Hi UK i4 owners,

Taking delivery of a new i4 in the next few weeks and we have a three pin plug socket outside already. Are the 3 pin plugs any good for charging and how long does it usually take to charge to 80% and full from 0%? Is it worth getting a charging point installed for around £1k?

Cheers,

Kiffy

My wife and I both started with a three pin plug arrangement to charge our EVs and this worked ok for a while but once we had a home charging unit installed it was a game changer.
We rarely charge away from home so the savings are huge and the unit will pay for itself quickly.
For example, I average 600 miles a month and my charge costs are around £28 each month, my wife averages around 250 miles a month and her charge costs are around £18 (she has a heavy right foot).
Get one installed from a reputable supplier and you will not look back

Good luck with your new i4.

 

3 pin charges at max 2.3 kw.
Usable i4 battery is about 80 kw/h so therefore about 35 hours to fully charge (80÷2.3) There is some loss when charging.

Reality is you won't (shoudnt) charge from 0-100%. More likey say half of that (30%-80%) so would be half that time.

EV wallcharger is typically 7.4 kw so charges over 3 times faster.

But If you can get cheap overnight electricity and a home charge point this is the way to go for both convenience and cost.
Overnight rate is typically about a quarter the cost of day rate. So the ideal is to be able to always charge in the night window.

Should be able to get one much cheaper than £1k I think?

 

3 pin charges at max 2.3 kw.
Usable i4 battery is about 80 kw/h so therefore about 35 hours to fully charge. There is some loss when charging.

Reality is you won't (shoudnt) charge from 0-100%. More likey say half of that (30%-80%) so would be half that time.

EV wallcharger is typically 7.4 kw/h so charges over 3 times faster.
If you get cheap overnight electricity this is the way to go for both convenience and cost.
Overnight rate is typically about a quarter the cost of day rate. So the ideal is to be able to always charge in the night window.

Should be able to get one much cheaper than £1k I think?

Sadly, £1k sounds about right or maybe even lowish, the chargers are between £300-£1000 and the electrical installation could be £300-£1000 again depending on the building layout

 

Thanks all. We have solar panels too and can charge for much less during the day. Would this make a difference?

 

Yes and some of the car chargers can control the car charging so that you only use electricity that is spare instead of drawing more than you produce and costing you money.

 

I think Octopus are offering a free charger if you switch.

Getting an EV rate with cheap power overnight is a gamechanger for cost, you will need an approved combo of car + wallbox to get this (3 pin may be ok, but doubtful as supplier wouldnt expect you to be able to charge overnight, so if you need expensive daytime power may be a problem)

 

I am already with Octopus!

 

Get a charger and switch to Octopus Intelligent Go.
11.30-05.30 is about 7p kw and full rate about 28p (not much different to standard rates).

About 50% of our electricity is charging cars - so it's a significant saving.

I reckon my i4 M50 costs about 10% of what my M2 used to cost in petrol.

 

A full (100%) charge of an M50/e40 with Octopus on their overnight rate is about £5.75 at present (7p/kWh). That doesn’t take system losses into account, but you’re still only talking pence, not pounds. Given you’ll likely charge to around 80% it will be cheaper. It doesn’t take long to recover the cost of an EV charge point (depending upon your mileage/economy). In the 20 months I’ve had mine, I estimate that I’ve saved around £7k in diesel costs. I commute 250 miles/week. My annual EV charging cost at home is £121 and the first three months I was still with BG rather than Octopus so was at standard rate.

Note that EV charge-point grants are now only available on rented accommodation or ‘house of multiple occupancy’ (flats), or those with no off-street parking. If you have your own home outside those definitions then you get no help from OZEV.

Info here: Electric vehicle chargepoint and infrastructure grant guidance for installers

 

Welcome to the forum @Kiffy.

You don't say anything about your expected mileage. We've used 13A charging when staying with relatives for a few days but as pointed out, it is slow.

Unless you plan to move, I would get the charger. However long you keep the i4, EVs are the only future.

Finally, I don't believe the 13A charger comes with the car any more and is an additional cost. I would personally put the money towards a proper charger that will give you a much more flexible solution.

 

I would personally put the money towards a proper charger that will give you a much more flexible solution.

Just confused by this? Your home Lvl 2 charger can't be brought on a road trip. How is it more flexible?
I have Level 2 at home, so I fully agree that anyone who can install one, should, but I don't consider it a more flexible option. I think the portability of the FFC goes a long way. It adds literally billions of potential charging location options. OK, UK probably has fewer outlets than the US, but it's still a lot of outlets.