EV charger/Granny charger

[Sammysmiths]

I’ve recently bought an EV and awaiting to get an EV charger installed at home and move onto the Octopus tarriff.
I have no choice but to charge my car at home on the granny charger and extension lead, until I get a dedicated EV charger installed. I’ve not looked locally for chargers yet. I could go to a rapid charger but not used one as yet.
I’m using a standard uncoiled ext lead with a 13a fuse, plugged into a socket inside the garage. I have an up to date consumer unit in the house.
I’m getting lots of comments on EV forums telling me I’m going to burn my house down using the extension lead method. I’ve also heard from people who use this method daily without fear. I don’t think I can sleep at night if I put my car on charge!! Can anyone share real time ownership experiences .

 

[MoggasDog]

If everything is fused correctly then its as safe as houses. The granny chargers are fused to a maximum 13a like everything else you plugin.
I do not see the fuss - what about kettles? What about irons? They pull large currents relative to a 13A plug. I can imagine problems in a scenario when you have two or three cars charging on granny chargers from the same socket but that doesnt seem likely.

If, however, you have had some dodgy wiring done and have umpteen sockets spurred from one another then you might get some problems.

Before my charger was fitted, I charged my car with an extension lead connected in the shed and connected to the granny charger in a bin liner to keep the water out. I did it for months and months. No problem. Thats why we have fuses.

I should point out that I am qualified to make these points. I wouldnt ever say something like that but in this case its pertinent.

 

[ThatFragranceGuy]

If everything is fused correctly then its as safe as houses. The granny chargers are fused to a maximum 13a like everything else you plugin.
I do not see the fuss - what about kettles? What about irons? They pull large currents relative to a 13A plug. I can imagine problems in a scenario when you have two or three cars charging on granny chargers from the same socket but that doesnt seem likely.

If, however, you have had some dodgy wiring done and have umpteen sockets spurred from one another then you might get some problems.

Before my charger was fitted, I charged my car with an extension lead connected in the shed and connected to the granny charger in a bin liner to keep the water out. I did it for months and months. No problem. Thats why we have fuses.

I should point out that I am qualified to make these points. I wouldnt ever say something like that but in this case its pertinent.

Isn't the issue the length of the cable and the power drawn? And linking two together etc? I don't know how long these cables are but my electrician tells me he sees a lot of burnt plugs from people running high draw appliances like tumble dryers in garages off an extension lead

Dangers of using an extension lead to charge your EV

Charging your Electric Vehicle using an extension lead can result in a fire risk.

www.idacs.uk.com

 

[Nano]

I do it at other people's houses if I'm visiting family etc but that's typically only for a day or two at a time. I would be happy doing it at home as a temporary measure would I wouldn't have it as my permanent set up.

I think the recommendation is if you use one make sure it is fully unravelled and not coiled up and make sure it isn't on the same circuit as anything else using a lot of power at once.

 

[Sammysmiths]

Just a single socket in the garage. The electric door is normally plugged into it, and it has its own fused spur next to it. I’ll only be using the ext lead straight and about 8m long. I’m going to try for about 4 hours this afty whilst I can keep an eye on it. I’m keen to know what local chargers are out there, local to Marton. Ideally the cheapest and fastest. Thanks.

 

[SE4 Red]

Just a single socket in the garage. The electric door is normally plugged into it, and it has its own fused spur next to it. I’ll only be using the ext lead straight and about 8m long. I’m going to try for about 4 hours this afty whilst I can keep an eye on it. I’m keen to know what local chargers are out there, local to Marton. Ideally the cheapest and fastest. Thanks.

Stewart's park has a 22kwh and 50kwh charger. There are some 50kwh and maybe a 120kwh over at McDonald's /Lingfield pub/ Bannatynes in Coulby.

Download some apps - zap map and the like which will tell you where closest charger is with cost and speed etc.

Home charging is cheap - even on current price cap tariffs. Public charging is not as cheap as it was and is closer to cost of petrol/diesel but still a bit cheaper.

 

[Ingleby_Flash]

from the sound of your set up you’ll be fine, just don’t have cable coiled up around the drum. Used to do what you’re doing every night for four years.