Standard vs Non-Standard Installation
Most of our customers require a standard installation when purchasing an EV charger. However, some exceptions require what is known as a Non-Standard Installation.
How do I know what install I'll need?
If your installation meets the below criteria, it will be considered a “Standard Installation”:
- The cable route is less than 10m from your consumer unit (fuse box) and your interior router
- The property's consumer unit (fuse box) is RCD protected and has a spare way for protecting the outgoing chargepoint circuit
- You have a spare ethernet port on your internet router for us to connect to the chargepoint
- The cables from the charger will be surface mounted and clipped directly onto that surface (not over any non-permeable material)
- There are no groundworks required
- The property has an earthing arrangement complying with current regulations
- The chargepoint will be fixed to the property and able to utilise the property's earthing arrangement
My Property Doesn't Meet the standard install requirements - now what?
If your installation does not meet the previous criteria then don’t panic! A member of our team will be able to carry out a more detailed survey and quotation in order to help you.
Visit our contact page today to see how we can assist!
What Is An EV?
EV stands for electric vehicle. A vehicle that runs completely on electricity. There’s no petrol or diesel fuelling the internal combustion engine. The vehicle is powered by high powered electric motors fuelled by large cell batteries built into the vehicle. You charge your vehicle at home using one of the chargepoints we can install.
What Is A Plug-in Hybrid Vehicle?
A plug-in hybrid vehicle, or PHEV as they are also known, are powered by either a petrol or diesel internal combustion engine, combined with an electric motor. This means that PHEVs can be plugged in and charged from a chargepoint, just like EVs – but they’ll need petrol or diesel to run for long distances. PHEVs have lower carbon emissions than traditional combustion engines, but they’re not as green as EVs.
Are EV's Better For The Environment?
EVs have far lower carbon emissions than traditional petrol and diesel internal combustion engines, which means they’re better for the environment. But they can even be zero emission if they are powered by 100% green electricity. PHEVs do have lower carbon emissions than traditional combustion engines, but they’re not as green as Evs due to having a petrol or diesel engine.
How Do I Charge My Electric Vehicle?
You can charge your EV easily at home, or at one of the many public charging points across the UK. Charging your EV OR PHEV at home is convenient, safe and cost effective. You can plug it in and leave it to charge overnight. To do this, you will need to install a dedicated wall mounted chargepoint.
How Long Will It Take To Charge My EV?
Charging times depend on the type of EV chargepoint you use – slow, fast, or rapid – and the size of your battery within your vehicle:
Slow chargepoints (up to 3.6kW): These typically take between 4 and 11 hours but can take as long as 21 hours to charge a large battery EV such as Tesla
Fast chargepoints 7kW (single phase) and 22kW (3 phase): These usually take between four and eight hours to charge.
Rapid chargepoints (43kW to 150kW): These can charge an EV to 80% in around 30 – 60 minutes depending on the battery size of the vehicle.
Which Is Best - Socketed Or Tethered?
Electric vehicle chargepoints come in 2 variations socketed and tethered. Both units will charge your EV at the same rate and have the features. The only difference is how you connect the chargepoint to your vehicle, ultimately it is down to personal choice but we have highlighted the difference below
Tethered Chargepoints
Many EV and PHEV owners choose the tethered option, because it means they can leave their car’s charging cable in the boot. You simply park up and plug in. Ultimately the tethered unit is all about convenience.
However, while the tethered chargepoints are convenient they do have notable drawbacks. This drawback is futureproofing. As you will be aware, electric vehicles can have different sockets, Type 1 & Type 2. Should you ever change your vehicle to a different socket type or if in the future there is a shift to another kind of connector, you may find your next car isn’t compatible. This means you will need to buy and an adaptor or have the tethered lead retro fitted which can be un-cost effective.
Another drawback is, unless the unit has a handy way of neatly coiling the cable, you could end up with it trailing across the ground. If the lead is left in an untidy state or left on the floor in bad weather, this can cause water ingress and damage, if you was to accidentally drive over it. You will need to ensure you coil the cable up neatly each time.
Socketed Chargepoints
Obviously, with the socketed chargepoints, you will have to supply your own charging cable. However, most plug-in cars are usually supplied with one.
Unlike a tethered charger, you will have to get the cable out of your vehicles boot for each time you want to charge your EV / PHEV and repeat the process when you unplug.
However, without a cable, socketed units look neater on your driveway, and you can purchase cables of different lengths as required.
Unlike the tethered units, they are the best way of future-proofing your charger, as you can simply change the lead to suit each vehicle you may drive, for example moving from a Mitsubishi Outlander to Tesla Model 3.
What Is A 'Smart' Charger?
On 1st July 2019, the eligibility criteria for the Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme changed to only cover the installation of a ‘smart’ charger.
A ‘smart’ charger is connected to the internet via a Wi-Fi connection or via a GPRS telephone signal, allowing the charger to interact with an app that is used to control the charger and the manufacturer who can provide over the air updates.
Smart Charging gives the user the ability to control the time the electric vehicle charges. For example, you may want to schedule your electric vehicle to charge when your tariff is at its cheapest rate. The app can also give you other useful data such as the amount of electricity being used, cost and carbon savings. Each manufacturer has their own product related app.
