Talk to me about EV chargers

Homer-Simpson

Homer-Simpson

Homer-Simpson

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6 Nov 2002
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1,174
So it looks like I'm making the move to an EV. Currently with EON but can look for an EV friendly tariff.

I have one main requirement about the charger though, I'd like it to look nice rather than a lump of plastic attached to the wall. I've not done much research into the tech so any resources or comments anyone can provide that discusses features, and how it integrates with EV friendly tariffs etc would be appreciated. I'd also like to hear about peoples experiences (good and bad) and if they were to do it again, what would they consider and possibly do differently.
 
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I’ve got an Ohme Pro installed which I use with my Kona EV and Intelligent Octopus Go (IOG) tariff:



It’s not exactly a thing of beauty, but I don’t think it’s an eye sore? Most importantly, it works very well with the IOG tariff and I get charged 7p per KWh. This means a full charge of my battery costs £4.48 with approximately 260 miles of range.

The charging process is as simple as opening the app to set the date & time you’ll need the car and what percentage of charge you’ll need. Once you plug the car in it’ll start charging within the schedule set by Octopus. I’ve had the charger since January, and I’ve had to restart the charger once as it locked up.

You’ll no doubt need to use public chargers at some point, and for this I’d recommend Octopus’ Electroverse card. It allows you to use a lot of charger networks without needing to sign up with them directly, and the costs are added to your electric bill - super handy. I’ve had to use it 4/5 times since my ownership, and it’s been faultless!
 
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If you want something that looks like nice, your choice is basically Anderson or Simpson and Partners.

If you want something that looks fine and is reasonably well featured look at Hypervolt

If you want something that has all the features but looks like a toilet seat, then there is the Zappi

If you want good value then probably the Ohme Pro (works with Octopus and Ovo smart tariffs) or any of the other myriad of chargers on the market these days.

I think Eon actually has the best EV charging tariff on the market currently (Eon Drive Next) and any charger will work with it, you just need a working smart meter.

Octopus Intelligent Go is the most popular tariff which is only slightly more expensive than Eon but you can get additional cheap slots when you need to charge and Octopus Savings sessions can get you some credit back so its hard to say which is better. You need a working smart meter and either a compatible car or charger (Hypervolt, Ohme Pro, Zappi) - see their website.
 
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If you want tidy, get an untethered one. But most little prefer the ease of use of a tethered cable. Some chargers hold the tethered cables neater than others.
 
Had my Ohme 5 years not skipped a beat, not sure how I'd judge it on looks since it the worst looing part is the 5m cable, but it's a cable, and it's out-of-view on the side of my porch. Some people put them in meter style boxes so you can hide them and lock them away when not in use, guess you can do this with any charger.
 
Eon have the next drive v4 split tariff if you didn't know about.
circa 6.7p midnight till 7am.
Around 25p other times.
As I use more on the car than the house is a win for me.
With eon you're not tied to a specific car/ charger plus it's not only ev charging limited.

Ymmv
 
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We have two chargers - an Andersen A2 and an Ohme Home Pro.

The Andersen looks lovely and the cable can be completely hidden away when not in use. However, it does not integrate with IO so is now used only occasionally on scheduled charging if we have the need for both cars to be plugged in at the same time.

The Ohme does not have a cable management system beyond 'hang on flimsy plastic bracket' but fully integrates with Io. It works flawlessly and the app is far superior to that of the Andersen.

To be fair, we got the Andersen because of its looks, but four years later we would now just get another Ohme due to the ease of use of the app ind its IO integration. Cables don't really matter when they are functional and are used most days.
 
As noted above, IO isn’t the only game in town anymore and Eon Drive Next may well be cheaper for your usage. It’s cheaper import overnight and during the day and has higher export for those with solar. Where you lose out is the other ‘perks’ that octopus bring to the market.

The issue is if Eon decide to transition to a grid flexible tariff and who they integrate that with but for now it’s just a fixed eco 7 style tariff.
 
gailjon said:
We have two chargers - an Andersen A2 and an Ohme Home Pro.

The Andersen looks lovely and the cable can be completely hidden away when not in use. However, it does not integrate with IO so is now used only occasionally on scheduled charging if we have the need for both cars to be plugged in at the same time.

The Ohme does not have a cable management system beyond 'hang on flimsy plastic bracket' but fully integrates with Io. It works flawlessly and the app is far superior to that of the Andersen.

To be fair, we got the Andersen because of its looks, but four years later we would now just get another Ohme due to the ease of use of the app ind its IO integration. Cables don't really matter when they are functional and are used most days.
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FYI Ohme are replacing the flimsy plastic bracket with a metal one for free. I emailed support ([email protected]) about it and the new holder was delivered within 2 days!
 
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b0rn2sk8 said:
As noted above, IO isn’t the only game in town anymore and Eon Drive Next may well be cheaper for your usage. It’s cheaper import overnight and during the day and has higher export for those with solar. Where you lose out is the other ‘perks’ that octopus bring to the market.

The issue is if Eon decide to transition to a grid flexible tariff and who they integrate that with but for now it’s just a fixed eco 7 style tariff.
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How strict are Eon with the off-peak rate hours? Octopus is 11:30pm and 05:30am but more often than not you get charge slots out of these hours and you’re still charged at off-peak. Providing you don’t take advantage, they don’t make an issue of it.
 
Meatball said:
How strict are Eon with the off-peak rate hours? Octopus is 11:30pm and 05:30am but more often than not you get charge slots out of these hours and you’re still charged at off-peak. Providing you don’t take advantage, they don’t make an issue of it.
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As far as i've seen it's pretty much set midnight till 7am. Everything is charged at the higher tariff.

If you can do your washing/drying etc before 7 then that will be at the reduced rate as well, it's not just the EVSE(@squerble :D)
 
I had a Zappi fitted on Saturday morning and it does look quite neat.
The cable folds around the outside of the charger so looks OK.
I had the Zappi because it integrates better with Solar Panels if I eventually have them, Octopus don't recommend the Ohme Pro if you have panels and an EV charger.

Something I will say, I nearly bought my own charger and was going to look for an electrician but after watching the Octopus professional fit it I realised how it isn't easy and I'm glad he did it. It still took him 4 hours of non stop work for what I thought was a straight forward job.

 
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Meatball said:
FYI Ohme are replacing the flimsy plastic bracket with a metal one for free. I emailed support ([email protected]) about it and the new holder was delivered within 2 days!
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Well, I emailed, and they asked if the holster was damaged and could I send a photo? What did you say to get it swapped for free? Mines not broken, it's just flimsy and rubbish at holding all the cable.
 
1pudding1 said:
Well, I emailed, and they asked if the holster was damaged and could I send a photo? What did you say to get it swapped for free? Mines not broken, it's just flimsy and rubbish at holding all the cable.
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I said the plastic one supplied is buckling under the weight of the cable and included a picture. They replaced it, no quibbles!
 
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