Installation of home charging point for electric car.

[Midwest]

Someone could buy this book; Code of Practice for Electric Vehicle Charging Equipment Installation 2nd Edition - The IET

and perhaps we it might help us all? I'm doing an extension at the mo, was going to suggest to the customer about running a cable in for a car charger, as a future proof thing. Don't think I'll bother :speechless:

 

[Flanders]

Ok Only a thought I think the company's are doing it just to make money from the government, like free loft insulation etc, i would not recommend one of these company's to do the work as what i seen was a bit shoddy

 

[Kamikaze]

As a matter of interest, are all car battery charge leads universal or are there differed types for differed models?

 

[uksparks]

As a matter of interest, are all car battery charge leads universal or are there differed types for differed models?

It depends if it's a Japanese car or a European car, so it will either be a type 1 or type 2 connector. They look similar.

 

[Midwest]

Found this gov doc; https://www.gov.uk/government/uploa...nce-for-manufacturers-and-installers-2015.pdf

which as uksparks says, different types of sockets, and can include grants for customer. I see that there are 3kw chargers for overnight charging, 7.2kw for 4hr charging, which looks to become the norm for the time being. There are faster chargers, 22kw +, which I think would be beyond the scope of most domestic properties, designed for topping up your spaceship when you get to work!

uksparks, did you do the course?

http://www.electriciansforums.co.uk...orum/88166-electric-vehicle-charging-pme.html

 

[Kamikaze]

It depends if it's a Japanese car or a European car, so it will either be a type 1 or type 2 connector. They look similar.

By Japanese, do you mean imports or all Jap cars in general?

 

[Midwest]

Or take one of these courses and tell us how to do it HHD; https://www.tradeskills4u.co.uk/cou...rging-course?gclid=CKPk_ufB9MkCFda4GwodmKkGDw

From some pdf's on the subject, whilst we wait for uksparks
'Install an isolating transformer in the electric vehicle charging equipment circuit to separate the supply earthing arrangement from the equipment'.

And IET pdf; Regulation 722.411.4.1 does not allowPME as a means of earthing for an electric vehicle charging point where the charging point or the vehicle is located outdoors except where 722.411.4.1(i) or 722.411.4.1(ii) or 722.411.4.1(iii) apply. There is an exception for a dwelling if none of (i), (ii), or (iii) is reasonably practicable. It is worth noting that in this regulation the meaning of ‘dwelling’ is restricted to a self-contained unit designed to accommodate a single household. Regulation722.411.4.1(i) refers to a situation where a connecting point is supplied from a three-phase installation used to supply loads other than charging points and where the load is sufficiently well balanced. Regulation 722.411.4.1(ii) requires a very low resistance earth electrode tomitigate the effects of an open circuit PEN conductor fault on the supply. Regulation 722.411.4.1(iii) also require san earth electrode. Regulation722.411.4.1(iii) is based on the installation requirements (from the 14th edition wiring regulations) for a voltage operated earth leakage circuit breaker. However, the device differs from the BS 842 voltage operated earth leakage
circuit breaker. A product standard for a protective device for the purposes of (iii) is being developed by BSI Committee PEL/23/1.
The touch voltage threshold of 70V mentioned in 722.411.4.1(i) and 722.411.4.1(ii) and 722.411.4.1(iii) is on the basis that Table 2c (Ventricular fibrillation for alternating current 50/60Hz) of IEC 60479-5[ed1.0] gives a value of 71V for both-hands-to-feet, in water-wet conditions with medium contact area (12.5cm2).
I'll let your more eductaed bods, pick the bones out of that. Yawn, tired now. Soon be Xmas. :yawn:

 

[Deleted member 26818]

Without access to the new Regs, all I can say is: As far as I am aware, the prohibition on using a PME earthing point, relates to street furniture, and not to home charging points.

 

[Kamikaze]

Without access to the new Regs, all I can say is: As far as I am aware, the prohibition on using a PME earthing point, relates to street furniture, and not to home charging points.

You could be right there! How would the ordinary man or woman in the street know whether it’s safe to plug their car in if these leads are readily available. They can’t possibly know what the earthing arrangements are.

 

[HappyHippyDad]

You could be right there! How would the ordinary man or woman in the street know whether it’s safe to plug their car in if these leads are readily available. They can’t possibly know what the earthing arrangements are.
View attachment 31027

Thats a good point! The regs (722) actually say you can use a designated standard BS1363-2 socket. Like you said, how does the client know if they have a PME or TT??

Plus, could anyone shed light on why the installation would need its own seperate RCD? Apart from the nuisance value with an RCD that protects more than one circuit are there any other reasons why the reg would state this?

 

[Midwest]

Reg 722.312.2.1 TN Systems.
For a TN system, the final circuit supplying a charging point for electric vehicles shall not include a PEN conductor. Except where i), ii), iii) applies, and I'm not typing that lot out!

 

[Kamikaze]

Thats a good point! The regs (722) actually say you can use a designated standard BS1363-2 socket. Like you said, how does the client know if they have a PME or TT??

Plus, could anyone shed light on why the installation would need its own seperate RCD? Apart from the nuisance value with an RCD that protects more than one circuit are there any other reasons why the reg would state this?

I seem to vaguely remember that it had something to do with if the vehicle develops a d.c. fault to earth or high levels of harmonic distortions. Something like that but I can’t remember the ins and outs.

 

[davesparks]

Like some solar PV inverters the charger can produce a DC residual current in normal operation which would saturate the coil of a normal RCD and prevent it from tripping.
(The same principle is used for a no-trip loop test)

 

[Richard Burns]

I am thinking similarly, the RCD needs to be type A or type B but is not allowed to be the usual type AC.
Because it is possible for the DC charging to introduce DC faults (in some cases) on the incoming supply it needs its own RCD that will then trip before DC faults become present in the main installation. If a common RCD were allowed this would encourage the use of AC RCDs because they are likely to be already present and this would be dangerous.
Just hypothesis on the unexplained regulations.

Oh yes and I have the first edition of the car charging COP and it does not help much!

 

[Kamikaze]

Except where i), ii), iii) applies, and I'm not typing that lot out!

Don’t be a rebel without a Claus. Where is your Christmas spirit? Type it out for us, so we don’t have to wait until the new year. I’m not making a special journey to the yard just to get the regs book out of the van.