Zappi v2.1 Installation in Point Cook — A Solar-Aware Setup for a West-Side EV Home

We completed a Zappi v2.1 install in Point Cook this week — a clean 7kW single-phase fit on a brick wall, sized to make the most of an existing rooftop solar system. It's the kind of job the Zappi is built for, and a good showcase of what a solar-aware install looks like when the whole setup is matched to the home.

Why a Zappi made sense here

The brief from the homeowner was simple: a charger that doesn't just plug into the wall and pull from the grid, but one that actually uses the solar already on the roof. That's the Zappi's whole point. It has three charging modes — Fast, Eco, and Eco+ — and in Eco+ it only charges the car when your panels are producing surplus power. Instead of exporting that excess to the grid for a few cents per kWh, you're putting it straight into the car. Over a year of daily charging, that adds up to real money, and for a home with a decent north-facing array it's the closest thing to free fuel you'll get.

If you're weighing the Zappi against the other chargers we install, we've got a separate guide that runs through the lot: Which EV Charger Is Right for My Home?. For this particular home, the maths landed on the Zappi without much debate.

The install in brief

Our licensed electrician handled the physical work. The Zappi was mounted on an exterior brick wall close to where the car parks, with a tidy cable run from the switchboard and a standard CT clamp on the main grid feed so the unit can actually see the solar surplus it's diverting. RCBO protection on a new dedicated circuit, weatherproof termination at the unit, and a quick app walk-through with the homeowner so they could switch between Fast and Eco+ depending on the day. Certificate of Electrical Safety issued on completion, as required under Victorian electrical safety regulations.

You can see the full Zappi spec on our hardware page: Our Chargers.

Why the Zappi suits Point Cook

Point Cook is a good example of the kind of suburb where the Zappi tends to make the most sense. A lot of the homes out here are newer estate builds — detached, with the kind of unshaded north-facing rooftops that get fitted with solar early on. Garages and carports are common, which gives a sensible mounting wall close to where the car actually lives. And because so many homes already have solar producing through the middle of the day, the Eco+ mode has real surplus to work with rather than scraping the margins of a tired 3kW array.

If the home has a battery on top of the solar — a Powerwall or similar — the wiring approach shifts a little to make sure the EV charger doesn't drain the battery during outages. We've written about that here: Tesla Powerwall and an EV Charger: How to Add Both Without Draining Your Battery.

What it cost

The Zappi v2.1 sits at the top of our installed range at $2,799 fully installed — hardware, dedicated circuit, licensed electrician, Certificate of Electrical Safety, and GST included. If you'd like the full breakdown of what's covered and what can move a quote, we've written it up in detail here: How Much Does an EV Charger Installation Actually Cost in Melbourne?.

Thinking about the same setup for your home?

If you're a Point Cook EV owner — or anywhere across Melbourne — and you'd like a Zappi sized properly for your solar, send through a photo of your switchboard and where you'd like the charger mounted, and we'll come back with a fixed-price quote within 24 hours. Get a quote, or call me on 0419 119 988 if you'd rather chat it through first.

Steven

Founder, ChargEV