The biggest question is how is the place laid out, where is the breakout/meter and consumer unit. What age is everything. Where in relation to this are you parked.
Do you want any form of safety as per requirements and hope you have the right kind of earthing or not bother and hope that the granny charger will be OK, never go wrong and no Open-PEN fault might ever affect you?

Ideally, a socket (any kind of socket) used to charge a vehicle should have TT islanded earthing arrangements and be fed from it's iwn radial circuit as well as being high quality and in excellent order.

The second question should be how much have you got to spend.

Perhaps you could do what I did (eventually) which was to install a Wallbox Pulsar Plus which has built in PEN protection so no earth rod is needed, is lockable via its app and allows you to charge at anything between 6a and 32a on the fly so you could charge slowly on a sunny day.

Gaz

 

I had an outside waterproof socket fitted when I first got my EV.
I used it for about 6 weeks until I got an Ohme EVSE.
I have since had solar panels and a house battery installed and now use a Zappi EVSE.
I now use the outside socket for the lawn mower, not sure why I never fitted one before😃

 

The house is about 20yr old, so electrics should be ok up to the regs at that point.
Car is parked on the driveway (in front of what used to be a garage when the house was originally built), Consumer unit is located in the garage.
I have been using a plug socket in the converted garage room up until now.
My other thought was just to drill through from the socket I currently use & create a spur from there.

Price point is as cheap as possible, as I don't see the point in spending £100's when I have only had to plug in at home 3 times in 3 months!
The car is leased, so no guarantee I get another EV when the car goes back. £1000 for an EV charger?
The amount of times I would need to charge at home or n an emergency would work out cheaper if I charged up at Tesco or McDonalds.

 

Don't create an unfused spur.
If you can check which circuit on the consumer unit is used least it woukd give you an idea of the safest one to extend onto an extenal socket for occausional use if not fully compliant it would be an improvement.

For me, I already had a radial which only fed the shed and nothing else other than a seldom used external socket.
I fitted a junction box allowing me to fit a better quality external socket in a better location with the aid of some conduit, clips and a bit of time and effort.
The cost was well under your budget.

Gaz

 

been looking at something like Masterplug Domestic Mode 2 EV Charging Station EVH132S1SP | RS Electrical Supplies
& Wallpod Outdoor 13a Socket <-- have also seen these with a water tap! Would be handy for washing the car & jet washing the driveway! Then I started to look at Caravan hookups... so going down to many rabbit holes now!
but ideally want something lockable or can take a padlock
Anything done would be by a qualified electrician friend. There are plenty of EV chargers on ebay, but I would prefer a plug socket to use for other things

 

I am looking for an easy/cheap option to either plug in the granny charger (so an outdoor 13a socket) or another solution?

I've seen an extension cable which has a small inline plug/socket which is designed to allow it to pass through a letterbox. I can have a look round if no-one else is able to find a link to it.

Just to add - I am outside the range of smart meters, so I do not get anything for exporting. Hence I want to use as much of my surplus as I can.

Is it not possible to have an export meter from which you can give manual readings ? I think even a smartmeter can be read manually if the comms aren't working.

 

I've seen an extension cable which has a small inline plug/socket which is designed to allow it to pass through a letterbox. I can have a look round if no-one else is able to find a link to it...

It's very bad practice to use an extension lead in conjunction with a granny charger, as there will then be no thermal sensing and protection for the plug of the extension lead. And I'd worry about how that "small inline plug/socket" is going to cope with carrying 10A continuously for an lengthy period.

 

Those have been around a while but the thing to check for is if the plug on the granny fits into the enclosure as some have been too bulky.

In your case I would probably have a fused spur with a switch (inside) so I could then switch an external socket off to prevent it being used without my say so.

There are wifi connected meters which have all sorts of functionality which might be of interest but the more complicated you get for a simple external socket, the quicker cost spirals out of proportion.

Gaz

 

Those have been around a while but the thing to check for is if the plug on the granny fits into the enclosure as some have been too bulky.

That's what I found - the granny charger cable was too thick for the water sealing, so making it very difficult to close (and then reopen) the cover.

In your case I would probably have a fused spur with a switch (inside) so I could then switch an external socket off to prevent it being used without my say so.

Yes, that's what we did, but I didn't realise about the extra protection needed when charging a car. If I was going to use it again, I think that I'd want a dedicated fully protected socket.

 

Your 'wish list' comes with quite a few issues.

First of all, there are regulations covering installing such sockets that are intended for EV charging. They mandate for a dedicated cable directly from the CU to that charge point. Specific 'trip' protectors must be used. And it must also have protection from a PEN fault. ( Look it up ). These regulations apply whether a full EVSE wall-box is to be installed, an outside 13 amp socket, or a commando unit.

And any professional electrician fitting that system must comply and sign off on that supply to confirm that the regulations have been met. If your tame electrician is fully aware that he is fitting a supply that is intended to be used for EV charging then he must comply with the regulations. Obviously, an unqualified homeowner is not allowed to do that kind of work.

Secondly, your fears over power theft that causes you to require a lock are unfounded. The chance that someone would park on your drive for hours to steal a couple of quid is remote.

I understand your reluctance to spend cash on a proper solution to home charging and also your feelings that you may not replace this car with another EV later. As well as your present ability to charge at work. But it comes down to how much you value your life, or others, by saving money on a fully safe installation. The regulations are there for a reason - especially the PEN fault risks, and also when viewed alongside the quite large expense of acquiring the EV in the first place. A bit more cash for full safety should be regarded as part of the entire purchase deal.

In any case, the 'granny charger' is intended to be used in an emergency and not as a regular solution. For similar safety reasons as well as the enhanced fire risk. The very name comes from the intended use when visiting Granny at her remote cottage in the Brecons. This forum has already seen evidence of 13 amp plug fires caused by many hours of such use pulling power at the top end of the design. Just bite the bullet and fit a safe system. In any case, it's highly likely that eventually, you will need one for a future EV. Just do it now.

 

I ran two dedicated 6mm core cables from my consumer unit to the outside, one for the EV charger and one for an outside twin socket, so that I could fit another charger if we needed two in the future - I figured if the electrician is running one wire he can run 2 just as easily.

You could do similar, but just the one wire, that means the outside plug wouldn’t be a spur or unfused or too much power over time for the ring it was spurred from and as such, much safer. The thick gauge wiring would then allow you to fit a dedicated EV charger in the future if your work charging circumstances change. The cost to run a shortish length of 6mm over typical twin and earth is buttons and the electrician friend would make short work of it.

 

running a cable direct from the consumer unit is not a problem. My consumer unit is located on the outside wall. along the end of the same wall is the meter box & around the corner is where I plan on installing a plug. So can easily run a cable from the consumer unit, or install an additional consumer unit at the meter-box - which is probably a better idea.

It is the final plug outlet that I am looking for a solution for. Ideally a 13a plug with a lock! I would run the cable that would allow the box to replaced with an EV charger at a later date if I ever decide to go that route.
To charge in work costs me £1 an hour. There are occasions where I dont make it to the office or the chargers are in use. I drive about 150 miles a week (130 of which is commuting miles).

 

I convinced myself a proper EV charging point would make the house more saleable in the future. Well it might.

 

As others have said here, the issue is not the fitting of an external socket - that's easy enough to do, even the long-term use of a slow charger is not recommended. I'd say that your use case could qualify for "occasional".

The main issue is making sure that socket is suitable for EV charging - the PEN fault protection being the big one.

Making sure the socket is fed with an appropriately-sized cable direct from the consumer unit is the easy bit. Definitely do not run it as a spur from an existing ring.

 

Legrand sell the attached in France with the unit for the consumer box here is the french link and below a U.K. one

Véhicule électrique : intéressé par l’installation d’un point de charge par un pro ?

Rechargez votre voiture jusqu’à 2 fois plus rapidement que sur une prise normale grâce au Green’up system !

www.legrand.fr

LEGRAND - Green'up socket 14A 220V - 090471 - 3.2 kW - Surface mounting - Carplug

www.carplug.eu

 

I’d be tempted to get an external commando socket and a charging cable that can ramp down to 6A if needed. that’d let you take 2.4kw happily with solar if wanted - I don’t know I’d be happy with a 13A plug doing 2.4kw for a long time even on a new install so I’d probably derate that to 1.4kw anyway - so a commando would let you use more of that available solar

 

You can buy mini EV consumer units with Open-PEN protection and an RCBO built in, cost around £120. You need to think about over-current protection arrangements because the RCBO is fused at 40A which is likely to be more than you want for a circuit supplying a 13A socket and would mean you'd need cable rated for 40A and a suitably rated 40A supply to the new EV CU, that said if you went down that route of connecting it up rated for 40A it would allow you to upgrade from a socket to a full EV charge point at a later date, it's more future-proof.

Garo G6EV40PME Consumer Unit, MCU Type A RCBO & PME Fault, EV Charger Compatible

Electrical2Go Sell Discount Garo G6EV40PME Consumer Unit, MCU Type A RCBO & PME Fault for Both Trade & Home Use. Big Name Brands, and Free Delivery.

www.electrical2go.co.uk

 

This is a perfectly acceptable solution. So long as you run the cable in 6mm² you'll be fine with 40A overcurrent protection.

However just doing the job properly and installing a proper charging point is still the best option.

 

As many have intimated, the cost of this, that and the other just to make a 3 pin socket compliant for the use you intend never mind any safer soon adds up.
Then there are anecdotal references to occasions where garo or matt-e PME devices cause nuisance tripping.

Certailnly if you have a seperate CU for the PV system and that spurs off the tails at the meter then an RCBO added in there with some 4 or usually 6mm CSA cable clipped to the wall it makes much better sense to put any money you might have spent on a socket, pme devices and other bit's that only go half way to providing safe and decent charging towards a proper charge point.

Even if you picked up a secondhand Wallbox Pulsar Plus for example which would be possible to find for 200 to 300 or I bought a new one for just over 400, that would provide PME protection so no matt-e or rod or costs to install those and the actual cost of the chargepoint becomes less.

Gaz

 

This ^^^^^^^^ is the way to go. Safe , effective, future proof and not much more expensive.

 

I'd just drill through and fit an external socket spurred off an internal one (don't use both at once) they are lockable, but a determined theif wouldn't care !
But for the odd times your using it I'm sure it'd be ok.

 

And when it isn’t, you could always use the “some guy on the internet said it would be ok” defence.

 

I'm looking at getting ones of these fitted by an electrician to a static caravan that has a 30 amp supply: Masterplug Protected Outdoor Socket for Mode 2 Charging - 3Pin | Halfords UK

Masterplug Protected Outdoor Socket for Mode 2 Charging - 3Pin

• Fitted with 16A DP RCBO Type A
• Water and dust protection to IP66, with covers for each compartment

Would that be OK, or would it need Pen Fault protection too?

 

I'm looking at getting ones of these fitted by an electrician to a caravan that has a 30 amp supply: Masterplug Protected Outdoor Socket for Mode 2 Charging - 3Pin | Halfords UK

Masterplug Protected Outdoor Socket for Mode 2 Charging - 3Pin

• Fitted with 16A DP RCBO Type A
• Water and dust protection to IP66, with covers for each compartment

Would that be OK, or would it need Pen Fault protection too?

Look at pic 6, from the side.
Many granny chargers have a device in the plug to allow it to throttle back shortly before the socket and plug burst into flames.
The problem with many of these types of socket which let's face it are over priced and only came about as a way to fleece people out of money for something that might marginally prove to be a bit more convenient if it all goes badly wrong is that the plugs with a thermister in them are bulky and the waterproof hatch on these sockets isn't roomy enough to close.
So people then make up a short extension lead, usually moving the problem slightly away from the socket but also often creating further problems as they do so.
The other issue is you're giving the game away by fitting something like that you're broadcasting to the world that you intend to use it for car charging and of course questions might then come up about how the thing is earthed and so on.
My understanding is that feeds for caravans to hook up to are supposed to be TT isolated to make them safe. Electric shocks can be very inconvenient even if the only effect is to frizzle an eyebrow, hair straighteners are not cheap these days so it's best to ensure things are done in the safest way which although not always cheap or convenient will almost invariably work out cheaper to do from the offset rather than a bit later when you feel your luck might be running out.
So the question would be, when you hook up the van to the site do you know the site has done their install correctly?
The other thing, I understood there was a special thing one used to connect to the caravan hook up which you then charged from with the van hooking up seperately. How much safer that might be is something I wouldn't know but it seems to be the way things are done rather than what you propose.

Gaz