Hello & question re the Myenergi Zappi 2 charger 7kW

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Andy11mc
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:21 am

Post by Andy11mc »

Hi everyone.

Have been reading the forums with interest and am really excited about the move over to electric for the first time. I am due to get an ID. 3 Life Pro Performance 58kWh.

I am in the process of changing my electricity tariff to Octopus Go and have pretty much decided to get a Zappi 2.

However, I have seen on the posts and elsewhere online that owners have experienced problems using the Zappi and would be grateful for any feedback and advice users have please. I don’t have solar panels (may possibly get some in the future but undecided on this). I want to be able to schedule the charging to take advantage of the off peak tariff.

I’d really be grateful for your help and advice. Thanks in advance.
VW ID. 3 Life Pro Performance - scale silver + 18” east derry black alloys

HeidiFlowerpt Driver
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:30 pm

Post by HeidiFlowerpt Driver »

Hi and welcome.

I have a Zappi 2 and I'm very happy with it. To be frank, though, I hardly use it, I got a payment card with £500 credit on it from VW with my car, and I'm trying to use the credit up before it expires after 12 months, so I'm charging the car mostly at my local public chargepoint.
Some of the problems that have been reported with charging on a Zappi have been related to early software versions in the ID.3. Yours should come with the 2.1 release which works properly. In addition Myenergi, the Zappi manufacturers, are very helpful. But the Zappi really only comes into its own if you have solar panels and it can charge the car with free excess solar generation. I haven't tried that yet, still trying to use up my credit!
ID.3 1st Edition Manganese Grey - called Heidi Flowerpot
Andy11mc
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:21 am

Post by Andy11mc »

Hi HeidiFlowerpt Driver

Thanks for the reply and your reassurance. I’ve been reading loads online and sometimes a little bit of knowledge can be dangerous - after you read some things you end up questioning your decisions so it’s reassuring to hear from someone who has one.
VW ID. 3 Life Pro Performance - scale silver + 18” east derry black alloys
digital
Posts: 121
Joined: Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:07 am

Post by digital »

HeidiFlowerpt Driver wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 3:21 pmBut the Zappi really only comes into its own if you have solar panels and it can charge the car with free excess solar generation.
We're not doing a lot of miles but both ID3s are kept topped up to 80% with surplus solar from our 4kW array even after the Eddi has done its job on heating our domestic hot water cylinder.
ID3 Family, Scale Silver, East Derry alloys.

Go to https://share.octopus.energy/amber-foal-811 to split £100 cashback with me from Octopus Energy.
HeidiFlowerpt Driver
Posts: 251
Joined: Tue Dec 01, 2020 2:30 pm

Post by HeidiFlowerpt Driver »

digital wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 4:34 pm ...after the Eddi has done its job on heating our domestic hot water cylinder.
I don't yet have an Eddi, or for that matter a hot water cylinder. A heating engineer has suggested putting a cylinder on the input to my combi boiler. That way I can heat water with excess solar when we have some, so when we turn on the hot tap the boiler will supply water without the burners firing (because the water coming into the boiler is already hot enough) or in winter when there hasn't been excess solar the combi boiler will fire and heat the water instead. I've never heard of this configuration, I wonder if that's what you have, or is yours a 'conventional' hot water cylinder?
ID.3 1st Edition Manganese Grey - called Heidi Flowerpot
digital
Posts: 121
Joined: Sun Dec 13, 2020 12:07 am

Post by digital »

HeidiFlowerpt Driver wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 4:50 pm
digital wrote: Sat Jun 12, 2021 4:34 pm ...after the Eddi has done its job on heating our domestic hot water cylinder.
I don't yet have an Eddi, or for that matter a hot water cylinder. A heating engineer has suggested putting a cylinder on the input to my combi boiler. That way I can heat water with excess solar when we have some, so when we turn on the hot tap the boiler will supply water without the burners firing (because the water coming into the boiler is already hot enough) or in winter when there hasn't been excess solar the combi boiler will fire and heat the water instead. I've never heard of this configuration, I wonder if that's what you have, or is yours a 'conventional' hot water cylinder?
We have a conventional system boiler/hot water cylinder arrangement.
ID3 Family, Scale Silver, East Derry alloys.

Go to https://share.octopus.energy/amber-foal-811 to split £100 cashback with me from Octopus Energy.
G43FAN

Post by G43FAN »

I think the problem in general with charging especially scheduled is there's a lot of ducks to get in order before it all works.
I have 3 of 4 elements (ID.3, Zappi and PV) and would say it's 90% effective. Just to be clear, I work from home currently and the car is used for small local journeys 95% of the time so I have not needed to use scheduled charging and my attempts have been limited and for curiosity. (I am loving the car and find it is a fantastic vehicle for this kind of use btw)
I have moved to Octopus but don't have a smart meter currently so am on a basic flexi tariff currently.

Zappi and PV..
Fast mode Plug in and you get instant 7.4kW and everything is easy if you have excess the system reduces the amount pulled from the grid otherwise your paying for 7.4kW feed. (Seems to work 100%)

Using ECO+ mode the Zappi should pick up any excess (over 1.4kW as this is a minimun charge level allowable in the EV standards) This seems to be OK initially but over time I have noticed periods where I am exporting 2+kW to the grid rather than to the car which is sat at paused on the screen. In these cases I have had to manually restart the charge with the VW app. This is where the app then usually has an error, but if I force close the app (Android) and restart it the charge has usually recommenced. (the car goes to sleep?)

The issue with ECO+ has left me using ECO most of the time, this provides the minimum 1.4kW charge to the car continually whether from Grid or Solar but increases the charge rate with any excess power from my PV. Again as I am sat at home with the car on the drive I start this manually a lot of the time.

None of the above uses Scheduling in any way. I have given up trying to set a location in the car. Using the scheduler in the Zappi app appears to be OK most of the time but I have only recently started experimenting. Overall I am happy with the setup and think that some of the issues are human created through lack of undersanding. Would I trust the seet up (and my understanding) to get me from say 30% to 100% for an early start and an important rendezvous I doubt it without more testing.
Andy11mc
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:21 am

Post by Andy11mc »

Thanks G43FAN, that’s really useful. So it seems best at least in the shorter term to just plug in and charge rather and I will experiment on the scheduling as time goes on.

Do you know, if you want to maximise the charge to a set figure (e.g. 80% or 100%) can you set this on the Zappi or is done on the car?

Thanks
VW ID. 3 Life Pro Performance - scale silver + 18” east derry black alloys
BEN44R
Posts: 13
Joined: Sun May 16, 2021 12:58 pm

Post by BEN44R »

I have had my ID.3 Family for 3 weeks, came with 2.1 software installed, also Zappi 2 no Solar etc. My method to Schedule charge is all via Zappi (except car settings charge to 80/100%) Then all Schedules set via Zappi wall Box (not App) everyday 00.30 to 04.30. default setting in Zappi Ecco +. Zappi is now virtually Plug & Play when plugged in it waits for schedule charge ( or I can quickly do a boost charge for immediate charge does no effect your schedule settings) Enjoy your new car.
ID.3 Family Pro Performance, Moonstone Grey, Wheels 18" East Derry
Andy11mc
Posts: 4
Joined: Sat Jun 12, 2021 9:21 am

Post by Andy11mc »

Thanks BEN44R
VW ID. 3 Life Pro Performance - scale silver + 18” east derry black alloys
watsonpa
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jun 15, 2021 2:03 pm

Post by watsonpa »

I'm brand new to Zappi (yesterday) and had the ID3 pro performance for a month. So still learning. This note relates to some of what G43FAN has said about ECO+.

I have just had a problem with the Zappi stopping charging in ECO+ mode, despite lots of solar energy and the car still at 40% (set to 80% limit). It shows a message 'charge delayed'. The instructions suggests this means the car has a charging period set...but it doesn't (I'm not sure I can have sessions set up yet on mine).
Reading around (the myenergi forum) this seems to be an intermittent issue for some people and proving troublesome. It may be fixed by unlocking/locking car or other ways of interrupting the car and charger set-up. Unlocking/locking has just worked for me now.
I am wondering if the ID3 has some kind of limit on how many times it can be switched from charge to non charge and back in one continuous session, or how often that happens in period of time. Does anyone else think this and know any more? And is it maybe a bad thing for these car batteries to be continually switching from charge to non charge like this? What would VW say about that I wonder?
I realise the ECO mode may be a better option to keep charge on and continuous, as G43FAN has found, but wanted to explore ECO+ first for pros and cons.

thanks
G43FAN

Post by G43FAN »

watsonpa wrote: Tue Jun 15, 2021 2:17 pm I'm brand new to Zappi (yesterday) and had the ID3 pro performance for a month. So still learning. This note relates to some of what G43FAN has said about ECO+.

I have just had a problem with the Zappi stopping charging in ECO+ mode, despite lots of solar energy and the car still at 40% (set to 80% limit). It shows a message 'charge delayed'. The instructions suggests this means the car has a charging period set...but it doesn't (I'm not sure I can have sessions set up yet on mine).
Reading around (the myenergi forum) this seems to be an intermittent issue for some people and proving troublesome. It may be fixed by unlocking/locking car or other ways of interrupting the car and charger set-up. Unlocking/locking has just worked for me now.
I am wondering if the ID3 has some kind of limit on how many times it can be switched from charge to non charge and back in one continuous session, or how often that happens in period of time. Does anyone else think this and know any more? And is it maybe a bad thing for these car batteries to be continually switching from charge to non charge like this? What would VW say about that I wonder?
I realise the ECO mode may be a better option to keep charge on and continuous, as G43FAN has found, but wanted to explore ECO+ first for pros and cons.

thanks
Yes there's a long thread https://myenergi.info/vw-ev-s-and-eco-t2447-s210.html discussing this, I didn't mention it as I wanted to keep the post fairly short. Also having seen the issue on there a long time ago, I was hoping by now it had been resolved.
With regards to the switching on and off that was something I considered when I thought about just using ECO so at least the charge continues and my excess PV is a bonus boost so to speak. Although the batteries are constantly being charged and drained whilst in use so I don't think the switching of charge on and off would be an issue?
What would VW say? I wouldn't tell them ..!!
I'm fortunate enough to be sat at home everyday currently and popping out to plug in or unlock the car is a break in screen time, but at some point I can see me needing to be able to trust the car to be charged when I get up.
watsonpa
Posts: 3
Joined: Tue Jun 15, 2021 2:03 pm

Post by watsonpa »

Thanks for that. I get the sense it's more of a Zappi issue than VW from the various notes. It seems manageable but not ideal. Ah well!
G43FAN

Post by G43FAN »

watsonpa wrote: Wed Jun 16, 2021 11:03 am Thanks for that. I get the sense it's more of a Zappi issue than VW from the various notes. It seems manageable but not ideal. Ah well!
I got the impression it was more the manufacturers treating standards as guidelines.. I also thought it was sounding more like a VW problem, but I haven't kept up with the 22 pages of discussion, myenergi do seem to have been fairly proactive which is encouraging.
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