4 ms·

I used a granny charger for the first 3 weeks after getting my EV. I don't use the car that much but even so, the painfully slow charging made it a hassle. And

by nsteel 3y ago

I used a granny charger for the first 3 weeks after getting my EV. I don't use the car that much but even so, the painfully slow charging made it a hassle. And also remember, if you want access to cheap electricity, you need to use a "real" EVSE. This DIY one can't provide access to that either.

gambiting 3y ago
>>And also remember, if you want access to cheap electricity, you need to use a "real" EVSE. Why? I was on Octopus Go for a long time, I'd just set the in-car timer to charge between 00:30 and 04:30, worked fine even with a 3-pin charger. It won't work with Intelligent Octopus, but it's by no means the only way to get cheap electricity. Not that it matters anyway, I kept a detailed log of our usage for months and concluded that GO wasn't actually saving us any money, the cheaper electricity at night didn't offset the energy used during the day, not at the idiotic prices they charged for peak usage anyway. We just switched to Octopus Tracker, I can charge my car at any point during the day and it's actually cheaper than being on GO.
- Symbiote 3y ago
  Presumably if someone drives enough that they need more than four (or whatever) hours of charging overnight, they will need a higher power charger to take advantage of the cheapest hours.
  - gambiting 3y ago
    Of course. I'm just saying that if our charger broke tomorrow I don't think I'd pay £900 for a new one, it's just too much money imho, but our personal situation works even with the slow 3 pin charging.
- nsteel 3y ago
  You are right, sorry. I forgot there's the non-intelligent version. Although you can't put in much in just 4 (I think?) hours with a granny on Go. Intelligent Go is saving me a lot. But the peak rate where I am (I believe it varies by region) is only a few pence more than the cap. And I'm trying to use washing machine etc only off-peak where possible. My bill is now less compared to before I had the EV.
  - gambiting 3y ago
    Yeah but the cap is stupid - on tracker I've been consistently paying 20p/kWh or less. And yes I was always scheduling the washing machine and dishwasher for the cheap hours at night, but we both work from home, both run a lot of equipment, the daytime cost just was destroying any savings made during the night. But again, that's just us and our situation.

by nsteel 3y ago

gambiting 3y ago

>>And also remember, if you want access to cheap electricity, you need to use a "real" EVSE. Why? I was on Octopus Go for a long time, I'd just set the in-car timer to charge between 00:30 and 04:30, worked fine even with a 3-pin charger. It won't work with Intelligent Octopus, but it's by no means the only way to get cheap electricity. Not that it matters anyway, I kept a detailed log of our usage for months and concluded that GO wasn't actually saving us any money, the cheaper electricity at night didn't offset the energy used during the day, not at the idiotic prices they charged for peak usage anyway. We just switched to Octopus Tracker, I can charge my car at any point during the day and it's actually cheaper than being on GO.

Symbiote 3y ago
Presumably if someone drives enough that they need more than four (or whatever) hours of charging overnight, they will need a higher power charger to take advantage of the cheapest hours.
- gambiting 3y ago
  Of course. I'm just saying that if our charger broke tomorrow I don't think I'd pay £900 for a new one, it's just too much money imho, but our personal situation works even with the slow 3 pin charging.
nsteel 3y ago
You are right, sorry. I forgot there's the non-intelligent version. Although you can't put in much in just 4 (I think?) hours with a granny on Go. Intelligent Go is saving me a lot. But the peak rate where I am (I believe it varies by region) is only a few pence more than the cap. And I'm trying to use washing machine etc only off-peak where possible. My bill is now less compared to before I had the EV.
- gambiting 3y ago
  Yeah but the cap is stupid - on tracker I've been consistently paying 20p/kWh or less. And yes I was always scheduling the washing machine and dishwasher for the cheap hours at night, but we both work from home, both run a lot of equipment, the daytime cost just was destroying any savings made during the night. But again, that's just us and our situation.