Random EV Thoughts 2 - The Jimnying

Grey123

Hot sure if this is the correct spot.

I keep my home charger behind a locked gate at the site of my house, I used to fully charge overnight once a week but have recently moved to a 2hr 8c rate from 2am to 4am plan so am charging a bit more often.

I want to have it close to hand so I can plug in when I park up when home from work.

Is it common to have the charger cable "public side" of the house. I imagine the risk of someone parking up to charge is very low. It's a cut de sac housing estate in a non built up area.

Would something like this work? I have a Tesla Gen 2 charger, are all Type 2 chargers the same and have little clips to hang the charger?

https://www.amazon.ie/Tera-Material-Organiser-Conditions-Accessories/dp/B0CF8MGM17?source=ps-sl-shoppingads-lpcontext&ref_=fplfs&smid=A2QHQAREJ10JUZ&utm_source=chatgpt.com&th=1

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942441#Comment_123942441

I have my charger in the locked side entrance under a covered roof and the cable just down and under the door. I leave it in the garden 24/7 so either of us can plug it at any time and no matter what side of the garden we park on.

Any little hook will do, Amazon, Lidl etc, but yes, any holder for any T2 cable will work as they are all the same.

Buddy Bubs

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942453#Comment_123942453

Would 2 of those hold both ends of a type 2 cable?

Looking to get a solution for our untethered charger in work, put a charging cable there permanently, it will be secured against theft of course I'll get a little locking solution

I dont think i should leave a cable plugged into an untethered charger permanently so looking for a docking station for both ends

Grey123

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942453#Comment_123942453

Thanks, I see some Type 2 charger heads come with a lever clip? Is that normal? I dont have that.

josip

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942198#Comment_123942198

Not sure from your post above, but it seems like you'll be charging in Galway at daytime rates? In which case payback will be a bit longer.

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942493#Comment_123942493

not sure. I’ve an untethered zappi with a cable plugged in permanently for the last few years.

AndyBoBandy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942198#Comment_123942198

Just be aware, that if the house in Galway is 25~30+ years old, there's a good chance it would need the meter tails upgraded in order to install a 7kW charge point, and the going rate seems to be around the ~€1,200 mark..

5starpool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123942838#Comment_123942838

Well it'll be under the rule of "no, we insist on paying for the charging" but in reality will be waved away. It's a convenience thing, not a cost saver in this instance.

5starpool

Obviously if it's not a straightforward thing we won't bother getting them to do it, just looking into it at this point. House was built around 2006, so hopefully would be OK. If we could get them to get something installed for 700 it'd be worth it in terms of convenience. Not a must have though, but definitely a nice to have.

Nigzcurran

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123943619#Comment_123943619

I visit the mammy 300km away most months, I granny charge for the 24 odd hours I'm there and public charge the small bit I need on the way home. She's happy to pay for the electricity if it means getting to see her favourite child more often 😀

5starpool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123943753#Comment_123943753

That's the general gist, but maybe more up and down the same day visits. If it gets the missus and the kids more comfortable doing that trip without me to her folks, who am I to argue! I have a similar pilgrimage to my home place, but about 80km round trip less so not as much need, plus I'm more comfortable using public charging as needed.

Cyrus

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123943838#Comment_123943838

we did at my in laws, makes a big difference especially if wife has kids on her own as you say, one less hassle, ironically the increase in range in newer evs means we dont really use it any more!

obi604

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123933059#Comment_123933059

noted. But we hear this a lot, previous posters here are saying charging to 100% is not the best. But totally know what you are saying, essentially when charged to 80 only have 60% to play with.

I may just set my charging at home to 90% as a happy medium, to keep the battery as healthy as I can.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123949633#Comment_123949633

It's simply people who have no idea about batteries, repeating what they heard from others. It's a self-perpetuating story. I have posted this numerous times here but I guess there isn't much else I can do about it

MojoMaker

Parroting….100%

Exiled Rebel

Fascinating podcast mainly on batteries but touches on EV's and how the Chinese are shaping up to be the world leader in selling cars across the world but particularly outside of Europe and the US. Meanwhile the Americans are going backwards.

Redefining Energy | 201. Battery Boom or Policy Bust? The Big EV Divergence - Oct 25

https://www.podbean.com/ea/dir-cfaqj-28534dec

Mr Q

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123949812#Comment_123949812

But to be fair it isn't just what people have heard from others. It literally recommends an 80% charge on the settings in some cars.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951077#Comment_123951077

Maybe the confusion is that some people interpret that recommendation as one should never charge past 80% (or drop below 20%) and therefore we have this argument that the effective range is being limited to 60% (staying in the 20% to 80% range).

My understanding is that that only applies if you don’t need the full range of the car for a particular day/journey. While some disagree, the vast majority recommend that, with the exception of LFP batteries, don’t charge over 80% unless you are heading off soon after charging finishes or need a higher rate of charge to complete your journey. Obviously if you need to charge over 80% there is absolutely no problem doing so.

I don’t usually charge beyond 80% but today I’m heading on a longer journey so will charged to 100% overnight and will hit the supercharger when my Soc hits between 10% and 15%. That’s not normal for me but if I was doing that journey every day I would be charging to 100% every night without any concern for the battery health

5starpool

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951077#Comment_123951077

It might be the wrong way to do it, but I treat those recommendations the same way I treat 'recommended portion sizes' on food labels and the like. Generally if going on a longer journey I'll charge to 100%, otherwise I'll usually plus in a couple of nights in a row for my 3 hour cheap window when it hits somewhere between 20 and 30%, and each night does around 30%, give or take depending on the time of year.

Nigzcurran

My polestar 2 recommends 90% so I stick to that unless I'm going cross country

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951398#Comment_123951398

I’m similar in a Model 3. Musk himself said even 95% is not a problem. It’s the 100% and left sitting there constantly that’s an issue.

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951452#Comment_123951452

That’s interesting does yours have an LFP battery? Mines a 2021 with an NMC battery and it recommends 80%

MJohnston

I have a vague theory - how many cars recommend 80% because of user simplicity regarding DC charging slowdown above 80%?

creedp

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951693#Comment_123951693

Amother way of looking at it is why does the BMS significantly reduce the charging speed once over 80% SOC

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951452#Comment_123951452

And even that is not much of an issue with LiFePO4

MJohnston

Well that's a separate issue, and one based in science.

What I'm saying is maybe some cars recommend only fast charging to 80% because there are a lot of people who own EVs who won't know it'll slow down drastically above 80%.

MojoMaker

Possibly yes, indeed.

Also a theory going around that EVs in the main are being bought by folks that only potter about the place doing tiny mileage - and are likely to leave a car quite often sitting at or close to 100% for days on end. Easier just to stick to a general message to charge the car to no more than 80%.

But yeah, pub talk…easily hijacked!!

Gumbo

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123951466#Comment_123951466

Nope. Never had an LFP car. Musk stated this before LFP was the norm.

unkel

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123952266#Comment_123952266

Contrary to some popular belief, Musk actually knows what he is talking about. And you need to see things in perspective. In earlier Teslas, 100% SOC displayed in a Tesla with a lithium ion battery, is quite likely close enough to 100% with only a small buffer. In most other EVs, the buffer is much bigger. So the 100% you see displayed is nowhere near actual 100%

the_amazing_raisin

One thing I'll say about the 80% rule is to be mindful of the battery warranty

If you check the terms they often have a limit on how often you can charge to 100%

For example VW void the warranty if the battery is not used "according to the user manual"

Now, is the rule BS? Yes, it most certainly is

Are you likely to require a battery repair under warranty? Most likely no

Personally it doesn't cost me anything to charge to 80% most of the time. I'll charge extra when needed

However I don't want to give the manufacturer any excuse to deny the warranty if I can avoid it, even if their requirements are stupid

Bit of a funny aside, my son has one of those hoverboard things. Something went wrong with the battery a few months ago and I asked the shop for a repair under warranty. The manager asked had it been charged weekly per the user manual.

I felt like asking how a child is supposed to remember that and also that leaving a battery fully charged wouldn't cause a 99% degradation suddenly. The mechanic took one look and replaced it immediately saying it was obviously defective

Just another example of BS battery care rules