Installing EV charger far from fuse board/meter box

JayeL

Considering an EV next year but don't have a driveway. I do have a garage at the end of my back garden along with vehicle access, so I could park a car in there.

There's power out there too but from what I've heard, an EV charger needs its own feed from the fuse board or meter.

While we upgraded both of those 4 years ago, they're both at the very front of the house and the garage is about as far as you can get from them on our property.

Is there any way to get a 7kw charger to this spot without tearing through the house?

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058271925/installing-ev-charger-far-from-fuse-board-meter-box

You would have to run a cable from the CU or the MC to the garage.

There's a few videos of EVSE Installers in the Uk doing similar.

Get digging that trench!

the_amazing_raisin

To echo Gumbo, you'll want to dig the trench yourself, don't want to pay electrician rates for that if you can avoid it

As for tearing through the house, it depends. Do you have a side passage that you could bring the cable out to and then run along the side of house to the trench?

If not, then look if there's any bulkheads covering pipes or ventilation you can use

Failing that, then you might need a strip of surface trunking to cover the cable internally

zg3409

The old cable to the shed may be capable of some if not all the power.

You may be able to install a 2kW or 3kW or 5kW charge point.

Even 2kW is fine for most users. In 10 hours you can get 100km range. Not ideal but this level is available at every household socket. I would be happy with 3 or 4kw.

You can check cable to shed and install a heavier cable if needed but it might not be needed. Distance is not really an issue. Some home charge points need WiFi signal so you can use their app to stop and start charging etc but not essential . You may not have a good WiFi signal at shed.

Some chargers need a wired current sensor to main fuseboard or esb meter. These wires won't be in old cabling to shed.

slave1

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058271925/installing-ev-charger-far-from-fuse-board-meter-box

What are we talking about in meters, I'd say a 6mm2 SWA buried will be plenty and as others have said you can do this yourself, run 2 buriable CAT6 cables alongside for future proofing, they won't cost that much

JayeL

Thanks for all the advice folks, I had a crowd come out since and they've suggested going up the outside of the house, across the attic and down the back (we're mid-terrace). They'd then take the cable along a back garden wall and into the garage. It's apparently heavy-duty, armoured cable that wouldn't need to be buried. Waiting for a price but it seems feasible anyway