Uk home charging options - 30 amp query (and using solar pv)

[Hypermiler]

Hi all
I am having my British gas charger installed next week. When you book in they want you to decide there and then re upgrading from 16 to 30 amp for £99. I paid the £99 and then went away to do more research (of which this is part).

Internet suggests good idea to future-proof by getting 30 amp even though phev would still take 3.5 hours as it is not compatible with the full 30 amp. But my dealer said the reason mitsubishi haven't gone for the 30 amp capability is that it degrades the battery faster - similar to the "frequent fast charging" issue I suppose. He didn't think it was worth getting 30 amp upgrade. Any comments anyone?

Another thing I am thinking about is getting solar photovoltaic installed - not just because of the car, we've been thinking about it a while. I am at home a fair bit in daylight hours so could use some sun to charge the car. If I got too fast a charger then the sun wouldn't keep pace (we would have a nominal max 4 kW system which I think has a max output around 3.6 kW.) anyone else looked at this and is there a device similar to Immersun which can divert excess charge to the car? I guess this wouldn't be a good idea as the car wants a constant charge otherwise would wear out the management system/ charger??

We have a double garage and am not sure where to mount the charger - nearest the power supply ( I might have to back in to the garage to charge or in the middle at the back in case we get another plug in car. It is difficult to know until we get the car - chicken and egg!

Is there such a thing as a home charger for 2 cars available in the uk where you plug 2 in and then time them to charge one after another rather than both at the same time - might be useful overnight. Wouldn't want to get out of bed at 3 am to change them over!

Any comments gratefully received while I'm in my cooling off period with BG!

Cheers

H

 

[david1972]

Hi H,

I've just joined after finding the forum. I too have a 4h on order, with expected delivery in September or October. Apparently the 3h's can be had almost asap, with the 4h being by far the most popular trim.

We already have a charging point installed in our garage and have it mounted close to the garage door. We took advantage of the subsidised government scheme last year, well before considering a plug-in car (after all, they reckon it adds circa £1k to the value of your house and was free!) This will allow us to reverse the PHEV onto our drive and feed the cable under the garage door (with the garage door locked shut). If you don't want to have to put your car away every time it needs charging, you might like to consider this (assuming there is clearance for the cable under the door - we got our fitter to check that before installing).

 

[Graham]

Hypermiler, I have done some research into chargers etc. All very confusing, however...

BG recomended the 30amp UNIVERSAL charger, 30amps for future proofing, the PHEV is clever enought to call for the right amperage, and Universal means a socket on the charger but no charge cable! You buy this seprately, EV connectors or others, buy a cable now for the Outlander, and then if in 3 years time you change to a car with 30amp charging and a different cable connection then 30amp is in place and a new lead is less than £200. BG said if not any upgrade, 16-30amp or changed cable would require a swap installation at full cost of around £800.

You can also use the detachable charging cable at medium charge points in public places as many of these now do not have 13amp plug sockets.

The fast charge of Chademo connector uses a special cable, cost around £300 from MMC. I am not sure why this is needed because most fast charge points have a tethered lead so you do not need your own lead.

I think all the above is correct but would welcome any comments from those who know better.

PS EV Connectors do a 6 metre cable, most are only 5 metres.

 

[rjs104]

Hi All,

Welcome to the new members - this really is a great forum for all things Outlander PHEV - and more members/owners the better.

Today I had two charging points installed - one at my home and one at my parents. After getting fed up waiting for British Gas to call and on the advise of another user in the forum I contacted Chris at EV Charging Solutions.

Chris is brilliant - both the installations have been completed to a high standard, and with a very quick turnaround (I only contacted him Monday last week).

We had the Pod Point's installed, which I understand are modular and so can be upgraded to 30amp at a later stage, which is the route I've taken. I can't see much point having something that I'm not going to make use of in the next 3 years at least. By then lots of things could have changed...

Hypermiler it's probably worth getting in touch with Chris as he can advise to multiple chargers and so on. ( [email protected] )

I also bought from Chris a charging lead to use at public charging points with the Outlander. This came in 100 ukp cheaper than Mitsubishi want for the same lead...

All the best,

Richard.

 

[maddogsetc]

Interesting stuff all. I've not had a charging point installed yet and TBH not really missed it so far.

I have my reasons for delaying things which won't apply to others but like all things, there's something to be said for getting the car first and living with it for a bit before committing. That said I will be :mrgreen: if the grant scheme gets pulled before I make my mind up :!:

 

[rjs104]

Hi Maddogs,

As I was with Chris today he had an email come in with notification of "changes" to the grant. He's pretty sure it's going to dry up soon - might be worth jumping sooner rather than later...

R

 

[maddogsetc]

Thanks for that tip :shock: , will email him tomorrow...

 

[buickanddeere]

Possibly net metering with a bi-directional power meter?

 

[Hypermiler]

Hi
Thanks for all that info. I actually had the BG charger installed today - it is the 30a one with tethered cable, so I think I am semi-future proofed as got 30a but limited to type 1 cars which I understand are Mitsu, Toyota and Nissan (not BMW or Renault). At least I don't have to buy a cable immediately or, if I do get one for charging out and about, I can leave it in the car. Looks ok and is topping up the charge now - here are some pics - Thanks David1972 for the instructions!







The installer told me that they only recommend charging at night to help reduce the chance of overloading your system. I told him that is ridiculous as the whole point of charging faster is to do it between journeys during the day. Apparently I need to make sure I don't charge a 30a car and have too many other things on at the same time!!! Oh well, so much for having a dedicated cable that can cope with the load.

H

 

[david1972]

Good stuff H!

Still enjoying the motor?

 

[Hypermiler]

Hi D
Yes, loving it! My other half spent all yesterday afternoon sorting some music on an SD card for me yesterday. Actually, I might start a new thread sometime on that topic...
Just done another return trip on 100% ev - so satisfying! When I first got in the fully-charged car it told me I had 34 mile ev range, so I must be doing something right, even though it dropped a bit quick as was then on main road at 50-60mph. Finding the reversing camera really handy, coming from a small car and with 2 child seats in the back. Loving the keyless entry, and didn't realise at first that you can also lock it with the key in your pocket/bag just by pressing the button on the door.
Cheers
H