I don’t know, but I leave my home charger on permanently and just start and stop charging by plugging it into and unplugging it from the ZOE, so I think it may work fine.

Unplugged from ZOE involves pressing the cable release button, which will stop the charge. I’d guess this is different to the power just being cut? When our charger didn’t work, the ZOEs flashed red with “Check connection”. I suspect this would also happen if the power dropped unexpectedly during a charge. Whether or not it’d continue charging if the power came back, I don’t know.

I’ve ordered a charger with a variable charge rate. I won’t be able to automate charging from the Solar, but I can set a charge rate that best matches the typical weather conditions of the day – or if I need to use the car again in a hurry, a higher charge rate.

This one: http://www.es-store.co.uk/product_details.php?product=EV-C-HOME-GY-15A-M2-T2/5M&description=Ratio-Mode-2-Home-charge-unit—Grey.-Portable-15A.-%28suitable-for-Renault-Zoe-and-Kangoo-ZE%29&cat_desc=Electric-Vehicle-Charging-Points&cat_id=137&show_menu=28

I already have a 16A caravan socket in my garage, which I know will provide the required 15A as it’s had a motorhome plugged in with heater & hot water on which took near the 16A load for some time.

I’m also going to build a charger (I’m an electronics engineer) for permanent install in the garage with a switchable rate between 8A, 16A & 32A. The garage electrics are not capable of 32A – I have a 20A supply out there currently, but if I build I may as well future proof. The charger I linked to above can go on my travels with me then and allow charging while visiting friends & family.

Reason I’m going it alone with the charging is that I don’t qualify for the BG offer as the garage is detached from the house. The cabling to it is ancient and underground and there is no way “officially” it would be allowed to have a 16A load installed.

Is that necessarily a problem? My garage is attached, but the installer wasn’t happy with the wiring so he ran a new dedicated cable from the consumer unit to the garage. He even passed it under the front path, and relaid the paving.

While it’s not a huge problem to me it’s not covered by BG, who say they won’t install to detached garages. It is in their T&Cs. I would need about 60M of armoured cable run underground and that’s not something an installer is going to do!