EV charger.

[Simmz]

Hi all, I'm having a garage conversion done at the moment and have some first fix electrics taking place next week alongside a new fuse board. I may plan to get a electric car at some stage and was wondering if it would be worth getting the electrician to run the cable before everything is made pretty again. If so, any ideas what cable type is needed and the process etc. Would probably go for a Zappi charger if I do.

Thanks a lot.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Has your garage got a big enough supply?

EV chargers are 32A/7.4kw so you need a least that much headroom plus your normal garage load.

You’d also want to route a least 1 CAT5e/CAT6 back to your main incoming fuse. This is for a CT clamp which is used for grid monitoring and solar integration.

You can get a 6mm cabals with an integrated CAT5e but it’s more expensive than running the 2 cables.

Also consider if you have WiFi reception where you want to place an EV charger, if not consider running a cable for Ethernet to hardwire the internet to the charger or a WiFi access point nearby for additional coverage.

 

[Simmz]

Has your garage got a big enough supply?

EV chargers are 32A/7.4kw so you need a least that much headroom plus your normal garage load.

You’d also want to route a least 1 CAT5e/CAT6 back to your main incoming fuse. This is for a CT clamp which is used for grid monitoring and solar integration.

You can get a 6mm cabals with an integrated CAT5e but it’s more expensive than running the 2 cables.

Also consider if you have WiFi reception where you want to place an EV charger, if not consider running a cable for Ethernet to hardwire the internet to the charger or a WiFi access point nearby for additional coverage.

Yeah, that side will be fine. It's been converted into an office but supply wise won't be an issue and a new fuse board is going in as well. Prefer the one cable and to try keep the look minimalist.

Wifi will be fine as the router is only a couple of meters from where it will be placed.

 

[dlockers]

No need for a sparks if you aren't second fixing. Just dig a trench and bury a fat armoured cable.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Yeah, that side will be fine. It's been converted into an office but supply wise won't be an issue and a new fuse board is going in as well. Prefer the one cable and to try keep the look minimalist.

Wifi will be fine as the router is only a couple of meters from where it will be placed.

If the garage has already got enough power, the only thing you need to consider is a data cable back the main fuse for a CT clamp.

Unless you plan on covering the cable and running it now makes it a lot easier, I don’t see any advantage of doing it now compared to later. However if you are going to cover the cable, do it now.

Edit: just seen you are going down the Zappi route, you can use a wireless CT via a Harvi hub but reception isn’t guaranteed and hardwired is more reliable.

 

[sparton_SPA]

No need for a sparks if you aren't second fixing. Just dig a trench and bury a fat armoured cable.

Agree with this, save the money and do the basic stuff yourself!

 

[lordrobs]

This is handy info. We are looking to get our garden landscaped at some point so I was going to check whether the current supply to the garage was beefy enough. The cable looks pretty chunky from the small section I can see but it is armoured so that may not really be telling me much! Sounds like a data cable would be a wise thing to fit anyway.

 

[b0rn2sk8]

As a minimum it needs a 4mm cable for a 32A breaker. Many charge points recommend a 40A breaker which will need a 6mm cable. If you have existing loads in the garage that need to be powered, you’ll need at least a 10mm cable as the charger will max out a 4/6mm.