Hi everyone, I recently bought a Kia Ev5 and have installed a 15A outlet to optimise charging times. House has single-phase power and solar, and cheap electricity is between 9 am - 3 pm.
I'm considering getting this charging cable, but unsure if it's any good: https://evse.com.au/product/15-amp-portable-type-2-ev-charge…
I am keen to hear from your experience in charging cables for EVs.
Thanks in advance.
It goes 3.6kW so it'll be slow to fully charge - just over 16hrs for a 60kW battery from empty (realistically you'll just be topping up). 10hrs of overnight charging is probably good for 200km or so of range.
Most people go for the dedicated 7kW single phase charging units. https://evse.com.au/product/ultimate-home-charging-starter-k…
Please note also that the EV5 can accept 11kW AC charging speeds so you need either a 22kW or 11kW spec'd cable. You'll need one of these type 2 cables for most AC public chargers.
For $400 that is pretty pricey for 15a mobile charger.
Where abouts are you? If in Victoria/Melbourne area I have a spare 15a charger available if interested.
Nearly $400 is expensive to trickle charge. While you can certainly make it work, I found it too slow and needed to plug in almost every night to keep topped up. And if you did a LOT of driving the previous day, you still might not charge that up overnight. IMO, you're better off biting the bullet and getting a level 2 'charger' installed. Cost me about $2000 for both unit and sparky installation.
I am keen to hear from your experience in charging cables for EVs.
That one you have linked to is a mobile charger, if you're going to go a mobile charger, get one that has both 10a and 15a tails. Otherwise you won't be able to use it on 10a power points when you are travelling etc.
Recommend EV Charging Cable
I would also recommend you get a 22kw type 2 cable to keep in the boot. As most of the 'free' chargers around are BYO cable. Something like
https://evse.com.au/product/5-metre-type-2-to-type-2-ev-char…
I'd echo the recommnendation to get a 22kw type to cable (even though most if not all EV's in AU currently will only do up to 11kW on the type 2 charging)… and I also second the recommendation for the EVSE type 2 cable - very solild/heavy duty cable.
Agreed. Most cars only do 11kw, but the choices are either 7kw or 22kw cables. So go the 22kw cable, otherwise you'll be speed limited at the BYO chargers to 7kw instead of 11kw.
If you have a BYD with a 7kw single phase onboard charger, you also need a 11kw cable, to get the full 7kw at the 3 phase chargers (assuming they support 22kw that is).
I saw this Arlec 11kw cable at Bunnings the other day. Considering it for my new Kona coming soon ¯_(ツ)_/¯
https://www.bunnings.com.au/arlec-7m-ip65-11kw-16a-three-pha…
15A socket isn't really a big upgrade on a standard 10A circuit that you already have… 3.6kW MAX on 15A which takes ages to charge, but if you are fine with leaving your car plugged in for hours and hours then fine.
Bear in mind, the portable charger in the OP are generally not recommended to keep plugged in for 'very' long time… and as mentioned by others, you are locked into a 15A socket/plug unless you pay extra to have interchangeable 'tails'.
most people would generally install a dedicated wall mounted single phase charger, and usually with a dedicated 32A circuit to give 7kW charging at home; and then get a type 2 cable for plugging into public AC chargers.
15A socket isn't really a big upgrade on a standard 10A circuit
Well it is, it is a 50% increase in charging speeds over a 10A
While 32a is best, 15a is better if you can't go 32a.
Bear in mind, the portable charger in the OP are generally not recommended to keep plugged in for 'very' long time
What complete nonsense!
You are mostly paying for that websites Google Ad words subscription. EVSE is one of the most expensive sites to buy this stuff from.
15a is fine on a dedicated circuit outlet and will give you a few hundred km worth of charge overnight. It’s about 1.5x faster than a 10a charger and almost 2x as fast as most of the “free” 8amp ones you get when you buy the car.
For $400 for a granny charger, I would be shopping around.
15A plug gives you 3.4kWh, so for 10 hours, you can get 34kW overnight, which is around 200-250km of range. I still reckon a wall charger is a nice to have thing but not something that's a must have imo. Don't be pressured to have a wall charger installed.
This. I think most people get an EV then think they also need to get the fast charger to go with it. Take a look at how much you drive and what range you need each day. You may find you’re fine with granny charger to top up overnight then find a public one near you if you need a full charge for a long trip
Thank you all so much for your input. It seems there's quite a bit to weigh up. I also havent considered that external chargers are BYO cable. Appreciate all the comments.
I've been using this cheap granny charger as my only charger on my 77kWh Cupra Born for a year now. It comes with a 10A pigtail attachment so will work on normal and 15A sockets. It also has variable charging from 6A to 15A. I work from home, so I tend to adjust the amperage to my maximum solar output and top up frequently.
If you drive a heck of a lot, you'll definitely want a wall box. But if you drive < 200km a day and have a 15A socket you should be fine in most situations. Just be aware of things like Demand Tarriffs on your plan.
Hi trankillity, thank you for the recommendation! It's certainly very well priced and more flexible (having two tails) than what i initially had in mind. Will seriously consider it.
Purchased!
I did a good spreadsheet of costs when I was thinking of an ev. We just use the standard 10a. And ONLY charge from midnight to 6am on the AGL 8c/kw rate. I still get 44c feed in tariff till next year so my solar goes to that. It’s enough to top off for our use. It’s fills 23kw of the car. We often only plug in every few days. About a dollar a day max - and we never have a power bill so that covered by solar anyway. The return in investment of a $2000 32a system was not good economic sense for us, that would buy a shed load of petrol….. or 6+ years of electricity…..
44 cents!? I'm getting a FIT of only 10c during peak and a measly 2c during off peak. Overnight charging is about 18c on my plan, with 8c during solar generating hours so the best window to charge is still daylight hours which isn't as convenient.
Thanks for sharing. I was contemplating a dedicated wall charger for a while, but will hold that off for now. We will reconsider if and when we get another EV.
Who are you with? Plan name?
https://www.aldi.com.au/special-buys/special-buys-wed-26-feb… Aldi has one on special I just got ix1 BMW and getting wallbox installed single phase to boost charging times
It has a CE and TUV Rheinland symbol but not the RCM mark of Australia.