Electric Vehicle (EV) charging and thunderstorms - Is it safe/recommended?

It sure does. Even without the photo of the earth wire, there’s a neat label to the right which seems to provide the answer!

And what about your EV charger, @Mateus77 ?

What is in your Consumer Unit which provides the electricity supply to it?

Does the charger have its own earthing (of any sort)?

I think this diagram provides the correct way to connect an EV charger to a house with a PME (TN-C-S) supply and has anti-surge protection for both the mains incomer and the ground wave induced by lightning.

Can you check if you think I’ve missed anything please @PeterR1947, @sylm_2000  and @D10hul ?

Once we’re agreed, I’ll copy it across to the topic How I installed an EV charging point and provide a full description there.

@Mateus77if you know a local electrician, this is the moment to ask them to have a look at what I’m suggesting!

For a full description of this wiring diagram see here.

Images to confirm my wiring of the charger, believe the missing parts are the surge protection!

The surge protection is optional, mine doesn’t have it

Thanks @Mateus77 - lots to consider here.

1: You have an earth stake. Let’s hope that it’s the only earth connection to your EV charger. You don’t want another one within the cable connecting it back to the Consumer Unit.

You should’ve been provided with a ‘Part-P’ test certificate for the mains part of the charger installation. With this should be a test-sheet showing the resistance readings and response-times for the relevant trips.

One of those readings will be the earth-loop resistance. That must be below 200Ω (ohms), and preferably a lot less.

2: I don’t like the choice of a Type-A RCBO in the metal enclosure marked “DB EV”. These don’t offer enough protection to all types of DC fault which the charger can impose onto the connection.

Rolec advertise it as “DC sensitive”, which it is if the DC component is pulsing at a frequency close to the 50Hz mains. I don’t think that’s adequate.

See the description I put on the topic about How I installed an EV Charging point and this diagram in particular:

3: I note that both the MCB feeding the EV circuit from the Consumer Unit, and the separate RCBO are rated 40A.

Your charger should take no more than 32A (7½kW). The 40A rating is to protect the wiring that leads to the charger. From the photo I can’t tell if that cable is thicker than the 2.5mm² which is used for power-rings. If it’s only 2.5mm² then the 40A is too high.

4: If your charger is within the garage and being fed from a standard Twin-and-earth cable, then we hope that the earth is not connected at the charger end. You probably can’t tell without having the cover removed.

@PeterR1947 wrote:

The surge protection is optional, mine doesn’t have it

The lightning/surge damage is also optional. You don’t need to have it

LOL

My new V2G charger is connected to a Crowd Charge controller in a metal case (as my CU is plastic) and this is fed from a Henley block directly from the meter.  This also has a Type-A RCBO so this seems to be a common issue.

I have also checked with Wallbox and my Quasar V2G charger does not have built in surge protection

@PeterR1947I can’t seem to find the Forum Topic where you introduced the Quasar V2G charger and the control system which drives it.

If there isn’t one yet, you’ll have both Moderators snapping at your heels!

@Jess_OVO- get him! 

Even so, we ought to be regarding the surge-suppression devices and the Type B RCD/RCBO in similar fashion to having house insurance to protect against fire.

Everything’s fine without paying the premium until it’s your house which gets reduced to a pile of ashes.

The level of protection devices which I’ve installed is expensive. But then so is your EV and its charger.

Any response from your insurers yet @Mateus77 ?

It would be great if they could be reading this discussion.