Automated charging

[Padsdad]

Good afternoon. I have just taken delivery of an MG5 so a bit of a newby its my 1st ev. Brilliant car, so far happy with it. Not got a proper charger for it yet, that's on my too list and will take a few weeks to get one installed. Is it possible in the meantime, using the granny charger to plug in to the car, then switch it on remotely with a smart socket at a later scheduled time to take advantage to the cheaper tariff. Not sure if the car will allow that. Hope its not a daft Q.

 

[Deleted member 823]

I don't see why that wouldn't work, but then I have the ZS. The car should charge when it's connected to power.

 

[Petriix]

I don't think there's a smart socket suitable for a constant 10a current. I wouldn't personally trust one for that purpose. They can get hot and catch fire so it's not worth the risk.

 

[Deleted member 823]

I don't think there's a smart socket suitable for a constant 10a current. I wouldn't personally trust one for that purpose. They can get hot and catch fire so it's not worth the risk.

Fair point

 

[Padsdad]

I don't think there's a smart socket suitable for a constant 10a current. I wouldn't personally trust one for that purpose. They can get hot and catch fire so it's not worth the risk.

I have found one thats rated at 13a, outdoor too

 

[Petriix]

I have found one thats rated at 13a, outdoor too

Rated at 13a doesn't necessarily equate to being fine with 20 hours of a constant 10a current. I'd proceed with caution.

 

[Jomarkh]

I had my granny on a Hive socket worked fine but I did seem to check it for heat an awful lot...but it was ok. Only used it until i got my Ohme.

 

[Alb]

I'd echo the caution theme.
First time you do it keep a very close eye on what's happening and act accordingly.
It might be useful to check equipment/cable temperatures with an IR gun. It won't take that long to peak and stabilise when on load.
Make sure any excess cable is uncoiled.

 

[Alb]

Also worth checking out THIS thread

 

[thefunkystoat]

I only charge mine on the Granny, depending on how you use it the cheap tariff might not be hugely beneficial. Even on a full overnight charge you'll only get around 40% back in the battery so you could end up charging every night depending on mileage.

 

[Adee]

I have an old "clockwork" type mains timer rated at 13A. To be safe I ran it first during daytime hours to check and there is no significant heat increase at all over several hours. I now use it to "harvest" Economy 7 electricity most night using the Granny charger.

 

[JohnB]

I have an old "clockwork" type mains timer rated at 13A. To be safe I ran it first during daytime hours to check and there is no significant heat increase at all over several hours. I now use it to "harvest" Economy 7 electricity most night using the Granny charger.

The trouble with those mechanical ones tends to be with the 'off' switch. They can have a tendency to not trip back off when high currents are going through them, or inductive loads. I tried running a chest freezer with one but it just wouldn't stop reliably. If you've got one that works, then you're onto a winner with that. Reliable and cheap, words that often don't go well together.

 

[Kithmo]

The trouble with those mechanical ones tends to be with the 'off' switch. They can have a tendency to not trip back off when high currents are going through them, or inductive loads. I tried running a chest freezer with one but it just wouldn't stop reliably. If you've got one that works, then you're onto a winner with that. Reliable and cheap, words that often don't go well together.

A bit off topic, I'm interested, why do you turn a freezer on and off on a timer, is it an economy thing (asking as a tight Yorkshireman ) ?

 

[JohnB]

A bit off topic, I'm interested, why do you turn a freezer on and off on a timer, is it an economy thing (asking as a tight Yorkshireman ) ?

That was the plan. I've got a chest freezer in the garage so I was seeing how big an impact turning it off overnight would be. Not much it turns out, as my timer wouldn't switch off and I figured buying a new one is probably more than the cost of the electricity saved. Freezers can be a bit of an energy hog.

 

[Adee]

The trouble with those mechanical ones tends to be with the 'off' switch. They can have a tendency to not trip back off when high currents are going through them, or inductive loads. I tried running a chest freezer with one but it just wouldn't stop reliably. If you've got one that works, then you're onto a winner with that. Reliable and cheap, words that often don't go well together.

Thanks for the warning. If my daytime bills start to increase unexpectedly, I'll know where to look. The one I've got is about 300yrs old - built to last