Which at home charger?

[FrankMG4]

I live in a sunny country and have a PV installation with an SMA Sunny Boy inverter.
Later I added the SMA EV Charger (see SMA EV Charger 7.4 / 22 with Smart Connected | SMA Solar).
Now I can charge my car (when the sun shines) only with excess energy!
So far this year, I have charged 425 kWh, with 81% "free".
Yes, I had to charge overnight a few times ...

 

[sandra54]

I am currently on Octopus Agile and looking at moving to Intelligent go in the winter but wondered which charger works the best with the ZS EV Long range & the intelligent tarrif?

I don't have any charger yet so open to any suggestions

If you’re sticking with Octopus it will have to be compatible with them. At the moment the car is not. I have a Rolec, which is not compatible ( it’s useless as a smart charger anyway!) . I charge using Octopus Agile which I find perfect for my needs.

 

[PhilG512]

I am currently on Octopus Agile and looking at moving to Intelligent go in the winter but wondered which charger works the best with the ZS EV Long range & the intelligent tarrif?

I don't have any charger yet so open to any suggestions

I'm currently with OVO who have a 24/7 7p tariff for smart chargers...
OVO Chargers

 

[John Joice]

Yes, I'm in the same boat, looking for wall chargers.. not yet ready to commit to one particular provider and EV tariff as I might be spending more peak than off peak electricity even with EV charging so need to do some calculations first...

Anyone here that bought their own wall charger and had an electrician install it? Wondering if it's much cheaper that way...

We had Pod Point installed when we got our MG4 Trophy Long Range in December. Charge up overnight on cheap rate costs about £3 to go from 40 to 80% - 30p per kWh compared to 70 or 80p on a public charger. Annoys me that for a lot of public. chargers, I have to supply my own lead. There is an app for the Pod point, but tend to set up charging routine in the car anyway.

 

[Exdro]

I am currently on Octopus Agile and looking at moving to Intelligent go in the winter but wondered which charger works the best with the ZS EV Long range & the intelligent tarrif?

I don't have any charger yet so open to any suggestions

Buyer beware. I had an EO charger fitted by EDF in February 2020. The software for this was withdrawn in Feb 2024 and it ceased to charge the car.I was charged £140.00 call out fee to tell me that the charger was now obsolete and had been since before the day it was fitted. I am now faced with having to replace this at a “discounted “price of between £400.00 and £700.00 + with a fitting charge on top. This equates to over £500.00 per year which negates any saving I may have made over an ICE car. Should a charger last more than four years or be declared obsolete when the software is no longer supported?

 

[fred12345]

Buyer beware. I had an EO charger fitted by EDF in ..

Is it not possible to set it to at least charge when you plug the car, without the software? They can't just "switch it off" , to stop updates and support, yes, same as they do with laptops but those with old Windows still work ...
Speak to your local independent electrician to see if that's possible...
I would definitely ask for call out charge to be refunded if they knew what model you have and they still turned up just to say it to you.

 

[mystreet]

Buyer beware. I had an EO charger fitted by EDF in February 2020. The software for this was withdrawn in Feb 2024 and it ceased to charge the car.I was charged £140.00 call out fee to tell me that the charger was now obsolete and had been since before the day it was fitted. I am now faced with having to replace this at a “discounted “price of between £400.00 and £700.00 + with a fitting charge on top. This equates to over £500.00 per year which negates any saving I may have made over an ICE car. Should a charger last more than four years or be declared obsolete when the software is no longer supported?

I have a EO Mini Pro installed. Was repaired by EO due to a burnt out component in September 2023, installed on November 2020 so just inside the 3 year warranty. But, more to the point the software, app still controls the schedule charge.

 

[ched]

Buyer beware. I had an EO charger fitted by EDF in February 2020. The software for this was withdrawn in Feb 2024 and it ceased to charge the car.I was charged £140.00 call out fee to tell me that the charger was now obsolete and had been since before the day it was fitted. I am now faced with having to replace this at a “discounted “price of between £400.00 and £700.00 + with a fitting charge on top. This equates to over £500.00 per year which negates any saving I may have made over an ICE car. Should a charger last more than four years or be declared obsolete when the software is no longer supported?

Speak to trading standards as I would say most people would expect a charger to still be operational after 4 years - it's a big outlay for what it is and as such you might find you have a case against EDF for fitting an obsolete charger.

 

[Exdro]

Is it not possible to set it to at least charge when you plug the car, without the software? They can't just "switch it off" , to stop updates and support, yes, same as they do with laptops but those with old Windows still work ...
Speak to your local independent electrician to see if that's possible...
I would definitely ask for call out charge to be refunded if they knew what model you have and they still turned up just to say it to you.

Tx for reply. Call out fee will be refunded if I buy new unit from them. Not happy that charger failed after only four years. Unit is declared obsolete with no parts available and does not work even as a dumb charger.
Now have solar panels so investigating how to harvest energy without draining the home batteries. Might have to bite the bullet and stump up, but am still in negotiation with EDF as the original supplier. Consumer rights act says that items should last “for a reasonable time”. Question is whether four years is a reasonable time for an item costing £1000.00 plus with no moving parts to last with no means of repair!

 

[Golfy]

I am currently on Octopus Agile and looking at moving to Intelligent go in the winter but wondered which charger works the best with the ZS EV Long range & the intelligent tarrif?

I don't have any charger yet so open to any suggestions

Zappi…. End of.

 

[ched]

Tx for reply. Call out fee will be refunded if I buy new unit from them. Not happy that charger failed after only four years. Unit is declared obsolete with no parts available and does not work even as a dumb charger.
Now have solar panels so investigating how to harvest energy without draining the home batteries. Might have to bite the bullet and stump up, but am still in negotiation with EDF as the original supplier. Consumer rights act says that items should last “for a reasonable time”. Question is whether four years is a reasonable time for an item costing £1000.00 plus with no moving parts to last with no means of repair!

It's not applicable but might give an idea how long things should last, the UK's Right to Repair law came in in 2021 but doesn't cover car chargers however if it where a dishwashers, washing machines, washer-dryers, refrigeration appliances as well as televisions and electronic display, then the manufacturers have to sell part to be able to repair for 10 years!
This is just 1 particular site I found after googleing 'how long should an ev charger last UK': Understanding the Lifespan of EV Chargers | Promise Electric - Sarasota, FL. seems like they suggest 10 years. So 4 is significantly less than a reasonable person would expect it to last! Definitely speak to Trading Standards as they might help or at least give you some guidance on your consumer rights.

 

[Exdro]

It's not applicable but might give an idea how long things should last, the UK's Right to Repair law came in in 2021 but doesn't cover car chargers however if it where a dishwashers, washing machines, washer-dryers, refrigeration appliances as well as televisions and electronic display, then the manufacturers have to sell part to be able to repair for 10 years!
This is just 1 particular site I found after googleing 'how long should an ev charger last UK': Understanding the Lifespan of EV Chargers | Promise Electric - Sarasota, FL. seems like they suggest 10 years. So 4 is significantly less than a reasonable person would expect it to last! Definitely speak to Trading Standards as they might help or at least give you some guidance on your consumer rights.

Tx for this very helpful reply. I will use info therein in my negotiations with EDF.

 

[Julybaby]

You must have a 3 pin charger at least? I bought one on Amazon and quite happy with it, might end up using it for a while until I figure out what to do about the wall charger...

I'll post here if I find any decent info online

This is what I have done. I had a 3 pin installed nearer the car and have been using that on Octopus 22:30-4:30 since September. No plans to do any different as it seems to be working well for me

 

[Crustyoldgit]

I have PV and batteries , and charge my ZS long range through a Zappi 2. Simple, flexible, reliable. Would recommend the same charger to anyone who asked.

 

[Exdro]

From what I’ve read here. Looks as though I’ll be going with Zappi and writing off my losses with EO. Made an expensive mistake there. Product which becomes obsolete and non repairable after only four years doesn’t give any faith in their product.

 

[jollyman]

Yes, I'm in the same boat, looking for wall chargers.. not yet ready to commit to one particular provider and EV tariff as I might be spending more peak than off peak electricity even with EV charging so need to do some calculations first...

Anyone here that bought their own wall charger and had an electrician install it? Wondering if it's much cheaper that way...

Yes I paid less than £300 for my charger wired it up myself(I’m a retired electrical engineer) and it works perfectly fine with octopus go the car , MG4se. ,does it’s own scheduled charging on 9 p perish happy days.saved myself £700 on the install

 

[Bam Bam]

Yes I paid less than £300 for my charger wired it up myself(I’m a retired electrical engineer) and it works perfectly fine with octopus go the car , MG4se. ,does it’s own scheduled charging on 9 p perish happy days.saved myself £700 on the install

Is that an Intelligent Octopus tariff though?

Only a few chargers work with IOG.

You can have a pretty dumb charger for standard Octopus Go - the car can do scheduling. However, MGs can't take instructions from Octopus so the only way to get IOG is with one of their linked smart chargers. Hopefully more will be added to the mix as time goes on.

Also - people who have had an electrician come out will now have the wiring etc. in place so could upgrade a charger in the future much more cheaply.

From what I’ve read here. Looks as though I’ll be going with Zappi and writing off my losses with EO. Made an expensive mistake there. Product which becomes obsolete and non repairable after only four years doesn’t give any faith in their product.

There are so many charger companies out there it is quite possible that many will go bust.

I don't see why that should stop them all working, but perhaps if the rely on apps and software that isn't being supported then it will be a problem.

 

[Tim Green]

Ref Jollyman, I arranged an installation through my usual electrician. Subsequently found that all ev chargers have to be registered with the grid supplier. There is a form to fill in, but they were happy to have retrospective applications.

 

[johnb80]

I don't see why that should stop them all working, but perhaps if the rely on apps and software that isn't being supported then it will be a problem.

There are a few EVSE units out there that rely solely on connection to manufacturers servers in order to work. Its a dangerous position to get into, you're completely vulnerable to the manufacturer. Whilst not EVSE equipment, British Gas who own Hive decided to switch off the Hive server controlling peoples CCTV systems. It rendered their system unusable with no alternative offering from BG / Hive. Anyone thinking of a Hive charger should keep this mind, in couple of years time they may well do the same to the Hive charger network.
I would suggest anyone looking for a EV wallbox should choose one that is capable of operating without connection to WiFi / Phone Line / Internet i.e. completely stand alone. The unit may also connect to the net for charging features such as Octopus Intelligent etc.

If one you see mentions Hive or BG, look the other way immediately

 

[fred12345]

If one you see mentions Hive or BG, look the other way immediately

Yes, I was tempted by 1 year free charging but there are cheaper options. I use Hive heating from their early beginnings but never subscribed to any of their "premium" stuff. True, they are too unpredictable to rely on... I might just stick to 3-pin charging if it works out and try to figure whether it's worth switching to a cheap few hours overnight and pay more in standing charges and day rates...