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I have a home charger question:
The house has a 100A main fuse.
I have two outbuildings, one is converted to an office (although it's not really used now I no longer have employees and use an office in the house) and the other is a massive barn with just a wireless access point running most of the time although there are sockets and lights.
The property used to be a small dairy farm running milking equipment in the barn:
The outside office used to be just storage/garage and when we moved in I converted it and it's CU is now fed from the house CU and has a 32A RCD
The barn looks like it was originally run on a separate 3 phase supply which goes from the pole to the barn but is now not connected to anything. At some point before we moved here the 3 phase was disconnected and now has it's own CU fed by a feed from the house CU which has a 40A RCD for this circuit and suitably big cable.
Question:
Do you think I could have a 7kW charger fitted to the barn using the existing feed from the house?
What I'm hoping for is to potentially fit a charger 30m away from the house Cu without running a load of external cable (internal is never going to happen)
Edit:
One thing I've just thought of - we're going to get the house CU changed at some point reasonably soon because it's actually 2 CUs and one is very old. So this would be a good time to maybe split the barn and office circuits away from the house CU and give them their own isolators/CU
Charging, who went down the rabbit hole of adding solar and battery and using the cheap overnight rates?
We have solar,a battery and now 2 EVs. I currently have the solar sat to charge overnight so we get the most export during the day. In practice at the moment that means our early usage is met by the battery which is then recharged by solar before we start to export in the afternoon. As we get into winter I expect the export will not be much. Anything left in the battery is dumped to grid just before the cheap period starts. I've just moved the solar CT clamp so the solar cannot see the EV charger load and therefore will not discharge the house battery into the cars.
Long term as our ID7 suggests it's capable of V2G I will look to have a V2G charger (when one actually becomes available) so will only import during cheap periods. I'm also hoping to add predbat so we can force charge on free electric automatically.
Rabbit hole entered four years ago. Solar and 18kW battery installed March 2022. Installed ohme charger 2020, started with a Kia Niro phev a year earlier and used the granny charger at first. In three years I only put £200 of petrol in, clocked up 30k miles in commuting alone, with a further 15k miles private. I was fortunate to be able to charge at work. Switched to IOG when solar and battery was installed and switched to a Kia ev6. I was incredibly fortunate to ride out covid, petrol shortages and hikes in electricity prices relatively unscathed. Initially it looked as though return on investment would be about 9 years, its closer to 6 now and I'm almost four years in. My gas boiler was 23 years old last year so I switched the house to air to air heating, my rough calculation suggests the cost of electricity is similar to gas overall for heating, however the cost of install was £3k more than a replacement gas boiler. I guess that pushes out the ROI another three years ish. My heating and hot water and car "fuel" cost is £1200/annum, better than half from 5 or 6 years ago. I bought a SEAT Mii ev for my daughter last year, will likely switch the wife to an EV in the next couple of years as her car grows older. I make use of the Kia's V2L feature daily,washing/drying/dishwashing/ironing/mowing/hairdrying etc. is done via that, buy at 7p/kWh and use at peak rate times.
Why would you not use the 18kw battery for those?
Eight to ten of those eighteen are used in household every day, a tropical fishtank and a tortoise see to that. The remainder is exported at 15p until winter comes and is then consumed on heating. Six months of the year are negative bills.
It's not just here. I occasionally look at the EV3 facebook group and it's full of posts from people getting excited, upset or even angry about whatever random number the car has suggested for the range today. Madness. What difference does that number actually make to your day?
Quite a bit if I'm off on a road trip as I'd like a nice stress free drive to the next charger but fortunately Tesla's range algorithm is damn accurate.
Just back from the first 500 mile trip in the Polestar 4.
Great motor.
The pilot assist can be a bit aggressive and almost fired me up a slip road off the M6 which is a bit of a concern.
The slightly extra range and increased efficiency over the e-tron increases charging options and reduces anxiety (3.1vs 2.7 m/kw average)
I'm still not sold on the magnesium colour of it - should have done more homework on that!
Still not missing a rear window.
Mrs OTS say's it's not quite as smooth a ride as the Audi from the passenger seat.
Does look like it might be slightly more affordable to charge at home if the rumoured scrapping of VAT on home electricity is true (one hopes they'd keep it on gas, or increase the tax on gas to offset it).
I don't think they would be stupid enough to increase gas tax as that is still what the majority of people rely on for heat (yes I know it could encourage more to get heat pumps but that option is far out of reach of lots of people). IMO any offsetting should be done on increasing diesel, petrol, smoking, alcohol and vape taxes.
While I'm not going to complain at a home fuel tax reduction doing it only on electric is again a change that predominantly benefits in the middle rather than those that really need lower costs.
Quite a bit if I'm off on a road trip as I'd like a nice stress free drive to the next charger but fortunately Tesla's range algorithm is damn accurate.
I get what you are saying, but I'd still argue that the random number generated by the car for its estimated range is next to useless.
I think what you are talking about though is not the "guessometer" but the ability of the car to predict the state of charge at a destination. My EV3 does that too. Probably not as accurately as the Tesla but plenty accurate enough for my needs. I agree that feature can be useful sometimes* although I don't really need to know the exact percentage at my destination (or next charge stop). A simple traffic light system (red, amber, green) for "easy","marginal","no chance" would probably work just as well in practice. It's the guessometer I object to though as I think it does more harm than good and drives some of the anxiety that people feel about range.
For a start, it's a number based on your driving history, not what you plan to do. I've seen people (on facebook) get excited because the guessometer says that their car has a range over 400 miles (because they've been doing lots of short trips in the summer and driving carefully). That doesn't mean that they could jump in their car and drive 400 miles down the motorway though. Even if it did, they probably can't drive that far without stopping anyway.
Quoting range as a number plants the idea in your mind that more range is better. This leads people to buy a car that is more expensive than they need or to hold off on buying an EV altogether because the number isn't as big as the number they can get in their petrol car. But my point is that range only matters if you don't have enough and if you do have enough then having more doesn't actually gain you anything.
If I get in my car and the battery percentage is somewhere in the region of 80% then I know with absolute certainty that I am going to want to stop before the car tells me I have to. Putting an estimated number on that percentage doesn't help me and (I believe) actually contributes to the anxiety people feel.
I watched the electrifying podcast with Rory Sutherland recently. I can find fault with a few of his points, but I think his basic thesis that we need to tackle range anxiety by focussing on what causes the anxiety rather than wasting huge resources increasing range was basically correct. He was going as far as to criticise the fact that his EV gave him an exact percentage and arguing that even that was contributing unnecessarily to anxiety. As he said, he goes to the shop and the percentage drops from 87% to 84% and that seems bad, when in fact all he really needs to know is that the car has plenty of charge. He was arguing that an exact percentage might be useful when you are low, but above a certain level it would make more sense just to show an old fashioned gauge like we had for years in our petrol cars.
*In practice I rarely plan stops anymore. I just drive until I want to stop and then find somewhere to charge. But I did plan my first long trip as it was all new to me and it was comforting to know that I was going to be able to reach my next planned stop with plenty of charge left.
I have had my Polestar 2 for nearly a year now and I find that it is generally a little pessimistic regarding range on long journeys but predictably so.
In all but the worst of weather it is consistently pessimistic to the tune of 5% battery use per 1 hour of constant driving. It is very good at breaking charging sessions up to short stops, I will then make manual adjustments if I want a longer stop for lunch or if I want to make sure that I have plenty of charge when I reach my destination. Alternatively I might miss the last charge if I am travelling home. It will also change stops on the fly if a charging point becomes full.
In really bad wet and windy weather then it is still pessimistic but about 2% per 1 hour of driving.
I must admit I do not really think much about the charging process I just let the car guide me.
In practice I rarely plan stops anymore. I just drive until I want to stop and then find somewhere to charge.
This is pretty much my approach now.
Half the time on autotrader the traders don't know even when you phone them up.
You can ask for a pic of under the bonnet. The heat pump gubbins is clearly visible on these cars as a nexus of metal pipes and valves on the left hand side of the engine bay as you look at it.
It would be better IMO if the test were presented with a separate highway/mixed figure. Also if it were tested at 23c and 5c and the average taken
Yeah I agree, because many (but not all) drivers will only care about range on long trips so the mixed picture is pretty useless.
I've just seen my first parked-up Polestar 4 at a nearby house. I thought they looked good in the fleeting glances I'd seen on the road but when parked up I had a good look round and I've gone right off the looks.
EV database gives more realistic mileages for both cold/warm and highway/urban conditions.
My colleague who also has a Scenic, although it has bigger wheels, is getting over 300 miles fairly easily in warm/mild months. He was getting 270-280 in winter. Heat pump as standard.
EV database and the previous real world car mileage databases were always wildly pessimistic for me.
Is that the long range model? I have one on order for December delivery
I have had my Polestar 2 for nearly a year now and I find that it is generally a little pessimistic regarding range on long journeys but predictably so
Same experience here..if I'm driving home for a few hours and it says my 'arrival charge will be 5%' (i like to run on fumes 😉 ) then i can be confident it's likely to be 7-10% charge in reality.
DrP
New car collected yesterday. Very enjoyable drive home, approx 80 miles. Think I managed 4m/kw on a mix of all types of roads. It's a really nice car and looking forward to putting the miles on it.
First charge over night was successful.
Will post some photos later.
Half the time on autotrader the traders don't know even when you phone them up.
You can ask for a pic of under the bonnet. The heat pump gubbins is clearly visible on these cars as a nexus of metal pipes and valves on the left hand side of the engine bay as you look at it.
Ah, thanks @molgrips I'll investigate.
Got a Enyaq 85 coming in a few weeks, bit of a impulse order as I liked the look of new facelift one, looked at ID4 but they look like a potato. I was set on an Ionic 5 but the lease deals weren't as good.
Chose the SUV because I wanted the roof rails, but it seems carrying bikes on the roof is a range nightmare so it's going to be a rear mounted carrier on the tow bar I didn't spec... I wish I'd read more before I do these things. Reviews have been very kind. I watched a YTer in Germany do a 400km drive at speeds of up to 140kph on a single charge (100% to 10%) which was nice. Summer of course, but I don't really do long journeys in winter. I've been told the 185KWH offered charging is better than 300KWH charging offered elsewhere because battery pre-conditioning, I don't know how true that it. TBH I'd guess I charge it away from home (in the new year at least) once or twice a year. Even if I drive it to Centre Parcs near Strasberg in the summer, I'm looking at 2 away from home charges and 30 mins isn't going to be be too much of a hardship by the time the kids have used the facilities, got snacks and the usual faffing.
I'll be using public charging until the new year because of things out of my control, but there's talk of getting a point fitted in work.
Retro fit tow hook for our ID7 was an easy £1500. Given it has roof bars and we already have the track we are just carrying the bikes on there. Yes there is a decent hit on range but this came down to 3 questions. 1. How often are we carrying bikes far enough that a single charge would not cut it there and back (not many) 2. Of those times would it still have enough range to cover the stint lengths (yes) and 3. How much recharging could we pay for with the saved money (£2-3000 when you factor in buying a tow hook rack). (Quite a lot!). Economics of a row rack did not work for us especially since they also hit range.
I would strongly recommend putting the bike inside the car, with appropriate protection, if you're worried about range.
Retro fit tow hook for our ID7 was an easy £1500. Given it has roof bars and we already have the track we are just carrying the bikes on there. Yes there is a decent hit on range but this came down to 3 questions. 1. How often are we carrying bikes far enough that a single charge would not cut it there and back (not many) 2. Of those times would it still have enough range to cover the stint lengths (yes) and 3. How much recharging could we pay for with the saved money (£2-3000 when you factor in buying a tow hook rack). (Quite a lot!). Economics of a row rack did not work for us especially since they also hit range.
I travel quite a bit with mates for rides, 1 bike in the back isn't a problem, the enyaq boot is massive, but two isn't going to work. 99% of our usual places wouldn't be a problem to complete the round trip on a single charge, even in winter. So I was just going to get a kit for a few quid that will allow my current bars to fit the Enyaq.
It's the big summer trip that's made me think. I've found some s/h towbar kits on ebay for £250 or so, the Enyaq is coming with tow bar prep, so I think it's just a matter of bolting the thing on, connecting the wires and some coding for the sensors. I don't expect it being more than a days labour for an expert to complete. An electric two bar option was 'only' £750 and buttons extra on the lease, but the order is in now and can't be changed.
It all depends on the range cost, some sources say 10% which isn't too bad and roughly what it costs me in diesel now, some say 20-30% which is a lot, I'm more concerned about time than money. The same sources say the rear mounted carrier is a negligible cost to range.
We've got 2 bikes plus a weeks packing in an ID7 tourer with the seats down & wheels off, and the Enyaq isn't that different in size. I use home built stands for the rear axle and took the air out of the forks then stand them up with the bars facing the rear.
the Enyaq is coming with tow bar prep, so I think it's just a matter of bolting the thing on, connecting the wires and some coding for the sensors. I don't expect it being more than a days labour for an expert to complete. An electric two bar option was 'only' £750 and buttons extra on the lease, but the order is in now and can't be changed.
its worth checking with the lease company that they will allow a retro fit towbar, quite a few don’t
I would strongly recommend putting the bike inside the car, with appropriate protection, if you're worried about range.
This is my preferred option but is only really viable with 2 people and 2 bikes (same as we did in the previous golf estate). With 4 people, 4 bikes and a dog its outside or nothing. Big test this weekend with all off us, the dog and 3, maybe 5 cx bikes from Southampton to Swindon and back.
The same sources say the rear mounted carrier is a negligible cost to range.
I'm not sure I believe this. Stick a couple of big mtbs on there and the fat tyres sticking out either side is going to cause a fairly big amount of extra drag before you consider the disruption to the airflow off the boot. Maybe with a single road bike its not too different.
The drag bucket behind an estate or SUV is more than sufficient to hide a few bike with negligible impact on aerodynamics. Similarly a lot of cars these days are wide enough to hide a good proportion of the bike.
My experience in an iPace with 2 bikes is that at most it was 10%.
Anyone got a BYD Dolphin ?
Considering one and wanted to hear thoughts on them from any owners - thanks.
Are you still happy with it?
Any issues you wish you were aware of before buying?
No but they look good.
Just clicked over 1000 miles in the Scenic. Really enjoying it. One public charging session this week which was pretty easy.
My only gripe is the brake pedal. It's quite snatchy, and can be difficult to modulate at slow speeds.
I've probably put this recently but went on a tour of UK for work (NI/Scotland) and used Ionity subscription to lower the bill. Very easy to work with and a few stations dotted around a bit
There is a discounted deal with ionity if you pay the whole year.
86.99 up for 12 months then 43ppkWh (instead of 10.5 a month.)
Good if you can justify being on a subscription.
You get the card free too which obviously links to the app.
My only gripe is the brake pedal. It's quite snatchy, and can be difficult to modulate at slow speeds.
Does it not do decent one pedal driving?
Its rare I touch the brake pedal on my polestar
Yea, but I don't like one pedal driving.
That might be a renault thing. Our Zoe is similar (the ID7 is much better and not grabby at all)
86.99 up for 12 months then 43ppkWh (instead of 10.5 a month.)
That's good, but it ties you to Ionity chargers - which is obviously the point.
The Polestar Charge subscription through PlugSurfing in £11.99 per month (£144 per year) and provides 30% off 6 charger networks in the uk.
You can get the Tesla subscription for £90 per year which gives access to some supercharger sites, but not all.
I only need to do non-home charging every couple of months, so I'm using the Polestar sub which I can stop and start on a monthly basis.
Yea, but I don't like one pedal driving.
I don't like it either. The e-tron and Hyundai have the flappy paddles to manually adjust the regen; suits my driving better.
I don't like it either
Yep, same, don't like the one pedal driving, prefer to have the car coasting when I lift off the accelerator, ie no regen at all, unless I use the brake pedal, which then use regen to slow the car down.
You can get the Tesla subscription for £90 per year which gives access to some supercharger sites, but not all.
You don't need a tesla subscription to access those supercharger sites, they're open to the public by default, the subscription just gets you cheaper rates.
I did not like one-pedal on the Leaf - I found it uncomfortable to have to leave my foot lightly on the pedal permanently. I find that with two-pedal the shifting between two pedals and lifting off etc made it a lot easier on my leg. The only time I did use it was in crawling traffic, it was useful then. Fortunately the Leaf had a big easy button to switch it on and off as the situation changed.
Picked up the GV60 from Guildford yesterday and drove back to Chester. Super comfortable drive and definitely a step up from the Polestar 2 I had in Spain last week, although the Polestar was a bit more involving to drive if you like that kind of thing. Massage seats which kick in after an hours driving are a nice touch as is the B&O noise cancelling sound system that reduces outside noise.
You can get the Tesla subscription for £90 per year which gives access to some supercharger sites, but not all.
You don't need a tesla subscription to access those supercharger sites, they're open to the public by default, the subscription just gets you cheaper rates.
Sorry, yes I missed the vital savings bit off - with the sub you get the cheaper Tesla rate rather than the greater non-Tesla rate.
Have you had any software issues with the P4? There's a good deal on at the moment but the Internet is full of tales of software bugs. Some annoying, some dangerous sounding.
There’s a few foibles, but nothing dangerous or anything that’s made me regret buying it. The Facebook groups have answers and/or arounds for most if not all issues.
The only significant issue I’ve had is losing all sound when I used CarPlay for the first time. Easily fixed by soft resetting the infotainment system.
There’s an upgrade due to land that fixes some minor annoyances as well.