Maximize Your PHEV With These 5 Charging Tips

[@DavidPlayfair]

One day we'll look back in amazement that we had cars with an electric motor and an internal combustion engine, and a battery and a fuel tank! :)

[@erktrek]

Not mentioned Tip #6 - trade in that PHEV for an EV. 😉 Thanks for the great content as always!

[@stephenbagwell8275]

That’s what I did especially as the number of public CCS rapid chargers is increasing more than the number of type twos that the BMW needs Llandudno train station car park was 34p per kWh plus 20p connection fee though

[@Gazer75]

Can you get a small affordable EV capable of towing a 1500kg trailer? :P Most Golf sized EVs have no towing capability. Another problem is you often can't drive the combination on a regular B license as the total combined gross weight would be over 3500kg. At least here in Norway. I'd have to take a course to get B96 for 4250kg limit or the full deal with a practical exam to get BE to drive any weight combination.

[@Hitstirrer]

I know that we all call the granny cable and its in-line box a 'charger,' and we also call a box fixed to the wall a 'charger' as well. But they aren't. They are just fancy 'switches' to check for safety before allowing the current to pass. Their official title is 'EVSE' - Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. The actual charger when using AC is in the car. The EVSE just allows AC current to flow to the car's on-board charger.

[@brianbailey4565]

Hi Dave you still don't understand how your 7kW type 2 charger works. If the hybrid car can only accept 16 amps it is the car inverter that limits the current not the wall charger. Wall and even the portable chargers do not regulate the current, it's done by the car.

[@Gazer75]

The EVSEs can control the current. Depends on the model you got. The "granny charger" can have a button on it to adjust the current. Many wallboxes with app support can also be adjusted on the fly. They can also be adjusted/limited inside with a switch. This is usually done by the electrician on installation.

[@brianbailey4565]

@Gazer75 I have both a 7kW and 13amp portable charger. Both of these I can set the charge current to a specific value. However this only sends a signal to the EV onboard inverter that actually determines the current drawn. There is no current regulator in the AC chargers.

[@markbennett6658]

Dave you didn’t mention that if you are doing a combination of home and public charging on type 2 you’ll need a type 2 to type 2 cable as well as a ‘granny charger’ and potentially have to get a waterproof 3 pin exterior socket installed. Many properties including ours don’t have one. I’d hope the employer would at least supply the public charging cable although, I assume, these being primarily new cars, that the car itself would be supplied with it anyway?

[@Gazer75]

The use of extension cable is mostly because the wall plug on the EVSE have a temperature sensor that will shut of the current if it's getting hot. If this were to happen at the wall socket with an extension cable the EVSE wouldn't know. I've been using a 3m long extension for a long time that has 2.5mm wiring, rated for 16A continuous and outdoor use. Part of the reason is to get the EVSE down on a solid surface. You don't want the socket carrying the load. This might be different in the UK with the 90 degree angled plugs, but here they all have straight out Schuko plugs for some reason.

[@josh_bfc_2769]

My 330e will self charge on the motorway to 93%. If I charge at home I get 100%

[@Gazer75]

But at what fuel cost? I tested this on my dads Golf GTE and the consumption was insane. Normal driving (battery hold) it can do around 4-4.5L/100km, but it more than doubled if I set it to charge the battery. After a few km it was showing around 9-10L/100km.

[@GruffSillyGoat]

Many PHEVs, and BEVs aswell, don't stop the charge on unlocking the car. This is to allows one to return to the car to sit in it whilst it continues to charge. In many cases the charge can be stopped by pressing unlock on the remote twice within a short period, or from the cars touch screen / mobile app.

[@Gazer75]

Really? The ones I've seen may stop the charging briefly as you unlock it, but continues if the cable is not unplugged.

[@GruffSillyGoat]

@@Gazer75 - some cars may reduce current draw, some keep the draw going, but they don't stop the charge when unlocked otherwise the charging session will terminate and you have to start it again (paying for another session fee the charging networks may apply).

[@markbennett6658]

@@Gazer75I believe ours pauses the charge if you go back whilst charging to get something out of the car and recommences when you lock it back up again.

[@MarkHewitt1978]

Point of order. The whole world does not use Type 2. North America uses J1772 (aka Type 1)

[@stephenbagwell8275]

Get a 7 kW home charger for when you get confident enough in using the PHEV on electric only that you will trade it in for a BEV

[@Jaw0lf]

Good infor for getting the most out of your PHEV.

[@stephenbagwell8275]

I think the newest version of the VW Golf PHEV has CCS charging to rapid charge its bigger battery

[@Gazer75]

Where did you see that? Never heard of any PHEV having CCS2 ports. The Mitsubishi Outlander can DC charge with Chademo.

[@stephenbagwell8275]

search KZbin for the VW Golf GTE Mark 8.5 2024 model. I’d rather it had the 2017 Golf 7.5 interior controls and blue brake callipers instead though.

[@GruffSillyGoat]

@@Gazer75 - DC charging on PHEVs is available on a few models, the Mazda MX30 R-EV is another example has a CCS2 socket (although only at 36kW, it allows it to charge it's 18kWh to 80% within 25 minutes). It tends to be on series-PHEV models that are more recent range extenders or have larger batteries (some offer 30 to 50kWh batteries, mainly Chinese ones currently).

[@nickbirch2123]

Excellent tutorial.

[@Gazer75]

The charger section of the video is kind of wrong. The charger is inside the phone and car. The cable with the box (or EVSE) is just that, a cable and some monitoring/protection. For phones the one you plug in to the socket is just a transformer/rectifier to get the voltage from 230V AC and down to whatever the phone wants usually 5-9V DC these days.

[@MarkHewitt1978]

While that is absolutely true. It isn't helpful as a first time tutorial. Calling the EVSE a charger is what most will understand and is good enough as clarifying further serves no purpose.

[@alwinpeddie8766]

Dave I own a Peugeot e-206 1st gen, which iv had for the last 3 months, I drive mostly less than 40 miles a week ,and once maybe twice a year I might do a 350 mile round trip to my sisters, and 4 times 200 mile round trip to see the grand kids ( which I have never done yet in an E.V yet) . But I cant find a tariff that makes it worth getting, other that is better than my fixed rate tariff that I am on which is (£125 monthly) , in most cases I'm ask to pay higher monthly rate more that am paying now( about £165 monthly ) and I cant justify the rate per month for the miles that I actually do . Now ! .I currently charge my car at tesla 40p per kwh when and where I need. my question is after my little rant, would it still be cheaper for me to charge at home with a granny charger at 21p per kwh and standing charge 53per day OR carry on going to tesla. hope you didn't skip past this one lol

[@Gazer75]

You've already answered your question. 40p vs 21p per kWh. I'm assuming you pay 53p per day regardless of the number of kWh used?

[@alwinpeddie8766]

@Gazer75 thanks just needed to hear it from someone else my maths is pretty crap n yes standing charge 59p thanks again

[@stephenbagwell8275]

The MacMaster should get his girlfriend a PHEV & let her charge it at his house