VCHRGD 'chargers'

[Gomev]

Does anyone have any experience of these. I'm considering replacing my EVSE ('charger') and have seen these at a 'cheaper than others price' of £745 tethered or untethered fully installed by Smart Home Charge' They are also Octopus Intelligent Go compatible.

Vchrgd Seven 7kW smart home EV charger installation

Get the Vchrgd Seven, the 7kW home charger with a sleek and stealthy build that offers charge scheduling, solar EV charging and support for third party apps.

www.smarthomecharge.co.uk

 

[MG Clive]

Looking around the interweb, it looks as if several companies are installing them, have you made a decision yet?

 

[Everest]

No experience of those, but... nearly £400 (min) for installation sounds a lot, if you already have up-to-date wiring in place for your current charger. May be worth looking into whether buying just the charger for £384 and getting a local sparky to screw it on the wall and connect 3 wires could work out cheaper - just a thought.

 

[Alb]

Just looking at their charging cable warranty

 

[Everest]

Good point @Alb...

Note also that the unit itself is only IP54 rated, rather than the more common IP66 rating.

The 'water ingress' part (second digit) of 4 is only splash protection... "Protected from water splashes from any direction, like light rain or spray. Best For: Indoor use with occasional moisture or outdoor covered areas"

 

[Gomev]

Good point @Alb...

Note also that the unit itself is only IP54 rated, rather than the more common IP66 rating.

The 'water ingress' part (second digit) of 4 is only splash protection... "Protected from water splashes from any direction, like light rain or spray. Best For: Indoor use with occasional moisture or outdoor covered areas"

It says IP55 in the FAQs. so dust protected and water jet proof. Maybe it reported differently in different places ??

No experience of those, but... nearly £400 (min) for installation sounds a lot, if you already have up-to-date wiring in place for your current charger. May be worth looking into whether buying just the charger for £384 and getting a local sparky to screw it on the wall and connect 3 wires could work out cheaper - just a thought.

Regs have changed since I had my current one installed in 2020. I have a matt:e box as they couldn't drive an earth rod in anywhere. I suspect other than the cable going through the wall I would need a whole new installation.
Undecided as yet, I am still working on making my current app work again.

 

[emmrecs]

I have a matt:e box as they couldn't drive an earth rod in anywhere.

But, according to their website
The Vchrgd Seven has built-in earthing protection, which avoids the need for an earth rod to be installed at your property.

So the lack of an existing earthing rod should not be a problem for you.

 

[Gomev]

But, according to their website
The Vchrgd Seven has built-in earthing protection, which avoids the need for an earth rod to be installed at your property.

So the lack of an existing earthing rod should not be a problem for you.

Sorry I obviously didn't make the point of my post well enough. The point was that I would probably need a complete re-install, as opposed to just being able to stick a different box on the wall and reconnecting a few wires. This would include removing of the matte:e and other stuff needed for the newer regs.
I think most if not possibly all newer 'chargers' have the built-in earth protection which mine hasn't.

 

[Everest]

It says IP55 in the FAQs. so dust protected and water jet proof. Maybe it reported differently in different places ??

Saw it in VCHRGD's datasheet and installation guide from their website