Any Electricians on here? Re Pod Point Install

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Matt Moore
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:53 pm

Post by Matt Moore »

I myself am an electrician and have been trying to find out technical details of the charging station that Audi / Pod Point will install.

Main questions

- Does it have a CT connection to enable it to monitor and divert excess solar PV energy.

- Where are the cable entries? I can't see Pod Point chasing and filling the internal cable run so was going to prep that ready for them.

- Also does the car or the charger enable you to set start times to make the most of cheap rate?

TIA

lexathon
Posts: 72
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2021 1:33 pm

Post by lexathon »

It has a CT connection but only for throttle if the house load gets to high. There's no excess solar capability with podpoint.
The installer might chase it for you, but not guaranteed. Generally they drill out a hole in the back of the unit (if going straight into wall) and fill with silicone or they drill at the bottom for a waterproof gland if the cable is running outside before entry to the house. You will probably get the installation you want if you chase the run yourself with cat5 or string as a pull through, but bear in mind the height of the unit shouldn't be more than 1.2m off ground.
Podpoint app can set schedule. My Q4 can't from the car, but rumours of software update have plagued us since purchase.
hugodoodle
Posts: 90
Joined: Wed Oct 06, 2021 4:35 pm

Post by hugodoodle »

A 32A commando socket + the commando connector on the end of the Audi charger cable unit will do the job much better than the Pod Point - especially if you want to use scheduled charging (which is a major problem with the Q4 and Pod Point).

If the Pod Point is free, then the installation quality and level of ‘customisation’ depends on the local contractor that they send out. Ours was very amicable to solving some unusual issues with the previous power supply installation to our garage.
Q4 50 Quattro Edition 1 C+S
matta
Posts: 65
Joined: Tue Aug 24, 2021 7:18 am

Post by matta »

I found the scheduled charging on my PodPoint worked well, allowing me to take advantage of Octopus Go off peak rates. Set the times in the app and the charger would kick in automatically.

I recently swapped my PodPoint for a Zappi as had solar installed and wanted to make best use of that. Since installation a couple of weeks back I’ve charged both my EV’s exclusively from self generated solar. Obviously it will be a different story outside the summer months and will rely more on off peak energy rates then!
Matt Moore
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:53 pm

Post by Matt Moore »

I think my course of action will be to do the donkey work myself and then get the free pod point installed. Once fitted remove it and sell on eBay :D

Have fitted a few Zappi's now and just like the fact that I can not only set charging schedules but also reduce charge input based on demand as well as use surplus PV energy.

The surplus PV is a must really, why wouldn't you want to charge for free ????
lexathon
Posts: 72
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2021 1:33 pm

Post by lexathon »

Yeah I swapped over to zappi after our solar was installed in may. With the sunny weather, we haven't needed to pay for a charge since.
Matt Moore
Posts: 6
Joined: Tue Jun 21, 2022 6:53 pm

Post by Matt Moore »

I installed Solar around 7 years ago, I reckon in summer we average about 6-8kwh per day back to the grid......

This does however mean we would have to leave the car at home during the day!
lexathon
Posts: 72
Joined: Fri Dec 24, 2021 1:33 pm

Post by lexathon »

Yeah, not sure it'd be worth swapping over for that unless you think you'll upgrade your solar at some point. We've been kicking back 20kwh+ and that's with the immersion heater getting the tank warm and charging our 10kwh battery for overnight consumption. Typically on a relatively sunny day I'm sticking 10-15% in the car if it's sitting on the drive in the afternoon.
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