Charging rate for plug in hybrid

All Hyundai Tucson related discussions
KeithB1
Posts: 95
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2021 12:47 pm

Post by KeithB1 »

Hi folks. I've just had a Podpoint 7kw charger fitted. They had to come back this morning to finish/commission the installation, so have just tried it and was surprised to see the charging rate was only 3Kw and the time remaining for full charge was 6hrs+. The engineer, who was still here, said we had to wait a couple of days but that we could then use the Podpoint app to change the charging rate but that there is also a device in the system which limits the charge rate if the existing demand from other appliances being used in the house would mean the total current would blow the main fuse which is only 60 amps. I'm thinking that given the 7 kw charger will take 30 amps, a 60 amp fuse might be inadequate. Does any of this sound familiar to any of you? If so how did you resolve things?

Also do any plug-in hybrid owners have an electricity supplier with cheaper night time rates to allow cheaper charging?

Any thoughts you might have will be appreciated.

Thanks
Keith

DrElectron
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:37 am

Post by DrElectron »

Most fast chargers can be derated to 3kw if the incoming supply is inadequate, the installer should have told you as he would have had to configure it.
60A fuse is considered inadequate, realistically it isnt, unless you are running multiple high power devices at the same time, like washing machine, dishwasher, tumble drier etc.
The main issue would be an electric shower which can easily be 50A alone.
Your DNO can uprate your fuse to 80 or 100 amps. Mine wanted £300 for the privilege
I love my car, it's just a shame it was made by Hyundai
KeithB1
Posts: 95
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2021 12:47 pm

Post by KeithB1 »

Thanks for the reply. I've already been in touch with Western Power, our DNO, who are coming to take a look in a couple of weeks time. I'm a bit p'd off about this, not least because I should have checked this out before buying the car but also because it's something that I think should have been mentioned by the car salesman and certainly by Podpoint. If WP charge £300 for changing the main fuse that puts the overall cost of getting a faster charge rate up to £800 and I'm not sure I'd have gone ahead with the Podpoint charger. We'll see what WP have to say-£300 seems a lot for a job any qualified electrician could do for a lot less than that.
DrElectron
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:37 am

Post by DrElectron »

I wouldn't blame the car salesman, he wasn't to know but certainly podpoint should have made you aware!

Changing the fuse should cost literally a couple of £, you can buy replacements at any electrical distributor. The fuse may not be the only issue though, the size of the tails (cables that feed your consumer unit) may need to be upgraded too.

A domestic electrician shouldn't really be doing anything on the DNO board, it's theirs and they can charge what they want to touch it, but upgrading the tails and a fuse might be within their remit of willing.

I have a 60A incomer and wanted upgrading to 100A for an electric shower, when they quoted me £300 I decided it was easier and cheaper to have a shower fitted off the boiler :)

The economics of those fast chargers don't always make sense to me either.
If it takes 2 hours to charge at 7.4kw and 6 hours to charge from a 2.3kw socket, getting 4 hours at the cheaper night rate and 2 hours at the standard rate (assuming a 4 hour overnight tariff).
The night tariff is 10p /kWh cheaper than the day tariff so it'll cost 46p per charge more, assuming charging from 0%
That means it'll take 1200 charges to break even with a £550 charger unit on electricity costs alone.

You could argue that the charger will be suitable for your next car too so in the long run would save you more, assuming it doesn't break and need a replacement.

For the Tucson, even at the lower charge speed (3.6kwh) it should be full within the 4 hour off peak tariff window. I sleep longer than that!
I love my car, it's just a shame it was made by Hyundai
KeithB1
Posts: 95
Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2021 12:47 pm

Post by KeithB1 »

Thanks for that DrE. I'm hoping Western Power will look kindly on us poor pensioners! I'm not sure whether they're coming just to take a look or to actually do something but I'll post the result on here. I don't think the tails will be a problem as the charger has its own new dedicated/separate fuse protection and new tails from the meter, so no new demand on the existing consumer unit which is less than 10 yrs old. Hopefully it will be a quick look-see and change of the main fuse. The main attraction of the charger was the speedier charge time which I'm not getting at the moment. We don't have an economy seven meter for cheaper night time charging and the calculations re savings are about to go out of the window as we were with 1 of the energy suppliers who've just gone bust, so we'll be paying more soon I suspect.
DrElectron
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:37 am

Post by DrElectron »

Check out Octopus, they have a decent overnight rate and a reasonable day rate too
I love my car, it's just a shame it was made by Hyundai
Hockett
Posts: 6
Joined: Sun Mar 06, 2022 3:16 pm

Post by Hockett »

Keith B1
For the Tucson, even at the lower charge speed (3.6kwh) it should be full within the 4 hour off peak tariff window. I sleep longer than that!
My tuscon is taking 10 hrs from nil to full. ?? I need to look at this. How can I measure the input please.
DrElectron
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:37 am

Post by DrElectron »

You'd need a plug in power meter like this:

https://www.screwfix.com/p/energenie-en ... cket/3477h
I love my car, it's just a shame it was made by Hyundai
roadster
Posts: 206
Joined: Fri Feb 04, 2022 3:01 pm
Location: South Coast

Post by roadster »

Hockett wrote: Sun Mar 06, 2022 4:22 pm Keith B1
For the Tucson, even at the lower charge speed (3.6kwh) it should be full within the 4 hour off peak tariff window. I sleep longer than that!
My tuscon is taking 10 hrs from nil to full. ?? I need to look at this. How can I measure the input please.
My car tells me the charge rate when I unlock the door and get in. I have noticed that it can slow initially then settle back to about 2.2 Kw which is correct for the 10 amp rate I set on the ICCB cable. Initially I did double check with an in-line meter and it gave a consistent reading. Incidentally my supply voltage reads as well under 230 volts at the socket even though I live in a suburban street.
Tucson PHEV Premium
DrElectron
Posts: 151
Joined: Wed Sep 22, 2021 5:37 am

Post by DrElectron »

Hockett wrote: Sun Mar 06, 2022 4:22 pm My tuscon is taking 10 hrs from nil to full. ?? I need to look at this. How can I measure the input please.
Are you using the standard 3pin plug charging lead supplied with the car?

I've only used mine once but it seems to default to 6a charge rate which would take 10 hours to charge, but it can be upp'ed to 8a or 10a (7.5 and 6 hours charge time respectively).
To do that press and hold the button on the unit until the display flashes (display shows charge current). Push the button until it shows 8a or 10a then press and hold to set.

Cheaper cables have no adjustment and will always go to 10a, the adjustable cables are really quite expensive so it's a nice thing to include.
Note for the techies among us, the current is actually controlled car side, the inline module just tells the car what is acceptable to draw by means of a frequency imposed on the data pins.
I love my car, it's just a shame it was made by Hyundai
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