EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) for Home Use

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1238 posts

Uber Geek

#3128112 15-Sep-2023 12:07

I'm also considering upgrading my leaf and have the same situation.

For me if I buy am MG4 I'll have to reverse it in if I don't move the caravan plug.
I assume you already have a type B RCD insalled. If so this type 2 fixed ESVE may be of use?

https://smartevchargers.co.nz/shop/wall-mount-ev-chargers/32a-ev-wall-charger-untethered/

$400 + a type 2 to type 2 cable + sparky to do the install.

So maybe $8-900 all up.

Costs more but I get a portable Type 2 - Type 2 cable I can take with me and I don't have to reverse in.

Is the barrel adaptor really going to put strain on the plug?
My current leaf charger head is not that heavy and the barrel adaptor looks very rigid and light as well.

https://smartevchargers.co.nz/shop/charging-cables/type-1-to-type-2-ev-adapter/

It's only $200 so much cheaper than the $500 for a new ESVE or $900 for a new fixed ESVE install

cthombor

81 posts

Master Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3128115 15-Sep-2023 12:15

jonathan18:

Yeah, the OEM Audio one is $545 from Drive EV at the moment, which is cheaper than from OEM itself ($599); that said, I’m tempted by that unit from Smart EV Chargers for $470. The former is 8m, the latter 7m - but either is fine as I’ve measured the current OEM Audio as 6m. Annoyingly, both have a short lead from plug to unit.

A key advantage of the OEM Audio unit is they also sell a wall bracket, but I imagine I may be able to find a bracket to be able to hold the Smart EV model. About time we sorted out a more permanent attachment after nearly five years…

Any other options people are aware of?

i believe the short run of cabling between the wall-socket and the IC-CPD is a safety feature. Worksafe's EV Charging Safety Guideline 5.3, 2017: "In any case, no IC-CPD may have an inlet supply cord greater than 2 m".

Running high-power electrical appliances at a significant distance from their power outlet is quite hazardous if their protective earth (PE) supply doesn't have a low-impedance connection to your household's earthing rod. For example: if you're outside, at a significant distance from your household's earthing rod, you might put yourself in the unfortunate position of being part of a ground-loop that involves your neighbour's earthing rod.

And yeah I'd be a bit worried about putting extra strain on the Type-2 inlet to your household's new EV. Replacing that inlet would be expensive; and if there's any increased possibility of water-incursion during rainy-weather charging then corrosion of pins and sockets could pose a non-trivial safety hazard.

But hey, I'm no safety engineer so I can confidently/cluelessly assure you that 99.9% of the time you'll surely be running no significant risks!

When some worry-wart asks me, rhetorically, "What could possibly go wrong?" I point at the little Alfred E Neumann statue that stands guard on the 3:2 stepdown tranny I use when solar-charging my e-NV200 from my wimpy 6-panel PV array: "What me worry?" ;-)

Obraik

2123 posts

Uber Geek

#3128189 15-Sep-2023 15:41

After many years of using the 8A Tesla Mobile Connector, I finally moved into my new build where we opted for 3 phase and hooked up a Wall Connector in the garage. Charging at 11kW now sees my daily commute charged in just over an hour vs the 7 hours+ previously.

It is very much overkill, but we were going with three phase anyway (many high power appliances, a second EV in the future and a workshop for my partner) and the extra cost to add it during the build was pretty minimal. I was also able to get the Gen 3 wall connector for "free" so figured why not give it the full power available.

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cthombor

81 posts

Master Geek

Lifetime subscriber

#3128290 15-Sep-2023 19:39

Obraik:

After many years of using the 8A Tesla Mobile Connector, I finally moved into my new build where we opted for 3 phase and hooked up a Wall Connector in the garage. Charging at 11kW now sees my daily commute charged in just over an hour vs the 7 hours+ previously.

It is very much overkill, but we were going with three phase anyway (many high power appliances, a second EV in the future and a workshop for my partner) and the extra cost to add it during the build was pretty minimal. I was also able to get the Gen 3 wall connector for "free" so figured why not give it the full power available.

You gain significant efficiency when providing an EV's on-board charger with more than half the power it can handle. The onboard charger of any EV dissipates a few hundred watts when "idling", and is maybe 95% efficient at handling the additional power you supply to it. The minimum ante for an AC charge is 6A. Your 8A charging sessions would (I guesstimate) be causing the onboard charger to throw off about 400W of heat; and with only about 8A * 230V = 1840VA of supply that's a charging efficiency of 1440/1840 or roughly 80%.

The onboard charger of the Tesla 3 (assuming that's what you have) can accept 3-phase 16A, i.e. up to 48A * 230V = 11kW. If 95% of this VA is charging the battery, and 5% is heating up the onboard charger, then that'd be roughly 400W for idling the charger plus 550W for running the power through its power-electronics, for a total of 950W of heating wastage, and about 10kVA to the battery. The power-factor of the battery is 1.0 so that's 10kW, for a total (roughly estimated!) efficiency of 10kW/11kW = 90%.

I'm pleased to find that my rough-cut estimates are within cooee of measurements posted to https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/using-trickle-charging.218050/#:~:text=Charging%20at%207kW%20is%20about,is%20more%20like%2070%25%20efficient and https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/model-3-home-charging-efficiency.202780/.

All to say that you'll be "wasting" only about 10% of the electrical energy you supply to your Tesla overnight with an 11kW charging session, down sharply from 20% wasted by its onboard charger when powered (weakly) by a slowcharger at 8A. At 11kWh per charging session, that's a savings of maybe $0.25 per night. Don't spend it all in one place!

mrdrifter

576 posts

Ultimate Geek

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#3128351 15-Sep-2023 21:29

Has anyone around Wellington had an Evnex charger installed? Was it installed via one fo the electricians partnered with Evnex, or did you use your own electrician? We're looking at having one installed and it seems to be the best option for smarts with timers, pricing timers and being able to utilise solar capacity.

Dratsab

3946 posts

Uber Geek

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#3128364 15-Sep-2023 22:18

mrdrifter: Has anyone around Wellington had an Evnex charger installed? Was it installed via one fo the electricians partnered with Evnex, or did you use your own electrician? We're looking at having one installed and it seems to be the best option for smarts with timers, pricing timers and being able to utilise solar capacity.

Yes, I have - I'm in Tawa. Got an electrician mate of mine to install all the necessary bits at either end of a 25m cable run. I was the schmuck who crawled under the house clipping the wiring to joists and running it through conduit under the concrete patio deck etc. Once all that was done, a sparky contracted by Evnex came round and did a 'fix and commission' which took less than an hour.

Obraik

2123 posts

Uber Geek

#3128539 16-Sep-2023 11:17

If you have a Tesla Gen 3 Wall Connector you can now add it to the Tesla app (even if you don't have a Tesla vehicle) and set up scheduled charging with it. Useful if you have an EV that doesn't have a built-in charging schedule (like the OG MG ZS EV like @linuxluver has) but you purchased a Wall Connector because it's one of the cheapest EVSE's available.

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Linuxluver

5828 posts

Uber Geek

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#3128543 16-Sep-2023 11:34

@Obraik I thought the ability to add the TWC to the Tesla app was a US-only thing at present. I read about it but can’t see any way to add it to my Tesla app (which I use to control my Tesla Powerwalls).

I traded in the MG ZS EV as it was almost 3 years old. We now have a GWM Ora Cat extended range. It works great with the TWC, too.

_____________________________________________________________________

I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

Obraik

2123 posts

Uber Geek

#3128544 16-Sep-2023 11:37

Linuxluver: @Obraik I thought the ability to add the TWC to the Tesla app was a US-only thing at present. I read about it but can’t see any way to add it to my Tesla app (which I used to control my Tesla Powerwalls).

I traded in the MG ZS EV as it was almost 3 years old. We now have a GWM Ora Cat extended range. It works great with the TWC, too.

The ability to add it to the app was added in yesterdays update to the Tesla app (version 4.25.0) 👍🏻

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Linuxluver

5828 posts

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#3128552 16-Sep-2023 12:04

@Obraik I’m on the iOS / iPhone app….. but I’ll check it in my Android phone too later.

v4.25.0-1953 - 171299ae7a

Oh! Just looked and it is there in the iOS app now. It wasn’t last night.

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I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

Obraik

2123 posts

Uber Geek

#3128558 16-Sep-2023 12:15

Only trick I noticed is that the wall connector needs to also be on firmware version 23.24. It was failing to add to my app last night following the directions but it seems to have done that update overnight and I was able to add it this morning. It does add something that even the Tesla vehicles can't do which is a stop charging time, which is useful if you have an off peak/free power period that you don't want it to continue charging past.

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Linuxluver

5828 posts

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#3128559 16-Sep-2023 12:19

@Obraik TWC added to the Tesla app. The app wanted the SSID and WPA2 password. Then it connected and did a firmware update to the TWC.

Now the TWC is visible in the app on the side of the house (showing “idle” currently) along with my Tesla Powerwalls.

_____________________________________________________________________

I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

Obraik

2123 posts

Uber Geek

#3128561 16-Sep-2023 12:21

Given your current setup, hopefully they bring that "Charging on Sunshine" feature to NZ as well!

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Linuxluver

5828 posts

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#3128579 16-Sep-2023 14:04

Obraik:
Given your current setup, hopefully they bring that "Charging on Sunshine" feature to NZ as well!

It’s charging. You can see it in the app. It puts a car in the garage. :-)

If it’s plugged in but not charging yet it just says “plugged in”.

_____________________________________________________________________

I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

Obraik

2123 posts

Uber Geek

#3128597 16-Sep-2023 15:41

Oh yeah, I mean the new feature Tesla has been rolling out in the US where if your solar is generating any extra, it will send that to the car. I suspect that might require a Tesla vehicle as it adjusts the amps to make sure that it doesn’t use more than the excess solar. As far as I’m aware, there’s no way to dynamically change the amps on the Wall Connector, yet.

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