All your Ev Charging questions are answered here

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Tethered, Untethered, or Untethered locable ?

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Tethered: The charger has a charging lead permanently attached.

 

Pro's​

• It’s convenient and ready to go, pull up plug in

• you don't need to store the cable in boot or garage.​​

 

 Untethered: No charging lead attached to the charger 

Untethered lockable:  No charging lead attached to the charger,

but you can lock and unlock one into it 

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 Pro's                                                                                 

• Charger can be small and discrete 

• charger is Usually slightly cheaper to buy                                       

• No Visible cable coiled up outside your house

• Most manufacturers already supply a cable with the car. 

• Cable can be changed from type 1 to type 2 leads (see below).

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Do all electric cars use the same type of charge cable plug ?

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No - There are two different kinds of connectors for charging an electric car 

if your car was made after 2014 it will most likely be a Type 2 connector. 

Some older cars, have the differently shaped Type 1 socket, but these are rare

If you are concerned just check our link below to cars with type 1 fittings  

Type 1 to Type 2 converters are available from us at point of order

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Can I plug an electric vehicle  into a regular 3 pin outlet?

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Yes you can, but you won't want to. -  A regular 2.4kW three-pin wall socket will mean you’re looking at very, very long charging times - in excess of 35 hours depending on the car. That’s an entire working week’s worth of hours just to charge your batteries and you’ll want to slash those charging times by getting a charger install.

 

What power wall charger should I buy?

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This is perhaps the most crucial bit. There is no single power option.

 Your typical choice is up to 7.4kW for a typical UK home and it’s likely your car will have a maximum AC charging rate of 7 to 11kW (or less). To save money on the charger, you could choose a lower power rate (such as 3.6kW). Though it will take longer to charge your car. It is possible to have an even faster charger, up to 22kW, but very few cars can actually receive a 22kW charge, and upgrading your supply needs a 3 phase electric supply, when most homes only have a single phase network. To check if you have a 3 phase network there will be 3 x 100amp fuses inside your electric meter box. If you want a higher rate of charge and install a 3 phase network you would need to speak to your energy supplier  

However we recommend a 7kw is ample for a domestic property 

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What are CT Clamps and load management

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Charging an electric car at home places additional load on your electrical supply. Depending on the max charging rate of your charge point and vehicle, this load can damage your main fuse.

To avoid overloading your main fuse, our smart home chargers either include as standard, or as an extra a CT Clamp, which is wired between the charger and the meter box. This monitors the power being drawn by your house system, allowing the charger to manage how much power is diverted to it, preventing overloading your main fuse at peak times. 

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Can I use Solar Energy to Charge my car 

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If you have a domestic Solar PV System, alongside a Solar compatible EV Charger, you can charge your electric vehicle completely off of sunshine. Making Solar Panels and Electric Vehicles a match made in eco-heaven.

If you are at home during the day, the addition of an extra CT clamp will detect the excess energy being generated by your Solar Panel or wind turbine system, and this will be diverted to charge your vehicle. However, if you are like most electric car owners, and wish to charge your EV overnight, then a solar battery is a worth while investment. With a battery storage system, you will be able to charge your EV during the night, from solar energy that your battery has stored throughout the day. This is because a solar battery is able to store any excess solar energy from your solar panels to be used when your appliances, including your EV demand it.

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What is a Surge Protection Device (SPD)

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An electrical power surge, in simple terms, is when there is a significant increase in voltage that exceeds the standard 230-volt flow, ie Lightning strikes. The duration is only a few seconds, but as a result, electrical equipment can be damaged or, in rare cases, destroyed if an SPD is not fitted.

From 27/9/22, the new Wiring Regulations came into effect. With these new regulations, all new electrical circuits should have these fitted.

Power Surges can be caused by the likes of Lightening strikes, and with our ever changing British weather it is not something that can be ruled out, however to the best of our knowledge, such an event has not occurred, to any of the thousands of chargers fitted before 2022, but that doesn't mean that it won't. Any Manufacturer of a charger would not stand by the warranty, if damage was caused by a surge, and a SPD had not been fitted.  Our standard Installation figures do not include for surge protection devices because newer properties may include this protection already.

 

What is O-pen Protection

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This ingenious device, which is standard on all our smart chargers. It means you do not need to have an earth rod installed next to your charger. It cuts the voltage if it goes outside the statutory limits.  Further protection is provided by triwhich users card has pping the output from the charge point, if there is any indication of a current fault.

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What is an RFID Card

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An RFID Is basically a swipe card, and when this funcrion is available on a charger  It forms an extra line of security allowing the user to commence charging with a touch of the card. It can be tailored within the app so that each RFID Identifies the individual user, so that the usage and cost can be monitored on a person by person basis.

 

 

What is the Cost to Charge my vehicle

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The cost to charge an electric car in the UK varies between home, work and public charging.

For a typical electric vehicle  with a average 60kWh battery and 200 mile range:

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• Charging at home: £9.20 approximately, for a full charge. 

• Rapid charging: Rapid charging points are normally found at motorway service stations and typically cost £6.50 for a 30 min charge giving approx ~100 mile range.

• Charging at work: Many employers will install workplace charging points and typically offer free access throughout the day.

• Charging at public locations: Public charge points at supermarkets or car parks are often free to use for the duration of your stay.

* Costs calculated at 17p/kWh based on usable battery is ~54kWh (90%).

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How much does a journey in an EV typically cost?

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This varies depending on the vehicle you drive, but in simple terms, the size of the battery (kWh) x electricity cost of your supplier (pence per kilowatt-hour) = cost to charge an electric car from empty to full.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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How often should I charge my electric vehicle at home

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You can charge your electric car at home as often as you need to. It can be treated the same as charging a mobile phone, fully charging overnight and topping up in the day if necessary.

While it is not necessary for most to charge every day, many drivers plug in each time they leave their car out of habit, giving them maximum flexibility should they have to make an unexpected journey.

• By charging overnight, electric car drivers can take advantage of cheap night time electricity rates and drive for as little as 2p per mile.

• Overnight charging also ensures that the car’s battery is full each morning for the day ahead. You don’t need to unplug once the battery is full, charging will stop automatically with a dedicated home charger.

• Most drivers also make use of charging facilities at their workplace or public destinations to top up charge.

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What is the Battery life of and Electric Vehicle

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The battery life of an EV will vary depending on the make and model of the vehicle. Most manufacturers offer an eight year or 100,000 mile warranty for their EV batteries.

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Are Electric Vehicles cheaper to Maintain

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Electric cars are cheaper to maintain, no oil to change, no gaskets to replace, etc. Electric vehicles are generally more reliable as they have fewer moving parts, also as the electric motor is able to slow itself down, and regenerate some power, the use of brake pedals is reduced, and brake pads, and discs last longer. It means much lower maintenance costs.

 

Do I still have to pay Road Tax?

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You still need to register your EV for road tax, but you won’t have to pay anything because EVs don't give off any exhaust emissions.

Do I Still have to pay Congestion Charge

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If you drive an electric car in London, you don't have to worry about paying congestion charges because electric vehicles are exempt.

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