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A question for the forum EV specialists and probably @Kezo
I have been contacted by a farming friend whose disabled father has ordered an EV on the scheme as he should be able to charge free of charge (sic).
The father’s house is powered by the farm’s Anaerobic Digester/captured Methane//slurry/Biomass generation, heat & storage system as per the trial SFI grant regulations for isolated rural farms (almost the same system as we have on our own farm).
Ohme are telling him he cannot have an EV point fitted due to no DNO/meter or mains connection.
Do you EV chaps know of a workaround for having a Motability charging point fitted for those who are ‘off grid’ or are Ohme just being awkward?
Cheers
Dave
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Do you know what kWh your friend is able to generate from above methods for his farm’s electricity and is this coping with their existing demand or do they use a generator?
Unfortunately this is likely to be out of the realms of Ohme, as they can’t see past anything other than “on grid” connections. However, there are ways of doing it, without jumping through the regulations on grid user’s have when connecting a charger.
If your friend, which I imagine they would have a commando socket fitted somewhere suitable with being on a farm. Equally an EV charger doesn’t need to be smart or all singing and dancing being off grid and a cheap £200-300 charger would do and can if be powered from a genny, if powerful enough.
If you can answer my first question I’m happy to go further into it 🙂
Thanks Kezo.
I tried to ring my friend back but he is out on the forager at the moment.
If it is like ours, also done under SFI grant, it is way overspecced output wise for both the farm and domestic supply . Should the worst come to bear, we also have domestic 12kVA back up diesel gen sets (other than testing, have never cut in, even with farm supply corn driers running 24/7 and milking in progress). With a pair of 60kVA farm sets as emergency back up (My brother is the expert in all these things – it is all a black art to me)!
His dad can charge a vehicle at the other side of their farm as they have some e-agrimechs and vehicles on long term trial, but being a ‘careful Yorkshirman’, he wants the free Motability one fitted to his house!
I will try to make contact this evening to get their output details.
A single phase charger is commonly 32A or 16A, which would be the additional load added to the existing setup.
I’m sure you and your friend have these or similar dotted around your farm/s (see pic). All that would be needed, is the Tytype 2 plug on one end of the cable swopped with a BS4343 commando plug.
A single phase charger is commonly 32A or 16A, which would be the additional load added to the existing setup. I’m sure you and your friend have these or similar dotted around your farm/s (see pic). All that would be needed, is the Tytype 2 plug on one end of the cable swopped with a BS4343 commando plug.
Oh yes, we a few of those on the farm single phase. Plus we have 3 phase and apparently multiphase over on our adjoining farm! I am just happy when I plug something in. it works!
Well if your friend can afford £20-£30 for a plug, unles he has one lying around and the cable supplying the socket is a minimum of 4mm2 SWA (armoured) better if 6mm2 minimum, then I’d call that a Yorkshire mans EV charger 🤣
It also happens to be the way kezo charge’s his PHEV 😉
Wiring instructions provided if needed but, you basically, you remove Type 2 plug from the charging cable, disregard the two thin cable and tape them up and wire L N E to the plug.
Get a local spark or like the one already who has worked on his system, to find a suitable alternative
Once you have this go back to Motability, they are really helpful, they paid for a Zappi to be installed instead of the Ohme, due to solar integration issues, we are not off grid, but we live off battery storage completely with a cheap TOU tariff for all import.
They don’t normally do this but the will take into consideration if there are local issues to the property setup.
The only thing we had to do is pay for the install ourself and Motabilty will refund us.
good luck im sure there is a simple solution
Randomly I saw this the other day. It doesn’t add to the conversation but does provide moving pictures
"Come on BYD Seal!"Get a local spark or like the one already who has worked on his system, to find a suitable alternative Once you have this go back to Motability, they are really helpful, they paid for a Zappi to be installed instead of the Ohme, due to solar integration issues, we are not off grid, but we live off battery storage completely with a cheap TOU tariff for all import. They don’t normally do this but the will take into consideration if there are local issues to the property setup. The only thing we had to do is pay for the install ourself and Motabilty will refund us. good luck im sure there is a simple solution
The guy is a farmer and “off grid” (not connected to DNO’s incoming electrical suply), as such Ohme will not touch it, as it is out of their scope!
Therefore, having a charger fitted like the one you have is overkill, as the protection, such as PEN fault offered by your charger serves no purpose in an “off grid” situation, becauase they are not connected to the grid and its highly unlikely cow pat will create a PEN fault.
A commando socket like the one in the video provided by @Adrian above are commonly used by Tesla drivers, Owners of second EV’s because of the regulations bestoed upon us as “on grid” customers, where it difficult to get two charger’s charging at a full 7kW each. Commando sockets are also used in off grid situation for many situations inc EV charging, as they are in commercial/industrial settings because they are safe means of supplying power. The only difference with domestic settings, commando sockets need to be of the intelocked type and have a seperate means of providing PEN protection.
Changing a commando plug is no more difficult than changing a 3 pin plug top at home.
As a commercial * industrial spark including petrochemicals for too long over 40yrs, I hope by now, I know what I am talking about I think lol.
As an aside @kezo, the local farm has two different connectors for 32A and what I think is 16A.
I understand that the cables don’t have to be as chunky but it confuses me why the connectors would be different 🤔 the sparks are good at switching the breakers on but weren’t able to explain it to me 🙂
"Come on BYD Seal!"As an aside @kezo, the local farm has two different connectors for 32A and what I think is 16A. I understand that the cables don’t have to be as chunky but it confuses me why the connectors would be different
the sparks are good at switching the breakers on but weren’t able to explain it to me Are you refering 16A and 32A commando sockets, which range from 16A to 32A and 32A three phase and multiphase (polyphase)
The sockets are limited by how much current (Amps) can flow through the metal contacts inside a socket and/or the cable size supplying the socket and there specific uses, they are using them for.
For example: 6mm Twin and Earth seen in domestic wiring has a maximum current carrying capacity of 48A, 3 core 4mm SWA (armoured) has a maximum current carrying capacity 44A and 6mm SWA 56A. However several factors come in to play determing the maximum current carrying capacity of a conductor, such a heat, installation method and voltage drop.
Lastly trade secrets 😛 however if there is dead short on the circut it won’t reset but, you can piggy back off another circuit or xxxxxx untill the fault is fixed.
That’s the sort of nerdy detail I was hoping for 🤭 thank you.
This isn’t something I’m considering, merely that I’ve had excitement trying to plug the wrong socket into the wrong hole before!
Honestly the site has several of these sockets but they’re mostly 16A I think with only a few rare 32A sockets that I can plug in to.
The more you know 👍🏻😊 thank you sir
"Come on BYD Seal!"Get a local spark or like the one already who has worked on his system, to find a suitable alternative Once you have this go back to Motability, they are really helpful, they paid for a Zappi to be installed instead of the Ohme, due to solar integration issues, we are not off grid, but we live off battery storage completely with a cheap TOU tariff for all import. They don’t normally do this but the will take into consideration if there are local issues to the property setup. The only thing we had to do is pay for the install ourself and Motabilty will refund us. good luck im sure there is a simple solution
The guy is a farmer and “off grid” (not connected to DNO’s incoming electrical suply), as such Ohme will not touch it, as it is out of their scope! Therefore, having a charger fitted like the one you have is overkill, as the protection, such as PEN fault offered by your charger serves no purpose in an “off grid” situation, becauase they are not connected to the grid and its highly unlikely cow pat will create a PEN fault. A commando socket like the one in the video provided by @Adrian above are commonly used by Tesla drivers, Owners of second EV’s because of the regulations bestoed upon us as “on grid” customers, where it difficult to get two charger’s charging at a full 7kW each. Commando sockets are also used in off grid situation for many situations inc EV charging, as they are in commercial/industrial settings because they are safe means of supplying power. The only difference with domestic settings, commando sockets need to be of the intelocked type and have a seperate means of providing PEN protection. Changing a commando plug is no more difficult than changing a 3 pin plug top at home. As a commercial * industrial spark including petrochemicals for too long over 40yrs, I hope by now, I know what I am talking about I think lol.
we are supper happy with our system and the zappi is working very well
as we are net exporters being completely off grid does not suits us, despite us still have to pay the standing charge and small amount of import in winter we were paid over £1200 in export payments last year so we would not consider going completely off grid
but it is nice to have the option of going completely off grid in island mode.
hopefully the OP can get some ideas to his friend
@BigDave did you get to ask your friend any of the questions
the sparks are good at switching the breakers on but weren’t able to explain it to me 
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