There have been good things about ohme due to the integrations with octopus if thats the way you want to go and they are big enough that it’s unlikely the company will go bump and losing functionality with the connected services.I’m looking for a home charger and wondered which charger people would recommend please? What are your thoughts on the Hive? Thanks
Thank you for your comments!There have been good things about ohme due to the integrations with octopus if thats the way you want to go and they are big enough that it’s unlikely the company will go bump and losing functionality with the connected services.
Personally I believe the installer is an importsnt part as they will know how things are locally by that I mean with the local DNO and what may or may not be acceptable (I.e if you are on a looped supply, how to ensure the application goes through with load limiting etc). Based on that I got what I was given by them which was a relatively unknown brand but works fine, but the installer was lazy and didn’t fit the ct clamp which I’m not too happy about as this was what was specified in the install due to looped supply (in reality I’ll never reach the load limit unless I do a Sunday roast whilst showering with the dishwasher & dryer on and charging). Hive with British Gas has been somewhat mixed results and I’m having my own heartache with BG let alone having a charger from them (I believe hive is a centrica thing BG parent company) so personally I’d avoid but that’s just me.
Do a bit of research of what you want tethered, untethered, solar integration, supplier integration and go from there (maybe post up on here too as others will be able to advise better).
PS unsure if it was my car or the vchrged7 charger I have but powerline networking caused some issues so one to be mindful of.
I was wondering if it was worth getting a Zappi. I have 4kW panels on the 21p FIT rate, in the summer I used the granny to charge the car with excess going to the grid. Now my excess is 0-1.5kW so I plug in for a few hours and accept I'll pay 7-27p per kWh. How does it work out with a Zappi?If you have or are thinking of getting solar panels then check out the Zappi. It also works with Intelligent Octopus Go 7.5p for 6 hours plus over night.
Thanks,Any excess over 1.4kW will go to the car.
You could get an Eddi to go with it and use any excess to heat your immersion tank.
Personally I would avoid Hive. The reason is that they seem to dump products at a whim as done recently, so I'd make a clear steer away from them on that basis. They even blocked these devices from being used ever again! Not a good sign.I’m looking for a home charger and wondered which charger people would recommend please? What are your thoughts on the Hive? Thanks
I am from Malta, and I purchased a Lektrico smart charger that I found to be good and cheaper than other smart chargers. It has its own app if you have WiFi availability, and you can still stop the charging from the MGsmart app. At an extra cost, it is also possible to integrate with an optional energy management system and also optionally with solar panels.I’m looking for a home charger and wondered which charger people would recommend please? What are your thoughts on the Hive? Thanks
I too had powerline problems causing problems by interfering with charging my early version MG5 with a Zappi v2.0, but as our Renault Zoe always charged without problems, the problem was with the MG5.There have been good things about ohme due to the integrations with octopus if thats the way you want to go and they are big enough that it’s unlikely the company will go bump and losing functionality with the connected services.
Personally I believe the installer is an importsnt part as they will know how things are locally by that I mean with the local DNO and what may or may not be acceptable (I.e if you are on a looped supply, how to ensure the application goes through with load limiting etc). Based on that I got what I was given by them which was a relatively unknown brand but works fine, but the installer was lazy and didn’t fit the ct clamp which I’m not too happy about as this was what was specified in the install due to looped supply (in reality I’ll never reach the load limit unless I do a Sunday roast whilst showering with the dishwasher & dryer on and charging). Hive with British Gas has been somewhat mixed results and I’m having my own heartache with BG let alone having a charger from them (I believe hive is a centrica thing BG parent company) so personally I’d avoid but that’s just me.
Do a bit of research of what you want tethered, untethered, solar integration, supplier integration and go from there (maybe post up on here too as others will be able to advise better).
PS unsure if it was my car or the vchrged7 charger I have but powerline networking caused some issues so one to be mindful of.
The Zappi is now compatible with Octopus Intelligent Go , so getting a Zappi would give you the option of using excess solar generation for charging the EV, or exporting back to the grid for money.I wouldn’t worry about solar integration. If you go on intelligent octopus go you can charge overnight at 7.5p per Kwh and still export excess solar at a better rate. You will need an Ohme charger for that tariff as MG won’t release the API.
Interesting - looks like they affect our cars not the chargers then. Cost me about £200 to remove the powerline adapters (originally sent the Ethernet over about 60m of armoured power cable to shed which ran across a communal access road, very annoying).I too had powerline problems causing problems by interfering with charging my early version MG5 with a Zappi v2.0, but as our Renault Zoe always charged without problems, the problem was with the MG5.
Since I have removed the last powerline adapter from the mains, I have had no problems at all charging the MG5.
Indeed, and also factor in the premium you will pay for usage outside of those hours over other Octopus tariffs. Octopus crunched the numbers for me and it made no sense at all moving over to that tariff. You would have to have a decent solar capacity and probably batteries, too, for it to make any sense and even then the payback on the capital expenditure takes years (and remember to discount the 5.5% interest lost had you invested it). Even then, by far your greatest cost is the depreciation, which for some reason at the moment EV’s are suffering significantly more than ICE vehicles. Hopefully, that will pass.I have a question. So far i have been happily granny charging when needed 4 hours a night with octopus. With it getting colder/wetter, I was thinking of moving to a dedicated charger.
So from the electrics/safety point of view, it would be preferable.
But my figures on money saving don't seem so good, unless I'm missing something. With octopus, I think I would get an extra 2 hours a night at 7.5p. Currently I don't need those 2 hours but if I did, it would still be a long time until all those 2x 7.5p add up to the £1k install.
Someone tell me I'm wrong and to book an install ASAP please. Been chucking this round my brain far too long!
Although I don't have solar. But yeah my figures don't seem worth it. Is it just a convenience?Indeed, and also factor in the premium you will pay for usage outside of those hours over other Octopus tariffs. Octopus crunched the numbers for me and it made no sense at all moving over to that tariff. You would have to have a decent solar capacity and probably batteries, too, for it to make any sense and even then the payback on the capital expenditure takes years (and remember to discount the 5.5% interest lost had you invested it). Even then, by far your greatest cost is the depreciation, which for some reason at the moment EV’s are suffering significantly more than ICE vehicles. Hopefully, that will pass.