EV general discussion

[b0rn2sk8]

Speed of charging is a main factor, 7kW would fully charge overnight, 50kWh battery on the car I'm looking at, whereas a 3 pin plug would take 3 times longer at 2.3kW. Also, is it safe to leave a car charging overnight just off a 3 pin plug?

You can do it and it will probably be fine but there is a higher risk you’ll melt something. I’ve seen a lot more melted sockets from granny chargers than I have wall boxes but it that way.

It only takes one weak link to cause a problem and the weak link is usually the plug socket. New sockets are fine and reduce that risk but they wear out over time and they will probably melt eventually.

The other thing to think about is time of use tariffs, it’s much harder to take advantage of short periods overnight which are the cheap rate if you can’t get the power into the car in that window.

 

[Fuzz]

You can do it and it will probably be fine but there is a higher risk you’ll melt something. I’ve seen a lot more melted sockets from granny chargers than I have wall boxes but it that way.

It only takes one weak link to cause a problem and the weak link is usually the plug socket. New sockets are fine and reduce that risk but they wear out over time and they will probably melt eventually.

The other thing to think about is time of use tariffs, it’s much harder to take advantage of short periods overnight which are the cheap rate if you can’t get the power into the car in that window.

A note to add here is that if you buy a tesla, then the granny charger cable has a "hot swappable" (by that i mean it plugs in there is no wiring to do) plug you can change from normal 13 amp plug to 16 or 32 amp commando and it will allow the relevant amp flow automatically.
Thats why I went with a basic exterior 32 amp wall socket rather than some dedicated wall "charger"

 

[Deleted User 298457]

Speed of charging is a main factor, 7kW would fully charge overnight, 50kWh battery on the car I'm looking at, whereas a 3 pin plug would take 3 times longer at 2.3kW. Also, is it safe to leave a car charging overnight just off a 3 pin plug?

So for me, it is just the second car used for school runs etc. I'm quite happy plugging it in every night (altho I've forgotten the last 4 or 5 nights). I get economy 7 so that's 0030-0730 which is usually enough to add a decent amount in (or keep it fully charged).

I guess if I was using it as my primary car I'd be more concerned about guaranteeing it would be back to 100% or thereabouts overnight.

Just a consideration...as you may need a granny charger anyway for any random excursions (in laws in my case).

 

[J1nxy]

Car has arrived at the dealer and should be collecting on Tuesday afternoon. Going to have a poke round it later with my wife

 

[The1nonly1]

So for me, it is just the second car used for school runs etc. I'm quite happy plugging it in every night (altho I've forgotten the last 4 or 5 nights). I get economy 7 so that's 0030-0730 which is usually enough to add a decent amount in (or keep it fully charged).

I guess if I was using it as my primary car I'd be more concerned about guaranteeing it would be back to 100% or thereabouts overnight.

Just a consideration...as you may need a granny charger anyway for any random excursions (in laws in my case).

That makes sense to get a proper charger as it would be main car for me, although I could get away with leaving on charge for 20 hours a couple days a week to get to full as I only have to commute to work 2 days a week and it's about 6 miles each way. I'll have a think about what I need.

 

[Deleted User 298457]

That makes sense to get a proper charger as it would be main car for me, although I could get away with leaving on charge for 20 hours a couple days a week to get to full as I only have to commute to work 2 days a week and it's about 6 miles each way. I'll have a think about what I need.

2 days and 6 miles - you'll barely need to plug it in other than over winter.

 

[jpaul]

FT article on that JLR battery strategy

Jaguar Land Rover owner demands £500mn from UK for battery factory​

 

[Jonnycoupe]

EV converted Honda Insight
Not sure how he’s managed to get 71kWh in it though!

 

[b0rn2sk8]

Impressive, that packaging is even more so. I’d even go as far as saying that 71kwh is overkill!

I didn’t see any reference to rapid BBC hanging but at 400 miles range, you probably don’t need it.

GM motor and wheels are a nice touch. I wouldn’t dare ask how much it cost though.

 

[Jonnycoupe]

Yeah project since 2011. Would have thought 45kWh was sufficent. Chap in UK has 29kWh and does 170miles range.

 

[McPhee]

Speed of charging is a main factor, 7kW would fully charge overnight, 50kWh battery on the car I'm looking at, whereas a 3 pin plug would take 3 times longer at 2.3kW. Also, is it safe to leave a car charging overnight just off a 3 pin plug?

It can be useful to think of the difference in terms of miles recharged per hour, e.g. 22 hours for a full charge from a granny lead sounds terrible, but in practice this means 70 miles of range from a 10 hour overnight charge. If the car is plugged in every night, a granny lead is fast enough for most drivers.

OTOH, big savings can be made from being able to make use of smart charging tariffs. The best on the market right now is Ovo's Charge Anytime. 8,000 miles per year would cost £267 vs £880 on an SVT. Some cars support this tariff natively. If you have an unsupported model, you need a compatible wall box.

There's also the safety consideration; a properly installed wall box is going to be less prone to failure and will include PEN fault detection.

TL;DR: A granny charger is probably adequate, but might mean higher fuel costs. In that case, a wall box will likely pay for itself fairly quickly. And a wall box is less prone to... fire.

 

[Kill_Phil]

Car has arrived at the dealer and should be collecting on Tuesday afternoon. Going to have a poke round it later with my wife

What you go for?

 

[Fuzz]

I can only speak from personal experience but what time do most people get home from work?

For me it's 18:30-19:00 ish as I've also been to the gym.
In the mornings I leave home 6:30-7:00..
This allows a 12 hr window to be plugged in on days you don't go out after work.
Even on 13 amps that's about 36kW
I use roughly 14Kw to go to work and back 20 miles away most of which is Motorway at 70+ mph..


Not withstanding safety issues
There seems to be far too much concern about range anxiety STILL.

 

[jpaul]

tv last night - clever new volvo marketting - few words, but subliminal linking between Lidar and safety
For Life - When you feel safe you can be truly free

----

another culprit for slow ev deployment https://www.transportenvironment.org/
Feb T&E analysis of used car prices suggests that leasing companies are actually slowing down the shift to electromobility due to their conservative pricing that overcharge drivers that want to lease an electric car.
or greed.

 

[Deleted User 298457]

I can only speak from personal experience but what time do most people get home from work?

For me it's 18:30-19:00 ish as I've also been to the gym.
In the mornings I leave home 6:30-7:00..
This allows a 12 hr window to be plugged in on days you don't go out after work.
Even on 13 amps that's about 36kW
I use roughly 14Kw to go to work and back 20 miles away most of which is Motorway at 70+ mph..


Not withstanding safety issues
There seems to be far much concern about range anxiety STILL.

Range anxiety is being conflated with range flexibility. Without not so insignificant compromise, they can't do the quintessential British escape -> 100 mile journey to somewhere pleasant, pootle around to local sites, 100 miles back.

 

[J1nxy]

What you go for?

IPace My21 HSE Yulong White, black pack, performance seats, air suspension sunroof and the other sutff that the HSE comes with as standard. 2 Year Warranty, 2 Year Breakdown, next service free (2 years time) and free charger.

 

[Fuzz]

Range anxiety is being conflated with range flexibility. Without not so insignificant compromise, they can't do the quintessential British escape -> 100 mile journey to somewhere pleasant, pootle around to local sites, 100 miles back.

what's not flexible about this?

 

[chanjy]

IPace My21 HSE Yulong White, black pack, performance seats, air suspension sunroof and the other sutff that the HSE comes with as standard. 2 Year Warranty, 2 Year Breakdown, next service free (2 years time) and free charger.

Nice, did you manage to haggle anything off the price with the dealer too?

 

[b0rn2sk8]

I can only speak from personal experience but what time do most people get home from work?

For me it's 18:30-19:00 ish as I've also been to the gym.
In the mornings I leave home 6:30-7:00..
This allows a 12 hr window to be plugged in on days you don't go out after work.
Even on 13 amps that's about 36kW
I use roughly 14Kw to go to work and back 20 miles away most of which is Motorway at 70+ mph..


Not withstanding safety issues
There seems to be far too much concern about range anxiety STILL.

I get the point and it’s fine until it isn’t.

Putting aside the significant savings from time of use tariffs and the potential safety issues, it’s not inconceivable that you get home late with an empty battery and you need a decent charge for the next day. It’s happened to me plenty of times.

 

[Dalandius]

Just skimmed the thread but most of you seem to be assuming you have some where to plug in the car over night, what do people without a private drive do to recharge their cars?