For all those new EV owners whom may not have all the cables and chargers they need I asked John for any codes and he organised this 10% off site wide.
Whilst not the best deal ever, but if you're like me, got a new EV its the best deal for some items.
For example this granny charger seems like the cheapest certified one I can find.
https://inchargex.com.au/products/portable-ev-charger-type-2…
The only thing is, if you're a tim tam eating you could stock up on special.
EV owners don't stock up on EV supplies in advance. I know a whole bunch of E 2008 owners who didn't even know a E 2008 existed 1 month ago, and now will/ expect delivery of one soon and need a charger within days.
So you can't delay charging you car as much as you can't delay putting petrol in a car. So you take whatever deal you can get now right?
So do you want to risk having a empty car waiting for the extra 5% off? up to you…
I'm sure new EV owners would have figured out a way to charge their car with the charger supplied with the car
Some times its good to not be so sure of yourself
Unless they bought a Tesla which doesn't come with one.
@cloudy: Every second EV sold is a bit of a stretch. If it is every second Tesla sold then that is a bit concerning.
I feel for the buyer and shame on Tesla (salesperson or online system) if they did not inform the buyer.
I own a BYD and it came with a socket charger. I also own a backup charger.
Every second EV sold is a bit of a stretch.
Data published by the Federal Chamber of Automotive Industries reports 87,217 electric vehicles as sold in 2023
Tesla reported 46,116 deliveries
Tesla sold more than every 2nd EV in aus last year….
@cloudy: So with that you are indicating that almost all Tesla buyers had no idea they also had to purchase a charging cable.
Wow. You'd think Tesla would better inform people
@StevieRay: I made no comment on Tesla buyer knowledge.
But I do note that they would need a cable, and maybe this 10% might help them. It might not, as they might already have one.
But if you’re new, like bought a EV in the last week, you might be in the market for one. Hence this might help.
32a charging adaptors are out of stock. Will you be stocking anytime soon
Username checks out
Cheaper elsewhere… These 10a chargers can be had from eBay for less than $150 inc postage.
InB4: "BuT oUrS ArE aUs TiCk CeRtiFieD!1!!" or "BuT tHoSe aRe nOt ThE SaMe BrAnD!11!" or "BuT YoUsE aRe TaKiNg tHe FoOd oFF tHe TaBLe oF aN AuStRaLiAn FaMiLy!1!!" or "YeAh, If YoUsE LiKe SuPPoRtiNg ThE CcP!1!!"
The ones that INCHARGEx sell are just the exact same units you can bulk buy on AliExpress or Alibaba and pay a few cents extra to have you own branding slapped on them. They are a generic EVSE brick that is just slapped into a variety of different cases. There is nothing "more" special in these that you are going to get over a $130 10a granny charger from eBay.
I asked this question on a few places, some people think so, some don't.
What is universal is that if you're charging off a generic Chinese uncertified granny for 12 hours and it burns your house down whilst you sleep you might have trouble making a claim on your insurance.
This charger I posted is tested.
I'm not sure if that matters to anyone, but it seems silly to risk it for a hundred bucks. But each to their own.
I posed this question on wirlpool during my research.
https://whrl.pl/RgH5dq
uncertified granny for 12 hours and it burns your house down whilst you sleep you might have trouble making a claim on your insurance.
Any links to just how many houses have burnt down in Australia due to "Chinese un-certified EV chargers"??
The ones "John" is selling are just INCHAREGEx branded Chinese generic chargers. He does not get every single one of them checked and tested. The process for RCM is to send one or two for testing, get your RCM and you are good to slap that RCM tick on your imports.
but it seems silly to risk it for a hundred bucks.
There is no "magic" going on inside the INCHARGEx chargers that makes them $100~$150 more expensive than the exact, identical units that are sold in bulk on Alibaba. Only difference is, "John" went through the process of sending 1 or 2 in for RCM certification and then bulk orders them and slips a nice, big fat dollop of cream on top and then sells them to suckers. They aren't "better" or "more safe", they just have a test certificate that anyone could get if they had the time.
These "bricks" are nothing more than an extension cable with a current limiting protocol communication circuit in the middle. It just acts as a go between the car and the wall to tell the car to not drag any more then 10a from that cable. There really isnt a lot more in them over a basic extension cable that can really cause a house fire. The only thing that could happen is it goes into a fault and allows you to drag 32a from a 10a socket and this should throw the fuse or the breaker as soon as that load is sensed.
Hey Pegaxs, could you link a ebay one you would buy instead? I've seen many and they all look suspicious.
could you link a ebay… they all look suspicious.
But John's chargers don't, even though they are literally everywhere on Alibaba??.
If you are happy buying "John's" chargers, then buy one. I'm not suggesting people to not buy them. If they see some value in them, buy them. I am just saying, as this website suggests, that these are not the cheapest available. They are not a unique item that you can only get in limited places from limited manufacturers, these are a dime a dozen item from hundreds of different manufacturers that all perform the same task.
If you want an "INCHARGEx" branded EVSE brick, then have at it. If you just want a brick that does the EXACT same job, there are much, much cheaper alternatives out there. Hell, you could even get this EXACT charger, just without the "INCHARGEx" branding on it for cheaper if you go direct to the suppliers John uses and not pay his middle man mark up.
And if you really want to feel "safe", take it to your local "tag and test" place and get them to test and tag it for you.
@pegaxs: Call me crazy, but the alibaba image you showed had prices around $200 for one piece with $60 shipping?? Or others with a min order of more than one.
I am not sure if $252 delivered probably in a day or two (with the useless RCM sticker) that bad.
@cloudy: Im not saying to buy them from Alibaba. I am using it as an example that they are the exact same units that INCHARGEx are selling. The RCM mark/tick doesn't make the INCHAREGEx ones "special" or make the Alibaba ones "crap". They are the same units… The same units can be found on multiple places for same. All identical.
@pegaxs: I get ya, but please note I never said this was special, or Alibaba was crap. I just said this came with certification which in the off chance of a fire, insurance claim wise, people reckon it may matter (and so it should).
So if you value this, and I don't see why you would not, its worth paying for certification, and considering alibaba is not much cheaper, or cheaper at all, and more likely slower delivery and also not certified, I think there's not much else going for it. Additionally, I am unsure if the ali price includes GST?
Anyway, I have really appreciated this discussion as I respect your opinions on all things car related.
StevieRays link is why I am torn. On one hand we have reputable sources who treat lithium/EV fires with upmost caution, calling for higher standards, and on the other hand yourself, most respected ozb mechanic/overall car knowledge, saying nar, generic stuff is fine, RCM isn't worth the paper its written on. (Well that's my reading of what you wrote anyway, let me know if I'm mistaken).
I'm happy to save a hundred bucks, but I'm also cautious of the what ifs, which seems significant.
Additionally, if one was to be safe and buy a RCM certified product, I do believe this deal is the cheapest out there. You can critic this deal, but its certainly cheaper than other RCM products i've seen.
Lol. This just came in on my Google feed.
https://thedriven.io/2024/05/19/vehicle-or-hazard-new-rules-…
Wait till they hear that ICE cars are filled with anywhere from 50 to 120 litres of a highly flammable and explosive liquid…
@pegaxs where would you recommend/ what should people do to get decent cables? Just tapping your knowledge as i dont own an EV anyways. Dont wana see my neighbours houses go up in flames either.
yea, im keen to know as well. I'm holding off buying from InCharge to see what Peg says
I'm holding off buying from InCharge to see what Peg says
If John went to the trouble of giving you a code and you like his products, he is Australian based and offers faster postage and local warranty, just use him. I've never said "don't use his business", I was merely pointing out that the same or similar items can be had for less.
If what John offers gives you greater piece of mind, go with that. As I said, I have the near identical charger here, only difference is, I got mine for about half what John sells them for, BUT, the caveat is I'm happy to use something that isnt RCM compliant (that and I can get it tested and tagged through work) and I didn't give a shit about the warranty owing to be being so much cheaper than any of the offerings here in Australia…
where would you recommend/ what should people do to get decent cables?
It all depends on what you are buying and your confidence on where and who you are buying it off.
If you buy something like a Feyree EVSE from their official AliExpress store, then you are probably ok. They are a pretty good brand with a good track record. If you buy some no named brick from a seller called Shop1234912387, then you could be asking for trouble.
I tend to stick to known and proven stores that stock equipment that has a brand name or at least a store with good feedback and plenty of sales.
Cables are not really a problem, as there is nothing in a cable other than wires and maybe some resistors. You can get them in either a cheap plastic coated cable or the nicer, softer, more flexible coating, but you will pay more for the nicer coating. Also, only buy what your car needs. Dont buy a 3 phase, 22kW cable if you car only supports 7kW single phase. the 22kW cable is almost twice the price and is almost twice as heavy.
Brick/granny/level 1 EVSE are much the same. It's hard to get a bad 10a charger brick. There is very little in the way of parts and they are more just a communication brick to tell the car "hey, dont pull more than 10a from me, ok, or I'll cut you off". Even if it fails, it will/should just trip your circuit breaker…
15a and higher chargers are hit and miss and coming from places like China, as they can often have the wrong plug on the end. For example, I have a 15a granny I bought from AliExpress that came with a non-compliant 10a plug (a: it was a 10a plug on a 15a device and b: it didn't have the plastic on the active and neutral posts). This isnt an issue for me because I just had my mate who is an electrician cut the plug off and put a 15a plug on it. This could catch out someone with less knowledge.
Wall boxes, the ones that do up to 32a and 3 phase, need to be installed by a licensed electrician and any decent 'leccy shouldn't install anything 15a and over without checking if it is RCM approved. Dont EVER buy a wall box from China. Chances are no one will install it and you will get no assistance if it fails or you just cant get it running.
My advice is, pay what you are happy to pay. RCM is important but so can a warranty and a local supplier if you have warranty issues. There is no price on piece of mind. If you are risk averse and/or dont like buying shit out of China, just buy locally.
That being said, my "AliExpress" granny special (Ironically it's the same as the INCHARGEx one, just a slightly different case) has worked flawlessly for charging my car when I am using it while out of home (I have a wallbox at home for my EV, so I dont use a granny charger at home)
Edit: Totally forgot to press the Post Comment button 2 hours ago :D whoops.
@pegaxs: I had a look at that store, all the products comes with round EU plugs, seems like they'll throw in an 3pin AU adaptor??
@cloudy: Don’t know, but it isn’t hard for your local electrician to cut off the old plug and just throw on an Australian plug.
I know people who have the Feyree EVSE units and have them with Australian plugs on them, so they must be out there somewhere…
Don’t know, but it isn’t hard for your local electrician to cut off the old plug and just throw on an Australian plug
I couldn’t find anything searching on google and I went through checkout to see if it asks for a specific plug before purchase and it doesn’t. I’m convinced it’ll come with some cheap universal adapter, something I would have to assume provides another single point of failure. So local sparky it is.
@cloudy: Just make sure that what whatever EVSE you get, if you have to change the plug on it, make sure you get the right plug for it. Dont be putting a 10a plug on a 15a unit.
And while you are at it, get the electrician to test and tag the unit. This is an electrical insulation test to make sure that no electricity is going to leak out of the unit. Almost all electricians I know do test and tag if you ask them, or will know a guy who will do it for them.
EV powerlabs is also having a 20% off, anyone have any idea which cable is better?
https://evpowerlabs.com.au/products/type-2-portable-ev-charg…
Set up tent and waiting :)
This is an 8a charger, so it's (fropanity) useless on anything bigger than an electric motorcycle. And it's a rip off for an 8a charger at that.
To give you an idea, 8a is 1.92kW. About 20% of that is lost to heat and resistance in the system, so you are only ever going to get about 1.5kW to the car. Once the on-board charger has had its way, you are probably down around the 1.2kW.
My EV has a 60kWh battery pack… from dead empty, it would take that charger approximately 50 hours to charge my car from empty.
My EV averages about 16kWh/100km. It would take this charger about 13 hours to charge my car up after doing 100km. My wall box would take about 2 and a bit hours.
If you are doing less than 50km/day, you might get away with an 8a charger. "might". The minimum you should be aiming for is 10a. If you have a 15a outlet in your house, aim for 15a.
Looking at previous posts there should be another 15% off soon. This is basically normal price, kind of like half price Tim Tams at Coles & WW.