Chargers for a rented house

[gbrspratt]

I know lots has been said about "granny chargers" but I can't seem to find an answer to my specific question.

I'm getting an MG4 on our salary sacrifice scheme from work. First EV so it will be a huge change for me. I will be mainly "granny charging" at home and I'll fast charge at work. My landlord is unsure on getting a car charger fitted, but it's a work in progress! So for now that's the plan.

So the question is, are all chargers equal? Can I maximise my charge speed by buying a certain charger? Some advertise speeds from 2 kW to 3 kW?

My garage has recently been re wired so the wiring and plugs are all brand new. I believe it's a "spur" off of my house sockets?

I think my plan is to use one of the tough leads with external sockets? And temporarily mount that on the wall next to the garage.

I've read all bout the risks using these chargers but at this point it's my only choice and I'm as happy as I can be with the wiring conditions in the garage.


Cheers

 

[Ian Key]

You need to point out to your landlord that there are grants still available for the instillation of EV chargers. Electric vehicle chargepoint and infrastructure grants for landlords

Or if he doesn't want to pay for it you can get a grant as a renter. Electric vehicle chargepoint grant for renters or flat owners

 

[Jomarkh]

Hi, you won't be able to charge at 3kW all night as that will cook the socket. Most granny's do about 10A 2.2kW.
I use a Kia granny when away on holiday and I can reduce the current to 8A which is a lot safer.

 

[gbrspratt]

You need to point out to your landlord that there are grants still available for the instillation of EV chargers. Electric vehicle chargepoint and infrastructure grants for landlords

Or if he doesn't want to pay for it you can get a grant as a renter. Electric vehicle chargepoint grant for renters or flat owners

Thanks that's handy! He's not a bad landlord at all but I not convinced he'll see the benefits. But we'll keep chatting.

Hi, you won't be able to charge at 3kW all night as that will cook the socket. Most granny's do about 10A 2.2kW.
I use a Kia granny when away on holiday and I can reduce the current to 8A which is a lot safer.

Ok, so just best to stick with the MG charger supplied? Does anyone know if that's variable? Or would that be worth an investment so I can drop it for longer charges?

Would like the bundle please.

 

[Martinonline]

You will be able to set the current from the charging tab in the car. Unrestricted the MG charger supplies about 2.2kW leading to about 2kW into the car (as displayed in the iSmart app).

 

[Coulomb]

Does anyone know if that's variable?

It's not variable.

Or would that be worth an investment so I can drop it for longer charges?

The granny that comes with the car is suitable for long term charging from a standard UK 13 A outlet. Or as above, you could use a menu in the car to reduce the charging rate even further.

So no need to invest in another EVSE (AC "charger").

 

[gbrspratt]

Thanks for the advice! I'm glad I've asked.

 

[Wil Tryharder]

And many congratulations ? you bought a great car!

 

[Grriff]

You, or your landlord, only need to invest in a 7kW charger if you use the the car such that the granny charger is not fast enough to give an adequate battery SoC (state of charge) by the time you want the car.
Very approximately, a 7kW dedicated charger will charge 3 times faster than a granny, so you should ba able to charge from 20% to 100% overnight, mostly on cheap rate electricity. However, the charger costs around £1000 to fit and may need a separate fuse box depending on your consumer unit.

 

[OriginalBigAl]

If its a spur off the house sockets ( ring main ) could be a bit dodgy, should be a dedicated line "2.5mm²" cable direct to a dedicated breaker in the consumer unit to a single approved socket. Again if you plan an extension lead heavy duty "2.5mm² cable" is safer and as short as possible. Talk with your landlord and a sparky who should know his stuff. I don't think your landlord would be happy if his sockets or wiring overheated and melted or worse. Worse case scenario , but not unknown!

And/ or Grriff says, point out that your landlord is future proofing his property and increasing its rentability potential.

 

[Anon70]

When our Ohme was installed they put in a separate consumer unit (fuse box), so that if the charger tripped, the rest of the house would not be impacted. They had to run a new circuit from the meter (where the power enters the property) to the charger location. This meant taking up floor boards (as we didn't want shed loads of trunking) and drilling through an external wall.

How much work is involved will depend on where the power enters the property in relation to where the charger will be sited. You should also check if the property has an isolator switch and the rating of the fuse for the property as these may need to be installed/upgraded. If you find an 80A or 100A fuse then you should be good to go with a 7kW charger. If it is 60A (or anything less than 80A) then that would also need an upgrade.