Which home charger are you using?

[Artiste]

I couldn’t get the OLEV grant so I installed a 32A commando socket. Dumb as a box of rocks and 100% reliable.

 

[Russinating]

I couldn’t get the OLEV grant so I installed a 32A commando socket. Dumb as a box of rocks and 100% reliable.

What is the benefit of a 'dedicated' EV socket over a 32A commando? Do Type 2 sockets even lock at the opposite end to the car?

 

[Rooster6655]

With my Model 3 sat on the Glovis Cosmos (hopefully) I need to sort out my home charging.

I'm not elligible for the OLEV grant due to not having an off-street parking space and I've already had a local electrician come around (commercial guy that I've used before at work) to have a look and spec up and he's quoted £400 for labour and materials to install a Tesla Wall Charger. Probably less than I was expecting in reality.

However I probably need a 7-10m cable and the way tethered cables wrap around is pretty untidy given mine's going to be right next to my front door so I prefer the neatness/discreetness of untethered/universal chargers.

At the moment it's like getting blood out of a stone to find out if I can even buy chargers without installation. I've had 6 emails back and forth with EO just repeating myself and I still don't know if they sell their charges and how much it would be without installation.

Same for Podpoint; their website is pretty straightforward if you want installation, but no idea if they sell them without.

What charger (preferably untethered) is everyone else using? Did you buy it standalone or did it have to be installed by the company?

the problem with EO is after 3 years there is a monthly subscription to keep it smart, so for this reason I have second thoughts.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

What is the benefit of a 'dedicated' EV socket over a 32A commando? Do Type 2 sockets even lock at the opposite end to the car?

Yes, the outlet on a non-tethered charge point is supposed to latch the plug in place during charging, but not all units do this (newer ones seem to, though). The main reason for latching the plug in place is to prevent it being unplugged whilst charging. The design is such that it's supposed to shut down as the plug is removed, but there is a risk that pulling the plug out quickly might cause an arc, as it may be possible to pull it out faster than the charge point contactor can open.

 

[Markp541]

the problem with EO is after 3 years there is a monthly subscription to keep it smart, so for this reason I have second thoughts.

I don't think EO has a subscription as the smart charger uses your own Wi-Fi. I think one of the other brands uses a SIM card and there is a subscription involved in that, but even then you dont have to carry on with the subscription and the charger reverts to being dumb - which suits most people with Teslas

 

[Rooster6655]

I don't think EO has a subscription as the smart charger uses your own Wi-Fi. I think one of the other brands uses a SIM card and there is a subscription involved in that, but even then you dont have to carry on with the subscription and the charger reverts to being dumb - which suits most people with Teslas

I hear EO is £2.50 a month for the use of their reporting features, its been confirmed by EO there will be a fee after 3 years.

 

[Markp541]

I hear EO is £2.50 a month for the use of their reporting features, its been confirmed by EO there will be a fee after 3 years.

Where did you hear that? I wasn't aware of anything and it will be quite annoying if that happened, although to be honest I wouldn't pay anything for anyone the features or reporting currently available at the moment in the app. It isn't that great to be honest.

 

[UrbanSplash]

Is it ‘normal’ for the cable going from the consumer unit to the charger to be warm while the car is charging? Any issue with it ?

 

[Generator]

Is it ‘normal’ for the cable going from the consumer unit to the charger to be warm while the car is charging? Any issue with it ?

it’d be contrary to the laws of the universe if it didn’t... The real question is how warm is it getting?

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Is it ‘normal’ for the cable going from the consumer unit to the charger to be warm while the car is charging? Any issue with it ?

It depends how warm it is, really. Normally the cable used would be 6mm², which, when run at 32 A, would have a voltage drop of about 0.253 V/m, which is a power loss of about 8 W/m. This is enough to make the cable feel slightly warm to the touch, perhaps, but not enough for it to feel hot.

 

[UrbanSplash]

Warm to touch comfortably. Not hot.

 

[Glan gluaisne]

Do you know the cable size?

If it's SWA, then it's usually very faintly embossed on the outer sheath, should be something like "6mm² x 3" or similar. I'm wondering if a thinner cable has been used, and that's why it's running a bit warm.