Is it possible to totally run an EV on just a Granny charger? 🤔

[Rayz]

As I've said in another thread I'm considering getting an X power. Is it possible to just use the supplied Granny charger to run the car. As I won't be venturing to far from home. For say, at least a couple of months, to find out if I really like an EV/X power and can live with it permanently, rather than go to the expense of a home charger, and then find out I hate it, (doubtful but you never know)

They give out about 2.2kw but according to the book the charger is good at balancing the batteries. That's the 400v and the 12v battery.

 

[Gomev]

Theirs is no “granny” in it. It’s a charger. It works same as any other. Only difference is speed. If anything it puts less wear and tear on the battery by charging slower.

If you have your own home location to charge at, and your able to charge at your leisure based on your patter of usage, and, it’s a no brainer to just use that and at occasional other times go to a fast charger.

Well descriptively granny because it is slow, but it is NOT a charger, that resides in the car itself. It is an EVSE, (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment), so technically a slow EVSE, or colloquially a granny charger.

 

[tsedge]

Well descriptively granny because it is slow, but it is NOT a charger, that resides in the car itself. It is an EVSE, (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment), so technically a slow EVSE, or colloquially a granny charger.

I thought the name came about because of "how shall we charge when we go and visit granny"?

Anyway, the EVSE word salad just hasn't caught on, the game is over on that one.

I think just about juice. The hose I have wrapped around my Zappi is full of good electrical juice and when I plug it into the car, the juice flows into the car.

The bigger the hose diameter, the faster the juice flows, so the little thin 3 pin plug hose is slow, my Zappi is faster and the great big thick hoses where I stop en-route are much faster still.

Thankfully the electrical juice is odourless, colourless and very hard to spill, which is much nicer than ICE vehicles. Any excess electrons that get on your hands can be quickly shaken off.

 

[Rolfe]

I thought it was that the chargers are so simple your granny can use them, and they will give enough range for a retired person's driving needs. So no stereotyping there at all!

There are losses correct, especially if you use an extension lead, the voltage drop across the lead and plugs cause heat, so keep plug pins really clean, and plug charger in as close to socket as possible.

My car's charging port is 1.5 metres from the power point, and the plug never gets even warm, so we seem to be coping.

 

[Davn]

If you only drive a few miles a day and only require a small top up ,it's feasible . But for many drivers it's impractical

I do 80 miles a day and use the granny + the old trip to a rapid if needed no problem.

 

[Rolfe]

Exactly. You can get 80 miles in about 12 hours on a granny charger, so if you're in the house for 12 hours most nights you can do it. And as you say, even half an hour on a rapid will get you back to where you need to be if the schedule is slipping.

 

[maskull]

I do 80 miles a day and use the granny + the old trip to a rapid if needed no problem.

Fair comment . But the OP asked if it's possible to totally run an EV off a granny charger . If as @Rolfe says that takes 12 hours to recharge 80 miles ,I consider that impractical personally

 

[siteguru]

It really depends on your daily mileage though ... for many people adding 80 miles per night will be more than enough.

 

[Rolfe]

Is there really anyone at all who isn't in a position to spend half an hour on a rapid once in a while? It's just a back-stop in case the system gets a bit out of synch. (Of course the rapid here is only 30p per unit, which does make the decision easier.)

 

[MadaboutDana]

If you've got PV panels, charging via the granny charger makes sense. I cancelled our 7kW charger installation because I realised it made more sense to charge the car from our panels, and so far this year, it's worked really well. Most of our driving is confined to weekends and the occasional evening – obviously a regular commuter might have to think again about granny charging! We input at 10A (so between 1.9 and 2kW) from an external socket (which has suitable wiring); the electrician thinks we could probably risk 13A, but 10A works fine. Yes, it takes time, but it's worth it. Now we're looking at installing domestic batteries to tide us over the winter – the recent rainstorms are definitely inhibiting our PV panels!

 

[GaryMG4]

Fair comment . But the OP asked if it's possible to totally run an EV off a granny charger . If as @Rolfe says that takes 12 hours to recharge 80 miles ,I consider that impractical personally

I think it totally depends on the circumstances. If you drive 40 miles to work and are able to plug in there, work, drive home, repeat then it's very easy to do.

 

[maskull]

We seem to be getting in a " have and have nots " situation here . Many , I for one , do not have the luxury of being able to charge at home ,granny or otherwise . The nearest rapid charger is a 30 mile round trip at 79p KWh so that makes no economical or common sense to me . This also was a factor in me coming so late to the EV fold . I would have gone full EV in 2016 , but no 7Kw in the area and rapid chargers a 40 to 50 mile round trip EV range about 150 miles unless you had a Tesla ( which I couldn't and still can't afford ) .
Totally using a granny is still not possible for me , for others it may be

 

[the happy bunny]

It truly depends on your usage and charging habits. For the first three years with our first EV (MK1 Kia Soul), we happily used a granny charger. This car served as our second vehicle, primarily used for local trips around town. Never ran into any kind of problem!!!!

However, this summer, when I purchased my Model 3, With two EVs at home, charging times became a concern. I had to carefully monitor the SoC of both vehicles. So when we replaced the Kia with an MG4, I went on for a 7kW charging solution.

I installed a CEE 32A socket with a dedicated 40A/30mA residual current breaker, a 32A circuit breaker, and 6mm² wiring, in combination with my standard Tesla charger and a CEE Adapter.

This setup allows for 7kW charging and is much more cost effective than a wall connector.

 

[GaryMG4]

We seem to be getting in a " have and have nots " situation here .

I agree without home charging an EV would become an expensive luxury. Anything over 65p per kWh is more expensive than ice. Apart from my nearest supermarket that still offers free 7kw chargers I'd be looking at 44p for a max 11kw, or 79p for DC, all being a 10-15 mile round trip.

 

[Ruislip Resident]

Without charging at home I'd be going to Costco a couple of times a week to charge up for a couple of hours a time.

 

[the happy bunny]

It's dead simple with a petrol car – the more you drive, the more you pay. But things get a bit more tricky with an EV.

If you can't charge at home, that's a real deal breaker. Not only does it negate most of the savings you'd get from an EV (unless you have a reliable option to charge for free), but having to plan everything in advance can turn the experience into a total nightmare!

Honestly, I wouldn't suggest getting an EV to anyone who can't charge at home.

 

[tsedge]

In my view the main reason for getting an EV is not to save money - anyone buying a new car is almost never saving money due to depreciation and/or interest payments.

Some people have an environmental motivation, for some it is the interior space, for me is wasn't those things it was the superior driving experience that an EV offers with instant response, no gears to change, effortless acceleration plus decent handling (with the MG4's RWD 50:50 weight distribution) that attracted me.

Other bonuses are more reliability, cheaper servicing and the lower cost of charging with a home charger - but these were nice to haves for me and not the main reason.

There's only one way to reliably save money and that's to run an old cheap car into the ground.

 

[maskull]

Without charging at home I'd be going to Costco a couple of times a week to charge up for a couple of hours a time.

How much is it at Costco ? Academic anyway ,the nearest to me is 20 miles away and no chargers

 

[the happy bunny]

I completely agree, and that's a point; you don't earn money when you purchase a car! However, having to monitor your SoC, leaving the car parked in a gloomy supermarket overnight, or having to visit fast chargers every other day could litteraly ruin the experience.

That's why I said "generally speaking": Of course, if one's really willing to buy an EV and considers the challenges implied by being unable to charge at home, he will be more than delighted to own one!

But I believe most people primarily consider costs and practical aspects when purchasing a new car, which I also understand.

 

[maskull]

In my view the main reason for getting an EV is not to save money - anyone buying a new car is almost never saving money due to depreciation and/or interest payments.

Some people have an environmental motivation, for some it is the interior space, for me is wasn't those things it was the superior driving experience that an EV offers with instant response, no gears to change, effortless acceleration plus decent handling (with the MG4's RWD 50:50 weight distribution) that attracted me.

Other bonuses are more reliability, cheaper servicing and the lower cost of charging with a home charger - but these were nice to haves for me and not the main reason.

There's only one way to reliably save money and that's to run an old cheap car into the ground.

Agree with your first point and , yes , environmental considerations were factored into my decision . Interior space was important as my son is a frequent exhibitor at Comic Cons in London, Bristol, Leeds, Manchester and I'm his taxi .
The superior driving experience ? Whilst I love my MG5 , I don't think it is a superior drive to my 2 Hyundai Ioniq Hybrids . Over a 100,000 miles they returned approx 70 mpg and the software and infotainment was far better than the MG , though it's not a deal breaker for me .
Reliability ? My Ioniqs were superb , no problems can't comment further for now .
Cheaper Servicing ? Definitely ,though it seems to me that the servicing costs are increasing for EVs
Charging vs Petrol ? Probably about the same costs for both Ioniq and MG taking into account VEHD £160 vs £0 , so may come down marginally on the side of the EV.
Run an old banger into the ground ? It used to be my mantra but must be a reliable banger ...and roadworthy