Running an EV with a granny charger
Discussion
Getting a Model 3 Long Range next week.
I've ordered an Ohme Pro home charger, but haven't paid for it yet. Octopus reckon 12 weeks before an appointment can be booked, then a 4-5 week lead time for fitting, so i could be left without a home charger until May.
I've bought a weatherproof extension cable that's EV specific (not cheap!), so i can run that to somewhere on the driveway and just plug into that, but obvs it's only going to yield 2kwh/hour.
I'm on Octopus Go at the minute, so get 9p/kwh from 00:30-04:30.
I'm wondering whether i can get away without bothering with the Ohme, and just manage charging by setting a timer.
Thoughts?
My usage is going to be local running about most days doing no more than 15-20 miles per day, then one day per week i commute roughly 150 miles in total.
Total mileage of roughly 250-280 miles/week.
Even if i just charge during my 4 hrs of cheap electric, that works out at 56kwh/week (2kwh x 4 x 7). That should give me ~200 miles of range per week. Then maybe put it on charge fully overnight before i travel to work.
Am i going to be really missing a 7kw charger? Anyone else managed without?
I've ordered an Ohme Pro home charger, but haven't paid for it yet. Octopus reckon 12 weeks before an appointment can be booked, then a 4-5 week lead time for fitting, so i could be left without a home charger until May.
I've bought a weatherproof extension cable that's EV specific (not cheap!), so i can run that to somewhere on the driveway and just plug into that, but obvs it's only going to yield 2kwh/hour.
I'm on Octopus Go at the minute, so get 9p/kwh from 00:30-04:30.
I'm wondering whether i can get away without bothering with the Ohme, and just manage charging by setting a timer.
Thoughts?
My usage is going to be local running about most days doing no more than 15-20 miles per day, then one day per week i commute roughly 150 miles in total.
Total mileage of roughly 250-280 miles/week.
Even if i just charge during my 4 hrs of cheap electric, that works out at 56kwh/week (2kwh x 4 x 7). That should give me ~200 miles of range per week. Then maybe put it on charge fully overnight before i travel to work.
Am i going to be really missing a 7kw charger? Anyone else managed without?
GT9 said:
What length is the extension cable?
Try to avoid coiling up any excess length of your cable when you are using it.
I only need 5m to go from the back of my garage to the front under the up-n-over door, but have gone for a 10m cable because i may take it with me on longer trips just in case i get caught out, or staying at a mate's house and need a decent extension with me.Try to avoid coiling up any excess length of your cable when you are using it.
Noted about coiling up. Thanks
My wife has an e-Up that we run off a granny charger. Our neighbour has a Model Y Long Range and does the same. No issues from either of us.
I've just ordered a proper charger as I'm due to take delivery of an EV later this week and I'll definitely not be able to run off a granny. Like you we are on Octopus and I got a quote for them to install and the wait time was ridiculous. I went direct to www.ElectroFixGroupLtd.com and they'd been brilliant so far. Install date is a 9th Feb. They were recommended to me by a friend.
I've just ordered a proper charger as I'm due to take delivery of an EV later this week and I'll definitely not be able to run off a granny. Like you we are on Octopus and I got a quote for them to install and the wait time was ridiculous. I went direct to www.ElectroFixGroupLtd.com and they'd been brilliant so far. Install date is a 9th Feb. They were recommended to me by a friend.
I did 10k/pa on a granny charger for 18 months or so, with Octopus Go
It's more of a hassle if you do lots of long trips, because you'll get home on like 10% then only be able to add ~10kWh overnight, so you start the next day with 35% or whatever
If you're relying on an extension lead you should unplug and replug the 'home' end every night to inspect it - if the connection isn't secure the pins heat up and start to melt the socket. The car's supplied charger will stop charging if the plug overheats, an extension will not.
It's more of a hassle if you do lots of long trips, because you'll get home on like 10% then only be able to add ~10kWh overnight, so you start the next day with 35% or whatever
If you're relying on an extension lead you should unplug and replug the 'home' end every night to inspect it - if the connection isn't secure the pins heat up and start to melt the socket. The car's supplied charger will stop charging if the plug overheats, an extension will not.
Edited by essayer on Monday 29th January 15:42
LowTread said:
Getting a Model 3 Long Range next week.
I've ordered an Ohme Pro home charger, but haven't paid for it yet. Octopus reckon 12 weeks before an appointment can be booked, then a 4-5 week lead time for fitting, so i could be left without a home charger until May.
I've bought a weatherproof extension cable that's EV specific (not cheap!), so i can run that to somewhere on the driveway and just plug into that, but obvs it's only going to yield 2kwh/hour.
I'm on Octopus Go at the minute, so get 9p/kwh from 00:30-04:30.
I'm wondering whether i can get away without bothering with the Ohme, and just manage charging by setting a timer.
Thoughts?
My usage is going to be local running about most days doing no more than 15-20 miles per day, then one day per week i commute roughly 150 miles in total.
Total mileage of roughly 250-280 miles/week.
Even if i just charge during my 4 hrs of cheap electric, that works out at 56kwh/week (2kwh x 4 x 7). That should give me ~200 miles of range per week. Then maybe put it on charge fully overnight before i travel to work.
Am i going to be really missing a 7kw charger? Anyone else managed without?
Ever since I got my first car at 18, I've always kept enough fuel in to do what I might need to do.I've ordered an Ohme Pro home charger, but haven't paid for it yet. Octopus reckon 12 weeks before an appointment can be booked, then a 4-5 week lead time for fitting, so i could be left without a home charger until May.
I've bought a weatherproof extension cable that's EV specific (not cheap!), so i can run that to somewhere on the driveway and just plug into that, but obvs it's only going to yield 2kwh/hour.
I'm on Octopus Go at the minute, so get 9p/kwh from 00:30-04:30.
I'm wondering whether i can get away without bothering with the Ohme, and just manage charging by setting a timer.
Thoughts?
My usage is going to be local running about most days doing no more than 15-20 miles per day, then one day per week i commute roughly 150 miles in total.
Total mileage of roughly 250-280 miles/week.
Even if i just charge during my 4 hrs of cheap electric, that works out at 56kwh/week (2kwh x 4 x 7). That should give me ~200 miles of range per week. Then maybe put it on charge fully overnight before i travel to work.
Am i going to be really missing a 7kw charger? Anyone else managed without?
If you car is not available for what you want, you're wasting money on it.
So the question is, how low will the car be when you get back from your commute?
What might you need the car for, and how far is that?
And what's plan B?
Everyone's answer to that is personal.
I know loads of people who've mananged with granny leads, but they tend to have a big IC car as plan B.
LowTread said:
Getting a Model 3 Long Range next week.
I've ordered an Ohme Pro home charger, but haven't paid for it yet. Octopus reckon 12 weeks before an appointment can be booked, then a 4-5 week lead time for fitting, so i could be left without a home charger until May.
I've bought a weatherproof extension cable that's EV specific (not cheap!), so i can run that to somewhere on the driveway and just plug into that, but obvs it's only going to yield 2kwh/hour.
I'm on Octopus Go at the minute, so get 9p/kwh from 00:30-04:30.
I'm wondering whether i can get away without bothering with the Ohme, and just manage charging by setting a timer.
Thoughts?
My usage is going to be local running about most days doing no more than 15-20 miles per day, then one day per week i commute roughly 150 miles in total.
Total mileage of roughly 250-280 miles/week.
Even if i just charge during my 4 hrs of cheap electric, that works out at 56kwh/week (2kwh x 4 x 7). That should give me ~200 miles of range per week. Then maybe put it on charge fully overnight before i travel to work.
Am i going to be really missing a 7kw charger? Anyone else managed without?
So, I put an order in with Octopus 19th Jan, got a phone call today saying they will install 9th Feb I've ordered an Ohme Pro home charger, but haven't paid for it yet. Octopus reckon 12 weeks before an appointment can be booked, then a 4-5 week lead time for fitting, so i could be left without a home charger until May.
I've bought a weatherproof extension cable that's EV specific (not cheap!), so i can run that to somewhere on the driveway and just plug into that, but obvs it's only going to yield 2kwh/hour.
I'm on Octopus Go at the minute, so get 9p/kwh from 00:30-04:30.
I'm wondering whether i can get away without bothering with the Ohme, and just manage charging by setting a timer.
Thoughts?
My usage is going to be local running about most days doing no more than 15-20 miles per day, then one day per week i commute roughly 150 miles in total.
Total mileage of roughly 250-280 miles/week.
Even if i just charge during my 4 hrs of cheap electric, that works out at 56kwh/week (2kwh x 4 x 7). That should give me ~200 miles of range per week. Then maybe put it on charge fully overnight before i travel to work.
Am i going to be really missing a 7kw charger? Anyone else managed without?
Also last week they gave me a £30 credit for electrouniverse, now I just need the EV to be made! TBH, I was tempted just to use the granny charger but at the end of the day, I'm probably going to have to buy a charging point eventually and getting electrical stuff done to house doesn't tend to get any cheaper. Also octopus install a surge protector for free (also said something about only suppliers can install them).iom_dave said:
So, I put an order in with Octopus 19th Jan, got a phone call today saying they will install 9th Feb Also last week they gave me a £30 credit for electrouniverse, now I just need the EV to be made! TBH, I was tempted just to use the granny charger but at the end of the day, I'm probably going to have to buy a charging point eventually and getting electrical stuff done to house doesn't tend to get any cheaper. Also octopus install a surge protector for free (also said something about only suppliers can install them).
That's interesting. Also last week they gave me a £30 credit for electrouniverse, now I just need the EV to be made! TBH, I was tempted just to use the granny charger but at the end of the day, I'm probably going to have to buy a charging point eventually and getting electrical stuff done to house doesn't tend to get any cheaper. Also octopus install a surge protector for free (also said something about only suppliers can install them).I got an email from them this morning asking me to pay for the charger. Wonder whether their guff about it taking ages to install is wrong? Maybe just protecting themselves from the worst case?
LowTread said:
That's interesting.
I got an email from them this morning asking me to pay for the charger. Wonder whether their guff about it taking ages to install is wrong? Maybe just protecting themselves from the worst case?
It may be I got lucky and there was a cancellation or something, but am in SE london, so would expect there to be loads ahead of me in the queue. Maybe there is a bit of a decline in new EVs recently as Dec is a slow month for new car orders etc (not going into the economics of EV sales).I got an email from them this morning asking me to pay for the charger. Wonder whether their guff about it taking ages to install is wrong? Maybe just protecting themselves from the worst case?
Thanks for the replies.
One comment about coming back from work and planning what i'd do over the next few days has struck me. It may be a bit tight. I'm sometimes away on a weekend mountain biking (tesla has a towbar for bike rack), so not being able to do that would be a pain. I'm a bit spontaneous with stuff like that and i'd find it restrictive.
If i commuted on a Wed that might still be ok, but if was a Thu that would mean i'd be tight for getting enough juice in the car for the weekend. Or if my wife wanted to use it now and again. We have a hybrid alongside, so could use that, but what's the point in having the car if i can't use it when i want!
Think i'd better the the charger ordered. Jealous of people that got them for free!
One comment about coming back from work and planning what i'd do over the next few days has struck me. It may be a bit tight. I'm sometimes away on a weekend mountain biking (tesla has a towbar for bike rack), so not being able to do that would be a pain. I'm a bit spontaneous with stuff like that and i'd find it restrictive.
If i commuted on a Wed that might still be ok, but if was a Thu that would mean i'd be tight for getting enough juice in the car for the weekend. Or if my wife wanted to use it now and again. We have a hybrid alongside, so could use that, but what's the point in having the car if i can't use it when i want!
Think i'd better the the charger ordered. Jealous of people that got them for free!
We used the granny charger on an extension lead for a year with no problems (approx 8k a year). Had it in a waterproof box. Granny chargers are capped at 2kw, so shouldn't be getting hot overnight.
The granny charger was replaced with a 7kw portable charger that plugs into a Euro style 'commando' socket. These can be found for under £200 on Amazon and about the same for an electrician to install the cabling, earth fault detection device and commando socket itself. The whole EV 'charger' installation thing is a bit of a racket. The charger itself is in the car, the box is nothing more than a complex on/off switch.
The granny charger was replaced with a 7kw portable charger that plugs into a Euro style 'commando' socket. These can be found for under £200 on Amazon and about the same for an electrician to install the cabling, earth fault detection device and commando socket itself. The whole EV 'charger' installation thing is a bit of a racket. The charger itself is in the car, the box is nothing more than a complex on/off switch.
LowTread said:
Thanks for the replies.
One comment about coming back from work and planning what i'd do over the next few days has struck me. It may be a bit tight. I'm sometimes away on a weekend mountain biking (tesla has a towbar for bike rack), so not being able to do that would be a pain. I'm a bit spontaneous with stuff like that and i'd find it restrictive.
If i commuted on a Wed that might still be ok, but if was a Thu that would mean i'd be tight for getting enough juice in the car for the weekend. Or if my wife wanted to use it now and again. We have a hybrid alongside, so could use that, but what's the point in having the car if i can't use it when i want!
Think i'd better the the charger ordered. Jealous of people that got them for free!
For those one off trips you'd get a lot of half hour rapid public charges to get to the same cost of the charger installation. Setting off half an hour early and sitting in the car with a coffee and a bacon roll would be great biking fuel!One comment about coming back from work and planning what i'd do over the next few days has struck me. It may be a bit tight. I'm sometimes away on a weekend mountain biking (tesla has a towbar for bike rack), so not being able to do that would be a pain. I'm a bit spontaneous with stuff like that and i'd find it restrictive.
If i commuted on a Wed that might still be ok, but if was a Thu that would mean i'd be tight for getting enough juice in the car for the weekend. Or if my wife wanted to use it now and again. We have a hybrid alongside, so could use that, but what's the point in having the car if i can't use it when i want!
Think i'd better the the charger ordered. Jealous of people that got them for free!
I'm new to it all but haven't rushed in to getting the charger until I see how often I'd have to use the public charger options if I was charging through the day on the granny charger.
enk-79 said:
The granny charger was replaced with a 7kw portable charger that plugs into a Euro style 'commando' socket. These can be found for under £200 on Amazon and about the same for an electrician to install the cabling, earth fault detection device and commando socket itself. The whole EV 'charger' installation thing is a bit of a racket. The charger itself is in the car, the box is nothing more than a complex on/off switch.
There's also a version of the Ohme charger that has a commando plug, allowing you to use Intelligent Octopus - probably the most cost-effective way to have 7kW charging at homeWe have been fine running our MINI Electric on just the granny charger with a usage pattern of roughly 70 miles every day. Over the course of two years I can’t remember an occasion when we have come to the car and it hasn’t had sufficient charge to perform what we want it to do. Having said that we do take another car for journeys of over a hundred miles.
muchacho said:
We have been fine running our MINI Electric on just the granny charger with a usage pattern of roughly 70 miles every day. Over the course of two years I can’t remember an occasion when we have come to the car and it hasn’t had sufficient charge to perform what we want it to do. Having said that we do take another car for journeys of over a hundred miles.
We also have a Mini SE. Also run on a 3 pin pug. On IO at 7.5p and regularly get extra hours over and above the 6 hours cheap rate .It's all to do with the ease of use when you get home.
If you have to keep the cable on the ground, it will get dirty.
Will you have to open and shut the garage to retrieve the lead?
Will you have to uncoil the lead before you plug it in, and then coil it up again when you leave?
I have my charge lead fixed up high and then it loops down and back up to its holster, so I have the maximum lead available, but not hanging on the ground.
I'm then able to get out of the car, open the charge port, reach up and grab the clean charge lead and plug it in. It's a one handed job. When I leave home, it's the reverse. No dirty cable, no coiling required.
If you have to keep the cable on the ground, it will get dirty.
Will you have to open and shut the garage to retrieve the lead?
Will you have to uncoil the lead before you plug it in, and then coil it up again when you leave?
I have my charge lead fixed up high and then it loops down and back up to its holster, so I have the maximum lead available, but not hanging on the ground.
I'm then able to get out of the car, open the charge port, reach up and grab the clean charge lead and plug it in. It's a one handed job. When I leave home, it's the reverse. No dirty cable, no coiling required.
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