Anyone sent the EV back and just got a Zappi instead?

This show doesn't seem worth sitting through. Countless hours trying to get it to perform as it should, callbacks that don't happen, confused techs agreeing it wasn't ready for release. Fundamentally:

• The lights on the front never say PV, only ever Grid, and each arrowhead's end flashes alternately. No big deal, I thought; if it works, I would turn the LED off tbh - I only want excess solar charging (the whole premise for this product for me).
• The solar-only request is ignored. All settings have been checked and confirmed, then this unit goes into a world of its own and not only draws from the grid when there's a clear excess of solar but swings the data back the other way for a while, looking like more is being exported to the grid than is possible in the live system graphs.

When Its not in use - everything seems to work as it should, but set the car charging and anything can happen! Faulty Unit? Installation issue? I'm caught in the middle, and time is ticking - Giv said they would take it back and refund it, but I don't see that as a resolution. They need to visit the site and evaluate it with a new unit on hand, which I don't think I will get.

Thoughts?

ANT80 Your contract is with your installer so really they should be the ones replacing the unit if it’s felt to be faulty and not operating as per the manual.

If you paid for the install partly on credit card you can invoke the section 75 protection and go after the credit card company as well for resolution.

More info and settings:

Watch the grid shift from export to import as it's plugged in and set to these settings, then go back and forth.

geoffreycoan - I haven't signed off on the system and there is still a motivational amount due (all on credit card), so no worries on that front, I'm just not confident that they can resolve this one. I think they would switch it out for a Zappi. and so my question is, has anyone gone this route and had cool runnings?

Also, ignore the straight lines, which was a clear comms issue whilst the installers tried everything and reset the unit and check wiring etc.

Note to the wise: Plug and Go needs more explanation. While you might think it bypasses the security RFID or app starting requirements, it actually just allows the unit to have free reign, overrides any setting to Solar, and goes Hybrid.

ANT80 I think they would switch it out for a Zappi.

You can't expect givenergy to do that, surely. Best they'd do is a refund.
Your installer would probably do it, but you'd be expected to pay the difference in the unit price. Installation can almost certainly reuse the same cabling. (Though perhaps awkward since it will have been cut to fit the GE unit.)

Zappi does want twisted-pair cables to connect to CT - my installer used the magic EVSE cable that runs twisted-pairs alongside the power cables within the sleeving.

Haven't tried GE chargepoint, but can certainly recommend Zappi. But would recommend at least considering getting the CT clamps wired such that inverter cannot see the chargepoint. Certainly if you plan to get IOG tariff, with it's unpredictable charging times. Awkward to avoid home battery discharging into car.

DD Thanks; the installer has mentioned that it would be wired (and when set to eco+) to track the export kW and only kick in at a threshold on a time delay to allow the battery charging to take priority (thus knocking the export back below the trigger point).

I can see how it would work, Im happy for the car charging to appear on the Dash as a home load - since it doesn't track EV use specifically, which I think is another oversight.

ANT80 Thanks; the installer has mentioned that it would be wired (and when set to eco+) to track the export kW and only kick in at a threshold on a time delay to allow the battery charging to take priority (thus knocking the export back below the trigger point).

The zappi..? Yeah, that's a long argument I had with my installer. There are two parts to the problem:
1) Getting the zappi to distinguish solar export from battery discharge if you do a solar charge
2) Preventing the GE battery from discharging into the car overnight when the car is charging.

Can address (1) via settings on the zappi. (Though in practise, I never want zappi to charge the car with exported solar - exporting that earns me 15p, whereas importing overnight costs only 7.5p with IOG tariff.)

But you cannot address (2) from the Zappi - it just wants to charge from the grid, but the GE has a mindset of "import is bad: I must discharge the battery to prevent that". Easy to avoid when charging with fixed times, since I can pause battery discharge. But IOG sometimes schedules charging outside normal cheap rate. (I've seen as late as 11am on a Saturday morning.)

I have never had a GE EV Charger but I do have a Zappi with a GE Solar installation.

They do on the whole play well together. I do not usually have a problem with the Zappi trying to empty the battery but through the day it will use a little battery down to 95% give or take with cloud cover coming over etc. Normally the system does work it out and the battery recovers before it gets any lower.

I usually wait until I have at least exported enough to cover a days worth of standing charge.

It would take quite a bit to make me consider changing from the Zappi it is a reliable charger that does play well with the GE inverter especially when I put a CT on the AC output on the inverter. The Zappi firmware updates easily and has never had an issue due to updating in contrast to my GE system that more often or not fails to update without issues requiring GE support intervention.

A second vote for the Zappi. I had mine prior to my GE installation and the GE charger wasn’t even announced/nor was the ME libbi. So in the middle of both ecosystems. I went AC coupled so it would play better. As long as you have CT clamps in the right place, it won’t drain the batteries during the day when it can distinguish grid/battery from solar. At night I just set the batteries to charge at the same time or down to a set %.

Thanks, chaps. 2nd Line support has spent the whole day looking at this and playing with settings. They acknowledge that this was not ready for the market and are working on a fix. I didn't sign up for beta testing, so this will be a Zappi on Monday.

They queried everything and had the wiring inspected via photographs, etc. I bet they are racking up some serious time investigating issues, but it's the installers I feel for; my installer has already halted putting these in until further notice.

If it is set to solar and plug and go is off and looks like this - dont accept it:

ANT80

This is a screenshot from today as you can see the Zappi follows the solar excess reasonably well with only a small drain on the battery that is soon recovered. I connected the car after exporting enough to the grid to cover todays standing charge.

killythebid Thing is, with a zappi you can have IOG, and with IOG you can charge overnight for 7.5p and export for 15p. There doesn't seem to be any financial incentive for solar-charging.

Unless you're on FIT, but since you are exporting enough to cover standing charge, I'm guessing you're not.

DD Unless you're on FIT, but since you are exporting enough to cover standing charge, I'm guessing you're not.

If you have FIT then you’d have had to give up the FIT deemed export payments if you want to start getting paid for measured export (or when you have a smart meter fitted).

I agree using IOG is a big incentive to have a Zappi at the moment

DD Yes I know that but I like using my own excess for my own purpose and running the car on clean energy. I am less concerned with extracting the ultimate/fastest ROI. I will pay off the investment soon enough.