i3 120Ah off a regular wall socket
Discussion
I'm hoping to pick up an i3 next week, and not wanting to pass up an opportunity for free electric I was thinking of asking the MD where I work if I could plug my car in to charge while I'm there. I figure that would probably cover my commute (~40 miles) and then some. I'd likely just run the cable through a window and plug it into one of the sockets on the wall.
Spoke to an electrician the company has used before and he seemed concerned about the idea that it would be pulling ~10A all day long, without being on its own circuit with its own RCD. Obviously there are computers and other equipment plugged into the same bank of sockets.
I don't really want to have to pay to get a separate circuit installed at work as it would negate the cost of charging there.. so I guess I'm wondering how safe it is likely to be? In my rather simplistic head surely if they provide "granny cables" with these cars people (consumers) will be plugging them into all sorts of places without much regard for separate circuits or breakers or whatever, don't they?
Spoke to an electrician the company has used before and he seemed concerned about the idea that it would be pulling ~10A all day long, without being on its own circuit with its own RCD. Obviously there are computers and other equipment plugged into the same bank of sockets.
I don't really want to have to pay to get a separate circuit installed at work as it would negate the cost of charging there.. so I guess I'm wondering how safe it is likely to be? In my rather simplistic head surely if they provide "granny cables" with these cars people (consumers) will be plugging them into all sorts of places without much regard for separate circuits or breakers or whatever, don't they?
Not had any issues plugging into a standard plug at home but that is in my garage with nothing else plugged in so I can understand the concern if the circuit has a lot of computer equipment on it TBH.
I will add as well that the supplied cable isn't the longest (5m?) and if you do need to extend the length be wary of what you use to do so as I've read a few horror stories.
I will add as well that the supplied cable isn't the longest (5m?) and if you do need to extend the length be wary of what you use to do so as I've read a few horror stories.
Lots of manufacturers discourage their use and describe them as being for emergencies - precisely because they can't guarantee the state of people's wiring.
It'll probably be fine but don't expect an electrician to give you his blessing, and don't be surprised if one day you take out half the office's computers when the RCD trips.
It'll probably be fine but don't expect an electrician to give you his blessing, and don't be surprised if one day you take out half the office's computers when the RCD trips.
You may allay the electricians concerns if you dial down the charge rate which you can do in the car and hopefully still get enough for your commute. The heating effect on a cable is I^2 x R so even a 25% reduction could reduce the risk of warming up the wiring materially.....10 Amps would give a factor of 100, 7.5 Amps only a factor of approx 56.
Thanks all. In actuality all of the computers are plugged into a UPS, so I'm not massively worried about that. There is a laser printer that is used a few times a day that would probably be on the same circuit though.
I don't have any public charging points within about 5 miles of the house, but I had already mentally made peace with popping over to a local Waitrose for an hour or so once a week to use their 50kW charger. Just thought it would be massively more convenient if it was just topped up every time I drove to work, like a mobile phone.
(plus it would be free to me)
I don't have any public charging points within about 5 miles of the house, but I had already mentally made peace with popping over to a local Waitrose for an hour or so once a week to use their 50kW charger. Just thought it would be massively more convenient if it was just topped up every time I drove to work, like a mobile phone.
(plus it would be free to me)
40 mile commute? So 20 miles each way? Say 4.5m/kWh that’s 4.45kWh so about 70p?
I think it’d only be worth it if you’re not charging up at home and getting roughly your max of 16kWh in a day. We’re still then only really talking about saving £7 over the working week. That and the granny charger isn’t too robust, nor fully weatherproof iirc
Can’t you get the workplace to take advantage of the workplace charging grants? Selling it that customers/visitors could use it and seen as promoting green credentials etc
I think it’d only be worth it if you’re not charging up at home and getting roughly your max of 16kWh in a day. We’re still then only really talking about saving £7 over the working week. That and the granny charger isn’t too robust, nor fully weatherproof iirc
Can’t you get the workplace to take advantage of the workplace charging grants? Selling it that customers/visitors could use it and seen as promoting green credentials etc
It's not that big of a company to be honest. No one has an electric car and I don't think I've even seen one in the carpark at any point.
It's more of a convenience thing than anything really. If I can get away with charging at work, when the car isn't moving anyway, it would be like free money. £7 would buy me a couple of caramel lattes over the course of a week
If it were possible to charge it at work I probably wouldn't need to charge it at home at all, given my usage.
It's more of a convenience thing than anything really. If I can get away with charging at work, when the car isn't moving anyway, it would be like free money. £7 would buy me a couple of caramel lattes over the course of a week
If it were possible to charge it at work I probably wouldn't need to charge it at home at all, given my usage.
Edited by Durzel on Monday 15th April 18:44
I've one of these on the way - should be trying it out for the first time tonight.
https://www.toughleads.co.uk/collections/ev-electr...
As others have said, you can also set the car to only draw a reduced amount.
https://www.toughleads.co.uk/collections/ev-electr...
As others have said, you can also set the car to only draw a reduced amount.
MaxSo said:
Used the extension over night. It's v. high quality and I feel much more comfortable using this than any old extension from B&Q that other people often seem to use.
Good stuff. I've got a 10m one on the way as a stop gap until I figure out if we want a proper 7kw charger installed, and if I can manage to get a grant by signing up for longer with Evezy like I read someone was able to do.
Daaaveee said:
Good stuff. I've got a 10m one on the way as a stop gap until I figure out if we want a proper 7kw charger installed, and if I can manage to get a grant by signing up for longer with Evezy like I read someone was able to do.
There is a guy on YouTube called Simon Smith who claims to have done this, though I don't think he has said in the videos how this actually works in terms of claiming the grant. It's a bit of a throwaway comment, but here it is:https://youtu.be/mrlZzMHoFsc?t=893
If I get on with the i3 and Evezy I'll probably look to do likewise. It might even make excess insurance easier if I have a 6 month contract instead of a rolling 1 month one. I asked the guy in the video if that contract meant he had to pay 6 months up front, and he said no - it was still monthly payments.
Evezy have told me it's possible to have the car on the normal rolling contract, see how I like it, then switch to a fixed 6 months to get the grant. So I may well do that. Having said that, the granny charger with decent extension is doing good work at the minute.
Also, discovered another BMW portal thing for charging - it looks like it will give stats etc.. I've set it up so will see what it says after a couple of charges.
https://charging.bmwgroup.com/web/360electric-uk/h...
Also, discovered another BMW portal thing for charging - it looks like it will give stats etc.. I've set it up so will see what it says after a couple of charges.
https://charging.bmwgroup.com/web/360electric-uk/h...
Edited by MaxSo on Wednesday 17th April 11:35
For what it's worth my employer was initially quite open to the idea of letting me charge the car at work, but was subsequently advised that it might be considered a benefit in kind.
From an cursory Google search it seems that this may well be the case, as I found this page on the GOV.UK website:
https://www.gov.uk/expenses-and-benefits-electric-...
..so it's probably going to end up being a non-starter. Never mind.
From an cursory Google search it seems that this may well be the case, as I found this page on the GOV.UK website:
https://www.gov.uk/expenses-and-benefits-electric-...
..so it's probably going to end up being a non-starter. Never mind.
I thought the BIK had been removed for workplace charging?
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workpla...
https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/workpla...
Both these links seam contradictory. The first one actually in force but the 2nd just consultative?
I've been charging at work for the last 5 years for free, through the benefit is less than £300 a year and so the tax I should have paid is £120, so the benefit is not huge.
Most of the car's cost is it's capital, lease, interest charge or in my case loss of interest.
My employer just put in a weather proof 13A socket. A posh metered outlet, with some way of knowing who from the half or dozen of us with EVs took what charge when would be a sizeable investment, and so hasn't been made.
I've been charging at work for the last 5 years for free, through the benefit is less than £300 a year and so the tax I should have paid is £120, so the benefit is not huge.
Most of the car's cost is it's capital, lease, interest charge or in my case loss of interest.
My employer just put in a weather proof 13A socket. A posh metered outlet, with some way of knowing who from the half or dozen of us with EVs took what charge when would be a sizeable investment, and so hasn't been made.
Gassing Station | EV and Alternative Fuels | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff