Home connection for XC40 plug-in hybrid?

[clockworks]

I did a deal for a 2021 Volvo XC40 plug-in hybrid yesterday. I've never owned any kind of rechargeable car before.

I forgot to ask the salesman, or have a proper look at the charging cable that was under the boot floor.

What type of socket do I need so that I can plug in the standard cable that comes with the car?

I have an integrated garage, with a separate mains ring from the consumer unit. Car will be parked outside, as the garage is full of stuff.
There are currently no sockets at the front of the garage, so I guess I will need to extend the ring main, and install a new socket?
What type of socket do I need - standard 13A 3 pin, or a 16A "commando" or whatever they are called?

Quite happy to do normal house wiring myself, but this is my first electric vehicle, so just need to know what parts I need to buy.

Is it worth getting a proper electric car charger installed now, for future-proofing, or just stick with "granny" charging?
Granny charging will be fast enough for my needs with this car.

[abzmike]

I have an Audi hybrid and just have the transformer lead plugged into a socket in the garage, and have the cable out under the garage door. Works fine.

[LaserTam]

You can plug into a standard plug but there have been cases of the socket overheating because of extended draw of power.

[clockworks]

Thanks for confirming that it's OK to use a normal 13A socket.

Looking at a few websites selling EV cables, I'll probably end up getting a 13A to type 2 cable with an adjustable charge rate and timer. They aren't as expensive as I thought they would be. I'll make sure I get a properly marked cable, not a cheapie off eBay/Amazon. Most places say that this type of cable is limited to 10A to minimise the risk of overloading, and a timer will ensure the car doesn't charge while the washing machine or tumble drier in the garage are being used.

The cable in the boot didn't look that long anyway, so highly unlikely it'll reach from the front of the car to the sockets in the garage. I prefer to reverse onto the driveway - shame the car's socket is at the front!

[Tycho]

LaserTam said:

You can plug into a standard plug but there have been cases of the socket overheating because of extended draw of power.

Yeah, you need to make sure the wiring to the socket is good enough for the constant draw.

[clockworks]

Garage wiring has been fine with an old-school vented tumble drier (now replaced with a heat pump unit) and washing machine, so should be OK for a 10A-limited charging cable. I'll jut make sure that the charger only switches on when the washer and drier aren't in use.

Once I know that "electric/hybrid is the way forward for me", I'll likely get a dedicated charger supply installed back to the consumer unit, and look at swapping to an EV tariff.

In the meantime, I'll pop the sockets off and check that all the connections are nice and tight.

[MrTrilby]

clockworks said:

Looking at a few websites selling EV cables, I'll probably end up getting a 13A to type 2 cable with an adjustable charge rate and timer.

It should come with a 13A plug to Type 2 cable. In the older ones it was 13A (possibly switchable to lower power). The newer ones come with a 10A version. I don’t know when they switched over.

I had an electrician fit an outside socket on the wall of the garage (the cable was too short to reach under the door).

You may not need a timer - the car may allow you to set a charging time. If you do wire in a timer, make sure it can handle 13A. I got an electrician to wire in a https://www.shelly.com/en-gb/products/product-over... to the circuit so I can time the charge to run at the cheapest rates.

We also had to get the RCD changed that protected the garage as the original one didn’t like the load from the car and tripped out the house electrics every time the car started to charge. You won’t find that out until you try charging.

[clockworks]

MrTrilby said:

It should come with a 13A plug to Type 2 cable. In the older ones it was 13A (possibly switchable to lower power). The newer ones come with a 10A version. I don’t know when they switched over.

I had an electrician fit an outside socket on the wall of the garage (the cable was too short to reach under the door).

You may not need a timer - the car may allow you to set a charging time. If you do wire in a timer, make sure it can handle 13A. I got an electrician to wire in a https://www.shelly.com/en-gb/products/product-over... to the circuit so I can time the charge to run at the cheapest rates.

We also had to get the RCD changed that protected the garage as the original one didn’t like the load from the car and tripped out the house electrics every time the car started to charge. You won’t find that out until you try charging.

I spotted a cable under the boot floor while I was looking at the car before the test drive, but didn't think to check what plug it had. It didn't look very long.

I'm a bit wary of using a 13A outdoor socket. Is the socket/plug waterproof? What about the charger part?

Using a Shelly is a great idea. I'm using a Shelly relay to switch power for my AV cabinet, works great with Alexa.

If I have to buy a cable, I planned to get one that has a delay timer built into the charger. The delay would just be to make sure the car wasn't charging while the washer or drier were in use, as they would all be on the same circuit. Shelly would be more flexible.

I was thinking about how to get the cable outside. Roller shutter garage door, so would have to leave it open slightly. I remembered that there's already a hole in the side wall, where the old drier vent pipe was fitted. Socket right above it. Cable out through the vent hole, along the side path, and under the side gate. That should work OK.
I'll have to look into whether an EV tariff is worth it, once I've monitored usage for a month or two.

[MrTrilby]

Our outdoor socket is under a carport, so out of the weather. The plug and cable are quite large so only one side of the socket closes and fully seals - fine for where it is but wouldn’t work if it were out in the rain.

Our XC60 came with two cables: type 2 - type 2 and 3-pin - type 2.

An EV tariff doesn’t really work for us: Octopus Intelligent would, but there’s an £800 charger required so it doesn’t add up. We are finding that Agile, Intelligent and Tracker all work out about the same cost for us.

[James6112]

As long as it’s a properly installed 13a socket, it will do the job.
Like all 13a sockets should be anyway! No need to over think it.

My wife purchased a phev early Sep. It came with 5m 13a plug to type 2 cable.
It is 10a in reality as you say.

There was a double socket indoors in a convenient place. Drilled through the back & fitted a IP66 outside socket from Screwfix.

Plug in overnight when it needs it. The charger cable itself is IP rating saying it can be submersed in water!

Tight connections, no overheating!

Currently rely on the Ford app to schedule charging (8p kwh with EDF 0100-0600)
I bet Volvo app can be used to schedule also.

I’ll get a proper tethered charger soon as will get full ev at some point.

Edited by James6112 on Wednesday 11th October 13:30

[clockworks]

Quite exposed where I live, so good to know that some chargers are waterproof.

I saw the EDF EV tariff, but couldn't find any pricing.
I'm currently with EDF, so worth me doing some digging.

I found a Volvo price and spec list from 2021, and it mentioned 2 cables being with the car from the factory. Hopefully the dealer will sort it if one is missing.

[clockworks]

Just measured, and I'd just about get away with a 10m charger cable, so I will need to buy one. Around £200.

I'm now thinking I might as well just bite the bullet and get a proper 7kw fixed charger installed. Much neater, and will be needed eventually for a full BEV. Overkill for a plug-in hybrid, but makes sense long term.

What's the best make of charger to get, taking into account ease of use and compatability with EV tariffs? Installed by the manufacturer, or local guy?
Presumably needs a 4mm or 6mm cable running back to a spare way on the consumer unit?

[James6112]

clockworks said:

Quite exposed where I live, so good to know that some chargers are waterproof.

I saw the EDF EV tariff, but couldn't find any pricing.
I'm currently with EDF, so worth me doing some digging.

I found a Volvo price and spec list from 2021, and it mentioned 2 cables being with the car from the factory. Hopefully the dealer will sort it if one is missing.

https://www.edfenergy.com/electric-cars/tariffs

Hi
Postcode dependent
Not the cheapest, but I was with them already & the Smart Meter works well. I’m sure switching would have been a real faff!
But, you can’t use the EDF energy tracking stuff on that tariff, they know it doesn’t work but seems they can’t be arsed to fix it. So I then got Hugo for tracking, which is better anyway!
Plus you can of course time other appliances to come on during the cheap period. Half of my usage is now in the 8pkwh period, so my bill incl PHEV hasn’t increased.

Edited by James6112 on Wednesday 11th October 16:16

[clockworks]

Thanks, found the EDF tariff. Would save less than a tenner a month.

Looked at Octopus. Intelligent won't work with the car, but might work if I got a proper charger.
Octopus Go would be fine, and save £20 a month if we make no other changes.
More savings if the washing machine and dishwasher were used at night.

With a bit of maths, worked out that making the best use of the Go tariff, charging the car would only cost £6 a month on top of the current electricity direct debit. That's 300 miles of driving on my current usage pattern for £6 extra on the electricity bill, 2p a mile.

[48k]

clockworks said:

Presumably needs a 4mm or 6mm cable running back to a spare way on the consumer unit?

It will be a 32A circuit, so will need a suitably beefy cable. My install has 10mm cable. Best to talk to an electrician and get proper advice.

[clockworks]

48k said:

It will be a 32A circuit, so will need a suitably beefy cable. My install has 10mm cable. Best to talk to an electrician and get proper advice.

If I decide to get a proper charger, I'll get it installed professionally, not DIY.
Just trying to work out what would be involved.

[RicksAlfas]

I would bodge it to start with until you get used to the car and see how it works for you before spending a lot of money on the installation. I had a plug-in hybrid and ran it for years off the granny charger with the cable coming through a hole in the side of the garage wall! Worked fine for me. One thing you mentioned was your exposed location. We live somewhere very cold and in winter I had problems with the charging cable freezing into the socket in the car, and once it was released I couldn't close the charger flap. Just something to be mindful of if you are charging overnight. Hope you like the car. We have recently got one at work and the driver loves it.

[clockworks]

RicksAlfas said:

I would bodge it to start with until you get used to the car and see how it works for you before spending a lot of money on the installation. I had a plug-in hybrid and ran it for years off the granny charger with the cable coming through a hole in the side of the garage wall! Worked fine for me. One thing you mentioned was your exposed location. We live somewhere very cold and in winter I had problems with the charging cable freezing into the socket in the car, and once it was released I couldn't close the charger flap. Just something to be mindful of if you are charging overnight. Hope you like the car. We have recently got one at work and the driver loves it.

Fortunately it rarely drops below freezing where I live - West Cornwall. It does rain a lot though, and can get pretty windy. Even with a "waterproof" charger, probably best to keep the actual charger inside the garage.

I spoke to the salesman this morning, and he confirmed that the car comes with a 5m 13a charger cable.
Short term, I'll buy a decent quality 10m extension cable with overload protection (Masterplug from Screwfix looks suitable for £20) and run that to the front of the garage. I'll check that the cables in the garage sockets are nice and tight, and charge the car during the day the first few times so that I can monitor if anything gets hot.

That'll give me time to look into all the options, and get some quotes, while I get a feel for usage patterns etc.

[48k]

clockworks said:

RicksAlfas said:

I would bodge it to start with until you get used to the car and see how it works for you before spending a lot of money on the installation. I had a plug-in hybrid and ran it for years off the granny charger with the cable coming through a hole in the side of the garage wall! Worked fine for me. One thing you mentioned was your exposed location. We live somewhere very cold and in winter I had problems with the charging cable freezing into the socket in the car, and once it was released I couldn't close the charger flap. Just something to be mindful of if you are charging overnight. Hope you like the car. We have recently got one at work and the driver loves it.

Fortunately it rarely drops below freezing where I live - West Cornwall. It does rain a lot though, and can get pretty windy. Even with a "waterproof" charger, probably best to keep the actual charger inside the garage.

I spoke to the salesman this morning, and he confirmed that the car comes with a 5m 13a charger cable.
Short term, I'll buy a decent quality 10m extension cable with overload protection (Masterplug from Screwfix looks suitable for £20) and run that to the front of the garage. I'll check that the cables in the garage sockets are nice and tight, and charge the car during the day the first few times so that I can monitor if anything gets hot.

That'll give me time to look into all the options, and get some quotes, while I get a feel for usage patterns etc.

The Tough Leads range comes highly recommended if you are looking for a safe, robust extension lead for the granny charger - https://toughleads.co.uk/collections/ev-electric-v...

[clockworks]

48k said:

The Tough Leads range comes highly recommended if you are looking for a safe, robust extension lead for the granny charger - https://toughleads.co.uk/collections/ev-electric-v...

That lead would be ideal if the charger was placed outside, but I'm not keen to try that. I have no idea how waterproof the Volvo charger cable is

Edit: Looks like the Volvo charger should be waterproof, so I've ordered one of those Toughleads extensions.

I will run it out of the garage through the existing (now unused) tumble drier vent hole, and probably screw it to the wall near the front.
That way, I should be able to keep the actual charger part off the driveway, so it'll just get splashed, rather than immersed.

Edited by clockworks on Thursday 12th October 13:36