Internal/external charger?

[Wilse]

Hi all,
So, eagerly anticipating the arrival of my new S5EV soon and I'm still trying to justify a dedicated charger for it. Given the low frequency of charging I'm expecting I think I could easily justify getting a granny charger however, the convenience argument is for getting a dedicated charger installed (still can't get over how expensive that is to do). Thinking of going for the Hypervolt 3 Pro (fantastic reviews and Made In Britain). Question is, instinctively it makes sense to fit it to my outside wall right in front of the driveway but I'm also considering installing it inside the garage to keep it protected from the elements (sunshine hits the front of our house when it isn't raining). In theory all I'd need to do is get the charging cable out of the garage, close the garage door, roll the car up to the garage door (to secure the item garage) and then plug it in. Sounds painful but I think it might protect the charger/cable for longer. What are your thoughts?

 

[stevedee]

If you are a home owner, its a no-brainer.
Have a Hypervolt 3 Pro fitted outside your garage & enjoy the convenience of keeping your nice new S5 topped up to 80% & ready to go when you need to use it, with the minimum of hassle.

You've just spent/will be spending a lot of money on your car, so don't try to save a few hundred on a retched granny lead, for which you really also need a EV rated 13A socket.

Sign up to an Intelligent Octopus Go tariff & enjoy 7p/kWh tariff for your car, your dish washer & your washing machine. Your charger should give good service for many years to come; its designed to live outside in the rain & snow and under the rays of the sun.

Choose the best cable length for your needs; it not only needs to reach your car, but should lay on the ground to minimise the weight hanging on the car socket. It should not present a trip hazard. You may want to be able to park the car either way around. But I'd also suggest not to get a cable longer than you will ever need. I selected a 7.5m length on our Hypervolt.

I hope that helps.

One other point is that just because you have power in your garage, doesn't mean it will be easy to fit the charger there.
Ideally power needs to come from a dedicated fuse & cable from the main fuse box. I'd recommend talking to a good installer (not a general electrician) now to get the details sorted out.

I recommend EV Chargers and EV Charger Installation

I sent them photos & a video and had several calls with their tech support to make sure there were no surprises when the installer turned up. Because they fit so many chargers, they are very quick & efficient.

 

[Wilse]

If you are a home owner, its a no-brainer.
Have a Hypervolt 3 Pro fitted outside your garage & enjoy the convenience of keeping your nice new S5 topped up to 80% & ready to go when you need to use it, with the minimum of hassle.

You've just spent/will be spending a lot of money on your car, so don't try to save a few hundred on a retched granny lead, for which you really also need a EV rated 13A socket.

Sign up to an Intelligent Octopus Go tariff & enjoy 7p/kWh tariff for your car, your dish washer & your washing machine. Your charger should give good service for many years to come; its designed to live outside in the rain & snow and under the rays of the sun.

Choose the best cable length for your needs; it not only needs to reach your car, but should lay on the ground to minimise the weight hanging on the car socket. It should not present a trip hazard. You may want to be able to park the car either way around. But I'd also suggest not to get a cable longer than you will ever need. I selected a 7.5m length on our Hypervolt.

I hope that helps.

Thanks for your reply, I really appreciate it. I agree with you, it would be so much easier and more practical to have it fitted on the outside. We're incredibly lucky regarding the installation, given our house is only 15 years old. The location for the charger outside is right above the electric meter box and the consumer unit is on the inside next to the front door. The installer will only need a couple of meters of cable, if that, to connect everything up. I do plan to switch over to the IOG tariff but Octopus, our existing supplier, has already told us we'd need a smart meter installing as well. Neither installs are particularly challenging and we'd more than likely get the Hypervolt via Octopus so they can arrange the installation in connection with them fitting the smart meter. The only issue with them is that they only offer 5m or 10m cable lengths. I don't think 5 will be enough and 10 might be too much. I'm not sure what 10m of cable looks like wrapped around the charger either.....

One other point is that just because you have power in your garage, doesn't mean it will be easy to fit the charger there.
Ideally power needs to come from a dedicated fuse & cable from the main fuse box. I'd recommend talking to a good installer (not a general electrician) now to get the details sorted out.

I recommend EV Chargers and EV Charger Installation

I sent them photos & a video and had several calls with their tech support to make sure there were no surprises when the installer turned up. Because they fit so many chargers, they are very quick & efficient.

That EV chargers link you added offers the 7.5m cable option for £100+ saving over Octopus. That'll cover my first years worth of charge

 

[Kenp1]

I went for the 10m cable on the Hypervolt and it doesn't look like a lot when wound round the charger. My normal parking position means the cable has to go across the front and down the side of the car, this means most of the 10m is used up. It is also worth remembering that a future car will probably have the charge port in a different location.

 

[Wilse]

I went for the 10m cable on the Hypervolt and it doesn't look like a lot when wound round the charger. My normal parking position means the cable has to go across the front and down the side of the car, this means most of the 10m is used up. It is also worth remembering that a future car will probably have the charge port in a different location.

View attachment 42430

Thanks for your reply and for the photo. I'm hoping to be able to wrap the cable around the charger so that it limits the amount sticking out the side. In my case I think a 7.5m would be ample.

 

[Kenp1]

The cable is quite stiff, so you won't get it any tighter to the sides of the charger whatever length of cable it is, that's what it will look like.

 

[Rei]

I'd want the car in the garage, but I'm guessing it's one of those bike shed size ones that doesn't fit a car.

 

[Kenp1]

If the car isn't going in the garage I would have the charger on the outside, it is going to become very annoying having to go through that process every time.

 

[Ian Key]

The other option is to have an un-tethered charger and a separate charging cable. EV Cables do them from 2m to 50m. I keep mine hung up on a coat hook just inside the front door so its easy just to grab and nip out to connect to the charge and car.

 

[Wilse]

I'd want the car in the garage, but I'm guessing it's one of those bike shed size ones that doesn't fit a car.

Absolutely right

If the car isn't going in the garage I would have the charger on the outside, it is going to become very annoying having to go through that process every time.

Agreed

 

[MG Clive]

Good morning @Wilse, when you say you're still trying to justify a dedicated charger, if it's partly because of the cost, I thought the same before I got mine. But even with the few times I need to use mine to cover my 3000 miles per year, the money I'll save between petrol and electric will easily cover the cost of the charger in 2 years.

 

[stevedee]

I didn't want any external cable run to the charger, so the installer was great; he drilled a hole high enough so the cable comes out behind the charger.
I asked him not to fit the holster as I couldn't see the point. I think 7.5m does wrap neater than 10m, & after breakfast I'll post a photo showing mine.
There is a 2nd box to be fitted on the inside of the house. Talking to their tech via phone, I suggested I modify the electrics cabinet so it would fit inside (otherwise it would have been visibly mounted on our wall just inside the front door).

Also, we selected the Octopus pink box rather than a free-standng smart meter display.

 

[stevedee]

This is our charger with 7.5m cable & no holster...

Typical retail cable cost seems to work out about £10/m when looking at charger prices.

Re: tethered/untethered, we were advised to get an untethered charger, but I was not convinced. So I'd love to hear arguments for & against.

It seems to me that the main benefits are; it looks neater and you can use/change cable lengths (easily replaced if damaged, although difficult to imagine how one would get damaged).

What I see as negatives; they can be stolen if left connected when not in use (you can fit locks, but then they no longer look so neat). Where do you store them after use; if its been raining, you'd need to wipe them down after use if bringing into your house.

 

[Kenp1]

I don't normally worry about wrapping it around neatly as it's on the side of the garage, just rewound it and the 10m looks pretty much the same as 7.5m.

Octopus were also very good, I think they normally put the consumer unit outside next to the meter cupboard, but as mine backs onto the garage they were willing to put it in the garage with the cable running inside and just coming out under the charger.

I would also recommend a tethered charger.

 

[Ian Key]

I have an untethered charger.
In my opinion:
1. It looks neater
2. The type 2 cable can be taken with you although I've never needed to use it away from home.
3. There have been a few cases of the cables being stolen
4. I keep it next to the front door so it's easy to grab and connect to the charger and car. It takes 30 seconds to wipe it if it's wet.
5. It keeps the connectors dry so they don't corrode.

 

[Wilse]

Good morning @Wilse, when you say you're still trying to justify a dedicated charger, if it's partly because of the cost, I thought the same before I got mine. But even with the few times I need to use mine to cover my 3000 miles per year, the money I'll save between petrol and electric will easily cover the cost of the charger in 2 years.

I totally agree. The savings over a reasonably short period of time will cover the initial cost, I just need to find the extra grand+ upfront. I'm hoping one of those online car buyer sites will take our old car off us, that might cover the amount straight away

 

[Wilse]

This is our charger with 7.5m cable & no holster...

View attachment 42433
Typical retail cable cost seems to work out about £10/m when looking at charger prices.

Re: tethered/untethered, we were advised to get an untethered charger, but I was not convinced. So I'd love to hear arguments for & against.

It seems to me that the main benefits are; it looks neater and you can use/change cable lengths (easily replaced if damaged, although difficult to imagine how one would get damaged).

What I see as negatives; they can be stolen if left connected when not in use (you can fit locks, but then they no longer look so neat). Where do you store them after use; if its been raining, you'd need to wipe them down after use if bringing into your house.

I'd be more than happy with that setup, looks perfect

 

[Wilse]

View attachment 42435

I don't normally worry about wrapping it around neatly as it's on the side of the garage, just rewound it and the 10m looks pretty much the same as 7.5m.

Octopus were also very good, I think they normally put the consumer unit outside next to the meter cupboard, but as mine backs onto the garage they were willing to put it in the garage with the cable running inside and just coming out under the charger.

I would also recommend a tethered charger.

That's look neat

 

[Wilse]

I have an untethered charger.
In my opinion:
1. It looks neater
2. The type 2 cable can be taken with you although I've never needed to use it away from home.
3. There have been a few cases of the cables being stolen
4. I keep it next to the front door so it's easy to grab and connect to the charger and car. It takes 30 seconds to wipe it if it's wet.
5. It keeps the connectors dry so they don't corrode.

To be honest, we were initially planning to have an untethered version but the so called cost saving was negligible once you factor in the cost of a separate charging cable. Again, it's a decision of convenience, that small amount is time getting the cable out of the storage bag (wherever that's kept) and then packing it away, against a tethered version. I'm hoping to be organised enough not to need to charge it away from home, especially given the low miles we do.

 

[Bam Bam]

The way I see it is that the 7kW charger provides a lot of convenience and adds to the value of the house anyway if you sold up.

All houses with driveways are going to need one.

The cabling to ours (Givenergy) was also fed through a hole in the wall into the back of the unit. However, that does mean we have trunking inside the porch, but then we had a bit of trunking anyway for the solar so it was just a bit extra.