[C90Adam]

Good afternoon,

My partner and I are due to pick up our first electric vehicle next week. We are purchasing a Model Three second hand from an independent dealer. This is our first EV and it is all new to us.

We are based in the North West and after watching a few Youtube Videos I am interested in having a Rolec Charger installed. I have sent numerous enquiry forms over to Rolec and they have not responded. I have found a few local firms and they're not responding to any email or answering the phone. It seems that they're all shut down due to Covid.

I am open to using different brands of charger as long as they have smartphone compatibility, I am budgeting £600 at most for a tethered charger with an earth rod.

Has anybody had a charger installed during the Corona Virus pandemic? Now that lockdown is being eased I can't see why having one installed would be an issue as long as we follow sensible precautions.

Also, we are running on an old fashioned Electricity Meter, will this prevent us from having a charger installed? I am in the process of having a smart meter installed but (again) due to Covid there is a long wait and have been quoted two months until one is fitted.

 

[EricM]

You don't need a 'smart' meter to enable you to have a charging point - though you would need one if you wanted to join one of the Octopus 'tod' tariffs.

If your charger is to be fitted outdoors and connected by cable that's 100% outdoors to an external meter box then there's absolutely no reason why the connection can't be done. But you've still got the problem of convincing someone to come and do the job.

 

[Bullterrier]

You don't need a 'smart' meter to enable you to have a charging point - though you would need one if you wanted to join one of the Octopus 'tod' tariffs.

If your charger is to be fitted outdoors and connected by cable that's 100% outdoors to an external meter box then there's absolutely no reason why the connection can't be done. But you've still got the problem of convincing someone to come and do the job.

They do need to assess current current demand (!) too but that can be done from pics and discussion.

 

[Gerald.Tomson]

Good afternoon,

My partner and I are due to pick up our first electric vehicle next week. We are purchasing a Model Three second hand from an independent dealer. This is our first EV and it is all new to us.

We are based in the North West and after watching a few Youtube Videos I am interested in having a Rolec Charger installed. I have sent numerous enquiry forms over to Rolec and they have not responded. I have found a few local firms and they're not responding to any email or answering the phone. It seems that they're all shut down due to Covid.

I am open to using different brands of charger as long as they have smartphone compatibility, I am budgeting £600 at most for a tethered charger with an earth rod.

Has anybody had a charger installed during the Corona Virus pandemic? Now that lockdown is being eased I can't see why having one installed would be an issue as long as we follow sensible precautions.

Also, we are running on an old fashioned Electricity Meter, will this prevent us from having a charger installed? I am in the process of having a smart meter installed but (again) due to Covid there is a long wait and have been quoted two months until one is fitted.

FIT A zappi they are very good quality and don't need an earth rod to be fitted....
Look at this You tube video
(Installing my own Electric Vehicle Charger)

 

[Jrtev]

There's a few companies still installing if there's limited inside work. For your budget podpoint, don't need a earth rod either.

 

[208's Plenty]

I agree with the above comments as mine was installed by Pod Point the second week in June.

I'd had a bit of a wait, but as an NHS shift worker they did prioritise my install.

Everything was connected externally as I have external Meter Boxes.

What is your current situation, have you made any progress?

 

[dk6780]

A number of people have had bad experiences with Rolec, so be careful.
Where in the North West are you? Lots of installers are still working, but as above mainly working outside. Where is your meter - indoors or out?

 

[DeeSee]

I had a Podpoint installed a couple of weeks ago. They did a remote risk assessment based on photos I sent them and everything went ahead OK. From placing the order to installation was 10 days.

That's the good news...the not so good news was that the installer managed to drill completely through my consumer unit on the inside of our garage whilst routing the cable through from outside! Fortunately he somehow managed to miss everything inside the consumer unit apart from grazing some of the insulation on an earth wire inside the consumer unit. He did manage to repair the damage and seal the hole in the unit up but it could have been an expensive (and dangerous) mistake!

 

[Jrtev]

Tbf to him they get flogged pretty hard. Profits before people.

 

[dk6780]

I had a Podpoint installed a couple of weeks ago. They did a remote risk assessment based on photos I sent them and everything went ahead OK. From placing the order to installation was 10 days.

That's the good news...the not so good news was that the installer managed to drill completely through my consumer unit on the inside of our garage whilst routing the cable through from outside! Fortunately he somehow managed to miss everything inside the consumer unit apart from grazing some of the insulation on an earth wire inside the consumer unit. He did manage to repair the damage and seal the hole in the unit up but it could have been an expensive (and dangerous) mistake!

Phew. A near miss that should be reported to the HSE.
Was it an employee or a contractor? I suspect the latter benefitting from the Furlough payments.

 

[Jrtev]

Phew. A near miss that should be reported to the HSE.
Was it an employee or a contractor? I suspect the latter benefitting from the Furlough payments.

I don't think podpoint are claiming furlough, I might be wrong but I heard they were covering it.

 

[DeeSee]

Phew. A near miss that should be reported to the HSE.
Was it an employee or a contractor? I suspect the latter benefitting from the Furlough payments.

It was a contractor and I believe a genuine unlucky mistake (I watched him measure twice before drilling). On the basis that he left things in a safe and very tidy condition I'm not planning on taking things any further.

 

[tomb1963]

FIT A zappi they are very good quality and don't need an earth rod to be fitted....
Look at this You tube video
(Installing my own Electric Vehicle Charger)

I want a zappi installed as they are manufactured 15 miles from my home but the units seem expensive compared with others and I do not generate electricity and therefore a lot of the functionality will not be used.