What name would you like to appear in your article?
Mike D
What is the make, model and year of your EV?
Volkswagen ID.4 First Edition Pro Performance 2021
Tell us about your home charging set-up
I went for a Wallbox Pulsar Plus home charge point for the following reasons:
- Small and compact, the unit is discrete
- It’s a ‘smart charger’ with a useful app
- Has both tethered and non-tethered options
- Decent price of just under £500 after OLEV grant
- Supplier was able to install quickly
- I decided to get a tethered charger as this means I keep my type 2 charge cable in the car for use with public chargers. I also do not need to faff about packing a cold, wet cable in the morning before setting off.
The Pulsar Plus unit provides a solid 7.4kW when the vehicle is plugged in. This can be varied down to help with total load if needed via the app. The unit communicates with the car quickly and charging is fast to start. One major plus of the unit is that earthing is taken care of without the need for an earth rod.
The app provided is simple and straight forward to use. It allows the user to:
- view the current charge session
- view previous charge sessions
- set your electricity price to see costs of each charge
- set multiple charge schedules to make the most of cheap tariffs or avoid expensive periods.
- I find the app to be more than adequate for home use needs.
I have no regrets buying this charger.
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Tell us about your home charging routine
Our ID.4 is the daily driver and main car. It is used for a 9 mile commute daily by my wife and by both of us at weekends. We probably cover 200 miles a week. We charge as necessary when the battery is down to 20% or so (40% in winter per VW guidelines). We are not able to get an EV tariff due to problems getting a smart meter, so we charge at any time of day. If the car needs charging, we plug it in and off we go.
Recently, I have been making use of timed charging to pre-heat the battery and pre-condition the cabin just prior to driving off on frosty mornings to help offset the ID.4’s poor cold weather performance.
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’m with Octopus on a fixed 2 year deal. I fixed in August 2021 before prices went really crazy and pay 23p/kWh incl. VAT. On average we pay £60 for charging. This is helped by making full use of any free charging at supermarkets and other destinations.
Are you planning on changing your charger and/or electricity supplier and if so to who and why?
Depends on my smart meter situation. If the meter can be made to work, I will see what my best option is at the time.
Estimate how much money you save per month owning and running an EV compared to an ICE car
The savings in fuel costs for me are about £80 per month. With a specific EV tariff this would easily exceed £100. However, the total cost of ownership is about the same as my previous car due to the higher purchase price pushing up monthly payments. Other costs broadly the same. For me running the EV is cost neutral but I’m in a brand new car that produces zero tailpipe emissions. That’s the win for me.
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