Charging an electric car

Dec Downey · Apr 28, 2022

The Caravan and Motorhome Club May 2022 magazine has a piece on vehicle charging at uk club campsites. It recommends the cost £9 per charge will be billed to the happy camper for an overnight charge delivered via the outfit to fully charge a hybrid or top up a fully electric car. They recommend the charging lead is plugged into the mains socket within the campervan or caravan and not directly via the charging EHU bollard on the site using the three pin plug generally used to charge from the mains supply at home. I’d appreciate comments from forum members, is this the right and safe procedure, not keen to melt down my battery or circuitry!

WelshGas · Apr 28, 2022

Dec Downey said:
The Caravan and Motorhome Club May 2022 magazine has a piece on vehicle charging at uk club campsites. It recommends the cost £9 per charge will be billed to the happy camper for an overnight charge delivered via the outfit to fully charge a hybrid or top up a fully electric car. They recommend the charging lead is plugged into the mains socket within the campervan or caravan and not directly via the charging EHU bollard on the site using the three pin plug generally used to charge from the mains supply at home. I’d appreciate comments from forum members, is this the right and safe procedure, not keen to melt down my battery or circuitry!

That is perfectly safe method of doing it. You just use the Mains socket on the end of the kitchen unit.

DO NOT use the Inverter mains socket at the base of the B Pillar, by the kitchen unit, or on the Drivers seat base on the T6.1.

AlanC · Apr 28, 2022

The mains electrics in a Cali (assuming you own a SE or Ocean) are supplied via the 2 pole breaker in the back wardrobe.
If there is an electrical fault, this breaker will trip and protect the van's electrical systems, both 12 and 240-volt ones. So you do not need to worry.

The downside is the mains charging cable will have to be run though a door or window to the 13amp socket on the end of the kitchen unit.

I can't speak for the Beach as I have no knowledge of the electrical system on those vans. Having said that I would expect the system to be equally well protected.

Alan

Ch1pbutty · Apr 28, 2022

Dec Downey said:
The Caravan and Motorhome Club May 2022 magazine has a piece on vehicle charging at uk club campsites. It recommends the cost £9 per charge will be billed to the happy camper for an overnight charge delivered via the outfit to fully charge a hybrid or top up a fully electric car. They recommend the charging lead is plugged into the mains socket within the campervan or caravan and not directly via the charging EHU bollard on the site using the three pin plug generally used to charge from the mains supply at home. I’d appreciate comments from forum members, is this the right and safe procedure, not keen to melt down my battery or circuitry!

Safe but slow. Charging will pull 10amps (whether from site bollard or van internal socket), guessing that you would probably get 80/100 miles from overnight charge from a 3 pin plug, but still a lot cheaper than diesel basis current prices.

Electric cars are ‘intelligent’, so will generally not take more than is available, so difficult to trip the electrics versus say plugging an electric oven / hob into the hook up!

RodCouncil · Apr 28, 2022

The charging is done by the car, nothing to fear, at worst it will just be slow due to the phase and amperage of the campsites feed.

Although 9 quid sounds expensive, electricity here is so cheap.

Ozzy Pete · Apr 29, 2022

RodCouncil said:
The charging is done by the car, nothing to fear, at worst it will just be slow due to the phase and amperage of the campsites feed.

Although 9 quid sounds expensive, electricity here is so cheap.

I wouldn’t know how much the price of electricity is PKH in Sweden but it’s certainly not cheap here in the UK any longer. I suppose it all depends on what deal the campsite is on and what company they are with. But as a business they wouldn’t be protected by the price cap.

johnyboy · Apr 29, 2022

I can test this at home if you're worried?

Bobby D · Apr 30, 2022

£9!.... On average our A3 Etron costs £1.30 for a full charge.

That will get between 20-27 miles depending on temps.

£9 for a full charge on a fully electric car I can understand, but £3 an hour is just robbery.