Zencar EV charger - the advantages of using an adjustable portable charger

[@nigelstrarup]

Hi well I am charging on a extension cable which is all coil out and plug in and it is a 13amp and on for at least 4 hours a day and no problems so far Nigel 🤞🇬🇧

[@tramway11]

Thank you i am new to EVs , i dont want to put a charger at the house i am in as i will be moving in the next few months, so wanted to charge my new smart car via a granny charger, I am going to buy the extension from toughleads to be sure and drop to 6 amp

[@johngoodwin34]

thanks for all that info. BMW have recently put out a recall on the granny cable and I think it is to cover this problem, They say it is because of the 13amp plug has been found to not sit in the 13AMP wall sockets correctly. something about the pins being to long and touching the casing. WOW! and it can cause a fire. I think perhaps it is more to do with your explanation of too high an amperage In the unit

[@CarFinanceSimplified]

Ive got the Ohme cable which is great but currently you can only change the ampage by emailing customer services. Not sure why there’s a problem running 13a from a wall outlet though as even if the installation is a 2.5mm radial, the cable will be more than sufficient (assuming you’re not plugging in multiple items!). A standard 2.5mm ring would easily handle it surely? Great video - many thanks!

[@GoGreenAutos]

If it is all sound, then its fine. But some 13A sockets are substandard (lots of Chinese made rubbish around) and can burn out around the live pin. Also if the screws aren't done up properly at the back can cause issues and drawing 10A over 8 hours will find these problems.

[@hotrex7779]

This looks like it is the same base unit as the Ohmi charger... While I agree that drawing 10 amp will find any bad plugs and skts I qustion the idea that you turn the current down because you suspect you wiring is not up to scratch. Better to correct the problem . The adjustable output is a useful function that can be used to limit charge rate to solar generation. Or when on camp sites where there is not enough capacity to run your van and charge your car . Nice function to have better on a cable that you can turn down from 32 amp down to 6 amp ...

[@TheHamstenator]

Good video. Just FWI, using 6A is not a guarantee: I burned out a fuse group using the 6A granny cable that came with my Zoe :)

[@GoGreenAutos]

Are you sure that was 6A though? I've not heard of another 6A. Many of the chinese cables are 16A which will cause issues.

[@terrylivermore9107]

Brilliant explanation Matt. Keep up the good work.

[@GoGreenAutos]

Thanks

[@wollywotsit]

I’m looking at getting one of these adjustable ones, I’m considering putting a smaller fuse in it for peace of mind

[@NickW1111]

Bear in mind that if you fit a commando socket for EV charging, you’ll need to provide PEN fault detection (with a Matt-E, Garo or similar). The same is actually true of a dedicated 13 amp socket.

[@plodderexup]

If people are using granny chargers plugged into their ring main then what is the situation with respect to PEN fault protection? What about extension cables from the ring or spur supplies to e.g. a garden shed? Is an earch rod local to a wall box/commando socket an alternative to PEN fault detection? I gather that some of the newer wallboxes have PEN fault detection built in e.g. MyEnergi Zappi myenergi.com/pen-protection/ In this case, I presume these do not need any additional earthing arrangements?

[@maesygwartha]

We have the OHME charger from Octopus Energy which uses the same carcass. This unit contains a SIM card which enables the EVSE to contact Octopus Energy in order to access their Agile 30 minute tariff data, which enables smart charging. Our OHME EVSE is on a dedicated circuit with its own RCD. I have it mounted horizontally in a lockable waterproof electrical box. All safe I think, we only need to use this charger once or twice a week.

[@GoGreenAutos]

I need to add 'smart' functionality at home as I've still got an old 'dumb' Rolec charger, which is many years old. I am considering adding a Ohme cable as that seems the cheapest way to get 'smart' charging. Or the other option is to just replace the Rolec unit with a newer model. I would then install a Wallbox Pulsar Plus as very pleased with the one at work.

[@maesygwartha]

@@GoGreenAutos We can recommend OHME if you are on an Octopus tariff - the app allows you to change the car in order that the charger knows how much charge is required. You can set the charge to a specific % of charge and/or that % at a specific time. With your Rolec you could have a timer unit fitted - Rolec make one, it is like an old fashioned mechanical 24 hour timer wheel where you move the plastic pins to select charge times - good if a vehicle does not have the ability to set a charge time.

[@GoGreenAutos]

@@maesygwartha You've prompted me to do a bit more research into this and I've just found about about the Sonoff WiFi switch and someone has fitted this into their Rolec charger, introducing remote connectivity and timed charging. Plus it opens up voice control with Google Assistance etc etc. Very interesting for £15.

[@scottelkington7661]

I thought, seeing as the Ohme 3 pin, Commando and 7kWh charger version are the same (being IP55 + Partial immersion rated) then they would be fine to be left on an outside wall. If not then why would they fit them as a home charger?

[@maesygwartha]

@@GoGreenAutos I did look into the Sonoff fix, it looked a bit technical for me....good luck with your research Matt.

[@lookoutleo]

can you get an adapter to make commando fit the type 2 plug so could charge my leaf? my cable is type 2 to type 1, 6.6 charging

[@michaeltwomey9751]

All I needed to know! Brilliant!

[@GoGreenAutos]

Glad it helped

[@cheveredj8435]

This would work brilliant with my solar panels, my granny cable I've got at the moment is 2.4 kw and I think the one you have there is roughly starting at 1.4kw so it wouldn't exceed the power that I'm getting for free off the sun it would just take longer to charge, do you know what the price of this unit is? thanks in advance.

[@rogerhudson2814]

That was useful, vital, information .Safety first.

[@Zam_from_NerdTube]

Thank you, great video.

[@mrmuds8624]

Hello mate. I believe some cars allow you to restrict the charging current from within the infotainment, have you checked this feature on the Ioniq?

[@GoGreenAutos]

Yes they do, but not many though. The e-Golf does. Not sure about the Ioniq. The trouble is that you don't really want to be going into the settings each time. If you public charge (on AC), then you'd want it set to Max.

[@tommoger]

Yep my Ioniq 28kwh has this feature. Charge rate can be adjusted in the software

[@mrmuds8624]

@@tommoger that's cool, I think all electric cars should have this feature for the reasons stated in the video.

[@MatteoBurroni]

Hi Matt, thanks for all you're super informative video, I was looking for one of this charges and I've found the same on Amazon, the description says that the wall plug has also a temperature sensor in it which displays the value in real time on the charger, is it true?

[@GoGreenAutos]

The version with the fixed cable/plug on the end (on the right hand side in this video) certainly does display the temp, so I assume the newer model (on the left) was too. This is something that many granny cables do, but the information is not displayed on a screen on others.

[@plodderexup]

Where would you buy one of these in the UK? Searching for this ends up at Aliexpress. General charging question: If I buy an EV (potentially a MG ZS), what's the simplist way I can set up charging? Do you just have to suck it up and shell out £550 for a 7kW wallbox (I have a driveway next to the house)?

[@GoGreenAutos]

You can buy them from evcables.co.uk/. However, if you buy a ZS EV, you'll get a portable charger in the car. But yes, if you get an EV, you'll want a proper wall charger. Firstly, they are safer as they use a new dedicated supply direct from the consumer unit and have DC leakage protection. They also are also faster, so will charge your car at about 26 miles per hour, rather than about 8 mph. Plus you get other functions like schedule charging to take advantage of cheap rate tariffs. The cheapest chargers are the Ohme, especially if you're a Octopus Energy customer. But my go to would be the Wallbox Pulsar Plus. I've got videos on this channel about these.

[@SirHackaL0t.]

The Tesla charger can be fitted with a 16A blue connector as well as a 3 phase connector which allows for greater charging rates.

[@GoGreenAutos]

True. But only of any use if you have a dedicated 16A supply or 3-phase in your property. Most don't. If you need to do any supply work, then you might as well just get a 32A wall charger installed as that has many advantages over using a granny cable and of course is subsidised with the OLEV grant.

[@SirHackaL0t.]

@@GoGreenAutos A good point. I only wish I could get a charger installed where I’m living but the joys of renting I suppose.

[@GoGreenAutos]

@@SirHackaL0t. A charger will make the property more attractive in the to future tenants and over time will become a must anyway. So maybe your landlord will see the benefit of having a charger installed. It might mean that will have to pay for it and not be able to take it with you, but it might be worth the conversations with the landlord.

[@Andrew_Malee_Vlog]

Is the actual charging untill made of metal or plastic

[@GoGreenAutos]

Plastic

[@jestronixhanderson9898]

I charge on six amp, lost my tags so im stuck on it forever. Id like 8 amp, was thinking i could shake it.

[@stuartmenzies3928]

you could have waffled in half the time.....simply put in on dryer like we do in USA

[@GoGreenAutos]

We don't have those dryer circuits in the UK as all premises are 230V AC as standard.