Home EV Chargers

[RobM]

I'm hoping for some advice and experience from the collective wisdom and genius of TZ :)

I've just placed an order for an EV, a Cupra Born, so a home EV charger seems a sensible purchase. I'm sure some folk here have done the same, so what's the general consensus about which to go for and who to buy from?

I've defaulted to a 7KW Pod-Point, probably tethered, but are there better options?

And for the installation, are there any challenges or things to consider? My ideal location isn't far from the main power feed for the house or the fuse box, although the box is out of capacity so I wondered if a dedicated fuse could be added in-line rather than change the current box? What have others done?

All advice appreciated :)

[Man of Kent]

I recently had just the cable from the consumer unit fitted. It consisted of installing a Kenley block to split the supply (as the fuse box had no spare capacity), a new fused switch fitted next to the existing unit, the cable run under the stairs through the hall floor void and out to a porch with the cable tied up in a loop awaiting further installation. There is also a "data" cable run alongside the power cable as most chargers need to monitor the consumption throughout the rest of the house.
I haven't got an EV, or an EV charger but wanted to get the 1st phase of the installation done now. Cost £500. I now need to upgrade the main fuse to 100a but that needs to be done by the network operator. Zappi chargers seem to be popular according to the guy who did the cable install.

[lenlec]

We sell these and others from £250. We also supply and fit from £500
https://postimg.cc/gallery/NXqPQh6

[Topcat30093]

We had limited local installers where with live and didn’t want to go with a National company.

So having checked some of the EV Chargers available. I went with the Easee 1.
It’s small, compact and can be controlled by their app on your phone.
So far I have been really pleased with it.


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[RobM]

Thank you all, appreciate the input.

What’s the difference between something like a Zappi (which is nearly £800 without installation) and something like those lenlec mentioned which seem significantly cheaper?

Is it all branding and marketing or are they real world differences to consider?

[mrsammyp]

Just had a 7kw tethered Pod Point fitted courtesy of Jaguar, first impressions are that it feels well built and installation was great.

I was expecting a little more from the mobile app but in respect of the home charger it only lets you set a charging schedule. It would have been nice to see charging rate, charger status etc from the app but I guess this is always possible in the future.

It’s missing a physical button on the home charger to bump charge outside of any scheduled charging.





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[Shane]

What happens to people who don't have a driveway or the possibility to have a home charger? I live in SE London on a terraced road - almost all have no driveways. Wait for a better infrastructure with more public charging points?

[wileeeeeey]

What happens to people who don't have a driveway or the possibility to have a home charger? I live in SE London on a terraced road - almost all have no driveways. Wait for a better infrastructure with more public charging points?

I use the chargers on the high road. There are 2x7kW and 1x50kW. The 50 gets busy but the 7s are usually free. There is also a 50 next to the bank I keepy watches in so I charge it while I rotate.

There are also chargers popping up built into lampposts but I haven't had the luck of using one yet.

Seven months in it isn't the headache I thought it would be. Terrible though when you wake up on the sofa gone midnight and you remember you car is down the road charging and you need to go get it. Just awful.

[apm101]

We also have a 7kw Pod point. It's not tethered, as the module is inside our back gate.

Came as part of the lease package for our VW ID.3, but seems to be good.

[cyrusir]

in most cases a home charger is a home charger, they will deliver somewhere between 6.2 and 6.9 kw per hour to your car, it really comes down to aesthetics and whether you want tethered or unethered.

Neatest untethered is the EO mini, and neatest tethered is the andersen (but it is spendy)

[RobM]

While I don’t want an eyesore, I’m quite lucky that I can tuck it around the corner of a porch so it’s not too visible. I’m not sure I’d spend a lot more on aesthetics.

What I’m more interested in is reliability, performance, technical support, and security (to stop others trying their luck on my electricity bill!).

[cyrusir]

While I don’t want an eyesore, I’m quite lucky that I can tuck it around the corner of a porch so it’s not too visible. I’m not sure I’d spend a lot more on aesthetics.

What I’m more interested in is reliability, performance, technical support, and security (to stop others trying their luck on my electricity bill!).

performance will be much of a muchness, reliability should be ok on any of the main ones as well they aren’t complicated devices and the fear of someone else using your charger is generally misplaced , they would need to park in your drive for hours on end to nick a few quids worth of leccy, doesn’t happen in practice !

personally I’ve had an eo mini for 2 years and never missed a beat.

[RobM]

Fair challenge on the theft thing.. I can’t imagine it either in reality.

Doesn’t look like EO are taking orders at the moment oddly, but the box itself looks very smart!

[Puntsdog]

I have an Easee 1. Had it for about a month and happy with it so far.

Installation was straight forward. Arranged online and they had a few questions and asked for some pictures.

They had to run the wiring up through the loft to the front of the house but said it qualified as a simple install so no extra charge for drilling too many holes or using too much cable.

The unit looks good, tidy with a bit of style. I didn't want a tethered charger as the wire on my in-laws looks a little untidy.

I do have bonus in that we have 6 tethered charge points at the office and only 2 electric cars!

[Boss13]

We went for Andersen.
Wasn't a fan of untethered as have to faff about with the cables.
Wasn't a fan of tethered as the charger is on full display at front of house and we felt the cables may look untidy.
Andersen solves both issues as the cable hides inside. Good app too with various functionality. Highly recommend.

[Tooks]

Thank you all, appreciate the input.

What’s the difference between something like a Zappi (which is nearly £800 without installation) and something like those lenlec mentioned which seem significantly cheaper?

Is it all branding and marketing or are they real world differences to consider?

New legislation came into effect literally a few days ago making it unlawful for a commercial supplier to supply, and an electrician to fit, a ‘non-smart’ EV charger.

They all have to be network connected now so that at some point in the future the grid can manage the demand for high wattage things like 7kW car charging supply points.

You can still override any demand management should you need the charge, but just one of those things you have to factor in now. If you order from PodPoint with an install, they’ll already be taking that into account.

[Boss13]

New legislation came into effect literally a few days ago making it unlawful for a commercial supplier to supply, and an electrician to fit, a ‘non-smart’ EV charger.

They all have to be network connected now so that at some point in the future the grid can manage the demand for high wattage things like 7kW car charging supply points.

You can still override any demand management should you need the charge, but just one of those things you have to factor in now. If you order from PodPoint with an install, they’ll already be taking that into account.

Does network connected mean it has WiFi or something more complicated?

[Tooks]

I think a lot of them are using Cat5 cable, but I think as long as it’s ‘connected’ then it’s ok.

Some use SIM cards as well, but all the installers are up to speed. I contacted a supplier last week about a ‘dumb’ chargepoint and they told me they couldn’t supply one as the legislation was about to change.

It’s not illegal to have a ‘dumb’ charger if it’s fitted already, nor for an electrician to fit one, just suppliers can’t sell them to individuals. You could therefore buy a used one privately, and an electrician could still fit it legally.

That’s my understanding anyway.

[Franky Four Fingers]

We went for Andersen.
Wasn't a fan of untethered as have to faff about with the cables.
Wasn't a fan of tethered as the charger is on full display at front of house and we felt the cables may look untidy.
Andersen solves both issues as the cable hides inside. Good app too with various functionality. Highly recommend.

Just been quoted for an Anderson….it’ll be the easiest instal for them ever as the wall, position of charger, fuse box and meter are all on the same wall. Wanted £2000…yeh right

[Tooks]

Just been quoted for an Anderson….it’ll be the easiest instal for them ever as the wall, position of charger, fuse box and meter are all on the same wall. Wanted £2000…yeh right

Well, it is a top end 7-22kW capable EVSE, and OEM supplier to Porsche so I’m not surprised!

They do look nice though. :)

[Boss13]

I think a lot of them are using Cat5 cable, but I think as long as it’s ‘connected’ then it’s ok.

Some use SIM cards as well, but all the installers are up to speed. I contacted a supplier last week about a ‘dumb’ chargepoint and they told me they couldn’t supply one as the legislation was about to change.

It’s not illegal to have a ‘dumb’ charger if it’s fitted already, nor for an electrician to fit one, just suppliers can’t sell them to individuals. You could therefore buy a used one privately, and an electrician could still fit it legally.

That’s my understanding anyway.

Ah yes rings a bell. The cat 5 cable feeds a clamp that monitors the power being drawn into the house from memory. The cat 5 when I was researching this some time back was not to connect to a router. Which confused me for a while. As that is what I would normally associate it with. It was just to be used to transmit data from the clamp to the unit. To make it smart it uses WiFi.

On the Andersen, ours is 7kw. They are more pricey than average but don’t think we paid close to 2k. Inflation has clearly kicked in.

[oldoakknives]

Just had an EO Mini Pro fitted. App seems simple to use and my usual electrician had no problem fitting it. Like it’s small size and unobtrusiveness.

[wileeeeeey]

Any heads up on a dumb charger?

[DiXoN]

Just ordered an Evec non tethered and they are allowed to fit the non smart type as still have the stock before 30th June. It’s a pain to fit as it has to go from the front to the back of the house under the floor, also needs an earth rod. I could get a smart one but it’s another £200 and will have the restrictions.

[Dave+63]

Seven years old, tethered (obviously) and still going strong. It’s a type one connector so no good for modern stuff but I can always get an adapter if necessary one day.

From back in the day when they were all paid for via grants.

[JOHNC74]

Pod point here for the iPace. Had it for almost 2 years and no faults so far. Went for untethered as it gives options for different charging options in the future.

[RobM]

I think I’m still favouring the Pod-Point option. The cost with installation seems pretty balanced, and I’ve not yet read any negative comments about them other than the App is a bit basic.

[DiXoN]

Just ordered an Evec non tethered and they are allowed to fit the non smart type as still have the stock before 30th June. It’s a pain to fit as it has to go from the front to the back of the house under the floor, also needs an earth rod. I could get a smart one but it’s another £200 and will have the restrictions.

I changed my mind and changed to an Easee One 7.4kwh smart charger, I’m lucky as my mate is a commercial electrician so sorting it for mates rates and I’ll help him with the instal. Getting fitted on the 19th July as I’m picking my car up a few days later, the Easee Ones look to have decent reviews and is untethered.