Is an 11kW L2 wall connector actually worth the $2K install if I've already got 3-phase, solar and a battery?
Ordered a Geely EX5, due sometime in November. We've had the panels and the battery in for about two years now, and when we did the rewire for those the sparky ran a 3-phase feed out to the garage at the same time on his recommendation, mostly because it wasn't much extra while the wall was already open. Never actually used any of it for a car until now.
Got a quote this week for an Ocular Home Plus install, $2,000 all up including the fused isolator and a bit of conduit run. I drive about 200km a week, mostly the school run and the tip on Saturdays, nothing dramatic. Before I sign off on the $2K I want to actually understand what I'd be giving up running the granny charger off a GPO overnight instead, given the car's only topping up small amounts most nights anyway. Anyone done the actual math on this rather than just assumed L2 is obviously better?
Filed under: Home Charging AU
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16 ANSWERS
@trent_b87July 24, 2026
Before you weigh up the $2K, ask the sparky exactly what that 3-phase run to the garage was actually terminated with two years ago — a lot of 'ready for later' work stops at a blank plate, not a charger-rated isolator. If it's genuinely terminated and tested, the install cost is mostly the Ocular Home Plus unit and conduit, not new wiring. For 200km a week the granny charger will keep up fine most nights. The only real case for 11kW is a second EV down the track sharing the same circuit, or wanting a full charge inside an hour on the rare big day.
Good point, I actually don't know what state that run was left in. Is that something I ask the original sparky about or does whoever quotes the Ocular Home Plus check it themselves as standard?
Whoever's quoting the wall unit should be checking it as standard, but I'd ask outright rather than assume. If they don't mention checking the termination at all in the quote, that's worth pushing back on before you sign anything.
Will do, appreciate the steer — wouldn't have thought to bring that up myself, would've just signed off on the quote as is.
@davo9July 24, 2026
With the battery already in, get the installer to confirm whether the Ocular Home Plus can talk to your inverter and only draw once export passes a set threshold. Mine's set to kick in past 4kW so it's mostly free sunlight going into the car instead of a few cents a kWh back to the grid. Changes the payback math a fair bit versus just comparing off-peak tariff rates.
Never even considered that. Is that a setting on the charger unit itself or does it need the battery system's app to actually manage it?
Depends on the charger — some do it natively, others need the inverter's API talking to a smart charger controller. Worth asking the installer specifically before they start, because retrofitting that after install is more hassle than it needs to be.
@gregolasJuly 30, 2026
Running mine plain off a GPO in Newcastle, no solar, no battery, nothing like your setup. Still gets me about 15km an hour overnight which covers what I actually drive. Different equation entirely once you've already got the panels and battery paid off though.
That's the bit people miss comparing these threads. My $2K+ was the wiring from scratch, no existing 3-phase to build on. OP's really only paying for the charger and a fairly short run.
@bazza_wJuly 29, 2026
Curious whether Geely flags home charger installs for warranty purposes at all, the way some of the Chinese brands apparently do with aftermarket accessories. Anyone with an EX5 run into that yet, or is it a non-issue like it seems to be with BYD?
Can't speak to Geely specifically, but for BYD it's genuinely never come up as an issue for me or anyone I've seen post about it — the vehicle warranty covers the car regardless of what's feeding it power through a standard Type 2 connection, and the wallbox itself carries its own separate warranty from whoever makes it. I'd be surprised if Geely's different, but the EX5's new enough here that I wouldn't just assume — I'd get the dealer to confirm it in writing rather than finding out the hard way.
@jdubzJuly 27, 2026
Slightly off topic, but does an install like this ever get bundled into a novated lease as a running cost, or is charging equipment always excluded from that side of things?
Asked my provider almost this exact question for my own install. Got told charging equipment isn't in the standard running cost bundle but might be added if I got a separate quote upfront. Still don't know if that's typical or just how mine works.
@just_lurking22July 26, 2026
watching this one closely
@margs4lifeJuly 28, 2026
Still not totally sure what 11kW actually changes day to day versus what I've got. Does the car charge noticeably faster overnight or is it more about the big top-ups after a long drive?
Been asking around about exactly this before committing to an install myself. For a pattern like yours — school runs and errands, nothing extreme — people keep telling me the day-to-day difference is small, a granny charger or basic setup claws it back overnight either way. Where the faster unit actually earns its keep is the occasional big day: get back low and want it topped up in hours instead of overnight, or a second EV shares the circuit down the track. Sounds like more headroom for a day you don't have yet than something you'd notice most weeks, going by what I've heard.
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