GWM Ora, granny charger working fine — is paying for anything more actually worth it?
Picked up a secondhand GWM Ora a few months back, first EV, still on the granny charger that came in the boot off the regular GPO in the carport. Works fine for what I need — few km each way to the shops and back most days. Only started looking into upgrading because a mate reckons I'm risking the wiring running it every night like this. Looked at a 15A portable, most of the decent ones are $400 plus, and then there's the Ocular Home Plus wall unit at $700 before you even add the install. Feels like a lot of money for something that's apparently been working fine so far. Is my mate right to be worried, or is this just people telling me to spend money I don't need to?
Filed under: Home Charging AU
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6 answers
6 ANSWERS
@trent_b87July 30, 2026
The wiring risk your mate's talking about comes down to the circuit behind the GPO, not the granny charger itself. An original, dedicated circuit in decent condition will run one every night for years without drama. What actually causes problems is a loose neutral or a GPO that's already been swapped out with a cheap aftermarket one at some point. A $150 call-out to check the terminals tells you more than either the $400 portable or the $700 wall unit will.
No idea how original that GPO is, house was built in the 80s. Worth getting someone out to check it before I spend anything on the wall unit?
80s wiring's exactly the era I'd want eyes on before trusting it nightly. Not saying it's bad, just that the outlet's actual condition is the variable that matters, not whether it's a granny charger or a $700 unit.
@bennyboy21July 24, 2026
Never bothered upgrading on my Atto 3. Granny charger's covered every commute so far, no dramas. Only reason I'd spend the money is wanting the speed, not because someone told me the outlet's risky.
@shazbot99July 24, 2026
No idea what climate you're in but mine gets warm to the touch on the properly hot days up here. Not alarming exactly, just something I've started checking that I never used to bother with.
@just_lurking22July 24, 2026
does running it every night actually wear out the outlet itself faster, or is that more about the house wiring behind it?
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