Does anyone own or run a professional gite? I am interested in your thoughts and solution for EV power.
It never used to be when visitors rolled up in a petrol/diesel fuelled car that the first question they asked was: ‘where is the fuel pump…?’ But now with the proliferation of EVs, it seems that we all have to pander to their electrical requirements!
So be it. It is progress. I sussed early on that these cars carried domestic charging leads, so immediately I hard wired my towel rails, hair dryers, kettle and hob and changed all the MCBs to as low amperage that would just about power a TV and phone charger (visitors in the summer have little more to power up)
Whilst this will prevent a visitor sucking out my electricity, the Gite is there for their enjoyment, so eventually I get around to thinking of providing a charging point. So off I trot to Gites de France to see what their thoughts might be.
“…well, if you want to be really upmarket, you could sir, fit a fast charging point…” I thought OK, that might be cool and put me one up “…but it will cost you in the region of cinq mille euros.” I usually feign at numbers in French, but that one hit me fair and square ’ “…but a far better option” he continued, “would be to fit a dedicated lockable slow charge socket at cinq cent euros…”
Now, wiring in an armour cabled socket to a fuse board is well within my capabilities, but as it is a Gite, and anything were to go wrong, it has to be done professionally.
Badger, if you are reading this, I hope you are on top of this game and not missing out on a trick - assuming there are many Gites in your area…
Sure! I am embracing them otherwise would not be thinking of a dedicated installation.
Charge accordingly? What do you mean? Allow them to plug a huge Tessla into my electricity and I either absorb the cost or raise the rental? It is an unknown what these cars take, plus it is dependant on their use.
No, EV users know they have to pay, I just want to make sure it is possible for them to ‘fill up’ and me not to be out of pocket!
Do I assume you are a Gite owner and allow charging of EVs in the rental?
We have a gîte and a dedicated 7w charging point they can use. It is hugely simple as the system tells me exactly what they have used to be able to charge them a precise service charge. Equally I can set it to deliver X kWhs for a service charge of Y. It is illegal to resell electricity at a higher price.
The last thing we want is them using domestic sockets, so far better to provide a proper facility.
And we got 300€ credit impôt for installing the charge point (which cost around €1000).
I don’t see much difference between providing that and a washing machine/dishwasher/oven/microwave/ etc etc that are standard equipment. It depends how modern and eco one wishes one’s gîte to be.
That would be a ridiculous price for the installation of any charger usable in a domestic situation (i.e. up to 22kW triphasé). @JaneJones is nearer the mark with her 1k€ figure.
Again, ridiculous for such a thing.
Any charging point of 3,7kW capacity or above must be installed by an approved professional.
There is nothing to stop you from fitting a dedicated exterior socket which can be used by the slow chargers that most (not all) EVs come with. They typically only draw 2,3kW/10A but are perfectly sufficient to provide plenty of kWh during an overnight charge e.g. 2,3 x 10 hours = 23 kWh.
You could fit a resale approved meter to the dedicated circuit & therefore charge (!) accordingly. Another option is to meter the whole gîte supply & charge for all use.
You may want to think about providing properly made adaptors from a French plug to a selection of other socket types, as holiday makers will turn up with chargers with the connector of their home country on.
Lots of gîtes, & I’ve done the installation course too, but I’ve retired…
Choose the right box Adam and it will allow you to charge (no pun intended) for what is used.
I paid around €1500 installed for a 22KW unit with the extra box that balances your house needs and the charger needs. Seems to have billing features too, but I don’t need them.
Of course, none of these things are chargers, the charger is in the vehicle
Do you have a gîte? GdF often pay above 7kWh a day which is seen as old fashioned and a pain in the neck to manage. Holiday makers tend to prefer to be on holiday and pay an inclusive rental for the period. With specific extras, tourist tax, like EV charge or extra wood.
just like everything else… something really important can never be said too often.
no matter how we try, there will still be folk who miss it… until it is too late
EDIT:If there is an incident/accident… Insurers of the Gite will naturally look closely to see whether or not their small print about “Charging EV’s” (and everything else) was complied with…
No doubt different Assurers will view “Charging EV’s” differently… better to find out how one’s existing Assurer stands on this… before it’s needed.
Yes an exterior grade socket if its for outdoors but unless its a larger supply 7kW or 22kW which would need its own dedicated supply its the house wiring that needs checking not really anything to do with the EV, you could equally be running any heavy duty piece of equipment outside and have the same issue.
The load drawn by any EV charger that uses a domestic plug does not represent a load that should create any issue with properly installed wiring.
However, it is best to treat an EV as a large appliance (like a water heater) that draws a reasonable load for a long period. This is the reason that such things have a dedicated circuit so that this continuous load flows through the minimum number of other connections. Electrical fires tend to be caused by bad/loose/sloppily made connections.
If one is wanting to meter EV charging use then a dedicated circuit is essential.
@Badger@Corona and everyone.
The point I’m making is that IF the Gite Assurance lays down the law re EV charging… and sys “NO”… either the Gite Owner changes to a “EV charging” compliant Assurance… or does not offer that “perk” to Gite tenants…
Fully agree that correct wiring is essential…
but Assurance Companies “details/restrictions”… are ignored at one’s peril.
Exactly and checking electrics prevents fires insuring your house doesnt. You might rebuild it but would have lost everything. Similar to sweeping your chimney, its a safety precaution control measure.
Thats the way engineers look at things, others view them differently of course.
’ “…but a far better option” he continued, “would be to fit a dedicated lockable slow charge socket at cinq cent euros…”
