[Mkultra]

Morning all, very new to the EV and associated world but learning apace thanks to solid reading here.

That said I'm not so much further in selecting my home charge point. I have 22kw 3-phase and will take an Audi capable of 22kw charging next Spring.

Have looked at the Andersen and like that. But mainly for cosmetic rather than functional reasons. Disappointed to find they have removed the RJ45 network option & no solar solution for the foreseeable future.

I'm told Audi will release a corresponding wall box (to the optional 22kw AC port) but there are precious few details available yet. Happy to share what I have. It reads ok but looks poor cosmetically. Available to order Wk 48.

Past that I'm a bit stuck.

What would be considered to be the benchmark system to get and install that plays nice and allows growth etc. The S class of the EV home charging system?

Subjective question I understand but all the same, would be interesting to get your views and suggestions where I might do some reading past Audi and Andersen. Appreciate any explanations and suggestions.

 

[cah197]

I'd be looking at Zappi from MyEnergi and Wallbox products.

 

[Mkultra]

I'd be looking at Zappi from MyEnergi and Wallbox products.

Many thanks for the suggestion. New ones for me. Can I ask what sets them apart from other units in your opinion?

 

[Jeremy Harris]

As above, the Zappi would be my choice. There are a few other 3 phase 32 A charge points around, Pod Point do one, as do Viridian, and a few others. The bottom line is that they are all just mains power outlets, so the main differences are in whatever smart stuff, internet connectivity, etc you might want. Personally I steer clear of all the smart stuff and stick with dumb charge points, as at the end of the day a dumb charge point is little more than any other mains power outlet and has very little to ever go wrong. These things are not chargers, even though that term is very widely misused, they are just switched mains outlets, with some dead simple stuff that allows the charger (in the car) to turn them on and off safely, or allow internet connected stuff to enable or disable them, set their advertsied max current capacity, etc.

 

[Anahata]

The Zappi has several current limiting options, useful if you have a solar panel installation e.g. charge only with power that would otherwise be exported to the grid. It also has built in open PEN fault protection which would otherwise need a separate box if you want that extra level of safety and your home supply is vulnerable to such faults.

 

[TomH]

Many thanks for the suggestion. New ones for me. Can I ask what sets them apart from other units in your opinion?

The Zappi is at the smartest end of the spectrum. It will handle inputs from solar panels and a battery as well as the mains.

I have no battery but have set up my Zappi to only charge the car with the surplus generation from my solar panels. So our ID3 has been running on sunshine for the last few months.

 

[Mkultra]

As above, the Zappi would be my choice. There are a few other 3 phase 32 A charge points around, Pod Point do one, as do Viridian, and a few others. The bottom line is that they are all just mains power outlets, so the main differences are in whatever smart stuff, internet connectivity, etc you might want. Personally I steer clear of all the smart stuff and stick with dumb charge points, as at the end of the day a dumb charge point is little more than any other mains power outlet and has very little to ever go wrong. These things are not chargers, even though that term is very widely misused, they are just switched mains outlets, with some dead simple stuff that allows the charger (in the car) to turn them on and off safely, or allow internet connected stuff to enable or disable them, set their advertsied max current capacity, etc.

Is an interesting take Jeremy and one to be took on board. I have to plead guilty to whistles and bells and over analysing functions. There is indeed something to be said for the simple approach.

That said I'm really interested in the solar / battery options. Whether they will work for us I don't know yet.

 

[Mkultra]

The Zappi has several current limiting options, useful if you have a solar panel installation e.g. charge only with power that would otherwise be exported to the grid. It also has built in open PEN fault protection which would otherwise need a separate box if you want that extra level of safety and your home supply is vulnerable to such faults.

I don't yet Anahata but you read my mind and is exactly where I'm leaning towards. Will be reading up on the Zappi today. Many thanks

 

[Mkultra]

The Zappi is at the smartest end of the spectrum. It will handle inputs from solar panels and a battery as well as the mains.

I have no battery but have set up my Zappi to only charge the car with the surplus generation from my solar panels. So our ID3 has been running on sunshine for the last few months.

Brilliant yes I like that approach and whilst have no solar yet, I feel more than a little drawn towards the solution and would hate put a foot wrong now that needed a retro-fit later. Running on sunshine I like a lot. Why do I feel like you are having more than a little influence on my expenditure the next 12 months Thanks

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Is an interesting take Jeremy and one to be took on board. I have to plead guilty to whistles and bells and over analysing functions. There is indeed something to be said for the simple approach.

That said I'm really interested in the solar / battery options. Whether they will work for us I don't know yet.

I did set one of our charge points up to use excess PV generation for charging. It's not straightforward, as the lowest current chargers will normally accept (if they are IEC61851 compliant) is 6 A, so around 1.4 kW. This means if you want to only charge using excess PV generation you need to be exporting more than this for the charger to turn the charge point on. Because we are on E7, the solution I chose was to have the charge point advertise, during the day time, that it could supply power whenever the cost was no more than the cheap overnight rate, which meant that the 6 A threshold was effectively reduced to a bit under 4 A in practice, allowing a bit better use of the solar generation.

This worked OK, but was a bit of a faff, as I had to keep the car plugged in pretty much all the time. After about a year I looked at how much money I'd saved from using some excess PV generation to charge the car and it was only about a tenner, so I ripped the second control board, with the telemetry to the house monitoring system out, so the charge point reverted to being dumb again. We have 25 solar panels in the roof, so can generate quite a bit, but my conclusion was that the cost saving wasn't worth the hassle of having the car plugged in pretty much all the time.

 

[ChrisCross123]

Brilliant yes I like that approach and whilst have no solar yet, I feel more than a little drawn towards the solution and would hate put a foot wrong now that needed a retro-fit later. Running on sunshine I like a lot. Why do I feel like you are having more than a little influence on my expenditure the next 12 months Thanks

The Zappi works well. The manufacturer MyEnergi also produce Eddi to maximise use of solar power for heating water, Harvi a wireless current transformer which makes it really easy to monitor power consumption / generation at different points in the system, and the hub that connects the other devices wirelessly with a wired Ethernet interface.

The system works well - you can set it up to charge regardless of solar output, to charge from solar only, or to charge as long as solar can provide a specified percentage of the power requirement.

If you have a battery with your solar system you can configure this into the MyEnergi system, and prioritise between car charging, battery charging and water heating.

It has an app which is basic but functional, and as a UK based manufacturer has pretty good support through their forums.

 

[Harry6]

The Zappi is a great unit especially if you are thinking of solar and a battery wall.
What sort of milage do you do as and is that during the day and mean that you would charge at night?
Does any know if solar works with 3 phase?

 

[TomH]

I did set one of our charge points up to use excess PV generation for charging. It's not straightforward, as the lowest current chargers will normally accept (if they are IEC61851 compliant) is 6 A, so around 1.4 kW. This means if you want to only charge using excess PV generation you need to be exporting more than this for the charger to turn the charge point on. Because we are on E7, the solution I chose was to have the charge point advertise, during the day time, that it could supply power whenever the cost was no more than the cheap overnight rate, which meant that the 6 A threshold was effectively reduced to a bit under 4 A in practice, allowing a bit better use of the solar generation.

This worked OK, but was a bit of a faff, as I had to keep the car plugged in pretty much all the time. After about a year I looked at how much money I'd saved from using some excess PV generation to charge the car and it was only about a tenner, so I ripped the second control board, with the telemetry to the house monitoring system out, so the charge point reverted to being dumb again. We have 25 solar panels in the roof, so can generate quite a bit, but my conclusion was that the cost saving wasn't worth the hassle of having the car plugged in pretty much all the time.

Why is it a hassle to have the car plugged in all the time it's not being used?

Seems entirety natural to us. But we came from a GTE where you have to do that anyway if you're going to run on electric.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

The Zappi is a great unit especially if you are thinking of solar and a battery wall.
What sort of milage do you do as and is that during the day and mean that you would charge at night?
Does any know if solar works with 3 phase?

Yes, solar can work with three phase, and you automatically get a higher limit without needing DNO consent, as the "notify only" limit is 16 A per phase, so around 3.68 kWp for single phase, or 11.04 kWp for three phase. No problem with using diverted solar from three phase to a three phase charge point, either, although you need a system that can measure current on all three phases. The MyEnergi Harvi can handle three CTs, so can measure current on all three phases, I believe. This would then allow a three phase Zappi to be controlled from it.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

Why is it a hassle to have the car plugged in all the time it's not being used?

Seems entirety natural to us. But we came from a GTE where you have to do that anyway if you're going to run on electric.

I just got fed up with the bird crap, TBH. The connector, plugged in to the car, seemed to be a regular roosting spot for birds, so there was always bird muck on it and on the side of the car. Only plugging the car in for an overnight charge at the off-peak rate wasn't such a problem.

 

[TomH]

I just got fed up with the bird crap, TBH. The connector, plugged in to the car, seemed to be a regular roosting spot for birds, so there was always bird muck on it and on the side of the car. Only plugging the car in for an overnight charge at the off-peak rate wasn't such a problem.

You need a decoy. All the birds round here prefer our bird table.

 

[ChrisCross123]

Why is it a hassle to have the car plugged in all the time it's not being used?

Seems entirety natural to us. But we came from a GTE where you have to do that anyway if you're going to run on electric.

I find it works well with the GTE, and for our usage profile it will work even better with a big battery EV.

 

[Mr_G]

I just got fed up with the bird crap, TBH. The connector, plugged in to the car, seemed to be a regular roosting spot for birds, so there was always bird muck on it and on the side of the car. Only plugging the car in for an overnight charge at the off-peak rate wasn't such a problem.

Birds don't like shiny objects and react. They think the gleam is the eye of a predator. Just go easy on keeping the car polished. Newly polished car equals bird muck magnet.

 

[Jeremy Harris]

You need a decoy. All the birds round here prefer our bird table.

Our bird feeders are a fair way away from where I park, plus we live in a pretty isolated rural area, so there are loads of birds around all the time. Not worth the hassle of cleaning the muck off just to save a few pounds a year, IMHO. I had to get the paintwork on the Tesla repaired because cock pheasants had damaged all four corners of the car, pecking at their own reflections. They have done the same to our front door, during the breeding season they are forever bashing their beaks against their reflection in the glass. It's nice living out in the sticks, but you do have to get used to things like duck crap on the front step, from the half dozen Mallards that sleep there every night (unless a feisty cock pheasant has seen them off). Pretty sure it was either pigeons or collared doves sitting on the connector, judging from the volume of muck left behind. Loads of them around, and we have to take measures to try and keep them off the bird feeders, or else they will empty them in minutes.

 

[freddym]

Morning all, very new to the EV and associated world but learning apace thanks to solid reading here.

That said I'm not so much further in selecting my home charge point. I have 22kw 3-phase and will take an Audi capable of 22kw charging next Spring.

Have looked at the Andersen and like that. But mainly for cosmetic rather than functional reasons. Disappointed to find they have removed the RJ45 network option & no solar solution for the foreseeable future.

I'm told Audi will release a corresponding wall box (to the optional 22kw AC port) but there are precious few details available yet. Happy to share what I have. It reads ok but looks poor cosmetically. Available to order Wk 48.

Past that I'm a bit stuck.

What would be considered to be the benchmark system to get and install that plays nice and allows growth etc. The S class of the EV home charging system?

Subjective question I understand but all the same, would be interesting to get your views and suggestions where I might do some reading past Audi and Andersen. Appreciate any explanations and suggestions.

Big fan of Viridian stuff very solid reliable, very safe wrt PME. As JH says stay clear of smartness in the charger itself and do this in the car if at all possible.
If you have to have an App to control your charger, it's not so hard to DIY mod the Viridian via Shelly.
You really want to avoid dependency of your charging in your home on someone else's web service.