EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) for Home Use

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5897 posts

Uber Geek

#2989859 31-Oct-2022 09:41

About to buy a wall unit unit to charge our Leaf. The Leaf itself can only take 3kw but I'm considering this to be a selling point of the house (having a handily located Type 2 socketed wall unit close to the driveway) so I'm going to spend up a little.

Requirements are simple:

Socketed, not tethered (We have a Leaf for now but other Type 2 vehicles in the broader family).
Weatherproof, as it will be outside (under a little shelter but it will still get a splash of rain now and then).
RFID as it will be visible from the street and I want my parents to be able to use it sans app.

This looks like it fits the bill, anyone have any experience with these units?

https://evpower.co.nz/bcp-smart-dlb-wall-charger-32a-1p-load-bal

Complicating our install is that the house switch board (while upgraded) is on the opposite corner length and sideways from where I can charge a vehicle, but we have good underfloor access so I'm hoping that doesn't complicate matters too much. It didn't cause any headaches for our heat-pump.

Beccara

1469 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#2989862 31-Oct-2022 09:52

That looks very similar to my Beny charger:

https://www.beny.com/product-item/7kw-ev-charger-type-2-socket-with-shutter/

Which I've had no issues with and works really well, We got this one as it supports resuming charge after powerloss without requiring a replug of the cable

Most problems are the result of previous solutions...

All comment's I make are my own personal opinion and do not in any way, shape or form reflect the views of current or former employers unless specifically stated

GV27

5897 posts

Uber Geek

#2989866 31-Oct-2022 10:00

Beccara:

Which I've had no issues with and works really well, We got this one as it supports resuming charge after powerloss without requiring a replug of the cable

Excellent, mind if I ask about the cost of the install? Also, are you using the RFID function or the app?

Beccara

1469 posts

Uber Geek

ID Verified

#2990007 31-Oct-2022 12:50

Instaall was $2300 + GST all up, $1k for the unit and $1300 for cabling and wiring which was about 14m worth x2 . They had to upgrade the the controlled load cable from meter box to main panel then run the EVSE cable. A setup where the charger/meter/main dist board are close to each other like under a car port would be 1/3 to 1/2 of that $1300

everettpsycho

614 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2990247 31-Oct-2022 18:32

When I asked evpower they suggested a local sparky, he quoted just shy of $4k for a pair of them purchased and installed. I couldn't find a great deal on the charger itself and user reviews seemed mixed when I asked on the leaf owners Facebook group. I ended up going with the evnex instead as once installed it wasn't a huge difference in price and I'd only really seen good reviews of those units. They also promised to add load balancing on two units that the beny supposedly can't do.

I've had no major issues with the units, the only thing I've had come up on each is they are set up by default to use mobile signal and we are tight on the edge of coverage, there was a night I just couldn't access the charger and initiate the charge. I've now connected both to my wifi to cover that off and not had the same problem again since.

RUKI

1402 posts

Uber Geek

#2992140 5-Nov-2022 11:26

If you are building open source EVSE and need 5m Type 1 Cable with plug - I have heaps from original MMC and Leaf EVSE. PM if interested.

Toyota / Lexus Hybrid and EV Battery Expert Battery Test & Repair

dklong

167 posts

Master Geek

#2994214 10-Nov-2022 07:33

JonoNZ:

We have an ABB Terra Wallbox, 32A * 230V = 7.36kW theoretical max charging ability.

@JonoNZ

I've just had one of these installed. Do you happen to know if you can connect to the charger over the WiFi (once you've configured it) or is it Bluetooth only for the ChargeSync app?

Cheers

Quic Broadband

Move to New Zealand's best fibre broadband service (affiliate link). Note that to use Quic Broadband you must be comfortable with configuring your own router.

JonoNZ

274 posts

Ultimate Geek

#2994238 10-Nov-2022 08:52

dklong:

JonoNZ:

We have an ABB Terra Wallbox, 32A * 230V = 7.36kW theoretical max charging ability.

@JonoNZ

I've just had one of these installed. Do you happen to know if you can connect to the charger over the WiFi (once you've configured it) or is it Bluetooth only for the ChargeSync app?

Cheers

Yep with firmware 1.6.2 (currently at 1.6.5) or greater the ChargerSync app will try connecting on Bluetooth, then try via the Internet (ethernet, WiFi, 4G) to the charger. It takes a few seconds but works ok. I've made a suggestion to ABB to try internet first then Bluetooth as it would be a better user experience.

lchiu7

6476 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2994313 10-Nov-2022 11:08

I am still in two minds about installing one of these units. I presume they have to be connected to the main switchboard? I can't work out how to do that is my house. In the laundry there is a panel with a bunch of circuit breakers but no wiring that I can see. Then outside the house on the well is the smart meter and associated wiring to connect to the mains supply. Where do these devices get connected to?

gordonz

52 posts

Master Geek

#2994317 10-Nov-2022 11:27

Looks like there are so many options for a wall charger.

My situation is a little different I have called quite a few suppliers but no one seems to have a solution for use In New Zealand.

My meter board is 250 m away from where I would install the wall box and I also intend to put in a solar farm in the same location as the meter board so I need a wall charger that will talk via Wi-Fi or other wireless technology between the wall Box and the metering point.

I have a 3-phase in-ground cable that runs between the meter board and where I am installing the wall charger.

The other thought I had was if there is a wall charger that I could integrate with a smart hub such as Smartthings so that it could talk to both the energy monitoring and my wall charger.

Does anyone know a solution that might work?

billgates

4705 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2994359 10-Nov-2022 13:24

You can always install a WiFi point to point solution to cover WiFi coverage between EVSE & Meter board.

Do whatever you want to do man.

gordonz

52 posts

Master Geek

#2994383 10-Nov-2022 14:19

I do have wifi coverage both at the meter board and where the wall box is to be installed, my problem is finding the equipment that can talk to one another or both talk to a smart hub. All the "smart" wall boxes that I have looked into use a data cable between the energy monitoring part and the wall box.

billgates

4705 posts

Uber Geek

Trusted

#2994399 10-Nov-2022 15:29

If you are putting Solar in, then there are plenty of inverters, their smart meters which also act as an energy meter and they EVSE units that can talk with other over WiFi. For e.g SMA Home Manager 2.0 will have ethernet plugged into and connected to your utility meter. SMA EV Charger will connect to your WiFi and transmit and recieve data/commands etc that way since both the Home Manager 2.0 and EV Charger are connected to the same network. Same applies to Fronius solution.

Do whatever you want to do man.

gordonz

52 posts

Master Geek

#2994400 10-Nov-2022 15:32

Thanks, I will look into those.

dklong

167 posts

Master Geek

#2994407 10-Nov-2022 16:09

JonoNZ:

Yep with firmware 1.6.2 (currently at 1.6.5) or greater the ChargerSync app will try connecting on Bluetooth, then try via the Internet (ethernet, WiFi, 4G) to the charger. It takes a few seconds but works ok. I've made a suggestion to ABB to try internet first then Bluetooth as it would be a better user experience.

Thanks! That's very good to hear.

I think my firmware updated to 1.5.something when I hit the update button but I should obviously hit the update button again. :-)

Cheers

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