WC route as well. There is no one right choice that suits everyone, which is why it is good that so many choices exist.
 
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Sometimes simplicity is best. Some may also not like losing total control of charging when third parties take over control of the charge cycle.

I agree with that but if the need arises it should be easy to disable the smart connectivity aspect on smart charge points. I know that's the case for the Zappi. It works in conjunction with a hub that connects to your router to get it's internet linked services. If the hub is not connected then the charger works quite happily on it's own. Third party control of the charger would therefore be a choice ... for example to facilitate the use of real-time energy pricing at reduced cost to the customer. In the future when there are many more EVs charging it will be an advantage to be able to manage the load. Those who have a charger that can be controlled externally will likely have a price advantage for their energy .. in the same way as we have been offered negative pricing recently to charge at certain times.

I think the (unrealistic?) fear is that there could potentially be some unwanted imposed external control. If the "powers that be" wanted to do that then they would have a very difficult job because it would be so easily circumvented (at least with existing EVs and smart chargers).

My only issue with smart chargers is their inevitable greater complication and therefore the increased likelihood of faults in hardware and software.
 
Am I missing something but why would you pay £1100 for a Tesla charger over a £500 charger. Is there something I’m missing???
I think I would if I needed one, just for coherence.i know there's absolutely no logic to it at all but it just "feels" right getting the charger from the same company that makes the car.

This is probably why I'm always broke!
 
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Thanks everyone, I agree about the “under one roof” thinking, Tesla WC with Tesla car, kinda makes sense in a way.

I’m not sure I actually need a “smart charger” to be fair, just want to plug it in and let it charge, I, not even sure yet if I’m going to bother changing energy provider, as I’m already with Bulb who are pretty reasonable and due to my weekly low mileage rate (100-120 miles) would changing energy providers even prove a big saving, maybe maybe not?

Right now tho, it’s about which one to put in

Looking like 821 for zappi and hub (pre OLEV), 460 for TWC (no OLEV, extras to pay for on installation), or the Anderson coming in at 825 ex installation (pal of mine gonna sort that out)
 
I have a BMW i3S which I bought in Sept last year and got the BMW charger installed - luckily it works with my M3P too.

I did have to test it when I took the Tesla "test" drive - so if there is a potential you will get another EV in the future, that this into consideration too.
 
I’ve got 5 of them. I like them because they’re decent looking, have a good length tethered cable to reach the charging ports of all manner of cars, and are very flexible.

One of is them connected to a 32A Single phase supply. I paid for that one out of my own pocket because all other options looked bloody awful. Also, ‘Smart’ does not always equal smart. I was given a smart kettle some time ago and I still cannot fathom what possible use it is to be able to boil my kettle from anywhere in the world when the actual tea making bit requires me to be in the same room .

The other chargers are temporarily in a bank of 4 sharing a 32A three phase supply. The inbuilt networking means any one of the four can take the full 32A If needed, or they can communicate and share the load between four cars. To do that with other chargers meant extra hardware, and to do it with smart chargers meant extra annual costs. The Tesla chargers were way cheaper, and without smart connectivity, fault finding becomes a really simple operation.
 
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