Rolfe
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- Joined
- Apr 10, 2023
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- Location
- West Linton, Scotland
- Driving
- MG4 SE SR
If I don't drive weekends, I would probably only need to charge it twice a week properly?
How much is it costing to charge it from home?
You'll find a pattern that suits you. I'm mindful that sometimes stuff happens, and we might need to jump in the car and take off on a journey we hadn't planned. I therefore won't let the charge drop below 50% without hooking it up for a night on the granny charger. There is a rapid charger within walking distance, so I could theoretically get a lot of charge in a hurry if need be, but I prefer to keep a range of 100 miles or so in the car just in case.
I
t was last charged overnight 29/30 May after coming back from Glasgow on about 42% charge, and if it wasn't for an upcoming trip it might sit there for another week from now, because it's still on 61%. What can I say, I'm retired.
However, obviously, I'll charge up full overnight if I have a longer trip planned, e.g. 11/12 June, as I have a trip of at least 130 miles planned for the 12th.
If I get home around 25% or less any time, I give the car 54 minutes on the rapid charger at the end of my road (the maximum allowed, which will do 20% to 85%) before I plug it into the granny charger to balance its cells. I've never yet had to do this, because I don't usually do two long trips on consecutive days, but since the rapid charger is only 30p a unit, why not?
But everybody's circumstances are different, and you'll find your own way by experimentation. Just don't leave yourself in the position where an emergency arises - or even you suddenly find out about something you really want to do some distance away at the last minute, as I did last Saturday - and your car's sitting there on 20%.
Does it significantly increase tarrifs during the day?
That's the crunch. But there are spreadsheets and calculators that let you calculate whether the payoff is worth it, and you can set your washing machine, dishwasher and even tumble drier to run overnight and get that on the cheap too.