Home charging

[Lovemyev]

I believe you are still entitled to the grant for a second hand car, but you are only entitled to the grant once.

Not 100% sure, but you COULD claim the grant again IF you owned a second EV ?.
That may have changed now, but could be handy for twin EV owners.

 

[Kithmo]

I bought a brand new one and did not get a charger or lead, think they only did that when the cars were selling at full price

I got my free charger with the "Peace of mind" deal last July (2020) along with a free type 2 lead.

 

[Johnnybee]

Thanks for you reply, I think I'll stay where I am. You know the old saying " If it's not broken don't fix it" and it's working for me. I should have squeezed a Type 2 lead out of the Dealer but having never needed to use one, I didn't push it.

 

[Johnnybee]

I bought a brand new one and did not get a charger or lead, think they only did that when the cars were selling at full price

That really sucks, Dealers are like Politicians they are all crooks.!!!

 

[Lovemyev]

Thanks for you reply, I think I'll stay where I am. You know the old saying " If it's not broken don't fix it" and it's working for me. I should have squeezed a Type 2 lead out of the Dealer but having never needed to use one, I didn't push it.

A wall box is a better long term solution in my mind @Johnnybee .
Just something worth considering here.
Do you have a "Back Up Plan" plan if your "Granny" should fail ?.
Have you access to another car in case of charger failure, or a even public charging post near by ?.
I guess NO to the second option, because you don't have a Type 2 cable ?.
My OCD is triggered, if I have no "Back Up Plan" in place .
I had a wall box installed and then retired the "Granny" charger for emergency use and when we travel and the charging infrastructure is poor.
Access to a three pin socket is never far away !.
OEM replacement "Granny"units are generally expensive outside of the warranty term.
A VW replacement unit is close to £300 !.
That is a lot of money towards a wall box in my opinion.
Having the back up of second unit is like having the spare wheel kit.
You don't necessarily need it, but glad you had it when something goes wrong !.
Just food for thought .

 

[JodyS21]

A wall box is a better long term solution in my mind @Johnnybee .
Just something worth considering here.
Do you have a "Back Up Plan" plan if your "Granny" should fail ?.
Have you access to another car in case of charger failure, or a even public charging post near by ?.
I guess NO to the second option, because you don't have a Type 2 cable ?.
My OCD is triggered, if I have no "Back Up Plan" in place .
I had a wall box installed and then retired the "Granny" charger for emergency use and when we travel and the charging infrastructure is poor.
Access to a three pin socket is never far away !.
OEM replacement "Granny"units are generally expensive outside of the warranty term.
A VW replacement unit is close to £300 !.
That is a lot of money towards a wall box in my opinion.
Having the back up of second unit is like having the spare wheel kit.
You don't necessarily need it, but glad you had it when something goes wrong !.
Just food for thought .

I had never thought about a backup plan in case of charger failure, it is a very good point if you’re relying on it as the only vehicle.
Definitely something people should think about if they just rely on the supplied granny charger.

 

[Kithmo]

I had never thought about a backup plan in case of charger failure, it is a very good point if you’re relying on it as the only vehicle.
Definitely something people should think about if they just rely on the supplied granny charger.

My back up (if my Pod point fails) is Tescos free 7kW 3 miles away or granny. There's also a rapid at Morrisons, 2 miles away, but at around 50p/kWh (IIRC) I think I'll give that one a miss, leave it for those in need.

 

[Lovemyev]

My back up (if my Pod point fails) is Tescos free 7kW 3 miles away or granny. There's also a rapid at Morrisons, 2 miles away, but at around 50p/kWh (IIRC) I think I'll give that one a miss, leave it for those in need.

As our friends in America say :-
"Cover All Of Your Base's".
I am lucky enough to be in a similar situation @Kithmo .
I have a 7kw dumb wall box, that I have equipped to carry out timed controlled charging via a Wi-Fi relay installed inside, which is controlled from an App on my phone.
Love that cheaper "Off - Peak" rate.
Also, the now retired MG "Granny" hangs on the wall next to the wall box unit as a fall back plan.
It is on a new new dedicated RCD protected circuit, that I installed when I had my previous PHEV about 5 years ago.
Also hangs along side it is a bag containing a 2.5mm cross sectional ( more OCD ) 15 foot long extension cable, with a IP65 out door single socket outlet and a high quality MK three pin plug installed on the other end.
This travels with us when we going anywhere the charging infrastructure is poor or paying a visit to family who own a caravan in Harlech ( Wales ) like we did last week.
Never charged while there, but again, another back up plan. ( got home with 20 miles remaining ).
Also our nearest Tesco ( about 3 miles away ) has two newish Pod Point 7 kw A/C posts installed only about six months ago.
There is also a brand new Aldi store about to open next door in the next month or so.
I have checked the planning application with our local council and it is also having A/C posts installed ( nor sure what type yet ).
Then, only a short drive up a country lane from our house ( 2 miles ) is a hotel with a BP Pulse 50 kw charger on the car park.
I have a BP Pulse Plus account so the rates are not THAT bad.
Not that intend to use it very often, but nice to know it is there in an emergency and if I need a charge very quickly.
The next rapid is fairly close in pub car park, again next to a large hotel, just off the A55 express only about 5 miles away, a contactless card reader on this unit I think ?.
Plus a spare wallet full of RFID cards from different charging networks.
OCD kicking in again sorry folks !.
OPTIONS - You can NEVER have too many options.
Preparation is the key to success.

 

[Jake]

Not 100% sure, but you COULD claim the grant again IF you owned a second EV ?.
That may have changed now, but could be handy for twin EV owners.

Yes a second EV entitles another grant for a second wall charger. I just had to prove I still had the first EV and that the second EV was not a replacement but an addition. Two is the limit for claiming a grant.

 

[Gomev]

As our friends in America say :-
"Cover All Of Your Base's".
I am lucky enough to be in a similar situation @Kithmo .
I have a 7kw dumb wall box, that I have equipped to carry out timed controlled charging via a Wi-Fi relay installed inside, which is controlled from an App on my phone.
Love that cheaper "Off - Peak" rate.
Also, the now retired MG "Granny" hangs on the wall next to the wall box unit as a fall back plan.
It is on a new new dedicated RCD protected circuit, that I installed when I had my previous PHEV about 5 years ago.
Also hangs along side it is a bag containing a 2.5mm cross sectional ( more OCD ) 15 foot long extension cable, with a IP65 out door single socket outlet and a high quality MK three pin plug installed on the other end.
This travels with us when we going anywhere the charging infrastructure is poor or paying a visit to family who own a caravan in Harlech ( Wales ) like we did last week.
Never charged while there, but again, another back up plan. ( got home with 20 miles remaining ).
Also our nearest Tesco ( about 3 miles away ) has two newish Pod Point 7 kw A/C posts installed only about six months ago.
There is also a brand new Aldi store about to open next door in the next month or so.
I have checked the planning application with our local council and it is also having A/C posts installed ( nor sure what type yet ).
Then, only a short drive up a country lane from our house ( 2 miles ) is a hotel with a BP Pulse 50 kw charger on the car park.
I have a BP Pulse Plus account so the rates are not THAT bad.
Not that intend to use it very often, but nice to know it is there in an emergency and if I need a charge very quickly.
The next rapid is fairly close in pub car park, again next to a large hotel, just off the A55 express only about 5 miles away, a contactless card reader on this unit I think ?.
Plus a spare wallet full of RFID cards from different charging networks.
OCD kicking in again sorry folks !.
OPTIONS - You can NEVER have too many options.
Preparation is the key to success.

You might want to ditch the BP Pulse card (do you really save yourself £7.95 a month charging at their points).
I have received an email from Osprey saying they are removing the price advantage to members, supposedly due to the change in the VAT they have to charge. I can well see BP doing the same.

 

[Lovemyev]

You might want to ditch the BP Pulse card (do you really save yourself £7.95 a month charging at their points).

Honest answer - NO your totally right, I don’t save any money from having the BP Pulse membership.
I deceived to take out this service when I first got the car, as this was my first full EV and their coverage was pretty good.
Also I had read nightmare stories of how people could not collect a charge due to poor phone coverage and the only way to get an RFID card from BP Pulse, was to pay a subscription fee.
On the times I have used their units, I have not had a problem getting a charge when using the RFID card.
But If they follow the other networks, regarding costs, I will ditch it straight away !.

 

[Kithmo]

Honest answer - NO your totally right, I don’t save any money from having the BP Pulse membership.
I deceived to take out this service when I first got the car, as this was my first full EV and their coverage was pretty good.
Also I had read nightmare stories of how people could not collect a charge due to poor phone coverage and the only way to get an RFID card from BP Pulse, was to pay a subscription fee.
On the times I have used their units, I have not had a problem getting a charge when using the RFID card.
But If they follow the other networks, regarding costs, I will ditch it straight away !.

Ditch the subscription but keep the account, put some money in (you have to have £5 or more in to initiate a charge) and use the app.
BP prices seem to vary. Using the account (not subscription) it was still only 18p/kWh last month at Mablethorpe on the East coast even after they had announced a price increase.

 

[Johnnybee]

I was using a granny charger up until last week when I had a Hypervolt installed. As I have only used it once I am questioning whether it was worth the outlay. I do not do a lot of miles each week and I do not work so I have time to make sure that the car is fully charged. Time will tell.

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but do most of the members on this Forum wear "Belts & Braces"?. Like I said it's, Horses for Courses , if the Granny Charger fails then go get it repaired.!! "Simples" it's not Rocket Science.

 

[Lovemyev]

Forgive me if I'm wrong, but do most of the members on this Forum wear "Belts & Braces"?. Like I said it's, Horses for Courses , if the Granny Charger fails then go get it repaired.!! "Simples" it's not Rocket Science.

Yes they do !.
And for good reasons I think .
If your EV is your ONLY form of transport and charging of your car is only possible via your single “Granny” and it should fail, pus, you are NOT close to any public chargeing posts, what do you do then ?.
Oh … And don’t forget to take the Type 2 cable that you did not buy either ! .
Because without one you are stuck.
Unlikely that your “Granny” will get repaired overnight either.
So, you are then left with trying to find a replacement unit pretty sharpish.
So not that simple after all then - Eh ?.
Not sure if the “Granny” unit is completely covered by the 7 year warranty and they are not cheap to purchase from the dealer network either, plus the wait time of course.
I admire your faith in the reliability of the “Granny” charger and that is to be totally commended.
My previous VW PHEV was charged by a “Granny” unit for the first 6 months of ownership.
It worked absolutely fine, but as the months past by, owners started reporting failures of these units.
Some where covered under warranty, but some where not !.
The cost to replace them where around £300 !.
That is a big chunk towards the price of a wall box in my mind.
This is one of the reasons I decided to opt for a wall box and retire the “Granny” for use whe travelling to areas where the charging infrastructure is poor.
As you say:-
“Each To His / Her Own”.
A lot of owners don’t consider purchasing / carrying a spare wheel, even though the car can accept one ?.
Relying totally on the powers of an inflation kit, which has a life spam and needs replacing at the customers cost.
Why do they do this - for the same reason’s given above I guess.
Of course I have the spare wheel kit in my boot, and the Type 2 cable wrapped around it.
But of course, you already knew this .

 

[Jake]

Yes they do !.
And for good reasons I think .
If your EV is your ONLY form of transport and charging of your car is only possible via your single “Granny” and it should fail, pus, you are NOT close to any public chargeing posts, what do you do then ?.
Oh … And don’t forget to take the Type 2 cable that you did not buy either ! .
Because without one you are stuck.
Unlikely that your “Granny” will get repaired overnight either.
So, you are then left with trying to find a replacement unit pretty sharpish.
So not that simple after all then - Eh ?.
Not sure if the “Granny” unit is completely covered by the 7 year warranty and they are not cheap to purchase from the dealer network either, plus the wait time of course.
I admire your faith in the reliability of the “Granny” charger and that is to be totally commended.
My previous VW PHEV was charged by a “Granny” unit for the first 6 months of ownership.
It worked absolutely fine, but as the months past by, owners started reporting failures of these units.
Some where covered under warranty, but some where not !.
The cost to replace them where around £300 !.
That is a big chunk towards the price of a wall box in my mind.
This is one of the reasons I decided to opt for a wall box and retire the “Granny” for use whe travelling to areas where the charging infrastructure is poor.
As you say:-
“Each To His / Her Own”.
A lot of owners don’t consider purchasing / carrying a spare wheel, even though the car can accept one ?.
Relying totally on the powers of an inflation kit, which has a life spam and needs replacing at the customers cost.
Why do they do this - for the same reason’s given above I guess.
Of course I have the spare wheel kit in my boot, and the Type 2 cable wrapped around it.
But of course, you already knew this .

In 5 years of EV motoring I had never used a granny charger until a couple of weeks ago. Just as well I tried it because the one that came with my ZS would not lock into the charge socket. Took it back to the dealer and they tried on 3 other EVs with the same result. They said it would be replaced under warranty but is on back order so could take some time. No worries I don't intend to use it, was just curious after reading some threads on this forum. All my other grannies remained sealed in their packaging.

 

[Lovemyev]

In 5 years of EV motoring I had never used a granny charger until a couple of weeks ago. Just as well I tried it because the one that came with my ZS would not lock into the charge socket. Took it back to the dealer and they tried on 3 other EVs with the same result. They said it would be replaced under warranty but is on back order so could take some time. No worries I don't intend to use it, was just curious after reading some threads on this forum. All my other grannies remained sealed in their packaging.

Similar situation here.
Only used the MG unit about three times ( about 5 hours in total ) in 18 months.
It did come in handy when we paid a day visit to some members of the family, on holiday.
Other than that, it does not get used.
Handy if the wall box throws a wobble !.