Sponsored by Z Energy
There are a myriad of differences between combustion vehicles and electric vehicles (EVs), but one of the biggest is the different strategies that can be adopted when it comes time to re-energise them. With petrol- or diesel-powered vehicles, there’s just the one method available: stop and refill the tank at a service station while out using the vehicle. A major advantage of the EV is that it can re-charge with energy when it’s not in use, while it’s just sitting in your garage or driveway at home. You can recharge your human batteries as well as that of your EV while lying in bed asleep at night.
There’s one major drawback to this recharging strategy: using the charging cable that came with the car and plugging it into a standard 10-amp house plug is unlikely to fully recharge an EV if the state of charge (SOC) is less than 20 per cent. Very few EV models can be fully recharged overnight this way and a far more convenient and efficient home recharging solution is to install a ‘smart’ charger inside your garage or on an outside wall near where you park the car. This can draw 32-amps of current via its heavy-duty cable, making the flow of electrons into your EV’s battery four times faster. Instead of storing less than 2kW of power in the battery every hour, 7.4kW will be added, providing up to 40km of range per hour.
There are other advantages to smart chargers than quicker charging speeds. Charging can be programmed to take advantage of times when the cost of electricity supply is lower, and this usually coincides with the times when more electricity is being generated from renewable sources. It’s a win-win-win situation when you install a smart charger as it gives you the tools to lower recharging costs, reduce charging times, and allows more of the electricity that the EV consumes during driving to be generated from renewable sources.
For a majority of EV owners, having a smart charger at home will compliment their ownership experience of an EV. But how do you go about installing one? That process just got a lot easier and more convenient with the EV at home plan now offered by Z Energy (Z). This is a one-stop shop that includes installation of the smart charger, demystifying the process while also providing long-term recharging cost savings and the potential to further reduce the carbon footprint of your EV.
“We learned from customers that there are several ‘pain points’ when people enter the home charging space and this plan was developed to address these,” says Z’s Head of Electricity, Chris Durno.
“When choosing to add a smart charger with our EV at home plan, customers can be confident that they are receiving a New Zealand-made charger that’s been designed to be the best fit with our electrical grid, is solar panel compatible if required, and has been professionally installed for their safety.
“The charger can be controlled via an app on your phone to target the three free hours of power supply that the plan provides between 3am and 6am* and recharging during this free time can provide up to 120km of range every day**.
*Free hours are not applicable to any separately priced controlled meter (such as for hot water) but apply to all other power consumption.
**Based on using an Evnex 7.4kW smart charger and achieving 40km per hour of range equivalent from charging. Actual rates can vary based on your car.
Previously, EV owners wishing to install their own smart charging solution typically had to research which wall charger would best suit their EV and the layout of the garage/parking area, compare the cost of various home chargers, then seek out a technician qualified to do the installation. Not an easy task. The EV at home plan reduces these complications considerably and has a starting price from $2195***, which covers the cost of the smart charger, its simple installation and provides the use of free power from 3am to 6am every night.
***Based on simple installation – up to 3m of cabling between your switchboard and charger. There may be extra costs such as additional cable or upgrades to your switchboard, if required.
The smart charger chosen by Z is the state-of-the-art E2 model made by Evnex in Christchurch. It comes standard with five metres of heavy-duty cable to plug the car in with, and three meters between switchboard and charger (longer cables can be ordered if required at extra cost). The E2 has already been named as the preferred wall charger for New Zealand by the importers of electric vehicles made by Volkswagen, Polestar, Skoda, LDV, Volvo, and Cupra. It has built-in overload protection and will automatically slow its charging of an EV if there is high demand on the domestic power supply from appliances, meaning you don’t have to worry that plugging the car in will impact on any other part of the house.
The E2 is paired with your mobile phone via an app, which allows it to be controlled and monitored remotely. The app can also show how the power being stored in the EV’s battery is being generated, allowing the car’s owner to monitor how much CO2 is being emitted (or how little).
To take advantage of this cost-effective and hassle-free home charging solution, check out z.co.nz/power/ev-at-home.