Home chargers - where can you put it?

[Andy123]

Seriously considering taking the Phev plunge (may even be the first GX5hs orderer, based on my daughters' desire for warm bums) and have a question about home chargers.

Our house is on a hill, so our (off road) parking area is across a path from the house and at a higher (c4') level. So if you can imagine it goes "wall of house - 3' path - 4' wall up to where we park the car" - for context the wheels of the cars are about level with your eyes when you're standing on the path. We have a normal exterior plug socket on the wall of the house, but wondered whether we'd be able to put a run of cable beneath the path and fit the EV charger on the wall below the parking area where I could potentially reach down and get the charger without having to walk round - or possibly even out it on the "car" side of the wall (limited space as it's low on that side).

This would avoid having a cable dangling across the path, and might mean I could avoid walking round to get the charger and walk back to the car to plug it in (and reverse in the morning). First world problems, I know, but wondered how much flexibility there is in positioning these things.

Cheers

 

[maby]

I'm sure you can, but the government grant will not cover the work - you will have to fund that.

 

[aitchjaybee]

worth a conversation with one of the charge point suppliers. The grant tends to cover a standard install (within 10 metres of a good fuse box) and with mobile phone data 2G reception. If you want to site it beyond, say, 10m there will be a top up charge.

I'm fairly sure they need to take a spur direct from your fuse box, not a ring main you already have. In your case, if you measure from the fuse box to the car park area, if its over 10m, there may a bit to pay. But if there is no way of attaching the cable running from the fuse box to a wall once its left your house, the cost will increase significantly as they will look to use conduit / armoured cable and probably have a minumum depth it will need to be buried etc.

As for location, you could get a freestanding charge post if attaching to wall is tough, again at cost.

Or you just run a spur from exisiting 13A to a waterproof box to the car space (or an extension lead from your existing 13A socket) and plug in that way. Thats the most pain but cheapest option. The charge time from 13A is empty to full in 5 hours and the 16A home charger is 3 hours so its not a huge difference. Its more the convenience of a dedicated unit and quick grab cable IMO.

 

[Andy123]

useful, thanks. pretty sure where it'd go is within 10m of the consumer unit even allowing for burying a cable. Happy to pay a bit if I need to anyway for years of convenience!

Has anyone else had one placed not on a house wall?

 

[Goldfinger]

Just had ours fitted just inside the garage door.

Have to say though, we went for a tethered one and it come with a 5 meter cable but even that seems short now looking at it by the time you unwind it and plug it into the car.... :shock:

Guess we'll have to wait and see.....

 

[duetto]

had ours fitted today grant covered full cost parts and fitting.

after a short application on line [dealer gives you the link], the designated engineer comes round for a survey, then if ok once grant approved he returns and fits it.

with ours he put a lead from the fuse box in a bedroom cupboard up through into the loft then down into the wall outside our garage by driveway. took just a couople of hours.

no need to be in an o2 mobile signal area, we have no mobile signals round here it just registers a GPS signal.[used to gather stats on charging frequency etc]

just not had the car delivered yet to use it.