Which wall charger?

[Tom McConnell]

Tomorrow I have an engineer from SSE coming to inspect my main fuse, meter cabinet and to turn the electricity off and on to make sure it is safe for the 7kw charger.

A week on Friday I have an electrical contractor in to install the 32a breaker in the meter cabinet. Then BP Pulse Chargemaster can schedule the engineer to do the install.

All being well tomorrow !

Though since buying the MG 5 at the end of January I have only traveled 350 miles so using the granny charger and 3 rapid charges has been convenient enough. Only benefit of the home charger will be the 5ppkwh when I switch over to Octopus Go and charging in just a few hours. Not keen on the 35ppkwh at the rapid chargers.

The SSE engineer arrived on time at 1pm today to check the meter box and main fuse.

He checked the main fuse, which had 100A on it, but found it was actually 60A !!
He said that most houses like mine would have had 60A originally, but why it had a 100A plastic cover is anyone's guess !
So he replaced the fuse with a 100A unit.
The tails (wires from fuse to meter and then to the consumer unit) are 25mm, so suitable for 100A. If they had been 15mm then they were for 60A and would have had to be changed.

Also he said that the 32A breaker scheduled to be installed next week cannot be put into the meter box according to regulations, but has to be external. We will see what the contractor wants to do next week !

 

[Lovemyev]

Also he said that the 32A breaker scheduled to be installed next week cannot be put into the meter box according to regulations, but has to be external. We will see what the contractor wants to do next week !

I think the installer will "Split" the meter tails after the meter and run a separate pair of tails to a stand alone enclosure with a suitable breaker IF your consumer unit has no spare ways or is a little dated.
This can be the norm on older properties.

 

[bloggsy]

I think the installer will "Split" the meter tails after the meter and run a separate pair of tails to a stand alone enclosure with a suitable breaker IF your consumer unit has no spare ways or is a little dated.
This can be the norm on older properties.

That's exactly what my Pod Point installer did - my main circuit board had 1 spare but the installer said he'd leave it for me in case I needed to do work in the house, so split the tails.

It's a pity he couldn't have split the tails before the meter....

Cheers

Bloggsy

 

[Tom McConnell]

So my new BP Pulse home charger was installed yesterday, very happy with the electrical contractor sent by BP. All working well and charged the MG5 in the afternoon.

So my original BP Pulse application was made on 31st January and finally installed on 26th April. I am sure that a local electrician could do the job so much faster than the very sequential BP approach, with the limited customer communications they have had recently due to increased demand.

I asked the electrician if installing an EV charger is particulally complex for a fully qualified electrician and he said that it was nothing special and that having the government register of certified ev charger installers is ridiculous and slowing down the adoption of EV’s. He agreed that the only area that was necessary was the electrical supplier safety check on the meter box fuse, tails specification and earthing etc,

I have only one aspect of the BP Pulse charger which is not configured yet is the Smartcharge app which needs my login setup. I should have received an email with the login details but this has not yet arrived so am working with BP Pulse customer services on this. So can’t yet set up timed charges.

 

[Nick W]

He checked the main fuse, which had 100A on it, but found it was actually 60A !!
He said that most houses like mine would have had 60A originally, but why it had a 100A plastic cover is anyone's guess !
So he replaced the fuse with a 100A unit.
The tails (wires from fuse to meter and then to the consumer unit) are 25mm, so suitable for 100A. If they had been 15mm then they were for 60A and would have had to be changed.

Also he said that the 32A breaker scheduled to be installed next week cannot be put into the meter box according to regulations, but has to be external. We will see what the contractor wants to do next week !

The 100A on the fuse carrier is the maximum rating. Most DNOs won't upgrade to 100A or fit one from new as there have been cases of cut outs getting a bit warm. However, they won't take out 100A fuses and if the location is cool (and the cables are up to spec) you can get a 100A fuse.

The only regulation which would force providing an extra consumer unit is not being able to get hold of that make of circuit breaker, as unless the breakers have been approved by the consumer unit manufacturer, the installer is responsible for compatibility problems. The usual reason is lack of space in the CU, or an easier cable run from the meter location.

 

[Lovemyev]

For anybody interested in what looks like a VERY nice wall box.
Take a look at this recent video.





Here is the link to the Hypervolt unit - I DO like it !.

Elevate Your Drive with Hypervolt | Trustpilot's Highest rated EV charger

Experience Hypervolt: The Highest Rated EV Charger on TrustPilot. Enhance Your Electric Journey with Powerful Charging, Solar Panel Integration, Real-time Cost Control, and Tariff Integration.

hypervolt.co.uk

 

[JCFlippen]

Just contacted Hypervolt by email at 21.30 this evening and they rang me back at 21.50!
just about to get a ZS EV So need charger soonest.

 

[RichardC]

Just contacted Hypervolt by email at 21.30 this evening and they rang me back at 21.50!
just about to get a ZS EV So need charger soonest.

I was due to get a Rolec charger and I have an installation date of 1st July. However after watching the video on You Tube I think I would prefer the Hypervolt instead.

This company will install it for £599.

Hypervolt EV Charger

Hypervolt EV Charger. Installation within 14 days. Slim Lines and Beautifully Designed. Option of £42.68 by 10 x monthly payments. Call Today

chargepointev.co.uk

I am tempted to cancel the Rolec one and go for this instead.

 

[TassiedEVil]

Ooo, that’s lovely. I did an internet search for the Hypervolt in Australia and this is what came up ...not quite what I was looking for...

Shop The Hypervolt Wall Charger Online

Shop the Hypervolt Wall Charger online at Hyperice AU. Charge your Hypervolt wherever you go in under 2 hours. Easy returns & FREE shipping available!

hyperice.com.au

 

[Lovemyev]

I am tempted to cancel the Rolec one and go for this instead.

Don’t be tempted, do it !.
I have one of the older Rolec units that has had more than it’s fair share of issues, let’s just say !.
If I needed a new unit right now, I would not hesitate.
Brilliant customer service ( as per the video ) and a nice looking unit that has delayed charging facility, plus built in pen fault detection already installed.
The price is very competitive as well !.
Longevity is the only unanswered question of course.
I agree with Jordan, I think it’s a no brainier.
Sack the Rolec and go for the Hypervolt.

 

[Alb]

I recommend reading the comments in Jordan's video.
Hypervolt are answering all of the technical questions themselves.

 

[Musicman]

I went for Zappi because I have solar panels on my roof and on Eco+ setting can charge in the sunshine free. I am very pleased with their customer service. Occasionally, if I need a full tank, I charge on the timer overnight on the economy tariff which is incredibly cheap too. We went for the tethered unit so it’s quick and easy to connect the car. No issues so far.

 

[Jonhklee]

Recently got quotes by NatWest/Octopus £300 for EO Pro2 untethered with installation included after OLEV and EST grants....

bargain!

 

[Lovemyev]

I went for Zappi because I have solar panels on my roof and on Eco+ setting can charge in the sunshine free. I am very pleased with their customer service. Occasionally, if I need a full tank, I charge on the timer overnight on the economy tariff which is incredibly cheap too. We went for the tethered unit so it’s quick and easy to connect the car. No issues so far.

The Zappi is excellent quality unit that’s for sure.
The hyper volt system is a little bit less expensive, if you are on a budget.
The Anderson units are good quality and a smart looking wall box, but at a price that reflects the quality.
Given the choice between a Rolec and an Hyper volt, it’s a one horse race in my opinion.

 

[TassiedEVil]

I went for Zappi because I have solar panels on my roof and on Eco+ setting can charge in the sunshine free. I am very pleased with their customer service. Occasionally, if I need a full tank, I charge on the timer overnight on the economy tariff which is incredibly cheap too. We went for the tethered unit so it’s quick and easy to connect the car. No issues so far.

Did you have to have the Harvi as well?

 

[Musicman]

Did you have to have the Harvi as well?

We did

 

[rogerco]

Did you have to have the Harvi as well?

You don't have to have the Harvi - it simply makes the install a bit simpler as it saves having to run a separate current sense wire to the zappi from a current transformer on your grid connection - it does it wirelessly.
My installer recommended it and we said ok.
The solar (or solar plus battery) only charging option is brilliant - almost all our usage for journeys under 150miles is totally free sun-juice now that summer's here. We try and make sure the house battery (8kW) is at least half full by early evening to cover the domestic load after the solar stops giving.
In winter we expect to use Octopus Go 5p rate to ensure the battery is filled for the day and give enough to the car on fast charge for typical day's usage. Be interesting to see next winter how that plays out.
In summer if we are going on a long trip the next day we use the Zappi timed boost to ensure the MG is up to 100% on Octopus Go 5p units.

I think at the moment if you've got solar and a domestic battery then the Zappi is the only game in town (or it was when our install was done). Coupled with GivEnergy for inverter and battery managment.

Only quirk is that the Zappi doesn't get the car charge state info - does any 7kW charger read the charge state from the car?

PS if switching to Octopus use this link Octopus Energy or enter showy-quail-132 as a referral code to get £50 off both your bill and mine

 

[JoOLS]

You don't have to have the Harvi - it simply makes the install a bit simpler as it saves having to run a separate current sense wire to the zappi from a current transformer on your grid connection - it does it wirelessly.
My installer recommended it and we said ok.
The solar (or solar plus battery) only charging option is brilliant - almost all our usage for journeys under 150miles is totally free sun-juice now that summer's here. We try and make sure the house battery (8kW) is at least half full by early evening to cover the domestic load after the solar stops giving.
In winter we expect to use Octopus Go 5p rate to ensure the battery is filled for the day and give enough to the car on fast charge for typical day's usage. Be interesting to see next winter how that plays out.
In summer if we are going on a long trip the next day we use the Zappi timed boost to ensure the MG is up to 100% on Octopus Go 5p units.

I think at the moment if you've got solar and a domestic battery then the Zappi is the only game in town (or it was when our install was done). Coupled with GivEnergy for inverter and battery managment.

Only quirk is that the Zappi doesn't get the car charge state info - does any 7kW charger read the charge state from the car?

PS if switching to Octopus use this link Octopus Energy or enter showy-quail-132 as a referral code to get £50 off both your bill and mine

This sounds like a great set up. We have solar thermal but, just looking at PV installation. (same, being in Cornwall, we do have a good solar capture).

 

[TassiedEVil]

You don't have to have the Harvi - it simply makes the install a bit simpler as it saves having to run a separate current sense wire to the zappi from a current transformer on your grid connection - it does it wirelessly.
My installer recommended it and we said ok.
The solar (or solar plus battery) only charging option is brilliant - almost all our usage for journeys under 150miles is totally free sun-juice now that summer's here. We try and make sure the house battery (8kW) is at least half full by early evening to cover the domestic load after the solar stops giving.
In winter we expect to use Octopus Go 5p rate to ensure the battery is filled for the day and give enough to the car on fast charge for typical day's usage. Be interesting to see next winter how that plays out.
In summer if we are going on a long trip the next day we use the Zappi timed boost to ensure the MG is up to 100% on Octopus Go 5p units.

I think at the moment if you've got solar and a domestic battery then the Zappi is the only game in town (or it was when our install was done). Coupled with GivEnergy for inverter and battery managment.

Only quirk is that the Zappi doesn't get the car charge state info - does any 7kW charger read the charge state from the car?

PS if switching to Octopus use this link Octopus Energy or enter showy-quail-132 as a referral code to get £50 off both your bill and mine

Thanks for that - I’m looking forward to the ‘free sun-juice’ too but there’s not a lot being squeezed out of our PV at the moment due to short days..
Sounds like the Harvi is the way to go - less wires means less install time perhaps (I’m presuming) although the quote seemed reasonable - haven’t stretched to the Hub as we just had a solar analytics data logger and transmitter fitted to our fuse box to keep track of what’s coming in and out and going where, so I think the Hub is not required. Also cleaned an old mud wasp nest out of the Inverter cover - Nature has no respect...

 

[Evan Jehlyst]

Given the choice between a Rolec and an Hyper volt, it’s a one horse race in my opinion.

I think I just had my first senior's moment - which horse do you mean ?