Electric car and in laws.

Unless they are using a special extension lead built for this then it is a fire risk. Just keep switching it off. You should plug the car charger wire directly into the 3 pin socket. It won’t actually cost much but is incredibly rude and you need to tell
them to stop

We’ve had this before with family members staying and saying “oh we’ll need to charge the car”. Not asking or suggesting to pay. Had them once stay overnight and charge the car. Smart meter showed something like £14 worth of electric that day - our usual is £3-5. So basically paying for their mileage. It’s not a huge deal but an offer to contribute would be nice (which I would probably refuse anyway, but more the principle).

Why are they charging it every night? Surely they're not driving hundreds of miles every day for it to need daily charging?

I think you're unreasonable unless they're really mean with you? I'm sure it's just normal for them to plug it in. Unless it's really putting you in hardship I wouldn't say anything. Are they paying for food etc too help you out? If I was staying with family I would be sure I left them better off financially.

I would have thought so. But like mobile phones and what not. Drain the battery low ish before charging

I drive an electric car.
I honestly thought charging little and very often like this is bad for the battery's lifespan.
Pretty sure my handbook (Kia Niro) says to only use the 3pin plug in an emergency (i.e. you have 0 battery and need a few miles to get to a charger)
Maybe you can look into this and then convince them it's a poor decision in the long term.

1. How many miles are they driving every day?
2. Are you sure they haven't cleared it with your DP?
3. Would you be as pissed off if it was a friend doing this?

This. 100% this.

I never charge mine while I am asleep or when I'm out.

The problem with sockets though is that people are just used to using them without thought. The whole thing is supposed to be "plug it in, it works". which is fair enough. Until it doesn't.

Plugging it in with a normal plug will be charging it so slowly it won’t be costing you much a all.

I think I would enquire, what the car usually costs to charge so you can be prepared for your next bill, this should give them a good indication that you're struggling without saying it explicitly, if that's something you want to avoid.

Ideally your DP needs to ask, or at least be aware you're going to ask.

People using those layzspa and pool heaters have been burning out sockets too just as some car leads have been. Better safe than sorry when it’s something like that plugged in while your asleep.

Are they allowed to shower and charge their phones?

There will be hardly any domestic fridges that run at 10A continuously for 10 hours. Maybe industrial ones.

Tumble driers probably the closest regular portable appliance, but even they don't run for the length of time a car charger will. Appliances obviously have to be fused at peak current draw (neglecting stuff like inrush currents of course), but the fusing does not necessarily represent the average power consumed over a long time duration. Provided all the wiring and sockets are good 2.5kW is fine for long periods. But in domestic situations maybe people have not checked that that socket in the garage that is normally used only for the lawnmower is in good shape.

My granny charger is switchable between 5A and 10A and I actually bothered to check out the temperature rise in the socket and wiring with an FLIR camera. On 10A there is a noticeable rise in temperature when running these things and I consider the wiring in my place to be in very good shape. I have a crappy cheap construction 2kW portable heater I got for about £15 online and that really does heat the plug up, so much so I will only run it on 1kW max. I suspect the wiring on it is not rated high enough.

I don't get the issues people claim with extension cables. If it is rated at 13A and properly built for that as most decent quality ones are then it should be fine. Daisy chained or not. Obviously there is the extra contact resistance in the plug, but provided the plugs and sockets are in good shape and wired correctly it shouldn't be an issue. As I think you pointed out earlier though, if you coil up wires then that is going to create inductance and get enough inductance then that could really cause issues. That's why a lot of the very long coiled extension leads that retract onto a reel have lower max current ratings.

Me too 🤗

my husband got a proper electric charger installed at my sons house a few months ago when he go his new car - it was free from BMW

he has a new BMW i4 charges it twice a week and it cost him around 25 a week

compared to 70 -80 a week on his previous car

he has an app that tells him how much he has used and then put that money aside to give to my son each month

Charging on a regular three pin is dangerous and big fire risk

But it’s still costing the host money, that they wouldn’t be using on a petrol / diesel guest. It’s cheeky to assume, maybe when we go visit the in-laws dh should siphon
his mams car.

We have an electric car and the manufacturer's instructions were very clear - do not use standard extension cables for overnight charging due to the risk of fire, and if you absolutely have to, you should only use a specially designed extension cable. If you google EV charging you'll find the same advice in many places:

https://www.carsloth.com/advice/ev-charger-extension-cables

https://pod-point.com/guides/should-you-charge-an-electric-car-with-an-extension-cable#:~:text=Summary,faults%20which%20could%20cause%20fires.

https://blog.evbox.com/uk-en/how-to-safely-charge-ev

That's because petrol costs occur in a huge lump sum.

Half the point of an ev is that you don't have to waste time running around to fill it up. You just go home and plug in. It becomes one of those things that just become a routine.

I charge at home 99% of the time from a standard plug, so I did get my electrics checked. However, an EV on a standard plug has a similar draw to a washing machine or a clothes dryer. Even some fridges run at that rate.

That's not true. You can plug the car's charging cable into an extension cord, provided you follow normal safety precautions.

Honestly, why do people just make stuff up on here?

Assuming they're using an extension cable which is rated for 13A of current (i.e. 3kW), how is charging (probably at 2.25kW or similar) going to risk a fire?

Do you have a smart meter and can you see on your app
what you were spending a day before they arrived
how much you have been spending a day since they have been there

that would be your answer

I drive an electric car.
Unless they are driving for hours every day it probably isn't costing you more than a couple of quid an evening. Do you know the cost per KWH of your tariff?

For example my electric car is small - range of about 130 miles and a battery of 38kwh. My KWh price at night is 7.5p per KWh so it costs me £2.85 to completely fill my car from empty.

At a public charging point you'd be paying 70p per KWH so the same charge would cost me over £20.

What is worrying is doing it on an extension cord - that could very easily cause a fire. You can buy long car charger cables with a 3pin plug, they cost about £70.

Why don't you open a convo with the in-laws about the cost benefits of running an elec car and ask them how much it costs to charge each evening if you are home charging? Then you'll all be on the same page.

They’re family and you’re hosting them, it would seem very unkind to charge them.

Presumably they aren’t driving miles and miles every day it will be a few pounds each night.
The additional hot water they are using will likely cost more.

You will very likely have an electric car in the near future and will charge it at their house. These things all balance out.