Kevin
What is the make, model and year of your EV?
Tesla Model S 85, 2014
Tell us about your home charging set-up
I have a myenergi zappi 2 smart charger of 7.5kW max output. I chose it because it is programmable via an App to optimise use of excess power from our solar PV panels and from cheap rate overnight electricity. It also limits the maximum load drawn from the grid if the house is using several high-load items together (for example, electric shower, cooker, kettle and air source heat pump).
It qualifies for the government grant of £350 towards installation, so although it is one of the more expensive chargers, I think it is well worth it. In the photo below, the myenergi App screenshot shows the solar panels generating 1.4kW (bottom of screen) and charging the car (LHS) at 1.4kW. The house (top) is drawing 500w from the grid (RHS). I thoroughly recommend the zappi 2 for EV users. This was taken late on a cloudy afternoon. In the middle of a sunny day, my system generates over 3kW. On full 7.5kW from the grid, the car is charging at a rate of about 25 miles/hour.
Tell us about your home charging routine
I am retired, so my mileage varies but I cover about ,miles per year. I tend to programme the charger and car to charge overnight to a basic level, then use excess solar power to charge the car on sunny days. If I have a long trip, I will programme the charger and car to fully charge and be set for a departure heated or cooled as appropriate and ready to go.
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Are you part of a charger-sharing scheme for those who don’t have their own charger?
No.
Tell us about your electricity provider and tariff
I have just switched to Octopus to use their Octopus Go Tariff of 15.59p/ kWh normal and 5p/kWh 00.30-04.30am.
Are you planning on changing your charger and/or electricity supplier and if so to who and why?
Just switched to Octopus to use their Octopus Go Tariff (see previous answer).
Estimate how much money you save per month owning and running an EV compared to an ICE car
I estimate I save approx. £75/month rising to £100 once I am on the Go tariff. This includes zero road tax and free London Congestion Charge and Emission Zone charges for occasional trips to London.
