A hybrid Plug in with Home charger help!! How to choose the best one.

swoofer

I am condidering a KIA NIRO plugin and got to the stage where you need a home plugin gizmo. I can get a grant but then I get lost, what charger do I choose and I want it to work while having a shower and be as fast as possible>

Anyone got a plugin model and explain a bit more. The plugin in give 64 miles and more oomph.

DirkG

You probably should have posted this in the ev sub-forum, but FWIW I bought a PHEV last year and simply ran the 3-pin ("Granny") charger outside so that I could avoid/defer the expense of installing a proper 7kw home charger.

PHEVs usually can't take advantege of fast chargers, there isn't much benefit to having a proper charger - in my case it takes 5h to charge fully off the and that would only improve to 3h with off a proper charger. Since I charge overnight, it makes no difference.

I never charge the car away from home - that's what the petrol tank is for.

Miscreant

I had a PHEV for 2 years before moving to a full BEV and did not have a home charger at the time. I used a "granny" 3 pin charger plugged into a dedicated socket in the garage but you could look at getting an external socket installed. Just make sure that the cabling for that socket is up to the task and you might need a separate section on your fuse board for it.

Going for a full home charger will cost you in the region of €700 or €800 but your PHEV will not be able to use the full 7kW what it can provide. AFAIK the Kia and Hyundai PHEVs will only pull about 3kW max.

On the other hand, if you want to future proof your house, then you could go and get one of the many companies out there to install a proper charger for you. They usually fill in everything required for the SEAI grant and then you send it all off to get your grant. Have a look at the SEAI site and you can apply for the charger grant once you know what company you have chosen. It was not a complicated process at all and from beginning to end took less than 2 weeks for me within the last year.

In relation to the shower, whatever company you get should be installing a load sharer in your fuse box which will look after all that so you should not have anything to worry about.

bazz26

myenergi Zappi is probably the most common sold home charger on the market but there are others. However the Zappi hardware is not trouble free and can give trouble but the good news is that myenergi aftersales support is very good even when the warranty has expired. It also comes with a management app and wireless hub to connect to your router, is also compatible with working with solar panels if you choose to get them at a later stage.

Regarding using the shower if charging the car at the same time, it probably depends on how your house is wired but generally the registered electrician/installation company will ask you those type of questions when appraising it's suitability prior to installation.

Gumbo

First question, do you have or plan to get solar PV panels?

If yes then a charge point that can utilise on excess to charge your car would seem the best option, Zappi, Wallbox, OHME to name but a few.

If no, then a basic plug and play charger that can be done for €699 after grant will be more than enough.

Obviously there are other considerations such as existing house draw, A2W, showers and existing supply /tails that the electrician will advise on based on a specific site survey.

Gumbo

further options

crl84

For a PHEV, just get a regular outdoor 3pin socket and run a granny charger from that. No point in going to the expense of getting a proper charger (you can't make use of the higher speed charging it offers) and potentially re-wiring/house electrical upgrades to get the grant.

A granny charger from 3pin socket uses as much electricity as a kettle, so no issues with using shower at the same time.

swoofer

What is a granny charger and will it come with new car?? I have a 3 pin outdoor socket already installed for hedge cutting, car washing. A lot of good information above so glad I asked. I am with SSE for a year.

@gumbo if the NIRO will only charge at a very low rate is there any point spending big money on the chargers you highlighted?

Miscreant

A granny charger will usually come with the car and plugs into a standard 3 pin socket. You will get about 2kW out of that to charge the car so from empty to full, it will take about 4 or 5 hours…. although in a PHEV your battery is never really at 0%, even after a long drive so your charge time could be under the 4 hour mark.

https://www.versinetic.com/encyclopedia/granny-charger/#:~:text=A%20car%20charger%20that%20can,so%20charging%20is%20very%20slow.

swoofer

Now all clear the niro does 64 miles( claimed) so in my case I could go a month on the battery but am I right in assuming if I put the boot down the engine will kick in? I am waiting on a test drive but doing an RK.

Hurrache

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122220497#Comment_122220497

If you have solar it makes sense going with a proper charger in terms of power management etc?

Miscreant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122221699#Comment_122221699

64 kilometres as opposed to miles (works out to a theoretical max of ~40 miles). In reality, you will more than likely get over the 50km mark in the summer and a little below in the winter time on pure EV, depending on how heavy your right foot is.

The petrol engine will come on under several circumstances:

1. You demand more acceleration than the electric drivetrain can provide (putting the boot down, as you say)
2. You are using the HVAC system to heat the car interior. Air Con during summer runs off the traction battery, heat (at any time) requires the petrol engine to run.
3. Your battery SOC drops to around 15%
4. You put the car in SPORT mode.

As I mentioned above, I had a Hyundai Ioniq PHEV for 2 years (this has the same battery and drive train as the Niro) and I regularly could get close to 60km from the full electric mode in summer. During the winter, it would drop to about 50km or a little less. To get the most out of a PHEV, you need to be charging it regularly, otherwise you will be running on petrol quite a bit. I once managed about 2500km between refuelling with petrol but I was charging the battery most evenings and only using the car around town, well within the battery range.

Miscreant

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122221699#Comment_122221699

Just to add to my reply from earlier as I have just realised this… If you are doing just 64 miles a month (just over 100kms), would you consider a full EV instead of a PHEV? I only ask as you would be well within the driving range of a lot of BEVs currently on the second hand market. Food for thought perhaps.

crl84

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122221850#Comment_122221850

Probably depends on what your setup is and how much you're driving/needing to charge.
It might be better to export to grid during the day, then charge from regular 3-pin outdoor socket overnight on a cheaper rate…Not sure about the PHEV Niro, but most BEVs can set charging schedule on the car.

galvo_clare

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122223347#Comment_122223347

If you're only doing 64 miles a month I'd be considering a taxi.

swoofer

well i occasionally do a bit more🤣

best car/suv so far nissan qashqai e power but … very pricey

MojoMaker

Doesn't that cost more than a Tesla Model 3 these days?

Jrbeire

Just to note that more and more PHEVs can avail of 7kW plus charging (e.g., the newly updated 3-series, the RAV4 - if memory serves correctly). Though as most people typically charge overnight, an hour here or there makes no practical difference. Unless you're trying to cram as much charge in as possible during your heavily discounted 0200 - 0500 electricity pricing window. Like me.