Hi,
Just done a scan of the forum and can find no recent posts about this unicorn? Does it exist or will it exist in the near future.
Currently using the Granny to harvest spare solar which works but involves a bit of effort - Don't want MyEnergy Zappi and as I am using the GivEnergy eco system it might be worth a punt if they ever release it?
BTW - I am not on Twitter or FaceStalk so can't check those out or nothing pops up on the google search...
Helloooo GivEnergy...any replies?
PeterH there was a long post with a lot of comments on one of the GE owner groups on facebook
M_J Yes it exists and from a recent video I saw from the Fully Charged Show, they are in the country. This is the post being referred to on Facebook which of course you can't see so here's the text from the post and the picture alongside it. Hopefully it's out soon because I want one!
Now starting my forth week of beta testing the charger for Givenergy, will be the third iteration of the app and fourth version of firmware so far. Every step forward keeps ironing out the bugs and it really is close to being polished.
Three modes working well at the moment:
- Boost, a timed charge at whatever speed you want
- Eco, a minimum of 1.4kW to the car plus any excess from solar that is available.
- Eco+, any excess is diverted from the grid to the car
Keyfob available to enable whatever mode is set without having to use the app, handy for the partner to just plug in and tap it to enable eco+.
Can have it setup as plug n go as well should you want to let the car do the timings.
Eco+ offers a few interesting features I've not seen elsewhere, car dependant I have had it diverting as little as 3a my Nissan Leaf (through a £30 eBay special T2-T1 adapter!). Tesla however refuses to charge below 6a so it is car dependent.
The response times on eco+ are very very quick currently, it is reacting to clouds etc exceptionally fast and managing to capture a huge % of excess.
The size of the unit is brilliant, it is easily half the size of a pod point and very well made, it's a solid unit and really feels built to last.
The random delayed start on Boost mode is slightly frustrating however it's a government requirement to prevent everyone starting at the same time!
Definitely been a lot of issues so far but the guys have been brilliant at responding to bug reports and removing them, even taking on board suggestions for features.
So people are aware I am not a Giv employee, just a genuine end user with real world experience.
Thanks Yorkie, the suspense is huge !
Thanks for doing that and I will keep an eye open for its release - they talked about doing a Beta last year - so not sure when the actual Beta started - but nice to see it is one step closer - just popped outside to plug in the Granny to make use of the sun today - so would save a bit of aggro each day for me and give my better half a all in one solution - she would not use the Granny charger to get free sun - but my Yorkshire roots are strong...
If you look around the 8:41 mark of this video by EVM he shows a little preview of the software on the app...
Does anyone know if it’s tethered only?
The boost/eco/eco+ suggests there is a degree of similarity to another product out there.
kram According to the datasheet, it seems like it's tethered only. With most cars being Type 2 now anyway, it's less of an issue these days although I would like maybe 6 metres as that would give me another driveway park option. Not a deal breaker though.
I hope they do an untethered version! Tethered doesn't score highly on the WAF (Wife Approval Factor). I have a Zappi and these modes look very familiar... hopefully they work more straight forwardly than with the Zappi, as that often competes with our GE batteries when in Eco or Eco+ and has on occasion started draining them too.
They're lumped in with our PV on the app so it's just 'generation' to the charger. Hoping software will enable far more control regarding where the charger can pull power from and priorities. Would love to get my hands on that demo software!
I have a zappi, so will be staying with that, however it plays just fine with AC batteries, it's only the bodges for hybrids where it can't be separated is a bit of a headache.
@kram yes, I'm beginning to wish I'd gone the AC route now... charger was always part of the plan, but installer was adamant it would 'make no difference' to the charger having them lumped together.
Looking into ways to add another CT clamp into the mix and hopefully split them out. There do appear to be options in the Zappi hardwired options for excluding home batteries once it can see them.
Arron
If the battery is DC coupled then I don't see how you could just add another CT as they require AC to work.
Of course you could always add an AC3 on your batteries and a CT there so they are separated, but that's quite an investment to just save a relatively minor headache.
I assume you've set the options in the zappi which specify the minimum export and also the time this excess needs to be there before it charges?
I imagine what you could do would be to use Home Assistant to pause the GE battery when the excess ramps up to a certain level, if the battery is above a specified charge threshold. A bit manual to initially set up, but probably cheaper than an AC3.
Arron I went AC coupled for this reason, I wanted the best integration available (at the time) with my existing kit. I think the options you’re referring to as the avoid drain/charge/both? You also have export limits and thresholds. I don’t know of any option where it can complete exclude the batteries at any point (only a rewire so that the batteries can’t see Zappi as a load or a ME libbi can exclude completely).
The avoid drain works relatively well on sunny days. Means batteries get first dibs on power till they are full, then if you’ve eco plus set, it will just charge from solar.
Yorkie71 I'd like 10m! My car is third on the drive - i.e. last one on usually as its the only one that is driven most days. Having to shunt cars around twice a day is not viable (For the health of the ICE cars if nothing else!)
Tethered only but apparently really easy to swap out for longer if needed. No idea on warranty for doing that though.
anglefire
Hypervolts come with 10m. Costs extra and having had one for 18 months I think I have finished beta testing it for them. The quality of the materials is really not good either. If you go for one do not order white - unless you want cream a year later!
SimonClarke
must be made of the same white plastic that mira showers / panasonic microwaves are made of, slow release cream pigment built in.
SimonClarke not on the octopus list anyway so won’t be getting that one!
I hope the octopus one goes on - once it’s readily available- and that a longer cable is possible. Otherwise it will be an untethered zappi and I’ll get a 10m lead. Just adds to the overall cost by about £400 🙄
anglefire
I’m using Octopus Intelligent- and a Tesla. Just disregards the Hypervolt…
kram it's only the bodges for hybrids where it can't be separated is a bit of a headache.
We have hybrids and Zappi. If I want to charge the EV from what would otherwise be exported, I set the Zappi to ECO+ with 100% Minimum Green Level (MGL). If export exceeds 1.4kW, whatever surplus PV there is (up to 7.3kW) gets diverted, if it's less, zappi waits. Works every time.
I asked at Fully Charged about cable length on the Givenergy charger. The guy said that the cable can be changed to an aftermarket one without affecting warranty, as an 8m cable is ideal for us, 5m or 6.5m is too short.
Spike all a bit academic if you can’t buy one…