EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) for Home Use

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#3471095 17-Mar-2026 13:09

IMO if you are going to a 32A one on a 63A supply, the most important thing is that it can cap your total demand from the grid. If you go on a 3 hours free power plan then you will be hammering it with other things and the extra of the car can result in you being plunged into darkness when the supply fuse decides its had enough. You can push it hard for a while, but eventually they will have had enough operating over the limit and let go.

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#3471109 17-Mar-2026 13:58

amanzi:

We're considering purchasing an EV so am looking at wall chargers. What features should I be looking at when picking a wall charger? Obviously there's the actual charging capabilities (speed, power, etc), but what about other things like charging schedules, Wi-Fi access, etc? I'm not really sure how much logic the wall charger needs versus what the car itself can control? For example, if I want to set a charging schedule to run from 11pm to 7am only, would this be configured on the wall charger or in the car?

It depends on your vehicle, I guess. I can set charging times either via the app for the charger (Evnex), or in the settings in the car itself (Kia Niro). I don't know if all EV models have this, as this is the first I've owned.

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#3471115 17-Mar-2026 14:17

Stu:

amanzi:

We're considering purchasing an EV so am looking at wall chargers. What features should I be looking at when picking a wall charger? Obviously there's the actual charging capabilities (speed, power, etc), but what about other things like charging schedules, Wi-Fi access, etc? I'm not really sure how much logic the wall charger needs versus what the car itself can control? For example, if I want to set a charging schedule to run from 11pm to 7am only, would this be configured on the wall charger or in the car?

It depends on your vehicle, I guess. I can set charging times either via the app for the charger (Evnex), or in the settings in the car itself (Kia Niro). I don't know if all EV models have this, as this is the first I've owned.

You might also want to consider how future proof you need it. E.g single phase is 3 phase (I've just bought a 3 phase car), integration into home automation, integration with solar , tethered cable vs socket etc.

Also some such as Evnex only work while their API is available. After the debacle with Solar Zero there is no way I would install anything that is tethered to a company.

Otautahi Christchurch

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#3471136 17-Mar-2026 15:04

Vast majority of EV's can do a timer themselves (obvious exemption being the eairly? MG ZS EV).

Features you need to decide if you want:
- Ability to share capacity over multiple charger's (i.e. slow each charger from 32A to 16A when two EV's are charging)
- Ability to set a grid limit (clamp over incoming circuit to the house and the EVSE will slow / stop the EV charging if you are close to the pole fuse limit)
- Ability to dynamical track solar (either using the above clamp, or one over the solar feed). Will limit the rate of EV charging to less than either your solar output, or what would otherwise export to the grid.
- General smarts (energy metering, timers, remote control etc).
- Three phase.

For most people, a basic charger, and relying on the car works fine.

Repeat other peoples warnings about buying a charger which need to phone home for the features to function. I had a EO Mini Pro 2. Never managed to get the charger to talk to their server, and subsequently they dropped the EO mini pro 2 support, meaning everybody's smart chargers they paid a premium for turned into dumb chargers overnight.

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#3471145 17-Mar-2026 15:29

fastbike:

You might also want to consider how future proof you need it. E.g single phase is 3 phase (I've just bought a 3 phase car), integration into home automation, integration with solar , tethered cable vs socket etc.

Also some such as Evnex only work while their API is available. After the debacle with Solar Zero there is no way I would install anything that is tethered to a company.

Thanks - I just read the following article which pretty much rules out Evnex for me: Evnex Blog | EECA’s smart charger approved list explained — and why it won’t achieve EECA’s stated objectives

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#3471150 17-Mar-2026 15:38

Get something with DC leakage detection - eliminates the need for a expensive and bulky specialist RCD at the circuit board. If you are getting a type 1 charge socket EV, best to get an untethered charger so it is easy to swap the cord if you want to charge a type 2 EV.

In general, unless you need house incomer, or solar monitoring clamps, or to be untethered, the advise is to get the Tesla Gen 3 charger. at $800 is is really cheap for what it offers. DC leakage monitoring, 3 phase support, longish 7.3m cable, proven to be highly durable. And if you get more EV's it can talk to other tesla gen 3 chargers to restrict their combined max loading.

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#3476345 31-Mar-2026 21:27

Apologies if this is the wrong thread, or if it should be is own post…

I have a portable EVSE with a regular NZ 3pin plug. Seems to be a generic non brand thing. The main unit says “Main box indoor use only” and it states an IP54 rating. I have had a separate 15A power socket with rcd installed in the garage. My question is, can I run the car-end of the cable outside, under the garage door, to charge on the driveway? I’d leave the “main box” part sheltered in the garage and just ~1 meter of the cable to the car running outside.

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#3476351 31-Mar-2026 22:07

lookout:

Apologies if this is the wrong thread, or if it should be is own post…

I have a portable EVSE with a regular NZ 3pin plug. Seems to be a generic non brand thing. The main unit says “Main box indoor use only” and it states an IP54 rating. I have had a separate 15A power socket with rcd installed in the garage. My question is, can I run the car-end of the cable outside, under the garage door, to charge on the driveway? I’d leave the “main box” part sheltered in the garage and just ~1 meter of the cable to the car running outside.

Yes. I had a similar cord running out a window for over two years.

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#3476383 1-Apr-2026 07:42

amanzi: if I want to set a charging schedule to run from 11pm to 7am only, would this be configured on the wall charger or in the car?

I've set a schedule on my EVSE so that, in general, it will only deliver a charge between 9pm and 7am. That puts it outside of peak times and inside my night-time electricity pricing. If I was in an area where it was easy for people to get onto my property it would also prevent freeloading, although I'm not sure if that's really a thing tbh. Despite the schedule, the EVSE can be told to deliver electricity at any time through its app. No schedule in the car allows me to charge it [anywhere] anytime should I need to.

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#3476419 1-Apr-2026 09:30

Scott3:

lookout:

Apologies if this is the wrong thread, or if it should be is own post…

I have a portable EVSE with a regular NZ 3pin plug. Seems to be a generic non brand thing. The main unit says “Main box indoor use only” and it states an IP54 rating. I have had a separate 15A power socket with rcd installed in the garage. My question is, can I run the car-end of the cable outside, under the garage door, to charge on the driveway? I’d leave the “main box” part sheltered in the garage and just ~1 meter of the cable to the car running outside.

Yes. I had a similar cord running out a window for over two years.

Hmm, there's no such thing as a "generic" IC-CPD (this being the technical name for a "granny charger", aka a mode-2 EVSE). It'll have been manufactured by some identifiable manufacturer, probably somewhere in China. Then again, somebody along the line may have removed the manufacturer's marks.

I'm definitely not qualified to give advice on electrical safety, not being an electrician!

That said, I'm wondering if you're confident the plug (which will be either Type 1 J1772 or Type 2 CCS2) that's exposed to the weather whenever you're charging is still plausibly iP54, or if the seals which had (at one point in the past, on at least one sample from an assembly line) passed all tests for IP54 have degraded over the years. IP54 is not a guarantee for all time -- occasional inspection is still required IMHO!

I biffed an IC-CPD maybe 4 years ago, after it failed to pass my informal inspections... and got a newfangled one which has a temperature sensor in its wall-socket plug. An overheated plug is a sign of trouble, so I'm always checking plug temperature at the end of a charging session -- being a belt-and-suspenders sort of guy who would rely on a thermosensor and the over-temperature cutoff circuitry in my IC-CPD being a last resort, certainly not my primary line of defence! On the rare occasions I run my IC-CPD at its maximum 10A rate, its bog-standard NZ AC mains plug gets pretty warm after an hour of road-side top-up charging from a 15A socket in my e-NV200 e-motorhome. The 15A socket accepts a larger grounding pin, but the dimensions of the "hot" and "neutral" pins are identical to those of a 10A socket -- as far I know! Again: I'm not an electrician. Usually I run my IC-CPD at a sedate 6A, because my AC180P portable power supply (aka "jerry can for lithium fuel", 18kg, 1.44kWh) is rated for 1800W and can't reliably run an 8A charging session. YMMV!

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#3476434 1-Apr-2026 10:14

lookout:

Apologies if this is the wrong thread, or if it should be is own post…

I have a portable EVSE with a regular NZ 3pin plug. Seems to be a generic non brand thing. The main unit says “Main box indoor use only” and it states an IP54 rating. I have had a separate 15A power socket with rcd installed in the garage. My question is, can I run the car-end of the cable outside, under the garage door, to charge on the driveway? I’d leave the “main box” part sheltered in the garage and just ~1 meter of the cable to the car running outside.

I put a cable grommet like you would have in a desk thru the garage wall. The type-2 plug will fit thru an 80mm one.

Richard rich.ms

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#3476547 1-Apr-2026 12:37

cthombor:

Hmm, there's no such thing as a "generic" IC-CPD (this being the technical name for a "granny charger", aka a mode-2 EVSE). It'll have been manufactured by some identifiable manufacturer, probably somewhere in China. Then again, somebody along the line may have removed the manufacturer's marks.

I'm definitely not qualified to give advice on electrical safety, not being an electrician!

That said, I'm wondering if you're confident the plug (which will be either Type 1 J1772 or Type 2 CCS2) that's exposed to the weather whenever you're charging is still plausibly iP54, or if the seals which had (at one point in the past, on at least one sample from an assembly line) passed all tests for IP54 have degraded over the years. IP54 is not a guarantee for all time -- occasional inspection is still required IMHO!

I biffed an IC-CPD maybe 4 years ago, after it failed to pass my informal inspections... and got a newfangled one which has a temperature sensor in its wall-socket plug. An overheated plug is a sign of trouble, so I'm always checking plug temperature at the end of a charging session -- being a belt-and-suspenders sort of guy who would rely on a thermosensor and the over-temperature cutoff circuitry in my IC-CPD being a last resort, certainly not my primary line of defence! On the rare occasions I run my IC-CPD at its maximum 10A rate, its bog-standard NZ AC mains plug gets pretty warm after an hour of road-side top-up charging from a 15A socket in my e-NV200 e-motorhome. The 15A socket accepts a larger grounding pin, but the dimensions of the "hot" and "neutral" pins are identical to those of a 10A socket -- as far I know! Again: I'm not an electrician. Usually I run my IC-CPD at a sedate 6A, because my AC180P portable power supply (aka "jerry can for lithium fuel", 18kg, 1.44kWh) is rated for 1800W and can't reliably run an 8A charging session. YMMV!

I can back this up (non electrician but know enough to get me in/out of trouble). Our 2kW charger than came with the Leaf would have a pretty warm (wall) plug after an overnight charging session. Enough to persuade me to get a proper EVSE installed.

Otautahi Christchurch

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#3476560 1-Apr-2026 12:53

My tesla charger into a top qualirty deta 10A outlet barely gets above human temperature. I think I managed to see 40 degrees on a thermal camera when looking at it running at 10A - It was the same on a vintage 30+ year old PDL 500 series outlet that only got removed because the wall it was on was getting removed, and was thrown out along with the wood.

What temperatures are people seeing that cause concerns? I did get a throttling for temperature with the 15A plug when in the end of my welder extension cord which has the typical crappy moulded plastic with springy metal inside it socket on it, but didnt have a thing to measure it with, the plastic was warm to the touch, nothing concerning at that point too.

Richard rich.ms

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#3476738 1-Apr-2026 16:44

cthombor:[snip]t the plug (which will be either Type 1 J1772 or Type 2 CCS2)

Type 2 perhaps, but not CCS2. CCS is combined charging system and includes (combines) the DC pins as well. The car may have a CCS2 socket, but the EVSE will have a Type 2 connector.

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#3476808 1-Apr-2026 18:05

richms:

My tesla charger into a top qualirty deta 10A outlet barely gets above human temperature. I think I managed to see 40 degrees on a thermal camera when looking at it running at 10A - It was the same on a vintage 30+ year old PDL 500 series outlet that only got removed because the wall it was on was getting removed, and was thrown out along with the wood.

What temperatures are people seeing that cause concerns? I did get a throttling for temperature with the 15A plug when in the end of my welder extension cord which has the typical crappy moulded plastic with springy metal inside it socket on it, but didnt have a thing to measure it with, the plastic was warm to the touch, nothing concerning at that point too.

Your Tesla IC-CPD surely is modern enough to have a thermosensor in its plug -- so it will be designed to throttle itself whenever the plug gets too warm.

I don't know what temperature cutoff is specified in IEC 62752, but 40 degrees sounds quite believable for the "set point" of this thermostat.

Everything's fine unless the thermosensor fails.

And even if it does fail, the IC-CPD will probably be designed to stop working. Dunno what IEC 62752:2024 requires with respect to such a failsoft, and anyway Tesla might have designed a failsoft feature into their IC-CPD.

"Subclause 8.3.1 revised to add requirements for a mandatory control device that detects the temperature of the current carrying parts in the household plug;- Test requirements added in a new Subclause 9.36 for the temperature control device." (https://www.intertekinform.com/en-au/standards/en-iec-62752-2024-1344935_saig_cenelec_cenelec_3462399/?srsltid=AfmBOooxDIMXx8PzMQiJha8fLksBKHA480PfjTS2k6_K-kI1Cn-JVJ8x)

Being a belt-and-suspenders sort of guy, if I were ever to run long unmonitored charging sessions at 10A using an IC-CPD that's powered by an NZ wallsocket, I'd be looking for an operating point (perhaps 8A) where I'm not reliant on its thermosensor for safety. And I certainly wouldn't do this on any household circuit that hasn't been checked out for such continuous use at 10A by someone who knows what they're doing. But hey, she'll be right, they wouldn't sell 2300W heaters to the general public if they weren't usually safe to use... and how many would have them cranked up high enough, in a cold enough place, that they'd run fullbore for 10 hours? Nothing to worry about!

Being a geek... I'd be curious to know if there's much difference between a 10-hour session at 10A than one at 8A. On a stinking hot day, it may take only an hour to get the plug warm enough for the throttling to begin. On a cold day, it will take longer and who knows may never occur -- if you have a high-quality plug & socket that are both in good nick.

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