Growatt THOR home EV charger: models, specifications and smart features

Growatt's THOR range covers home AC charging in two shapes: a 7 kW single-phase unit and an 11 or 22 kW three-phase unit¹. The 7 kW version suits the ordinary UK single-phase supply that most houses already have. The higher-powered versions need a three-phase supply, which is uncommon in homes and more usual in commercial settings².

The headline specification for the best-documented model, the THOR 22AS-P-EW1, is a 22 kW AC rating, an IEC 62196-2 Type 2 socket, AC 30 mA plus DC 6 mA residual current protection built in, and dimensions of 220 x 405 x 95 mm⁴. It runs four modes: PV Linkage, Off-peak, Load balancing and Fast⁴.

What makes the range interesting for a household with solar is the PV Linkage mode. Growatt describes it as the charger following the surplus from the PV installation, so the car absorbs energy that would otherwise be exported⁴. That is the clearest energy-independence benefit on offer, and it depends on a solar array being there in the first place.

The THOR range at a glance: 7 kW single-phase and 11/22 kW three-phase

Growatt splits the domestic THOR line by phase rather than by trim. The THOR 07AS-S/P/SE/PE is a 7 kW single-phase AC charger, and the THOR 11/22AS-S/P/SE/PE is an 11 kW or 22 kW three-phase AC charger¹. Both are described as AC EV chargers, and Growatt states that the wider THOR capacity range runs from 7 to 22 kW AC and from 20 to 200 kW DC⁵.

The suffix letters in the model names distinguish variants within each family rather than different power ratings. The 07AS family is sold in S, P, SE and PE forms, and the 11/22AS family in the same four forms⁵. Growatt's own datasheet naming for the 7 kW unit includes a UK version, which indicates the range is documented for the British market rather than only for continental Europe⁵.

Above the domestic wallboxes sit the DC chargers: the THOR 20DS-P, the THOR 40DS-P and DD-P, and the THOR 60-200DD-P⁷. These are commercial rapid chargers, not home products. They appear here only because they share the THOR name and the same software approach, which is useful to know when a specification sheet mixes the two families together.

Charging power and phases: 7, 11 or 22 kW, and what your supply allows

The power a THOR can deliver is set by the electricity supply at the property, not by the charger alone. Independent guidance describes fast charging as the 7 kW to 22 kW band¹⁰, and the same split appears across the market: 7 kW single-phase or 22 kW three-phase¹¹. Growatt's own guidance is that 11 kW and 22 kW chargers normally require a three-phase electricity supply², and that 22 kW units usually need three-phase and are more common in commercial settings³.

That is the practical limit for most households. A single-phase domestic supply supports a 7 kW charger, which is the standard UK home installation. An 11 kW or 22 kW THOR needs three-phase, which most houses do not have and which would require a supply upgrade to obtain. The charger's rating is a ceiling, not a promise: the car's own onboard charger decides what it will accept, and many cars take 7 kW on AC regardless of what the wallbox could deliver.

There is a second ceiling that matters more day to day. A 22 kW charger on a three-phase supply draws a heavy current per phase, and a 7 kW unit draws a comparable current on a single phase. That load sits alongside everything else in the house, which is why load balancing exists and why the electrical requirements of an installation are assessed before a charger is fitted. The relevant conditions are set out in electrical requirements for a home EV charge point, and the notification step with the network operator is covered in telling the network operator about a home EV charger.

For a household, the honest position is that 7 kW is the realistic home figure in the UK and 22 kW is a commercial or three-phase proposition. The comparison between the two is set out in 7kW vs 22kW home EV charger.

Solar integration: PV linkage and surplus charging

This is where the THOR range earns its place in a solar household. Growatt states that in PV Linkage mode the charger follows the surplus from the PV installation, so the car absorbs energy that would otherwise be exported⁴. The same description appears across the range: the EV is charged by the surplus solar power dynamically⁵, and the mode is described as driven by solar⁶.

The 7 kW unit is described as easily integrated into a solar storage system, and Growatt frames the combination of PV and EV charger as a way to maximise the solar self-consumption rate and cut the bill⁵. The 11 and 22 kW range carries the same solar storage integration line and the same claim to charge EVs with renewable energy⁶. The wider Growatt ecosystem, which the charger is designed to sit inside, is the GroHome system¹².

What this means in practice is that the charger can be told to prefer solar over the grid, and to modulate rather than simply switch on. That is the same principle other solar-aware chargers use, and it is the difference between a wallbox that charges whenever it is plugged in and one that waits for the sun. The general case is covered in charging an EV from solar panels, and the question of whether a special charger is needed is answered in do I need a special EV charger to charge with solar.

The limit is worth stating plainly. Surplus charging only works when there is surplus, which means daylight, a reasonably sized array and a car that is at home during the day. In winter, or for a household that commutes and returns after dark, most charging will still come from the grid. The charger changes where the energy comes from when the sun is out; it does not remove the grid connection.

Smart features: working modes, load balancing and charge activation

The THOR 22AS-P-EW1 runs four modes: PV Linkage, Off-peak, Load balancing and Fast⁴. Read together, they cover the four things a household actually wants from a charger. PV Linkage prioritises solar. Off-peak shifts charging to a cheaper window. Load balancing keeps the charger within the capacity of the supply. Fast simply charges at full rate.

Load balancing is listed as a feature across the domestic range, on both the 7 kW and the 11 and 22 kW families⁵. This matters because a charger is one of the largest single loads in a home, and without balancing it can trip the supply when the oven, shower and car are all drawing at once. The wider subject is covered in load management and load balancing for home EV chargers.

Activation is the same across the range: plug and play, RFID and app charge activation⁵. Plug and play means the car starts charging as soon as it is connected. RFID means a card or fob is presented to authorise the session, which is useful where more than one person uses the charger or where the household wants to control who can draw power. App activation puts the start in the phone.

The 22AS-P-EW1 shows status locally on a segment LCD with a signal LED⁴, so basic state is visible at the unit without opening an app. That is a small thing but a real one: a charger that reports its state on the wall does not depend on a working internet connection to tell a householder what it is doing.

Connectivity and protection: LAN, WiFi or 4G, IP65 and RCD protection

Growatt lists flexible communication by LAN, WiFi or 4G across the THOR range, including the 7 kW unit, the 11 and 22 kW units and the larger DC chargers⁵. Offering all three is unusual at the domestic end and useful in practice: a garage with poor WiFi can use a wired LAN connection, and a charger at the end of a garden or on an outbuilding can use 4G.

The domestic units carry an IP65 protection degree⁵. IP65 means protection against dust ingress and against water projected from a nozzle, which is the rating a wallbox needs to sit outdoors on a British wall. For comparison, some other equipment in the wider market is rated IP66¹³, and the difference between the two is a matter of degree rather than of whether the unit can be mounted outside. The meaning of these ratings is explained in what does IP54 mean for EV charging equipment.

On residual current protection, the THOR 22AS-P-EW1 has AC 30 mA plus DC 6 mA built in, and Growatt states that no external DC-sensitive RCD is required⁴. The 7 kW and the 11 and 22 kW ranges are listed with Type A RCD plus 6 mA DC fault current protection⁵. The 6 mA DC element is the part that matters for EV charging, because a DC fault current can blind a standard Type A device. The Institute of Engineering and Technology has written on RCDs for electric vehicle supply equipment¹⁴, and the general requirement is set out in what RCD protection does an EV charge point need.

Growatt THOR 22AS-P-EW1: specifications in detail

The 22AS-P-EW1 is the best-documented model in the range, and its specification sheet is the clearest picture of what a THOR charger is.

The same product page documents the sibling models: the THOR 07AS-P-EW1 is rated at 7 kW on a single-phase 230 V supply, and the THOR 11AS-P-EW1 is rated at 11 kW on a three-phase 400 V supply⁴. That gives a household the three power points in one place, with the supply requirement attached to each.

Two things stand out from the table. The first is the size: at 220 mm wide and 95 mm deep, the unit is compact enough for a garage wall or the side of a house without dominating it. The second is the protection: having both the AC and the DC element inside the charger simplifies the installation, because the DC-sensitive device does not have to be added separately.

Cost and UK availability

There is no published manufacturer price for a Growatt THOR charger. Two distributor listings for the THOR 07AS-SE-V1 give £269.50 and £259.00, and the two figures disagree, so neither can be treated as the price. As with any home charge point, the amount a household actually pays is installer-quoted and covers the unit, the cable run, any consumer unit work and the certification.

Growatt sells other products in its range directly through its own trade channel, with B2B trade prices visible to installers and businesses after logging in¹⁵. That is a trade route rather than a consumer one, and it does not produce a published retail price for the charger.

The wider cost picture is covered in how much does a home EV charge point cost, fitted, and the running cost of charging at home is set out in what does it cost to charge an electric car at home. What a household should expect is a quote that varies with the property: a detached house with a garage and a short cable run is a different job from a terraced house where the charger has to go on the front wall.

What a THOR charger means for household energy independence

A THOR charger on its own does not make a home independent. It is a load, not a source: it draws from the grid unless there is solar or a battery behind it, and it adds a dependence on a broadband or 4G connection for the app features and on Growatt's own software for the smart modes.

Where it does change the picture is in a household that already generates. PV Linkage mode exists to send surplus solar into the car rather than out to the grid⁴, and Growatt frames the combination of PV and charger as a way to maximise self-consumption and cut the bill⁵. Solar Energy UK's position is that more homegrown energy means greater energy independence¹⁷, and that is the mechanism at work here: the charger is the device that lets a household use its own generation for transport instead of exporting it.

The dependencies that remain are worth naming. The car still charges from the grid at night and in winter. The smart modes depend on connectivity and on the manufacturer's platform, which is the same trade-off described in EV charger apps, Wi-Fi, 4G and firmware and in EV charger cybersecurity, data and remote control. The warranty depends on Growatt as a company continuing to honour it, and on the terms being met. And the charger itself depends on the electricity supply being there, whether that supply is the grid or a home battery system.

For a household weighing the decision, the honest summary is that a THOR charger is a solar-aware wallbox with a good protection specification and a compact footprint, whose main independence benefit arrives only if there is a PV array to feed it. The wider context is in EV charging and household energy independence, and the range as a whole is covered in Growatt EV chargers.