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5 Home Charging Mistakes I Keep Seeing People Make!

Dave Takes It On

33,393 views

Are you making costly mistakes when it comes to home charging for your electric vehicle? In this video, we'll cover the Top 5 home charging mistakes that people commonly make, and provide you with essential EV tips to help you get the most out of your electric car. From choosing the right home charger to understanding the benefits of a level 2 charger, we'll dive into the world of EV charging and provide you with the knowledge you need to charge your car efficiently. Whether you're a seasoned electric vehicle owner or just considering making the switch, this video is packed with valuable information on EV charger installation, chargepoint options, and more. By avoiding these common home charging mistakes, you can save time, money, and ensure a safe and reliable charging experience for your electric car. So, if you're looking for expert advice on electric car charging and want to learn more about home EV charger options, be sure to watch this video until the end. With the right knowledge and equipment, you can enjoy the many benefits of electric vehicle ownership and make the most of your home charging experience.

// Chapters
00:00 Intro
01:01 Start With The Home
03:44 Check The AC Rating
04:52 The Installation
06:29 Smart Or Dumb
09:12 How You Use It

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20 Comments

@jgreen9361 4 months ago (edited)

GB networks confirm that if you don’t have electric power shower, you don’t have a heat pump, you are on a single property supply and you don’t have something esoteric like a ceramics kiln in the garage, you very likely don’t need an upgrade from a 60 amp fuse. The free visit from a GB networks engineer will confirm that, if that’s your situation. If you have an underground cable to the house, chances are it’s rated at over 100 amps anyway and fitting a bigger fuse when you don’t need one is a bad idea. It’s like putting a 13 amp fuse in a bedside lamp, it doesn’t improve safety, it’s actually more dangerous.
Yes I know that an EV charger will draw 30 amps for a prolonged period, but the peak current in many homes is lower than 20 amps, and a 60 amp fuse will not blow unless the current spikes at about 80 amps. No I am not qualified, but that came directly from the GB networks engineer who inspected my house 6 weeks ago.

A second issue associated with current rating is that the charger circuit must not be added to a spare circuit on an existing distribution board unless it has been specifically designed with EVs in mind. That means most distribution boards are not suitable. Octopus always fit an extra distribution board dedicated to the EV charger. If an electrician says one isn’t needed , it’s a good idea to get a second opinion from a 2nd qualified person, before letting him or her go ahead.

The second point is that 20,000 miles a year is equivalent to less than 8 hours of charging a week on a 7kWh charger. Most people don’t do that mileage and charging every night is not needed snd isn’t a good idea..

@davidfrederickyelland9233 4 months ago

Full balloon - excellent metaphor - thanks!

@MichaelCornwall-zy8zc 3 months ago

Excellent tutorkal Dave

@williamblue9996 4 months ago

Thanks good vidio

@caterthun4853 4 months ago

Add. Consider the location for the charger. If you have more than one car on your drive . Perhaps a bit more spent to mount the charger where cable can reach the car without having to move cars

@espresso-v6d 4 months ago

Great video, one challenge I came across when starting to use a LV1 home charger was that I needed to run an extension lead 25 meters down the front Garden to my parking space, there is a lot of info out there that says never use an extension lead etc etc, voltage drop, cable, plugs heating up, what I did was firstly install an outside socket with an rcd built in and then put the other end socket and charger body in a waterproof electrical box (designed for this purpose) I adjusted the charger to 10A so nothing overheats and its been fine for the past few months , yes im getting a proper L2 charger installed but the joys of living in Cumbria mean that my smart meter is currently dumb and im in the middle of digging a 25m trench down the garden. I suppose my point is that when it comes to L1 initial setups there are ways and means of doing it safely even on an extension lead.

@FriendlySkeptic 4 months ago (edited)

Simple version…get a decent installer to assess and fit it and they do all the checks. I used Andersen who are fantastic with a high quality product and got £350 back in a govt grant, the council paid for a cross pavement gully and it paid for itself in 4 months. All gravy from there. I went on octopus’ execellent EV package and refill the battery for around £4. My diesel was £80.

@TigerP1 4 months ago

When my first EV arrives I think I am well prepared, but I drive the Yaris mostly, my wife has to learn all this.

@alanfretten6709 1 month ago

Good advice on getting your electrics checked, I did and found the cable to my detached garage was only rated to 15amps and needed replacing, the extra cost made an EV too expensive to run as I don't do much mileage so I bought a self charging hybrid instead.

@Peters2centsWorth 3 months ago

I found this really informative thank you. I am about to pick up a Lexus RX450h+ phev which will have the Lexus charger fitted through British Gas. My electrical system appears to have a 63A fuse (?) so thanks to watching this I know it will require upgrades. Now have anxiety over whether a EV charger can be fitted lol! Subscribed.

@ericfielding668 4 months ago

In Canada, we have organizations collecting green tax credits that pay people to charge at home. If I changed out my dumb 40 amp charger for a smart one that is Internet connected, I could get paid 5 cents per kWh that I charge at home. This would be a 25% savings for I pay 20 cents per kWh to my utility company.

@musicallyyoshimi9651 4 weeks ago

With the amount of weekly driving I do, I find a granny charger overnight is enough. My house has an external waterproof 13A socket, which I had upgraded to an EV rated one. I plug the car in early evening, but don't switch the socket on till near bedtime, and switch it off again when I get up in the morning.. This is on the cellar workshop ring main so there's no other demand on the ring - I don't work at night :)

@randomjasmicisrandom 4 months ago

Great video. I have avoided the problems you discussed but more by luck than judgement. I had a charger installed by accident at the same time as my solar panels, I didn’t realise I had agreed to have one and at that time didn’t need one! Anyway, my house consumer unit had to be upgraded for the solar installation which had the knock on effect of ensuring my house was set up correctly for the charger. I am probably going to move at some point in the next few years and at that point will only buy a house that can take solar panels and allow home charging, and will definitely get the wiring upgraded as a priority.

@PhilipBallGarry 3 months ago

My new (to me) MX30 has a small 35kWh battery and my commute is only 5 miles. I had an electrician install a weatherproof, EV rated MK Masterplug socket on the wall opposite the consumer unit. He upgraded the 2 RCD's to "type A" and 4mm cable. Taken that the MX30's max charge rate is only 6.6kW my installation was cheap and uncomplicated. I did toy with the idea of a dedicated 7kW charger, but it didn't make economic sense at this stage.

@MartinWilliams-k8p 4 months ago

A guide to some specific home chargers could be useful - which ones to consider, any to avoid.
Some include their own sim, others require strong WiFi signal, some will support V2G, etc.
Any thoughts?

@keithdenton8386 4 months ago

Never bothered with a charger in five years. 3 pin plug is all i need. Today the car is on 20% it will take 24 hours to fully charge to 100% I get cheep electric for at least 20 hours, for the whole house. Marvelous!!! I will only need 20% tomorrow.

@Zanypem 3 days ago

How safe is using V2L cables ?

@rogerjohnson8540 4 months ago

Great video, Dave… but can you avoid referring to “flabby wrinkled and limp”, let’s just say I maybe sensitive about some expressions!

@EwanV 4 months ago

My charger came with my first EV, back when there was a grant for fitting them.
The semi had to be split and a new supply feed put in next door prior to fitting the charger.
The electrician took one look at my 1947 fuse box, with genuine antique ceramic fuses, and gave it its own Consumer Unit entirely separate of the ancient electrics.
ps while the fuse box is genuinely from 1947, the Council rewired the house in the 80s, so the wirings only 45 years old.

pps must get a rewire!

@mick8678 4 months ago

Wish I checked all this before getting my ev, I cannot have a smart meter yet until the wiring is updated by the grid,I got my ev in March and the grid still hasn't been yet and then there only doing the work for the smart meter I may need more work done under ground for a 7kw charger l,luckily I can charge at work for now