Pod Point home EV charger question

[M1C]

Hello.

I don't have an EV at the moment (but would be open to it in the future, have owned a Leaf before).

I have the opportunity to have a Pod Point 7kW charger fitted at home, FOC. I'm early in the process and nobody has been for a look yet and/or i've not sent any pics off to the fitters.

The trouble (or potential trouble?) is...that i have a very old fashioned fuse board. It's one of the ones with actual big different coloured fuses in it, the ones you can't get any more. I'm assuming it's a good 30-40 years old, maybe more.

Does anyone know if this means i won't be able to have it fitted?

Someone where i work said it won't matter, as (in their experience) they will connect it via my meter (outside wall) instead if they can't do it via the fuse board?

This rang a bit true as i then noticed a house in my street (same kind of house) where it looks like that is indeed the case, a wire running from the meter area to the charger.

So really.....i'm just asking if anyone has any experience before i get the bad (or good) news.

Many thanks.

Edited by M1C on Tuesday 3rd December 12:44

[Aunty Pasty]

I think you'll be ok. I have an old fashioned fuse board too. I had a Zappi fitted by Octopus. They had a totally separate isolator switch put in and didn't go through the main fuse board at all.

[IlPapaMobile]

M1C said:

Hello.

I don't have an EV at the moment (but would be open to it in the future, have owned a Leaf before).

I have the opportunity to have a Pod Point 7kW charger fitted at home, FOC. I'm early in the process and nobody has been for a look yet and/or i've not sent any pics off to the fitters.

The trouble (or potential trouble?) is...that i have a very old fashioned fuse board. It's one of the ones with actual big different coloured fuses in it, the ones you can't get any more. I'm assuming it's a good 30-40 years old, maybe more.

Does anyone know if this means i won't be able to have it fitted?

Someone where i work said it won't matter, as (in their experience) they will connect it via my meter (outside wall) instead if they can't do it via the fuse board?

This rang a bit true as i then noticed a house in my street (same kind of house) where it looks like that is indeed the case, a wire running from the meter area to the charger.

So really.....i'm just asking if anyone has any experience before i get the bad (or good) news.

Many thanks.

Edited by M1C on Tuesday 3rd December 12:44

It's always nicer and neater to have a single 'fuse box' in a house that feeds everything but if it's not up to current regulations then a second board can be added. As long as there's room for it then it's no bother.

[ashenfie]

The old fuse box most likely offering little to no protection. A modern solution would be RCD based solution in a metal box. Maybe the wiring would also need replacing too all that would cost money but offer more value than a car charger you don’t have a need for.

[Ste-EVo]

I think you should be fine, as most of time the installer will go via the meter box and not the fuse box, or at least that's my experience and that of all of those that I know who've had an EV charger installed.

I guess the installer would be able to say for sure.

When we had ours fitted we had to complete an online survey and send pics of the meter box and fuse box etc and they then respond to confirm if the install is a 'standard installation' or if more work is needed.

[Simon_GH]

I’m looking at EV chargers at the moment. Every house I see with a charger has it wired directly to the meter.

[M1C]

Thank you everyone. Well that sounds a bit more positive. I'll see what happens when things get underway and will report back.

[M1C]

ashenfie said:

The old fuse box most likely offering little to no protection. A modern solution would be RCD based solution in a metal box. Maybe the wiring would also need replacing too all that would cost money but offer more value than a car charger you don’t have a need for.

You are right of course. I need a better set up. However, i'm not going to turn down a FOC charger install, as i say, i've had an EV before and would be open to one again in future.

[essayer]

the usual approach is to run new cables from the meter box to a new mini consumer unit that only serves the EV charger. this avoids touching any of the house stuff.

slightly untidy example but at least it's not shoved into the meter box

[MattyD803]

I have a modern (2016) metal clad consumer unit with 'spare ways' and the sparky still fitted a separate fuse box in the outside meter cupboard when he fitted my 7kW Pod Point charger.....? Both my CU and meter box are directly adjacent to one another on the garage wall (albeit different sides of the wall, obviously)....but I do wonder if it makes their life easier doing everything in the external box.

[clockworks]

I'm having a charger fitted next week, alongside a heatpump installation.
Survey was done months ago. Plumber and electrician came last Friday to check pipe runs, unit location, and wiring route.

Meter and consumer unit are in the kitchen pantry, rear of the bungalow. Heatpump and charger outside the garage. Relatively straightforward loft access to run the cable.

Sparky is going to run a single 10mm cable from the existing immersion heater breaker in the CU, updating the breaker to 50A. Also, a data cable for the charger clamp.
He will fit a new 6 way CU in the garage, separate breakers for the heatpump, immersion booster, electronic controls, and EV charger.

I'm happy he can do it this way, as there isn't much room in the cabinet on the pantry wall for Henly blocks etc.

[mikecassie]

I've a Pod Pont Solo 3 charger installed, although my fuse box is new and has breakers not fuses, with space for a breaker that could've been fitted, the installer did not go via the fuse box.
They fitted Henley Blocks, and installed an inline 40 A 30MA RCD breaker for the wiring which was ran to the charger in my garage.
I did run the provided cable from fuse box location to the garage as the suggested runs would've made Stevie Wonder look at it and wonder who had done the cable run. That was agreed by the installation company and the installer was chuffed when he arrived. A lot less for him to do.
There was loads of photos taken and sent to the installation company, showing the fuse box, installation location and approx distance between the 2 points. They only supplied 15m which was just enough for my house.

[ashenfie]

MattyD803 said:

I have a modern (2016) metal clad consumer unit with 'spare ways' and the sparky still fitted a separate fuse box in the outside meter cupboard when he fitted my 7kW Pod Point charger.....? Both my CU and meter box are directly adjacent to one another on the garage wall (albeit different sides of the wall, obviously)....but I do wonder if it makes their life easier doing everything in the external box.

It does make life easier and there is a debate as to whether it meant to be done this way or not.

[IlPapaMobile]

MattyD803 said:

I have a modern (2016) metal clad consumer unit with 'spare ways' and the sparky still fitted a separate fuse box in the outside meter cupboard when he fitted my 7kW Pod Point charger.....? Both my CU and meter box are directly adjacent to one another on the garage wall (albeit different sides of the wall, obviously)....but I do wonder if it makes their life easier doing everything in the external box.

Every install is different but in general if the current CU is up to regs then I'd say it's easier to add a new RCBO in an existing CU rather than add a an extra CU, split the tails etc.

I think for the big guys that churn out multiple installs a day it's easier from a materials point of view to have a CU ready to put on the wall over getting the correct breaker and checking out the current installation.