[tipclapper]

Hi all,

I've been trying to distill the current home charger market for my needs and wanted to share my findings and ask for additional detail/information if you have any.

Needs

• Nissan Leaf 40kWh, type 2 - hence a 7kW charger for our house
• Drive-way install but best position would be left hand side of the front door, however, fuse box is about 6 meters behind the front door from the drive-way
• Decent looking
• Good app for scheduling, or better yet, intelligent scheduling
• Decent enough price to recoup the investment
• "Future proof" - i.e. best case from a company that will still be around in a few years' time with good support

Findings

Charger	Price	Reviews.io	Trustpilot	Lockable	Scheduling	App (iOS)
Pod point	£529	4.7 - 16,000 reviews	4.2 - 825 reviews	Key	No	2.0 - 166 reviews
Rolec	£445	N/A	2.8 - 5 reviews	Key	Yes via 3rd party app, works	4.2 - 66 reviews
EO Mini Smart Home	£545	4.33 - 97 reviews	3.7 - 1 review	Via app (?)	Yes via app, but buggy	2.3 - 13 reviews
Ohme wall charger	£512	N/A	3.6 - 1 review	No	Yes via app, works well	4.5 - 40 reviews

Observations

• Pod point seems to have great reviews in general and is one of the biggest players. Design is ok but quite large. App is dumb but the Leaf could do the scheduling
• Rolec had massive issues in the past with hardware but seems better now. Relies on 3rd party app and website looks a bit shady in general
• EO looks great but saw some reviews that it requires much more boxes installed inside the house due to the compact design. App seems horrific
• Ohme looks horrible but great app and great reviews in general

Why I left out other chargers

• Chargemaster: pathetic app, not much trust in BP fixing it any time soon and charger design is not great
• Zappi: don't need solar, quite expensive, app not great, don't like the looks of it
• Andersen: too expensive

Further context

We don't drive a lot (maybe 500 miles per month max), so getting the initial investment of around £500 back from being able to charge at night, at let's say 5p instead of the 14p we're paying at the moment throughout the day, it would take us around 18 months, just to break even with paying POLAR for their rapid chargers and almost 3 years to break even with using the 3 pin plug. Obviously convenience plays a role here as well, but the initial cost is definitely a factor.

Final words

I'm currently leaning towards the Pod Point as the company seems to be invested into building a great product and with the over-the-air updates for the Pod Point, they could (hopefully) easily add more features and better app integration along the way. Plus with the EDF investment, they have the money to do it. (And I've been very happy with their public chargers so far).

Any thoughts appreciated!

 

[roger davis]

Switch to Octopus to get the Ohme cable for £199. Use my referral code below to get £50 credit, taking it down to £149.

 

[tipclapper]

Switch to Octopus to get the Ohme cable for £199. Use my referral code below to get £50 credit, taking it down to £149.

Thanks but that isn't an option. The Ohme cable only works with a commando socket, 3 pin or a type 2. I don't have a commando, 3 pin doesn't make any sense and I also clearly don't have a type 2 socket yet. I'm already with Octopus though.

 

[roger davis]

Thanks but that isn't an option. The Ohme cable only works with a commando socket, 3 pin or a type 2. I don't have a commando, 3 pin doesn't make any sense and I also clearly don't have a type 2 socket yet. I'm already with Octopus though.

Fair enough. Commando sockets are really cheap though. Though you may also need an earth spike. Don't underestimate the savings made by switching to the Agile tariff if it suits your lifestyle.

 

[freddym]

Hi all,

I've been trying to distill the current home charger market for my needs and wanted to share my findings and ask for additional detail/information if you have any.

Needs

• Nissan Leaf 40kWh, type 2 - hence a 7kW charger for our house
• Drive-way install but best position would be left hand side of the front door, however, fuse box is about 6 meters behind the front door from the drive-way
• Decent looking
• Good app for scheduling, or better yet, intelligent scheduling
• Decent enough price to recoup the investment
• "Future proof" - i.e. best case from a company that will still be around in a few years' time with good support

Findings

Charger	Price	Reviews.io	Trustpilot	Lockable	Scheduling	App (iOS)
Pod point	£529	4.7 - 16,000 reviews	4.2 - 825 reviews	Key	No	2.0 - 166 reviews
Rolec	£445	N/A	2.8 - 5 reviews	Key	Yes via 3rd party app, works	4.2 - 66 reviews
EO Mini Smart Home	£545	4.33 - 97 reviews	3.7 - 1 review	Via app (?)	Yes via app, but buggy	2.3 - 13 reviews
Ohme wall charger	£512	N/A	3.6 - 1 review	No	Yes via app, works well	4.5 - 40 reviews

Observations

• Pod point seems to have great reviews in general and is one of the biggest players. Design is ok but quite large. App is dumb but the Leaf could do the scheduling
• Rolec had massive issues in the past with hardware but seems better now. Relies on 3rd party app and website looks a bit shady in general
• EO looks great but saw some reviews that it requires much more boxes installed inside the house due to the compact design. App seems horrific
• Ohme looks horrible but great app and great reviews in general

Why I left out other chargers

• Chargemaster: pathetic app, not much trust in BP fixing it any time soon and charger design is not great
• Zappi: don't need solar, quite expensive, app not great, don't like the looks of it
• Andersen: too expensive

Further context

We don't drive a lot (maybe 500 miles per month max), so getting the initial investment of around £500 back from being able to charge at night, at let's say 5p instead of the 14p we're paying at the moment throughout the day, it would take us around 18 months, just to break even with paying POLAR for their rapid chargers and almost 3 years to break even with using the 3 pin plug. Obviously convenience plays a role here as well, but the initial cost is definitely a factor.

Final words

I'm currently leaning towards the Pod Point as the company seems to be invested into building a great product and with the over-the-air updates for the Pod Point, they could (hopefully) easily add more features and better app integration along the way. Plus with the EDF investment, they have the money to do it. (And I've been very happy with their public chargers so far).

Any thoughts appreciated!

The most future proof charger will be one built from discrete components with the intelligent part driven via a Sonoff or Shelley WiFi controlled switch ( on the pilot).

Sorry, I guess you are looking for an off the shelf solution😔

 

[tipclapper]

The most future proof charger will be one built from discrete components with the intelligent part driven via a Sonoff or Shelley WiFi controlled switch ( on the pilot).

Well that's a fair enough answer but yeah, probably looking for something more off the shelf.

 

[starquake]

Bear in mind your prices are for grant eligable installs (ie, 300 government contrib). I wasn't eligable for a grant due to fact the freestanding parking not suitable and went for a OHME cable from Octopus + commando. Total cost was £515 (cable on octopus deal + sparky costs for a tricky run). If you are not eligable for grant, the OHME is significantly cheaper IMHO.

 

[starquake]

Also, consider a commando install can move house with you in future, or be used for a Jet wash with heat... which a normal EVSE would for the latter would require you to install a seperate commando for in any case. Am I unusual in having access to a powered jet wash with heat?

 

[tipclapper]

Bear in mind your prices are for grant eligable installs (ie, 300 government contrib). I wasn't eligable for a grant due to fact the freestanding parking not suitable

Indeed. But we have a drive-way in front of the house with a dropped kerb, so from what I understand, that counts as eligible?

 

[finchlean]

Get one with built in PME fault protection. No need for an earth rod or separate contactor box near fuse box. PodPoint, Zappi2 and CityEV have this.

 

[SueH]

Thanks for that, a handy summary which I can also use. With regard to your context and pay back period, I've managed to convince myself that I'll put any such costs to the household long term capital budget on the basis that it's a home improvement.

 

[Stevedoz]

Hi all,

I've been trying to distill the current home charger market for my needs and wanted to share my findings and ask for additional detail/information if you have any.

Needs

• Nissan Leaf 40kWh, type 2 - hence a 7kW charger for our house
• Drive-way install but best position would be left hand side of the front door, however, fuse box is about 6 meters behind the front door from the drive-way
• Decent looking
• Good app for scheduling, or better yet, intelligent scheduling
• Decent enough price to recoup the investment
• "Future proof" - i.e. best case from a company that will still be around in a few years' time with good support

Findings

Charger	Price	Reviews.io	Trustpilot	Lockable	Scheduling	App (iOS)
Pod point	£529	4.7 - 16,000 reviews	4.2 - 825 reviews	Key	No	2.0 - 166 reviews
Rolec	£445	N/A	2.8 - 5 reviews	Key	Yes via 3rd party app, works	4.2 - 66 reviews
EO Mini Smart Home	£545	4.33 - 97 reviews	3.7 - 1 review	Via app (?)	Yes via app, but buggy	2.3 - 13 reviews
Ohme wall charger	£512	N/A	3.6 - 1 review	No	Yes via app, works well	4.5 - 40 reviews

Observations

• Pod point seems to have great reviews in general and is one of the biggest players. Design is ok but quite large. App is dumb but the Leaf could do the scheduling
• Rolec had massive issues in the past with hardware but seems better now. Relies on 3rd party app and website looks a bit shady in general
• EO looks great but saw some reviews that it requires much more boxes installed inside the house due to the compact design. App seems horrific
• Ohme looks horrible but great app and great reviews in general

Why I left out other chargers

• Chargemaster: pathetic app, not much trust in BP fixing it any time soon and charger design is not great
• Zappi: don't need solar, quite expensive, app not great, don't like the looks of it
• Andersen: too expensive

Further context

We don't drive a lot (maybe 500 miles per month max), so getting the initial investment of around £500 back from being able to charge at night, at let's say 5p instead of the 14p we're paying at the moment throughout the day, it would take us around 18 months, just to break even with paying POLAR for their rapid chargers and almost 3 years to break even with using the 3 pin plug. Obviously convenience plays a role here as well, but the initial cost is definitely a factor.

Final words

I'm currently leaning towards the Pod Point as the company seems to be invested into building a great product and with the over-the-air updates for the Pod Point, they could (hopefully) easily add more features and better app integration along the way. Plus with the EDF investment, they have the money to do it. (And I've been very happy with their public chargers so far).

Any thoughts appreciated!

Just had a wallbox pulsar plus installed. Might be worth considering as it is small and neat and has plenty built in to make the install simple. Scheduled charging but no intelligent timer

 

[tipclapper]

Just had a wallbox pulsar plus installed. Might be worth considering as it is small and neat and has plenty built in to make the install simple. Scheduled charging but no intelligent timer

I'm looking for a universal socket, not a tethered one, so that's why the wallbox isn't on the list. Doesn't look too bad though. You happy with it?

 

[Scrooge]

Originally, I had a free dumb untethered Chargemaster but have gone for the Ohme/Commando with agile after a few years. Can't think of a cheaper way though in my case the Chargemaster is now disconnected [used as a cable reel for the Ohme] and the wiring is now terminated in the commando. Having had solar pv/heat pumps etc in a previous house I only buy stuff I can take with me

Edit: Should add the reason for agile now and not a while back is I used to get 100% free charging, not anymore though

 

[phproxy]

I'm looking for a universal socket, not a tethered one, so that's why the wallbox isn't on the list. Doesn't look too bad though. You happy with it?

Can I ask why untethered?

Other than that, from what you've said, go with Pod-point..

 

[tipclapper]

Can I ask why untethered?

Well, I understand most people say tethered is more convenient as you don't have to get the cable out of the car, you have a second cable so you're not "using up" the other up for on the road charging etc. Which is fair, but I don't mind tbh and I prefer the looks of the untethered unit, without the cable dangling around on the house. I'm not married to it though. Could definitely talk myself into a tethered one.

Other than that, from what you've said, go with Pod-point..

Cheers

 

[phproxy]

Well, I understand most people say tethered is more convenient as you don't have to get the cable out of the car, you have a second cable so you're not "using up" the other up for on the road charging etc. Which is fair, but I don't mind tbh and I prefer the looks of the untethered unit, without the cable dangling around on the house. I'm not married to it though. Could definitely talk myself into a tethered one.



Cheers

It wraps around the pod-point nicely enough, for the extra £20? I'd go for it..

I leave the plug dangling face down and don't have the holder screwed to the wall.

vs

 

[Stevedoz]

I'm looking for a universal socket, not a tethered one, so that's why the wallbox isn't on the list. Doesn't look too bad though. You happy with it?

Sorry, missed that. Yes it looks good so far thanks

 

[tipclapper]

It wraps around the pod-point nicely enough, for the extra £20? I'd go for it..

I leave the plug dangling face down and don't have the holder screwed to the wall.

Fair enough, it's not too bad

 

[Mjkelly5a]

Well, I understand most people say tethered is more convenient as you don't have to get the cable out of the car, you have a second cable so you're not "using up" the other up for on the road charging etc. Which is fair, but I don't mind tbh and I prefer the looks of the untethered unit, without the cable dangling around on the house. I'm not married to it though. Could definitely talk myself into a tethered one.

I had a untethered commando unit for sometime. OK in the summer. But when it started to rain or snow it was a nightmare getting the cable out and connecting it. But the worst bit was packing it up on a cold wet/frosty/snowy morning especially when I had to wear a suit! Untethering, packing away a wet cable and then getting it out again that night (in the rain and/or snow) to rinse and repeat did it for me. The smell in the car was also not great. Just my tuppence worth from experience

Hope this helps.