Home charge points (purchase/problems/questions) (See mod note post#1)

crisco10

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118891208#Comment_118891208

Probably same as the other mention of a company from Waterford. Sounds like digel shmaly.

Gumbo

www.carcharger.ie

wallbox pulsar plus for €1199 fitted.

The wallbox includes load balancing and solar PV integration.

All in all

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118893054#Comment_118893054

Cheers, I left message must follow up again. My neighbour paid that with them around Christmas, I presumed they might have increased since then.

The wallbox and zappi seem to be main 2 available. Is there any big advantage/disadvantage to either?

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118895717#Comment_118895717

The Zappi has good support, app and works well with other MyEnergi products.

The wallbox has a built in function that you type in the cost of your electrify unit and it will keep track of your charging costs which is good.

regedit

Might be a stupid question but does it make sense to get an Andersen charger directly from the UK/has anyone done that and then [ay an installer to fit it? Could you use of the SEAI grant toward the purchase or would an installer agree to be paid by the grant?

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118902583#Comment_118902583

Installer won’t agree to be paid by the grant as that goes to you directly. You would have to pay him on fitting for him to issue the certs.

You then give the certs and the uk Invoice to the SEAI.

It’s all done online now I believe.

Manion

Looking at the one I got, buying direct would cost roughly 1560 plus whatever duty was due at the door. The electrician would still need to supply whatever other materials where needed, so maybe 1800 before installation.

regedit

thanks both.

I guess I'll have to see if there's willingness from an installer to only fit the unit and then for me to try somehow be creative in sourcing an Andersen unit myself!

micks_address

Hi folks,

Ordered a id4 gtx today. It was a cancellation order so getting it in July. Wondering where to start with a charger. Meter box side of the house. Car will be in driveway so close enough. Don't have any solar panels.. Wondering what models/suppliers to look at in north county Dublin.

I need to wait for the car dealer to apply for and process the seai grant before doing anything but would like to know what I'm looking at. I see vw do chargers but is it better going for a independent make? I'd like app integration.

Thanks,

Mick

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118948331#Comment_118948331

Wondering where to start with a charger.

Depends on what you want. Cheap and cheerful or bells and whistles and everything in between.

They will all charge the car.

Things to consider

• You've mentioned you want app integration.... that puts you in the "smart charger" category which straight away bumps the price.
• Do you care about the look of it? You can get fancy looking ones for massive money (Andersen A2, for instance) or get simple looking like EO Mini.
• Do you want tethered or untethered. People sometimes pick untethered to make it more discreet but then you have to pull the cable in/out of your car. If you only need to charge once or twice a week that might be fine with you. Personal choice thing.
• Do you have a budget or are you willing to pay for everything you want?

I see vw do chargers but is it better going for a independent make? I'd like app integration.

The VW charge point does integration with the ID app so you have one app for both the car and the charge point. You need to buy the "connect" version if you want that capability.

The VW charge point is not the most advanced yet, but there is a firmware update supposed to come in the next few months and they are talking about adding lots of new features, but its VW so dont hold your breath.

The VW charge point has load sensing (and some other things) built-in. If you have other high powered devices in the house like a heat pump or electric shower it means you wont have to buy a priority switch(€150-€200), which you would have to buy with some other cheaper charge points, so thats worth keeping in mind.

Most smart charge points have that load sensing also and app integration, e.g. Hypervolt and Zappi.

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118948619#Comment_118948619

Thanks for the detailed reply. The vw charger seems an interesting option. I'd need to get someone to fit. I assume I can't order the charger yet? The vw charger can connect to WiFi? It talks about a sim card but I don't want to have to put a data sim and pay for it

TomOnBoard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118948619#Comment_118948619

great analysis/advice...

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118948663#Comment_118948663

I assume I can't order the charger yet?

Once you have grant approval you can buy it but you have to fit it within 6 months or else the grant will lapse and you need to have possession of the car also so I'd hold off until closer to your car delivery date.

The vw charger can connect to WiFi?

Yes, or via ethernet also. When pulling the wires for the power I'd recommend you pull a shielded cat 5e cable also and hard wire the connection. Wires are always more reliable than wireless but it does depend on how far your internet router will be from the charge point and how many insulated walls are in-between.... even if its close, I'd still always go wired.

It talks about a sim card but I don't want to have to put a data sim and pay for it

Thats an optional extra. Targeted to commercial customers really who want to be able to remotely access a charge point where they may not have an internet connection. You wont need that. Just connect to your house internet and you'll have all the access you need.

micks_address

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118948721#Comment_118948721

Cheers,

So you can't fit the charger till you have the car?

Thanks,

Mick

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118949070#Comment_118949070

You can fit it before you have the car but you can’t get the money until after you have the car.

check the SEAI website. All the t&c for the grant are on there.

Cyrus

Hi all, my in laws have an eo mini procured from EI installed via kn and it’s not working at the moment. Who do they contact to get it fixed ?

blingrhino

Probably stupid question but does the installer run from the fuse box or the meter on side of the house or can they do either.?

Manion

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118952560#Comment_118952560

Not a stupid question at all, it's been a subject of much discussion. They are allowed to run it from the meter box or the consumer unit, with preference given to the consumer unit. For many homes the meter box is the only viable solution.

Some installers however will not run the cable from the meter box, KN in particular are extremely conservative. I actually kind of hate KN, I walk around my neighbourhood and I see not only a bunch it botched charger installations but also botched fibre internet installs. Check with your installer before booking and installation.

blingrhino

Thanks Manion is the 7kw 3 phase charger the one i need or the 22kw 3 phase.

i presume if the car doesnt have the 22kw capacity its a waste of time?

TomOnBoard

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118952649#Comment_118952649

3-phase?

Unless you have a 3-phase supply a 3-phase charger won't work for you...

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118952649#Comment_118952649

You have no choice.

It will be a single phase, 32a/7.4kW charger.

Manion

Well the bit that might confuse people is that some chargers are rated to work with either single phase or 3 phase power.

mailforkev

@Cyrus EI were the retailer so go to them first.

micks_address

Hi folks,

Was looking at ordering the vw charger last night. It mentions not to order until seai letter comes. I have the email from seai stating my grant gas been approved and the dates etc. Do I need to wait for a letter to o arrive in the post before ordering any equipment?

The other thing is the vw checkout page says the charger doesn't include any load balancing which I might need as we have an electric shower?

Do some chargers like the zappi come with the load balancing?

I quite like the idea of the vw charger and app integration etc

Thanks,

Mick

KCross

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118965728#Comment_118965728

I have the email from seai stating my grant gas been approved and the dates etc.

That should be enough.

The other thing is the vw checkout page says the charger doesn't include any load balancing which I might need as we have an electric shower?

It supports load sensing but you have to buy a few extra bits to utilise it. They dont come in the box itself but are cheap to buy so no big deal. Once you have those for your electrician he then needs to run a shielded twisted pair cable from your incoming tails to the charge point.

Here is a post where I link the two pieces you need to buy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/117911376#Comment_117911376

Do some chargers like the zappi come with the load balancing?

Yes, Zappi, Hypervolt etc etc. Plenty have it now.

Eircom_Sucks

looking at pulling the plug ( excuse pun ) for home charging point

just gonna go with the Qubev bog standard one

is there a way to stop others using it while im in work ?

now i live in a cul de sac and no ev or hev cars in my estate so chances probably nil , but is there any way to stop it being used ?

Manion

Wire to the consumer unit and flip the breaker when not in use, or add local isolation switch with a key. I'm sure they exist somewhere.

ted1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118974614#Comment_118974614

It doesn’t happen…..

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/118974614#Comment_118974614

It doesn’t happen.

Youd want to be plugged in for hours to run a rivers worth of electricity!

Tou can put a little pad lock on the isolator switch though

aFlabbyPanda

Is it pointless to get a charger without load balancing? Local Nissan dealer has a 'free' charger without load balancing. Everything else is around 600€ after the grant. I have 1 electric shower but tbh we don't need to use it as we have pressurised system too that we mainly use.