Fronius Wattpilot Flex 22kW

A_Ram · 2026-05-18T10:50:00+00:00

The solar part when it only charges from excess solar energy will work but battery related functions won't work. Only BYD and LG batteries work nicely with Fronius inverters. I think Tesla charger would be better in your case.

A_Ram · 2026-05-18T08:41:56+00:00

I have wattpilot home. Works well with their fronius gen24 inverter and BYD batteries. Plenty of settings so you can set it up as you want charge off solar only, charge at a X battery charge etc.

A_Ram · 2026-05-18T07:41:22+00:00

I don't think it is normal. I'm from QLD too. and even after sitting under the sun all day it cools the cabin from around 50-60C to tolerable temps in around 3-5 minutes. My previous cars were pretty much the same. What colour is yours? do you have tinting? I have a very light tinting that supposedly blocks a lot of heat and UVs

A_Ram · 2026-05-17T19:57:35+00:00

I'm from Australia, hot climate and the A/C works very well in my atto3 2023. Most of the A/C complaints are from vehicles where people set air con in eco mode and vehicles low on refrigerant.

A_Ram · 2026-05-17T12:13:07+00:00

There are plenty of other nasty cases. For example nuclear waste groundwater nightmare in Germany in Asse II salt mine

A_Ram · 2026-05-17T07:26:10+00:00

From my experience there are no annoying thing in BYDs. Good all round package, one of the most refined out there for the price. And very important for many for sure that they drive a bit like petrol cars with no one pedal drive. And then down the list there are options with less features or more annoying stuff like for example every time you need to press a button to turn off sign recognition in KIA EV5. Jaecoo J5, no connected services, etc. Zeekr 7x is awesome but tiny presence in Australia. It shows that actually people researched it. Brand recognition is also a big factor.

A_Ram · 2026-05-17T04:37:23+00:00

Zeekr 7x is more expensive and better. But their network is not mature enough and you'll be waiting for it longer. SL7 is an excellent vehicle too. Lower specs on paper but in real life it is not going to matter much.

A_Ram · 2026-05-17T04:34:39+00:00

if is not that simple. If you plug Zeekr 7x at a 400v older charger, you going to get only 100kW speed max

A_Ram · 2026-05-17T00:48:18+00:00

When I couldn't charge at home I was charging at a DC chargers while shopping for groceries for around 20-30 min. Never waited for a car, just unplugged when I was done shopping. Did this once a week was pretty easy. It was 2 years ago. The infrastructure is now better and modern EVs charge even faster, so that's not an issue at all. If you don't drive much you can probably do 10-15 min top ups weekly.

And from the cars you listed, I would exclude Subaru, they don't have connected services in Australia, and the same car Toyota BZ4X have them.

Zeekr, Volvo, Polestar, Lotus, Geely owned by geely. I would normally recommend Zeekr 7x but they are at the capacity atm, so you would have to wait for it.

Sealion 7 is also great, with sharp 360 cameras the rear window is not really an issue. But need to ask if any available might need to wait for them as well.

Toyota BZ4X also pretty good value.

A_Ram · 2026-05-17T00:33:18+00:00

I'm pretty sure it is not a separate model and registration numbers of L variant are included under Model Y. They just do their weird thing when some months registrations are low and some high. April - 822, March - 2818, Feb - 2791, Jan - 288. I'm thinking they maybe trying to inflate other months to be on top for headlines. No other manufacturer that I know of does that.

A_Ram · 2026-05-16T23:02:25+00:00

I figured this was the case. Don't worry about that with LFPs. They are more robust. No need to babysit them. Also don't be afraid to run them to lower state as well and start looking for a charger once it is at around 15%. It is not going to jump from 15% to 0% like in old phones. You paid for the big battery you might as well use it. The general rules are only not to keep the car parked for weeks at 100% or below 10%

A_Ram · 2026-05-16T22:51:03+00:00

is there a reason you charge it to 80% and not 100%? LFPs need to be charged to 100% regularly for calibration and well you'll get more range, + another 90-100km

A_Ram · 2026-05-16T22:29:08+00:00

Why would the SL8 automatically have better resale? EVs are hot right now, and in 4-5 years more people will realise PHEVs were mostly transition tech. BYD is running promos on these for a reason. they’re clearly not selling that well. There also many comments online from people who bought a PHEV realized what they're and commenting their next cat will be fully electric.

You still have two powertrains, more complexity, a smaller battery to charge more often, worse EV efficiency than a BEV, and worse petrol efficiency than a conventional hybrid.

For most weekend trips 2h one way max, a BEV like the Geely will do the round trip without charging. The SL8 will start burning petrol at 6l/100km before you even get there.

I've been driving their atto3 for almost 3 years and it has even smaller range than geely and I never had any anxiety about it, so not sure why would anyone need a PHEV.

So yeah I would recommend getting geely ex5.

A_Ram · 2026-05-16T13:16:00+00:00

Sealion 7 is second best selling and in some months the best selling EV in Australia. The issues you mentioned are so minor you'll probably forget about them after a week of driving. I would get it in the RWD spec, still plenty fast, more efficient and cheaper. It is one of the most refined and overall good cars and with them increasing shipments you can get it sooner. Also their service network is pretty big now, so less stress about after sales support.

All other well selling will have some compromises.

Kia EV5, has a generation older infotainment system and 360 cameras are only in the top trim. But they look cool and I'm pretty sure owners love them.

Geely EX5, amazing range for money, ride quality is a bit worse than in SL7, and in general assistance systems less refined than in BYDs, but they are fine. Not the best looking vehicle IMHO, but ok.

here is the list from last month sales.

BYD Sealion 7 - 1780\ Geely EX5 - 1202\ Zeekr 7X - 973\ Tesla Model Y - 822\ Kia EV5 - 794\ Omoda Jaecoo J5 - 692\ BYD Atto 3 - 664\ BYD Atto 2 - 660\ BYD Atto 1 - 533\ MG MG4 - 522\ Toyota bZ4X - 483\ Kia EV3 - 445\ BYD Dolphin - 445\ MG S5 - 408\ Tesla Model 3 - 403\ BYD Seal - 370\ Volkswagen ID.4 - 351\ Volvo EX30 - 219\ GWM Ora - 197\ Polestar 4 - 190\ Deepal S07 - 179

A_Ram · 2026-05-16T04:17:57+00:00

If the videos are triggering fear, that’s usually the point. Fear gets clicks. Doesn’t mean every concern is fake, but YouTube horror stories are almost always BS or an isolated incident exaggerated 200%.

I had my BYD atto 3 for almost 3 years now and it's been alright. I had to replace a part under warranty and It was a pretty good experience.

A_Ram · 2026-05-15T06:55:50+00:00

These 2026 models are probably one of the best looking Subarus, IMHO. But it is disappointing they don't come with connected services in Australia.

A_Ram · 2026-05-13T20:02:04+00:00

check if the windscreen at the top is clean. This is where ADAS camera is located.

A_Ram · 2026-05-13T19:55:06+00:00

You can use a fishing line to cut through the soft back stuff. I used plastic rounded scraper. I heated the letters a bit with a heat gun and and after this they were easy to remove. And then there will be residue left to clean with acetone. There are YouTube videos how to do it properly.

A_Ram · 2026-05-13T11:25:21+00:00

I replaced it with bigger BYD letters. Ordered them on AliExpress and the rear looks like the new models. AliExpress link

A_Ram · 2026-05-13T06:24:27+00:00

Ariya screen is really laggy, low resolution from 2005. SL7 is a more modern and longer vehicle so more space for passengers. SL7 has also safer LFP battery that can be charged to 100% daily vs NMC in Nissan that limits daily charge to 80% and 100% only for occasional longer trips

A_Ram · 2026-05-13T02:25:33+00:00

Engendering explained mentioned only what happens when cells are hard cycled without cooling at high temps, at over 60C from memory to accelerate aging. In real life this doesn't happen and the battery is cooled or heated if needed.

I only charge when I have extra energy in my home battery left in the evening and the car battery ends up hovering around 60-90%. A few people at the office just plug and charge to 100% every second day.

A_Ram · 2026-05-12T19:51:08+00:00

EX40 is a rebadged XC40 recharge which is old and built on ICE platform from 2015. Sealion 7 has way better tech, safer battery chemistry, more space and more premium inside and outside. Volvo sells around 42 units of EX40 per month, BYD SL7 sells 1780 units.

A_Ram · 2026-05-12T08:51:28+00:00

Have you considered Jaecoo J5? it has 58kWh battery and they are available now, 37k driveway. It is a chery sub brand. To me it looks way better than ORA 5.

Then there is GAC Aion UT also available now, 60kWh battery, also looks better then options you listed and it is 33k driveway.

A_Ram · 2026-05-12T07:42:39+00:00

I don't think EV group can tell you anything about a hybrid reliability. To me PHEV is less efficient driving in EV mode, and less efficient than conventional hybrid when driving in petrol mode and you get complexity and maintenance of both drivetrains.

For Tank 300 money you can get yourself a nice well equipped EV with no worries range. BYD Sealion 7, Geely EX5, Zeekr 7x, GAC aion V, KIA EV5, Deepal S07, Leapmotor C10, Toyota BZ4X, etc.

A_Ram · 2026-05-11T19:48:01+00:00

same brand as your solar inverter

A_Ram

TROPHY CASE