Honda e Advance 2020, Julian – Living with an EV: Home charging

Julian

What is the make, model and year of your EV?

Honda e Advance 2020

Tell us about your home charging set-up

I’ve had a 7kW home charge unit for 2.5 years. It is a zappi mark 1 from myenergi. It has a 5m type 2 tethered cable. It sits on the inside back wall of my garage. It was professionally fitted by an accredited installer that allowed me (well, in fact the installer) to claim the government grant which at the time was £500. I paid an additional £330. I chose the zappi over other makes as I have 4kW of solar photovoltaic panels. The zappi is able to use the electricity generated by the PV to charge the car; for free. It also allows me to schedule charges overnight to use my cheap Octopus Go night tariff.

Tell us about your home charging routine

I’ve been working from home a lot during Covid, so not travelling far. I charge as required. Sometimes only weekly, even though my Honda e has quite a small range. It is very easy. I can even set charging remotely via the Honda app. I’ve only used public charging when we had a week’s holiday on the south coast.

Are you part of a charger-sharing scheme for those who don’t have their own charger?

No, I currently don’t charge share. I wouldn’t have a problem in doing so, I would just need to work out the logistics, as I said my wall charger is in my garage and I live in rural Worcestershire.

Tell us about your electricity provider and tariff

I’m on Octopus Go. Fabulous company. Their customer service is just better than anyone else. With prices to match. I used to change suppliers every year to get a better deal but don’t need to now.

Are you planning on changing your charger and/or electricity supplier and if so to who and why?

No, I am happy with both. The only time I would change or add another EV charger would be when vehicle to grid (V2G) is available for CCS connectors. My Honda e is V2G enabled already, but the CCS software and protocol is not developed. But this is the next big thing in EV and grid management.

Estimate how much money you save per month owning and running an EV compared to an ICE car

That is really difficult. Previously I would have said £400-£500/month savings due to pre-Covid mileage. But I have reduced travel during the pandemic, so probably down to £200/month. You have to factor in zero Road tax (got mine only today) and lower or zero service costs (I’m paying £65/year for five years of service).