Charging With An EO Mini Pro (On Octopus)

[jamest]

Yep, that's exactly what I found with my solar installation... I was intending to buy a Zappi to make use of my solar, but after researching I realized that you need to be generating at least 1.4kW to be charging the car, otherwise it either won't charge or the difference will be made up from the grid. But as grid electricity is about four times as expensive when the solar is generating vs at night (on Octopus Go) then if I'm topping up more than 25% from the grid then I'd be spending more than if I just charged at night without the solar.

My solar installation can peak at about 3kW excess electricity being generated, but that is only on the most sunny summer days. On a normal UK day I'd be lucky to be getting close to 1.4kW excess generated for any period of time.

I calculated that it would be at least 20 years, probably much longer, before I made back the extra few hundred quid of installation costs of getting the Zappi all properly integrated, so I just went with an Ohme instead.

[hergus]

I put 3.4KwH of solar into my Enyaq via the Zappi today. Not a lot, but every little helps. We only get about 3-4 hours of enough sun at this time of year, but next summer I expect 8 hours or more. We only have a 3Kw array, but the orientation is good. Octopus GO for bigger overnight charges.

[Fossilnot]

I want to resurrect this ancient thread of mine-the comments that I intend adding will be of little interest to those who have all their charging sorted and always good to go…
1. Before going out to the car unlock the Mini Pro in the app by tapping on the red padlock to change it to blue. (Home Screen of app/blue dot central in three circles at bottom.) This is important because if the charging cable is plugged in while the red padlock is showing the machine MAY think that an attempt at illicit charging is being made.
2. Flick across to the right screen of app/blue dot filling right circle. Set the times for weekday charging AND weekend charging identically. I don’t care that you just want to charge on Wednesday-for example-just do it. Mine are currently both set to start at 00.30 and finish at 4.30. Why set identically? you ask….because it works! (At least it does for me) I know that I get around 30kwh on a four hour charge adding slightly over 100 miles to the GOM. Junior school arithmetic allows me to set proportionate shorter charging times. ‘Save’ the settings on this screen by clicking on the save settings button.
3. Now go to the car and check on the existing charge level. Go to the left screen on the app and set the initial SOC (state of charge) and miles to match the car
4. Now plug the cable in to the car and then the charger.
5. Click save settings again and click set (right screen and left screen)
6. None of the above will work if there is a single contradictory setting on the car. The car will always over rule the charger. (There is a button somewhere on the car infotainment screen to RETURN SETTINGS which I most strongly advise finding and using if thing have become tangled-sorry I cannot remember how to navigate to it! )

Fossilnot