Thread: Goingbush's Electric Vehicle project

Originally Posted by VladTepes

I'd have thought that putting 3-phase power to a residence just to charge a car suddenly makes that a very expensive uneconomic proposition.

Are you able to point me to more info on please?


I've an urge (but not currently the money) to make an electric road car of an Aussie 70's Ford LTD.

Here is a link to Elcon TC Chargers, very good chargers. Mine is the 3.3kw (2nd picture) , The top picture is the 6.6Kw version.

ElCon High Frequency PFC Battery Chargers

Lots of people have three-phase power to their garages, particularly if they do welding.

And lots of areas with only one phase available - while I have no grid power, almost all the properties I know of round here only have one phase, with a small transformer near the house.

Or not so near the house... Our transformer is near a shed so our PV system is there. I've setup a wireless switching system to switch on the electric hot water system in the house when there's enough power being generated to run the HWS without using grid power. The house is too far from the meter box and transformer to be mounted on the house due to too much voltage drop but the house is too shaded anyway to be worthwhile.

Have you considered solar hot water? Ours cost about $4000.

That would be a waste of money now but heating water wasn't a particular concern anyway as it was using off-peak power. As it happens 7kW would have been sufficient but the info provided by solar installers only referred to average production in our area whereas I now know that solar output better resembles an on/off switch - all or near enough to nothing. We could have installed less again and changed the heating element for a lower wattage one although at the time I didn't know that lower wattage elements were available. However a lower wattage element is still an option as it would allow more exported power in a day as we can't hit the 5kW limit while the water is heating, although it doesn't run for long except in winter when there's not much opportunity for more export.

Hmm, somewhat OT.

Originally Posted by Graeme

That would be a waste of money now but heating water wasn't a particular concern anyway as it was using off-peak power. As it happens 7kW would have been sufficient but the info provided by solar installers only referred to average production in our area whereas I now know that solar output better resembles an on/off switch - all or near enough to nothing. We could have installed less again and changed the heating element for a lower wattage one although at the time I didn't know that lower wattage elements were available. However a lower wattage element is still an option as it would allow more exported power in a day as we can't hit the 5kW limit while the water is heating, although it doesn't run for long except in winter when there's not much opportunity for more export.

Hmm, somewhat OT.

I guess you guys all know about what I have just learned ie electric heat pumps for hot water provision (bit like an a/c?)
They cost in the order of $4K before rebates, but can be timer set depending on your solar situation re REBS etc
Two recommended are Therman is Reece inhouse brand - the unit is a Rebadged Stiebel Eltron unit ex Germany, and Bosch.

Meanwhile this isn't a HWS thread...

Those chargers you linked to - they are for 15A power point are they?