Car app or home charger app
Hi, I’ve ordered my car and need to choose my home charger… one thing that I can’t quite get my head around is why the hike charger’s own app is important when the charging schedule etc can be managed by the car’s own app? If it’s not then I’ll just go for the cheapest wall unit… would appreciate a steer. Thanks!
It used to be nice and simple - with MEB platform cars like the Enyaq you're better off using the EVSE to control scheduling. The car's scheduling is a bit buggy (better in the newer software version than the older one, but still not perfect). Also there are now things like Octopus Intelligent that tell the car to start charging when the rate is lower (but your charger just stays in a dumb always available mode).
If you have solar then I think the best choice is still the Zappi - as it can be configured to charge the car when you're producing excess that would otherwise go to the grid. Again the EVSE is controlling when to charge, not the car.
I used to have a PodPoint - and it served me well with my previous car and my Enyaq until recently. It's easy enough to set a schedule to use off-peak electricity if you have it, but could be better when you want to override it for a charge during the day. I now have a Zappi, and currently my car is gaining about 25 mile of free charge every day even though it's not even that sunny yet.
See if your electricity supplier have any offers on EVSEs or tariffs that better suit EVs too - most offer a decent chunk of 5-6 hours at a much lower rate overnight, which is worth taking advantage of.
(btw I've not called it a 'charger' because it isn't - essentially it's just a timed switch with some safety checks around it, hence Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. The AC charger itself is part of the car)
If you have solar then I think the best choice is still the Zappi - as it can be configured to charge the car when you're producing excess that would otherwise go to the grid. Again the EVSE is controlling when to charge, not the car.
I used to have a PodPoint - and it served me well with my previous car and my Enyaq until recently. It's easy enough to set a schedule to use off-peak electricity if you have it, but could be better when you want to override it for a charge during the day. I now have a Zappi, and currently my car is gaining about 25 mile of free charge every day even though it's not even that sunny yet.
See if your electricity supplier have any offers on EVSEs or tariffs that better suit EVs too - most offer a decent chunk of 5-6 hours at a much lower rate overnight, which is worth taking advantage of.
(btw I've not called it a 'charger' because it isn't - essentially it's just a timed switch with some safety checks around it, hence Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. The AC charger itself is part of the car)
Enyaq iV 80 Sportline, Energy Blue, Assisted Drive Plus, Infotainment Plus, Convenience Plus, Comfort Seat Plus, Transport Pack, Heat Pump, ME3.2, Built Nov 2021.
Enyaq didn’t have a scheduled charging facility until recently.actobatx wrote: ↑Tue May 09, 2023 1:02 pm Hi, I’ve ordered my car and need to choose my home charger… one thing that I can’t quite get my head around is why the hike charger’s own app is important when the charging schedule etc can be managed by the car’s own app? If it’s not then I’ll just go for the cheapest wall unit… would appreciate a steer. Thanks!
So technically you don’t need a wall box for charging as it can be managed through the car.
But without wall box you will be limited to granny charger at 3kw max
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