EV Charger MCB Advice - Smart MCB

[NickGaters]

Hi,

Got an annoying issue that I think I know how to get around but want a bit of advice/validation, please.

- I have a Merc EQB (which does not have a scheduled charge setting, annoyingly)
- I have a Project EV charger in my garage with a traditional dumb MCB feeding it (pictured later in this post). Plus a breaker which looks to be 32A for the EV charger
- The EV charger I have set to scheduled charge from 00:01 to 05:00 when I get cheap electric
- Few times now the charger has failed to start the scheduled charging cycle. Not often, but enough to irritate me

I put this down to the fact that the EV charger is cheap tat that the builder put in as it was the cheapest possible. Works great in dumb mode, but the minute I've connected it to the internet and set it to app mode it's been a bit flaky. The UI for example doesn't really configure what it's saying it does. EV project support and forums full of issues like this, it's just a bit sucky.

EV charger is this one: EV charger by nickgaters, on Flickr

So: I'm thinking of the following workaround:

- Set the charger back into dumb mode - i.e. soon as cable is connected to the car just charge until the car says stop at 100%. Worked fine 100% of the time before I tried to get all smart with it!
- replace the existing MCB fuse in my garage MCB with a smart MCB, so I schedule the MCB energising the whole circuit and control the MCB via an app
- so I'll schedule the MCB to energise at 00:01 and open again at 05:00

Questions:

- Am I right in thinking I really should replace the following 32A circuit breaker: Main MCB by nickgaters, on Flickr

- Does that look like 32A, how can I tell? Seems odd that there's no headroom at all as I charge at 32A.

with this: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Zigbee-Circ..._hp_atf_m&th=1

- What's the deal with 'curves', A B or C and which one would be suitable for EV charging?

- Single pole or double pole? Looks like that MCB is single pole. I thought double pole is better for high power apps...but there's no space for a double pole in the consumer unit

- Anyone got any better smart MCB products they would suggest? 30-40 quid seems worryingly cheap when I read on the EV project forums some people have paid an electrician 100+ to add a smart MCB. I will be doing this myself to save labour, done a fair few times before by swapping like for like MCB or adding new ones in. Never dumb to smart MCB though.

Any advice greatly appreciated!

[adrianw]

I would have thought it has to be an RCBO, but it wouldn’t affect the way it works

[Tooks]

Have a read at the following link regards the type of RCD required for EV charging.

https://hager.com/uk/get-involved/ne...ging-and-rcds#

The one you have fitted now for your charging equipment is a 32A Type B rcd, which protects against ‘blinding’ on the neutral side should a PEN fault occur.

I think your Project EV charger does have RDC-DD protection built in, so a Type B might not be necessary but I can’t see from the Amazon link what type of RCD the smart one is, or indeed whether it’s CE marked etc.

I probably wouldn’t risk it though, and as with all these things perhaps worth a chat with your electrician for his/her advice?

Is there any possibility to return the charger as it’s not working properly? I’ve got a Wallbox Pro, very small unit, and the in-app scheduling works 100% and I got one because the ID.4 in car scheduling is a mess and doesn’t work properly at all.

[Bonzodog]

The image shown has one 6a and two 32a breakers.

[NickGaters]

I would have thought it has to be an RCBO, but it wouldn’t affect the way it works

There's actually one of those downstream in the charger itself.

Have a read at the following link regards the type of RCD required for EV charging.

https://hager.com/uk/get-involved/ne...ging-and-rcds#

Is there any possibility to return the charger as it’s not working properly? I’ve got a Wallbox Pro, very small unit, and the in-app scheduling works 100% and I got one because the ID.4 in car scheduling is a mess and doesn’t work properly at all.

Sadly not as it's been in a year now, just happens that I've only been using for the past three months. Plus I'm certain the response will be that they all do that, sir - seems that the EV forum users are pretty much getting that response.

The image shown has one 6a and two 32a breakers.

Cheers. I'm hunting for a single pole, single unit, DIN mounted direct replacement with L on one end, N the other. Not having much luck so far as they all the good ones appear to be two units wide or need L+N on both ends and therefore I'd have to have a them in a separate box. I bet that why the EV forum users are getting £100+ quotes.

I'm beginning to think the reason the scheduling won't work in about 5% of cases is the unit may lose internet connectivity occasionally. That's certainly a complaint in some of the MCB reviews: no internet = no schedule triggers. If that's the root cause of my EV charger schedule issue, it's not fixing it by installing a wireless MCB.

I might have a reconfigure of my wireless mesh to get better coverage into the garage where all the EV charging kit is. See if that sorts it.

[wileeeeeey]

I know you already have a charger and might look at your mesh but Simpson chargers don’t need WiFi and don’t have any cloud software.

Mine connects by WiFi or Bluetooth (WiFi if I’m not near it but no internet connection is needed) and has a schedule function which should work. Might be worth looking into but not cheap.

[mrsammyp]

Have you tried a firmware update? Doesn’t appear to be an automatic process, so may not be on the latest version

Pages 20-23

https://poblliving.co.uk/wp-content/...-03_07S-SE.pdf


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[MB2]

It can be done easily enough by an electrician.

You need what is known as a "contactor" you have the time switch energise the contactor and the contactor throws the 32A RCBO.

I have just this set up powering a 32A hot tub so it only heats on cheap rate power.

I saw the smart RCBOs but decided I didn't trust them.

[NickGaters]

Thanks all. Will update when I’ve sorted it. Trying the cheapest option first and see how I go.

[Pennywise]

You need double pole isolation on the MCB for EV chargers. The type of breaker will be specified by the manufacturer whether it needs a B or C this denotes how much inrush current the breaker can withstand momentarily so you don’t get loads tripping out breakers when the load is put on. You can do a very simple arrangement with a contactor with a time clock or use an app based relay like a quenetics to fire the contactor


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[stooo]

Consult an electrical contractor, and have them do the work.

When said fast enough ‘cheap 32A solution’ sounds exactly the same as a house fire.