antiscab wrote: ↑Fri, 10 Apr 2020, 09:43
actually, I take it back, that inverter with the built in car charger isn't compatible with a house battery
there's still the option to DC couple more solar to the present battery, though I'm probably going a bit off topic there
as far as payback time on the house battery goes - discharging it into the car only reduces payback time if it doesn't have time to recharge again before the usual evening peak.
IE - if you charge the car in the morning to early afternoon with a dumb evse that just takes the same amount of power (3.6kw for $400) and it takes a little out of the battery, most likely the house battery will recharge again during the day/afternoon leaving it full for the evening load.
Hi Matt,
I am aware of the SE combined inverter/car charger and have discussed this with my solar contractor. My key concern would be if anything goes wrong, I lose both fast charge AND solar production capabilities. I am also discussing additional panels. I'm having a discussion with my solar contractor as to the pro's and con's. It's somewhat frustrating as I get the distinct impression that I'm being fed the bare minimum and not the whole truth/story. Often what I'm told is challenged or more-fully-completed once I discuss issues with Synergy or Western Power. No point getting extra panels if I'm going to be limited by the inverter.
Your suggestion on the dumb charger is worth considering. However, the planned usage of the car would be take my wife from home (Atwell) to work (Innaloo) and back five days a week. 70km total = 350km/week. We may be able to do a little charge in the morning before leaving and afternoon after collecting kids and coming home. We can also use the hybrid for a few hours whilst the EV charges. I'm anticipating a top-up charge using Adani-energy once a week.
One can go upto an 8.2kW inverter but they have to convert to 3-phase. With a solar battery WP will extend the limit to 10kW. This would entail replacing inverter's, re-wiring the home, deciding which circuit's are powered by what etc. etc. Strongly prefer to keep it as simple as possible. Shame our WA government departments are so conservative.
And agreed, I would need to allow the solar battery to completely charge and discharge to make most use of the battery. Hence the plan for extra panels just to keep the battery charged over winter.
However, yes, going off topic. However, the conversation is very related to the wider context of what I'm working towards which is setting ourselves up to be as self-reliant as practicable when it comes to energy production and consumption. Maybe I should start a new topic in the appropriate forum to continue this conversation
I had a quick look at OpenEVSE and it's based in America. I asked Uncle Google about sellers within Australia and nothing came up. As such, I'm a little concerned with warranty claims should something go wrong. Currently, Zappi seems to be most appropriate unless, of course, I find additional info. I'm open to suggestions
