Immersun & Electric Vehicle

[Percy Veer]

I've 4 kw solar panels producing domestic power and integrated with an Immersun unit to feed the immersion heater.
I'm buying an electric car, and Immersun state that my current Immersun unit is not suitable to automatically provide solar power to the electric car.

There latest model is okay for this (£500) and they recommend an EV charger known as the 'Zappi' (£700) plus installation

I realise in winter the panels will be useless for this, but on summer days it should work well. The panels produce 2400 kw more than we use. The car will be at home most days.

Has anyone got any other idea of a way to use the solar panels to automatically provide hot water and charge the car, or know of someone who can do this?

Is there a way to use the car's batteries as electrical storage for the house?

Thanks

 

[rollestonpark]

Firstly since the car battery is a 'premium' (expensive) battery with a limited life, I personally would not want to charge and discharge them all the time in order to power the house.
Since this would in effect be pulling mileage on the car's battery.

For a minute lets forget about the immersun water heater....:
Normally to charge the car from solar as you describe, the zappi would have a CT (of it's own) on the incoming supply, when it detects export to the grid, it diverts to the car.
The AC-DC chargers in the cars normally have a minimum charge rate of 6amp and can be adjusted by 1 amp increments up to 32amp.
So the zappi will ask the car to charge at 6amp and the incar AC-DC charger will comply and start at that or whatever level it's asked.

Some of the cars contactors will click/clonk in and out as they are asked by the zappi to stop charging and restart, this could cause excessive wear on the car's onboard contactor.
For this reason some people will set the zappi to charge immediately on connection and set a minimum of 6amp charge rate regardless of export/import. To avoid clicking in and out when export becomes too low. (then ramp up and down from this set point)

I would say you will need to set an order of preference, with the car taking the electric first and the water heater second. Problem is do you want to charge slow, then send the rest to the heater, or just get the car charged first and then switch to the hot water after?

 

[Percy Veer]

Thanks, rollestonpark

With the info. you gave I phoned a couple of companies and discussed the matter.

I'll probably go for a Zappi from myenergi

Regards

 

[renewablejohn]

I've 4 kw solar panels producing domestic power and integrated with an Immersun unit to feed the immersion heater.
I'm buying an electric car, and Immersun state that my current Immersun unit is not suitable to automatically provide solar power to the electric car.

There latest model is okay for this (£500) and they recommend an EV charger known as the 'Zappi' (£700) plus installation

I realise in winter the panels will be useless for this, but on summer days it should work well. The panels produce 2400 kw more than we use. The car will be at home most days.

Has anyone got any other idea of a way to use the solar panels to automatically provide hot water and charge the car, or know of someone who can do this?

Is there a way to use the car's batteries as electrical storage for the house?

Thanks

If you buy the right car you will have no difficulty in using the cars battery for electric storage for the house. Now if your PV panels had been PVT panels then you could heat your water and still have the PV for charging your car.