[The Badger]

Hi All,

I have ordered my Mitsubishi Outlander PHEV and now need to sort out my home charger.

I'll need a Type 1 (SAE J1772) Charging Station that is 16amp as the Outlander does not allow the 32amp charging option. (I'm aware the 32amp would future proof)

Can you tell me who you would recommend to supply and fit as well as who you have had bad experiences with? I emailed/contacted most suppliers last week and none have got back to me so that's not a good start, even if they are free to me they still get revenue!!

I'm based around Milton Keynes if location is an issue.... I intend to have it in the garage and the cable will be under the door (in a channel above the floor) when charging!

Thanks in advance for any help you could give me!

 

[UKTechie]

Chargemaster installed pretty quick no problem 32A £95.00 16A Free

 

[Edd Beesley]

I went for British Gas, and paid for the 32A upgrade. It's outside on a brick wall, working fine.

There might be issues with you having the unit installed in the garage with the cable long enough to reach -outside-, something to do with the "equipotential zone" in electrical regulations. Basically, a unit outside charging a car outside, or a unit inside charging a car inside is fine, but they cannot cross zones!

 

[Paul_Moxhay]

I got a 16A unit from British Gas. Installed quickly and all working fine.

However, I am moving house soon and I will need to get a new unit installed at the new house and I am thinking of trying to get a Rolec unit. They are very modular and might well be easier to upgrade if I change my car.

 

[Kevin Sharpe]

Can you tell me who you would recommend to supply and fit as well as who you have had bad experiences with?

Use @Thephoenixworks because they have installed lots of ZCW Charging Stations and many for Speak EV forum members. They're also a small family run company and install the ROLEC nodular products

I intend to have it in the garage and the cable will be under the door (in a channel above the floor) when charging!

Very dangerous and therefore not permitted If you want to charge your car outside the garage then get a Charging Station installed outside

 

[The Badger]

Thanks for the replies gents, I may be a little over cautious but I do not like the idea of leaving the charging station and cable outside due to possible vandalism or theft? The wife and family have filled the garage so that has taken care of not being able to park the car in the garage so will have to give this some thought!

 

[Julian Thomas]

My British Gas / Polar home charging point has a small key which can be used to turn the unit off completely. I was worried about vandalism / tampering, so chose to get mine on the back wall of the house, and run the cable over the side gate (literally adjacent). In hindsight I needn't have bothered: I leave the lead hanging over the gate most days, and nobody's ever interfered with it. (Also in MK here).

One word of caution - I am on my 3rd Polar unit. The first 2 both had failures of the SIM card bit, so it stopped communicating usage back to Chargemaster/Polar. I need the usage to reclaim the cost of the electricity from work (I'm trialling the vehicle for them), so it was a real pain each time it was replaced and stored usage data (typically 3-4 weeks) between when it failed and when it was replaced was lost. Also, taking a day off work to have a replacement unit fitted is a pain...

 

[AndyG]

If you are woried about vandalism etc why not get a unit without a cable.

 

[The Badger]

Thanks for the post Julian, unfortunately I am mid terrace with no real front garden so it'd need to be on display....although we do not get much 'through traffic' so to speak! I'm just too nervous about things like that!

When you say the 3rd unit, how long have you had them?

 

[The Badger]

Hi Andy, good point.

I have seen a ROLEC unit that does not have a tethered lead although seems unfair that you can get a unit only free under the scheme but you get no cable with it so need to pay for a cable!

 

[Julian Thomas]

Thanks for the post Julian, unfortunately I am mid terrace with no real front garden so it'd need to be on display....although we do not get much 'through traffic' so to speak! I'm just too nervous about things like that!

When you say the 3rd unit, how long have you had them?

I think the key-lock or the absence of a tethered cable would be enough for me to feel comfortable having it on display - but you've got to feel comfortable too! It could go behind a pot (or a plant in a pot) perhaps, so it's a little screened?

My first unit lasted about 3 months I think, the second lasted about 6 months... the current one has been in since Nov '13, so is now 6 months old too (fingers crossed...)

One thing I strongly dislike about the Polar unit is that the charge connector does not have a light in it. The Ampera's 13amp manufacturer-supplied cable has a little LED light that comes on when you're trying to mate it in the dark - actually surprisingly useful!

 

[Julian Thomas]

Hi Andy, good point.

I have seen a ROLEC unit that does not have a tethered lead although seems unfair that you can get a unit only free under the scheme but you get no cable with it so need to pay for a cable!

I paid Vauxhall around £300 for my Type2 cable. Thieving bastards...

 

[Chris Everitt]

So your outlander is on the same boat as mine then???
Like previously said it's a bad idea to have your unit installed within the fabric of the building and charge outside - you shouldn't cross earthing zones. If you had a TT earth or protected the unit with a safety isolating transformer that are about 50kgs and the size of a small wood burner and not free!, it may be an option but it's not advised, you may have to bite the bullet and put it outside. Having your unit tethered will mean less hassle as you don't have to find your cable to charge and you don't have to spend £150 plus on one!
I haven't fitted my unit yet and I have 26 at the warehouse Hope this makes you feel better!

 

[Dean Hamer]

I agree with @Kevin Sharpe and give @Thephoenixworks a ring.

Professional company with excellent communication before installation. High quality charge station installed (rolec) with the option to upgrade my tethered lead in the future if I change my LEAF for a Type 2 charging car.

I would also recommend the 32A version, even if your outlander can't charge at the full rate. It will be future proof your charge station because it will be installed with 6mm(sq) cable, 32A MCB and a 32A EPC.

Here is my Type 1 tethered station installed by @Thephoenixworks. So far so good!

 

[Julian Thomas]

I agree with @Kevin Sharpe and give @Thephoenixworks a ring.

Does this unit have any access to usage data?

 

[Dean Hamer]

It has a watt meter installed before the charger so I can see what energy I have used. On this meter it says I can register it to view online but I haven't got around to doing it yet. Don't think I will either I just make a note of what the meter reads at the start of each month, along with my gas and electricity readings.

 

[The Badger]

Thanks for all the replies, most enlightening!! The fact I can't have the unit 18" to the right in the garage was a surprise to say the least, I am soooo glad I joined the forum!

Due to the space available outside will probably go for the ROLEC type being the slimmer 180mm wide rather than the wide/round units I've seen.

Think I'll have to get the tethered one and spend the money saved on a charging cable on a CCTV system!

 

[Dean Hamer]

http://www.ss4meteronline.co.uk is the address on the watt meter.

Has anyone registered theirs?

 

[h8ten]

When my Rolec (through EST in Scotland) was installed I also had one of these meters installed. I looked at the website and there seemed to be various 'pay for' options but, if I remember right, you need the handwritten 4 digit code to register and mine only has 3 digits.

 

[Dean Hamer]

When my Rolec (through EST in Scotland) was installed I also had one of these meters installed. I looked at the website and there seemed to be various 'pay for' options but, if I remember right, you need the handwritten 4 digit code to register and mine only has 3 digits.

Mine is 3 digits also.