[jedpause]

Greetings, so I have a proper wall charger due to be installed in a few weeks...

In the meantime I can charge for free at my Tesco (but there's only so many things you can buy to pass the time).. so here's a question:

Is it unsafe to charge using an extension?

Otherwise I have put the cable out the front door whilst it's open which is not very secure etc.. I know these things will get hot but don't want a fire hazard etc.

Thanks

[willougs]

if you get an extension from Tough Leads, then yeah.
I wouldnt recommend using a DIY store special.

I recently purchased a charger from Screwfix (of all places). Was 160 quid for a 10m cable length, which in the EV cable world, seems a bit of a bargain. Plus means I can keep the BMW one in the boot, in case.

Its actually very good. Charges car in similar times to BMW one, and little display on the top reads out total kWh usage, temperature etc. Only real concern is weatherproof-ness, IP54 compared to BMWs IP67. Same charger is £229 in Argos.

Was a bit sceptical at first, however figure it's no worse than plugging car into any number of random EV points out and about. There's no guarantee they are all of the highest quality.

[Mon_papillon]

That screwfix lead does look a steal, looks to me like the main block is quite near the 3pin plug?

Thinking I could potentially use a plug in my garage so that element stays inside and only the green lead gets exposed outside into the driveway.

I am assuming the main concern weather-wise is the control unit?

[willougs]

Yeah. Its definitely not as robust and well built as the BMW one. A bit plasticky. But if you can have that bit inside the garage then no concerns at all.

Cable length from 3pin plug to control unit is not massive, but no worse I dont think than BMW one, and green cable and type-2 plug seems a decent enough quality. There's also a rubber cap on the type-2 plug (which my BMW one doesn't have) to protect from the elements a bit when not connected.

I initially looked at getting a 10 metre type-2 to type-2 extension cable (so I could keep BMW control unit under cover), and that alone was over 200 quid.

[willougs]

Originally Posted by Mon_papillon

looks to me like the main block is quite near the 3pin plug?

Just been out and measured roughly from 3pin plug to control unit. It probably is only about a metre, so it is a bit shorter than the BMW one.

Also took a photo of the display. Maybe useful information on there as seems to display Amps, total kWh, total charge time, current charge kWH, current charge Amps, temperature and I assume the icon at the top right is telling me its not connected to the car at the moment.

As you can see, it's early days; only one charge, but so far so good. And yes, the green light really is that bright!

[jedpause]

Originally Posted by willougs

if you get an extension from Tough Leads, then yeah.
I wouldnt recommend using a DIY store special.

I recently purchased a charger from Screwfix (of all places). Was 160 quid for a 10m cable length, which in the EV cable world, seems a bit of a bargain. Plus means I can keep the BMW one in the boot, in case.

Its actually very good. Charges car in similar times to BMW one, and little display on the top reads out total kWh usage, temperature etc. Only real concern is weatherproof-ness, IP54 compared to BMWs IP67. Same charger is £229 in Argos.

Was a bit sceptical at first, however figure it's no worse than plugging car into any number of random EV points out and about. There's no guarantee they are all of the highest quality.

Thanks for the advice, you obviously did some proper digging the first one looks practical form me, cheers

[willougs]

Originally Posted by jedpause

Thanks for the advice, you obviously did some proper digging the first one looks practical form me, cheers

Spent a while working out my options. Unfortunately for me, the BMW supplied cable was about 30 cm too short to reach where I'd normally park. I also really wanted to get the brick part of the cable under cover somehow without having to lug it about each day and kick it under the car for some protection.
So looked at extension cables for both ends. For me personally, each had pros and cons. In the end decided to extend the type-2 end but wasnt particularly comfortable with the weatherproof-ness(!?) of the join of the two cables, and the lack of being able to secure the extension from being stolen... which when it was going to be well over £200 was a consideration.

So, for me, the Screwfix charger was a good find. Cheaper than the extension cable, and gives me a spare charger. It's now plugged into a (locked) external socket, the brick under the porch, and enough cable to reach the car wherever I park on the drive. Just gotta hope now that the quality holds out.

As matter of interest, which charge point did you go for in the end?

[jedpause]

Originally Posted by willougs

As matter of interest, which charge point did you go for in the end?

I went for the EDF one for no other reason than that I applied for a free trial.. and succeeded.

I have to pay £200 to upgrade my home fuse from 60A to 100A, but it means free charger, normally 500 quid from them.

Tariff not as good as Octopus who I am with, but I only have 12 month commitments and they pay me £100 for car charging...

Then I can switch back to Octopus ... sweet I think...

Luckily I have tons of free charging bays at work, 2 miles away.. when we are all allowed back to work... roll on normality!