3 pin charger with Wi-Fi and usage calculator - recommendations?

[jayD]

Hi all,

We are a two EV household with 1 7kW wall charger.

My MG ZS EV came with a granny charger, my partners car, a Citroen EC4 didn’t.

The MG comes with a charging schedule built into the software so I can make the most of our off peak charges, however the Citroen only has a delayed charging software.

I’m looking to purchase a granny charger for both cars that has the functionality to schedule charging but also record the power usage.

Looking for any recommendations…

Thanks in advance.

Jay

 

[Jomarkh]

Most granny EVSE (charge points) are dumb.
Which car needs to have the usage recorded?

 

[jayD]

We would like to track the usage for both… many thanks

 

[Gadget Geek]

If you search for "programmable portable evse charger" on the internet, you can look at reviews for various smart granny chargers.

 

[EvTek23]

In my experience this is an area that is lacking. Most manufactures of 13A plug (granny) chargers, are dumb as has been pointed out. I my view you need to keep track of the energy costs, after all you wouldn't just fill up with petrol and pay without knowing how much it had cost you.
There are some which display the number of kWh used during the charge, and indeed the charging time, current etc. I suspect that most in this category once the charging has stopped, either by terminating the charge from the car, or when it has reached the specified charge level, the stats displayed during the charge process are reset, loosing all that data.
I found one that has a cumulative display and retains all the charge data from first time of use. This is the Third Rock Energy Type 2 EV Portable Charger 6A - 13A Variable, 3kW, 3 Pin Plug versions. (This feature I checked with them). You could from this record data for each ev and charge but it would be a manual process.
The only units I found were the that are close to what you are looking for are the NRG kick mobile wi-fi charging station and Juice Booster 3 Air.
Both have adapters to buy for 13A, 16A Ceeform, and 32A single or 3 phase.
I personally have the NRG Kick unit with the 13A adapter lead. It is however capable of charging up to 22kW if used with the correct adaptor. This is a wi-fi enabled unit with an app and displays current charging information and cumulative energy. You can set a cost per kWh so it will give you a display of the amount spent. Once registered you are sent a weekly email containing a pdf with a charging graph and costs. I'm not sure if it can be configured however for more than one ev. The drawback to this is that it costs as much as a typical 7kW wallbox installation, while not for all due to the cost it will work for some like myself.

 

[EvTek23]

Having written the reply to the post above i have just come across this:

EV Charger APP Control 6M, 6-13A Adjustable Current, 0-24 Hours Delayed Timer, Max. 3.3kW, EV Charger Cable Type 2 to 3 Pin Plug, Wifi & Bluetooth Connection, IP65 Waterproof https://amzn.eu/d/evc9a35

 

[Gomev]

Having written the reply to the post above i have just come across this:

EV Charger APP Control 6M, 6-13A Adjustable Current, 0-24 Hours Delayed Timer, Max. 3.3kW, EV Charger Cable Type 2 to 3 Pin Plug, Wifi & Bluetooth Connection, IP65 Waterproof https://amzn.eu/d/evc9a35

That's at a good price as well. I note it says it is CE, UKCA, RoHS certified too.

 

[gazza487]

That's at a good price as well. I note it says it is CE, UKCA, RoHS certified too.

Surely it can’t be compliant - I thought constant 13a on a 3pin was a no no, unless there is some clever trickery going on ?

 

[EvTek23]

The charger will supply a maximum of 13A, but is selectable via the app. For the UK the max you would set it to is 10A to be compliant from a 3 pin plug.

 

[Gadget Geek]

I have an EVSE which can do 13A but only ever go as high as 10A.

And if you want to record how many kWh you use and the cost, I use a smart plug with metering via an app. I don't use the smart function to switch it on or off, just to monitor the consumption. £8.99 from Argos.

 

[Everest]

Do check that the £8.99 socket from Argos meet IET Wiring Regulations (722.55. 101.0. 201.1i). i.e. it is BS 1363-2/EV compliant.

 

[EvTek23]

This is available from Tough LEADS using compliant components for EV charging.
Toughleads.co.uk, 13A socket for EV charging

 

[Everest]

This is available from Tough LEADS using compliant components for EV charging.
Toughleads.co.uk, 13A socket for EV charging

That's how to do it. An Eastron power meter in a DIN mount with EV compliant sockets. Pretty much what I was proposing here...

Granny charger using a smart plug with usage monitor

Hi all, Looking for some advice, I have a 23 plate MG ZS EV long range. We have two electric cars in our household and only one 7kW wall charger. The other car is a Citroen and doesn’t have a programmable charging time option. As a result I often use the 3pin granny charger from the garage...

www.mgevs.com

but already made up for you. Not a bad price too as, IIRC, the Eastron Power Meters are about £50 - £60 on their own.