[Misc] Electric Cars

[Papa Lazarou]

We also have Octopus and an Ohme Pro charger.

 

[nicko31]

Yes - I’ll rarely leave Sussex but am already planning driving to York and the Peak District next year. Looks relatively simple as I have two young kids and a dog so we already spend a fair amount of time in service stations on trips like these.

I’ve signed up to Octopus and have the Ohme Home Pro so can do the smart charging. I’ll be going for the Intelligent Go tariff and will then need to programme my relevant white goods to function at night as I’ve priced in these savings into my original EV switch calculations.

The info on this thread including your posts has been incredibly useful!

Intelligent Go is a great deal at 7p/kwh 23.30 - 05.30. Dishwasher and washing machine overnight will save you a bit.

Considered a home battery and or solar?

 

[GOM]

I’m swapping to an EV this weekend.

I’ve got a charger fitted to my house now which wasn’t cheap so added to the price of charging, I’m going to have to wait 18-24 months for the fuel savings but after that, I should benefit for some considerable time as I don’t plan on going back to petrol or diesel.

I don’t have any plans to make long journeys this year so it won’t be until next year that I’ll test commercial chargers at the service stations, but these events won’t happen very often. My car will very rarely leave Sussex.

My kids are certainly happy that we won’t be filling the air with toxic exhaust fumes anymore.

When you have your nice shiny new car I recommend trying a 'commercial rapid charger' locally before you go on any long journeys. Just to get the feel and experience and to make sure everything is OK. Better local than 150 miles from home at a service station.

 

[GOM]

...

For anyone else out there considering making the change: while many cars come with a free home charger option (usually with a free credit for public charging alternative), that free charger is normally pretty basic. While paying for a smart home charger looks like a bigger cost, it will pay you back very quickly when combined with EV tariffs from the likes of Octopus - ....]

All chargers suppled and fitted have to be smart chargers by law since summer 2022.

 

[nicko31]

All chargers suppled and fitted have to be smart chargers by law since summer 2022.

Looking forward AC bi-directional chargers, ie V2G / V2H. The new Renault 4 will support it, chargers are coming but compliance / approvals take a little while.

IoTecha Unveils Core Technology Powering the First Commercially Available AC V2G Charger at Electronica 2024

The Mobilize Powerbox The Mobilize PowerBox, based on IoTecha’s IoT.ON™ platform, allows EV drivers to charge & discharge to the grid, supporting peak demand & sustainability CRANBURY, NJ, UNITED STATES, November 12, 2024 /EINPresswire.com/ -- IoTecha Corp, a leader in electric vehicle (EV)...

www.kxan.com

It a big step towards loan shifting on the grid when renewables are intermittent. The concept is running a house off the car for days at a time is pretty cool

 

[Papa Lazarou]

Intelligent Go is a great deal at 7p/kwh 23.30 - 05.30. Dishwasher and washing machine overnight will save you a bit.

Considered a home battery and or solar?

That's exactly what we have:

a Growatt 7.5kwh battery, with a
3.85kwh solar array (It would have been bigger bit we have a flat roof loft conversion and that was all they could fit).
Intelligent Octopus with the 7p overnight tariff - I set it to charge the battery to 100% between 11:30 and 2:00am, then again at 3:00an to 4:00am and finally a quick burst between 5:00am and 5:30am to ensure it's at 100% when the cheap powerr ends.
I have a Tesla as well, which we were exclusively charging between 110:30pm and 5:30am but Octopus have introduced a new dynamic charging plan which will charge 'mainly' between these times but will also do some charging outside, but they gurantee it won't cost more than 7p/kwh, which is nice.

the other great thing about Octopus is they pay 15p/kwh for every Kwh you sell back from solar generation, which means, it's in my interest to charge the battery to 100% even in the summer, as I make 8p / kwh even tking into account the 7p cost / kwh of charging the battery.

According to my dashbaord I've exported 1.7Mwh back to the grid I the year or so I've has the system.

 

[LamieRobertson]

We also have an Octopus and an Ohme Pro charger.

Just the goldfish here

 

[nicko31]

That's exactly what we have:

a Growatt 7.5kwh battery, with a
3.85kwh solar array (It would have been bigger bit we have a flat roof loft conversion and that was all they could fit).
Intelligent Octopus with the 7p overnight tariff - I set it to charge the battery to 100% between 11:30 and 2:00am, then again at 3:00an to 4:00am and finally a quick burst between 5:00am and 5:30am to ensure it's at 100% when the cheap powerr ends.
I have a Tesla as well, which we were exclusively charging between 110:30pm and 5:30am but Octopus have introduced a new dynamic charging plan which will charge 'mainly' between these times but will also do some charging outside, but they gurantee it won't cost more than 7p/kwh, which is nice.

the other great thing about Octopus is they pay 15p/kwh for every Kwh you sell back from solar generation, which means, it's in my interest to charge the battery to 100% even in the summer, as I make 8p / kwh even tking into account the 7p cost / kwh of charging the battery.

According to my dashbaord I've exported 1.7Mwh back to the grid I the year or so I've has the system.

I have a 9.5kw GivEnergy battery and just set one charge 23.30 to 5.30 at 1.8kw charge rate. This way there is zero battery unnecessary cycling during the 7p period and all house and EV load comes from the grid. It also keeping the battery warm if in a cold place and is kinder on the system charging at a lower current.

 

[Papa Lazarou]

I have a 9.5kw GivEnergy battery and just set one charge 23.30 to 5.30 at 1.8kw charge rate. This way there is zero battery unnecessary cycling during the 7p period and all house and EV load comes from the grid. It also keeping the battery warm if in a cold place and is kinder on the system charging at a lower current.

Great Idea. I'll see if I can throttle the charging like that.

 

[Paulie Gualtieri]

When you have your nice shiny new car I recommend trying a 'commercial rapid charger' locally before you go on any long journeys. Just to get the feel and experience and to make sure everything is OK. Better local than 150 miles from home at a service station.

Keep meaning to do this as haven’t had the need to use a public charger yet, after 4 months of ownership. Have a Ohme Pro and home and an overnight split tariff wit British Gas.

I have joined a few schemes, (zap map, electriverse, bp pulse, grid serve and Tesla network just for the chargers) but need to actually complete the procedure despite I imagine it being relatively easy!

 

[Audax]

All chargers suppled and fitted have to be smart chargers by law since summer 2022.

But there's a difference between "legally smart" and fully smart.

I have a 9.5kw GivEnergy battery and just set one charge 23.30 to 5.30 at 1.8kw charge rate. This way there is zero battery unnecessary cycling during the 7p period and all house and EV load comes from the grid. It also keeping the battery warm if in a cold place and is kinder on the system charging at a lower current.

Great Idea. I'll see if I can throttle the charging like that.

I'd hazard an assumption that home batteries will be similar to car batteries (especially as a lot of home batteries are/were refurbed ex-car batteries): you want to a) charge slower, and b) not charge to full capacity routinely. You'll extend the life of those batteries with the slower charge, but extend it even more if you stop charging at 80-85% (unless you really need the full charge).

 

[nicko31]

But there's a difference between "legally smart" and fully smart.





I'd hazard an assumption that home batteries will be similar to car batteries (especially as a lot of home batteries are/were refurbed ex-car batteries): you want to a) charge slower, and b) not charge to full capacity routinely. You'll extend the life of those batteries with the slower charge, but extend it even more if you stop charging at 80-85% (unless you really need the full charge).

Home batteries are lithium-ion phosphate (not lithium-ion) and are designed for lower current draw. I know they don't like low temperatures and in the case of my battery it will shutdown <0c, I'm also told full cycling isn't an issue.

 

[Audax]

Home batteries are lithium-ion phosphate (not lithium-ion) and are designed for lower current draw. I know they don't like low temperatures and in the case of my battery it will shutdown <0c, I'm also told full cycling isn't an issue.

Cool, that's changed then (I'm not anywhere near as current *ahem* on home batteries. I'm hoping to sort out home side via a V2G SSD equipped EV once they come through in a few years).

 

[nicko31]

Cool, that's changed then (I'm not anywhere near as current *ahem* on home batteries. I'm hoping to sort out home side via a V2G SSD equipped EV once they come through in a few years).

I think the difference is we're now starting to see V2G/V2H with AC from the car, so chargers will be a lot cheaper with no external DC/AC conversion needed. 3-5 years and I reckon it will become mainstream

 

[Audax]

I think the difference is we're now starting to see V2G/V2H with AC from the car, so chargers will be a lot cheaper with no external DC/AC conversion needed. 3-5 years and I reckon it will become mainstream

Yeah, hoping it'll be closer to 3 years. I have a vague plan around buying my ID3 when it comes out of SalSac lease part-funded by selling our Prius, and then using the SalSac to facilitate getting whatever family size EV is offering the best combination of range + V2G/V2H. I'm with you ... I think it's 3-5 years away, hoping it's closer to 3.

Edit: and then the next step will be replacing my GSX1250 with a Zero SR/S or DSR/X ... if and when doing that doesn't leave a massive hole in the bank account. They've reached a point now where motorcycle EV range is as good, if not better, than petrol equivalent so it's just price now that puts EV bikes out of step. £20k+for both the Zero's vs £13k for a GSX-S1000GT.