When are you going fully electric?

SDK^ said:
Also, your map doesn't show destination chargers.
I frequently ride MTB (electric :) ) at Coed Y Brenin (Just above Dolgellau) and they have 2x FREE destination chargers in the car park. These are always available - the 'available 3 weeks ago' one below is when I last used it. There are loads more of these scattered around places you are likely to stop.
Click to expand...

Absolutely - I did acknowledge that destination chargers are becoming a lot more prevalent in the area - which is exactly what's needed. If you can drive to the beach with the kids, stick your car on a 7kw post for the 5-6 hours while you're there, and that's enough to get you home, then perfect :)

My post was more in response to the claim that you'd be surprised how close you are to a rapid charger (that you can reliably count on to be available and working).
SexyGreyFox said:
2023 MG4 Trophy, hopefully pick it up Thursday.
This is the first really expensive car we've ever bought and hopefully with service plans etc it will last us a long time.
I've just had a nice NHS Pension Lump Sum so thought we'd put it to good use.
Since we don't normally do more than 50 miles a week we're going to stick to the Granny charger for now.

Click to expand...

Lovely car... hate to break it to you though, but it's the wrong colour... :p
 
b0rn2sk8 said:
Why do you care - you can charge at home which will cover 90+% of your charging needs. If the other 5-10% costs as much as diesel it’s basically irrelevant in terms of the cost of owning the car. That weeks depreciation probably cost you more, even on a used BEV.
Click to expand...
This is completely true so long as you can charge at home, and anyone arguing about the cost of charging if they can charge at home are being intellectually dishonest imo.


However, not knowing where jpaul lives, but in the centre of cambridge there is a huge amount of properties with no offstreet parking and for them i think charging costs is a very real issue

(and on this one i am not even using 3rd hand info, i lived in Cambridge for 5 years and am only 15 miles away now)
 
bigmike20vt said:
This is completely true so long as you can charge at home, and anyone arguing about the cost of charging if they can charge at home are being intellectually dishonest imo.


However, not knowing where jpaul lives, but in the centre of cambridge there is a huge amount of properties with no offstreet parking and for them i think charging costs is a very real issue

(and on this one i am not even using 3rd hand info, i lived in Cambridge for 5 years and am only 15 miles away now)
Click to expand...

I’m also local(ish) and know the area well.

He is north of Cambridge and can charge at home IIRC. His posted as such on multiple occasions, including about the relatively small amount of work needed to upgrade the garage power supply to enable 7kw charging or would otherwise have to slum it at 3.6kw.

I’m disappointed I even know that.
 
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It does seem people are a bit harsh on that poster, but as I mentioned they have been a regular on this thread for years. They know the nuances of owning an EV, despite not owning one. They don’t ask questions or debate honestly, they offer “opinion” that has been debunked or clarified countless times previously.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
2023 MG4 Trophy, hopefully pick it up Thursday.
This is the first really expensive car we've ever bought and hopefully with service plans etc it will last us a long time.
I've just had a nice NHS Pension Lump Sum so thought we'd put it to good use.
Since we don't normally do more than 50 miles a week we're going to stick to the Granny charger for now.

Click to expand...
Top tip if you want to mildly improve your situation - I have used a granny charger for almost 3 years now. Similar mileage - probably less. I fitted a BG Smart Plug. The app is the simplest of any I've ever used - and it seems absolutely rock solid other than DST/BST switchover. https://www.amazon.co.uk/BG-Electrical-Socket-Compatible-Moulded/dp/B07VC1GWV9/ref=sr_1_4_pp?crid=1LH7PXLFAJGBV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JOhH3ghK-Vbba5kv53O3kq9z6pHz2g_NCbAL6VdoMOUcKB8I7VWr2kNvVQY4WwrQsUZyrIpZqPFE4ey7G0O6_TzVFrEoZeXqDoozXYGn1BUjOYj6iSlps1B8AfdZsfjsyW-5OkfAaOWC6wE3_f51j1rWYkT4QuKnSob2Pk9OcvHxn6jvugm1uq3r72zEsPwuJNbXIqkb_vF63EdbZaUPnAesMql34Tq2mDy7zi1uiInu4-s2jTiX1oRtwSC1Xu1OHLF1s-0d0otA9WmEL8v9olrvamIyRLzm_9QJiRNCwBk.E1JLuV99sGzfN1e0APpU89TJs9vUGcA1CWbDxmrLe9s&dib_tag=se&keywords=bg+smart+socket&qid=1726656148&s=industrial&sprefix=bg+smart+soc,industrial,137&sr=1-4

I leave my charger plugged into it 24x7 and then got into the habit of just plugging the car into the charger whenever I pull up at night --- don't treat it like a petrol car when you only fill it when it needs it.

I then set a timer so the plug activates between 0030 and 0530 - and use the Octopus Intelligent tariff that means it costs me 7.5p or something daft per kWh.

I never, ever, ever, have to think about "OMG CHARGE THE CAR" as it is always in the high 70s (better for the battery than brimming it).

By doing this the car energy consumption is pretty much imperceptible from my regular usage. It is absolute buttons to run.

The 3 pin charger I use is a good quality Master Plug one. I recommend getting one from a reputable place - mine is from Screwfix. There are a lot of randoms on Amazon that'll burn your house down I am sure :)

At your mileage I strongly advocate for not bothering with a £1k charger. It is a ripoff merchant job at the moment.
 
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dlockers said:
Top tip if you want to mildly improve your situation - I have used a granny charger for almost 3 years now. Similar mileage - probably less. I fitted a BG Smart Plug. The app is the simplest of any I've ever used - and it seems absolutely rock solid other than DST/BST switchover. https://www.amazon.co.uk/BG-Electrical-Socket-Compatible-Moulded/dp/B07VC1GWV9/ref=sr_1_4_pp?crid=1LH7PXLFAJGBV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JOhH3ghK-Vbba5kv53O3kq9z6pHz2g_NCbAL6VdoMOUcKB8I7VWr2kNvVQY4WwrQsUZyrIpZqPFE4ey7G0O6_TzVFrEoZeXqDoozXYGn1BUjOYj6iSlps1B8AfdZsfjsyW-5OkfAaOWC6wE3_f51j1rWYkT4QuKnSob2Pk9OcvHxn6jvugm1uq3r72zEsPwuJNbXIqkb_vF63EdbZaUPnAesMql34Tq2mDy7zi1uiInu4-s2jTiX1oRtwSC1Xu1OHLF1s-0d0otA9WmEL8v9olrvamIyRLzm_9QJiRNCwBk.E1JLuV99sGzfN1e0APpU89TJs9vUGcA1CWbDxmrLe9s&dib_tag=se&keywords=bg+smart+socket&qid=1726656148&s=industrial&sprefix=bg+smart+soc,industrial,137&sr=1-4

I leave my charger plugged into it 24x7 and then got into the habit of just plugging the car into the charger whenever I pull up at night --- don't treat it like a petrol car when you only fill it when it needs it.

I then set a timer so the plug activates between 0030 and 0530 - and use the Octopus Intelligent tariff that means it costs me 7.5p or something daft per kWh.

I never, ever, ever, have to think about "OMG CHARGE THE CAR" as it is always in the high 70s (better for the battery than brimming it).

By doing this the car energy consumption is pretty much imperceptible from my regular usage. It is absolute buttons to run.

The 3 pin charger I use is a good quality Master Plug one. I recommend getting one from a reputable place - mine is from Screwfix. There are a lot of randoms on Amazon that'll burn your house down I am sure :)

At your mileage I strongly advocate for not bothering with a £1k charger. It is a ripoff merchant job at the moment.
Click to expand...
I thought intelligent go needed some kind of active control from Octopus' side of either the charger or car to switch the charging on as they see fit?

Or do you have the regular Octopus Go?
 
dlockers said:
Top tip if you want to mildly improve your situation - I have used a granny charger for almost 3 years now. Similar mileage - probably less. I fitted a BG Smart Plug. The app is the simplest of any I've ever used - and it seems absolutely rock solid other than DST/BST switchover. https://www.amazon.co.uk/BG-Electrical-Socket-Compatible-Moulded/dp/B07VC1GWV9/ref=sr_1_4_pp?crid=1LH7PXLFAJGBV&dib=eyJ2IjoiMSJ9.JOhH3ghK-Vbba5kv53O3kq9z6pHz2g_NCbAL6VdoMOUcKB8I7VWr2kNvVQY4WwrQsUZyrIpZqPFE4ey7G0O6_TzVFrEoZeXqDoozXYGn1BUjOYj6iSlps1B8AfdZsfjsyW-5OkfAaOWC6wE3_f51j1rWYkT4QuKnSob2Pk9OcvHxn6jvugm1uq3r72zEsPwuJNbXIqkb_vF63EdbZaUPnAesMql34Tq2mDy7zi1uiInu4-s2jTiX1oRtwSC1Xu1OHLF1s-0d0otA9WmEL8v9olrvamIyRLzm_9QJiRNCwBk.E1JLuV99sGzfN1e0APpU89TJs9vUGcA1CWbDxmrLe9s&dib_tag=se&keywords=bg+smart+socket&qid=1726656148&s=industrial&sprefix=bg+smart+soc,industrial,137&sr=1-4

I leave my charger plugged into it 24x7 and then got into the habit of just plugging the car into the charger whenever I pull up at night --- don't treat it like a petrol car when you only fill it when it needs it.

I then set a timer so the plug activates between 0030 and 0530 - and use the Octopus Intelligent tariff that means it costs me 7.5p or something daft per kWh.

I never, ever, ever, have to think about "OMG CHARGE THE CAR" as it is always in the high 70s (better for the battery than brimming it).

By doing this the car energy consumption is pretty much imperceptible from my regular usage. It is absolute buttons to run.

The 3 pin charger I use is a good quality Master Plug one. I recommend getting one from a reputable place - mine is from Screwfix. There are a lot of randoms on Amazon that'll burn your house down I am sure :)

At your mileage I strongly advocate for not bothering with a £1k charger. It is a ripoff merchant job at the moment.
Click to expand...

Thanks for all that advice.
We have got to change tariffs next month and at this moment we are 99% going with Octopus.
I'm pretty sure I'm getting a Granny charger with the car, I'll be upset if I don't.
When you say 'set a timer' has the charger got a built in one or do you set it on the car?
Oh, you mean set the timer on the socket you linked to?
Will that socket allow power coming out of one side all day eg plugging my router box into one side and using teh other for the car.

lordrobs said:
I thought intelligent go needed some kind of active control from Octopus' side of either the charger or car to switch the charging on as they see fit?

Or do you have the regular Octopus Go?
Click to expand...

I thought that when they were explaining it to me but the normal Octopus Go will be OK.
 
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BS 1363-2 EV

ev-extras.com

UK 3 Pin Socket| Designed for Long Term EV Charging | BS 1363/EV

1 Gang Double Poled Switched 13 Amp UK 3 Pin socket ( IP66 rated) specifically designed for EV Charging. Manufactured to a higher standard than normal socket outlets to withstand charging an EV or a PHEV on a long term basis from a 3 pin UK socket
ev-extras.com ev-extras.com

Stuff like is a good idea for long term 3 pin.
 
For the Leaf, I've got a normal external weather protected socket, that I leave the granny charger attached to padlocked shut (https://www.electricpoint.com/click-aquip-1-gang-13a-dp-ip66-switched-socket-unit-oa035ag.html), and I fitted an inline box with one of these in it. That gives full control over timers, energy monitoring and I can use Alexa to turn it on and off if I want it charged outside of the normal 11:30 to 5:30 window.

www.ebay.co.uk

Zigbee / Wi-Fi Tuya Smart MCB Circuit Breaker with Energy Monitor /Power Meter | eBay

Notice: A note on Zigbee gateway adaptability is crucial for ensuring compatibility and optimal performance of your smart circuit breaker with Zigbee functionality. TONGOU Best MCB Smart Circuit Breaker TO-Q-SY2-163JWT/TO-Q-SY2-163JZT.
www.ebay.co.uk
www.ebay.co.uk

1 Way Garage, shed, fuse box single or double pole MCB. | eBay

Single or double pole MCB's. MCB's provide overload protection only.
www.ebay.co.uk

The car's always plugged in, but the circuit is only active during the cheap periods. It's worked perfectly fine for many years. Much less hassle than the 'smart' OHME charger.
 
I think 3 pins are generally better if you can leave plugged in too, repeated insertion is what wears the connector and get the resistance hot spots/ reduction in clamping on the terminals.
 
SexyGreyFox said:
Thanks for all that advice.
We have got to change tariffs next month and at this moment we are 99% going with Octopus.
I'm pretty sure I'm getting a Granny charger with the car, I'll be upset if I don't.
When you say 'set a timer' has the charger got a built in one or do you set it on the car?
Oh, you mean set the timer on the socket you linked to?
Will that socket allow power coming out of one side all day eg plugging my router box into one side and using teh other for the car.
Click to expand...
I don't think you get a granny with any of the EVs. They come with charging cables - but the ones you use at places without a tethered wire. Be prepared to spend £250 on the Masterplug one with 10M cable.

In all fairness your car may have a timer, but I found my Peugeot App to be insufferable. The MG may be better. I prefer the timer "on the socket" as then you never have to worry about forgetting to turn it off if you are plugging in whilst away from home or whatever.

The timer on the plug I linked can be set left or right, it is really intuitive. It also has a regular on/off switch to override it. One side is dedicated to car, the other is used pretty much at Christmas for lights (independent timer left or right side).

I meant whatever tariff Octopus offer that doesn't require any fancy remote control. It isn't worth it at our mileage.
 
lordrobs said:
I thought intelligent go needed some kind of active control from Octopus' side of either the charger or car to switch the charging on as they see fit?

Or do you have the regular Octopus Go?
Click to expand...
Sorry yeah that's the one I meant - Octopus Go.
 
dlockers said:
I don't think you get a granny with any of the EVs. They come with charging cables - but the ones you use at places without a tethered wire. Be prepared to spend £250 on the Masterplug one with 10M cable.

In all fairness your car may have a timer, but I found my Peugeot App to be insufferable. The MG may be better. I prefer the timer "on the socket" as then you never have to worry about forgetting to turn it off if you are plugging in whilst away from home or whatever.

The timer on the plug I linked can be set left or right, it is really intuitive. It also has a regular on/off switch to override it. One side is dedicated to car, the other is used pretty much at Christmas for lights (independent timer left or right side).

I meant whatever tariff Octopus offer that doesn't require any fancy remote control. It isn't worth it at our mileage.
Click to expand...
That's exactly what I've got for the Audi (when I want to slow charge it via solar). The other socket is called 'Christmas Lights' :p
 
lordrobs said:
I thought intelligent go needed some kind of active control from Octopus' side of either the charger or car to switch the charging on as they see fit?

Or do you have the regular Octopus Go?
Click to expand...
I have Octopus Intelligent Go and Octopus's app is not compatible with my charger (Ohme Home Pro) yet and it simply opens the Ohme app instead. I still get the cheap rate from 23.30-05.30 plus cheap charging periods outside those hours as well. I have had the car charged to 80% by 22.30 on a couple of times when there has been extra cheap sessions. I don't know how it all works and it seems a bit like sourcery to me but it just works.

Anyone with a 2018 onwards Nissan Leaf, I discovered a potential problem yesterday when searching for something on the internet. I came across a video showing that the drivers side wiper has it's water run down the side of the windscreen and straight into the cup on top of the suspension strut causing corrosion to the bolt/nut and to of the strut. This can be cured by purchasing a pair of strut covers (strangely enough they are for a VW) which I ordered last night. I haven't checked my struts yet, hopefully they won't be too bad as the car is only three years old and was garaged by the previous owner. You can watch the video here.
 
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