Connected Charge Station & Circuit Breaker Amps

[Larva]

Had an electrician install the unit for me. I was away from the house and the work was complete while I was gone. When I returned I noticed that they installed a 50A circuit breaker. I was expecting a 60A. The charger seems to work OK. Is there any reason I need a 60A? For example, is the charger able to pull more than the 48As and would charge my vehicle faster with a 60A?

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[1969Camaro]

The charger is limited to 48A. 50 Should be ok. I would rather have 60 to have additional margin and not over load the breaker or wiring. Circuit breaker size will not impact charging speed.

 

[Timelessblur]

A 50 amp breaker has a max sustain pull rate of 40 amps. A 60 amp breaker has a max sustain pull rate of 48 amps.

In this case your charger needs to bet set to a max pull of 40 amps to match code. Pulling your charger at 48 amps risk blowing your breaker with a slight power spike but bigger it risk fire at the breaker from just over heading of a higher sustain load.

Breaker are design to run sustain at 80% what they are rated at.

 

[KZ6e1e]

Had an electrician install the unit for me. I was away from the house and the work was complete while I was gone. When I returned I noticed that they installed a 50A circuit breaker. I was expecting a 60A. The charger seems to work OK. Is there any reason I need a 60A? For example, is the charger able to pull more than the 48As and would charge my vehicle faster with a 60A?

https://www.ford.com/ntzlibs/conten...-sheet/Home_Install_Spec_Sheet_0831_FINAL.pdf

Clearly it states 60A Breaker is required.

Yes 60A > 50A so you'll be a bit faster at charging but get the electrician back to change the breaker to 60A as what Timelessblur said is correct.

 

[RickMachE]

Make sure the wiring supports 60 amp breaker....

 

[timbop]

The charger is limited to 48A. 50 Should be ok. I would rather have 60 to have additional margin and not over load the breaker or wiring. Circuit breaker size will not impact charging speed.

NOPE.

Because:

A 50 amp breaker has a max sustain pull rate of 40 amps. A 60 amp breaker has a max sustain pull rate of 48 amps.

In this case your charger needs to bet set to a max pull of 40 amps to match code. Pulling your charger at 48 amps risk blowing your breaker with a slight power spike but bigger it risk fire at the breaker from just over heading of a higher sustain load.

Breaker are design to run sustain at 80% what they are rated at.

AND THIS:

Make sure the wiring supports 60 amp breaker....

 

[Kabish]

I would have them come out and replace that circuit and make sure they have the wire to support it. I don't know how many amps the Connected Charger is rated for, but if it is 48 I would not recommend using that 50amp circuit.

If they put in a 50amp they should be using a minimum of 6 gauge wire which is the minim for a 60amp circuit. So you could get way with just swapping out the breaker, but realistically they should be running 4 gauge.

 

[RetiredDP]

NOPE.

Because:


AND THIS:

I'm wondering why anybody WANTS 48 amp charging. You want to always charge at the slowest rate necessary to fill the battery up overnight. Lower charge rates put less strain on the battery. I went with the new Alpha charger, which charges just fine at a max of 40 amps. It cost me $599, as opposed to the Chargepoint Flex at $699 (at a minimum...as high as $1,300 on Amazon) and the Ford at $799. My car will still be charged to 90%-100% in the morning. I only had to put in 50-amp wiring (lower cost than 60 amp), and installed a 14-50 outlet (instead of hardwiring), which let's me just unplug it when I move to a different location.

 

[TheVirtualTim]

I'm told that electric code defines a "continuous load" as pulling the load for 3 hours or more (Something that would be common for EV charging). A "continuous load" must not pull more than 80% of the circuit breaker rating.

To pull 48 amps as a continuous load requires a 60 amp breaker (and appropriate gauge wire -- which I'm told must be at least 6 gauge).

 

[RickMachE]

I'm wondering why anybody WANTS 48 amp charging. You want to always charge at the slowest rate necessary to fill the battery up overnight. Lower charge rates put less strain on the battery. I went with the new Alpha charger, which charges just fine at a max of 40 amps. It cost me $599, as opposed to the Chargepoint Flex at $699 (at a minimum...as high as $1,300 on Amazon) and the Ford at $799. My car will still be charged to 90%-100% in the morning. I only had to put in 50-amp wiring (lower cost than 60 amp), and installed a 14-50 outlet (instead of hardwiring), which let's me just unplug it when I move to a different location.

Points:

1) Going from a 40 amp JuiceBox to a 48 amp cost me like $30 or $40, less a 30% tax credit.

2) I can set it lower in the app in seconds.

3) If I need 20% faster charging, I can have it.

4) Tell me how much you saved on the wire... 4 gauge aluminium wire is actually cheaper than 6 gauge copper, plus it covered in the electrician's price.

5) I can easily undo the connection if I move. Will take 5 minutes.

 

[RetiredDP]

Points:

1) Going from a 40 amp JuiceBox to a 48 amp cost me like $30 or $40, less a 30% tax credit.

2) I can set it lower in the app in seconds.

3) If I need 20% faster charging, I can have it.

4) Tell me how much you saved on the wire... 4 gauge aluminium wire is actually cheaper than 6 gauge copper, plus it covered in the electrician's price.

5) I can easily undo the connection if I move. Will take 5 minutes.

Aluminum wiring has a long history of failures (higher inherent resistance). My wiring is all copper.

 

[bp99]

I'm wondering why anybody WANTS 48 amp charging. You want to always charge at the slowest rate necessary to fill the battery up overnight. Lower charge rates put less strain on the battery. I went with the new Alpha charger, which charges just fine at a max of 40 amps. It cost me $599, as opposed to the Chargepoint Flex at $699 (at a minimum...as high as $1,300 on Amazon) and the Ford at $799. My car will still be charged to 90%-100% in the morning. I only had to put in 50-amp wiring (lower cost than 60 amp), and installed a 14-50 outlet (instead of hardwiring), which let's me just unplug it when I move to a different location.

I want the option for use cases where I need to add charge and it's not overnight. If all you're going to do is overnight charges, the mobile charger is sufficient. If you might need to leave a couple hours after getting home and are low, the faster charger is a good option to have. Many of the higher amp chargers have options to lower the amperage if you're concerned about battery life.

The cost difference was negligible (especially with a utility rebate and federal tax credit). I'd rather have options than not have them. It's also more future proof down the road as battery technology improves.

 

[phidauex]

Aluminum wiring has a long history of failures (higher inherent resistance). My wiring is all copper.

The problem with aluminum wiring in the 70s was the poor quality terminations - the cable itself has the same resistance as an equivalently rated copper cable. Household breakers don’t always have great mechanical lugs, but properly installed aluminum wiring isn’t a hazard. Now, “properly installed” isn’t a given, but the larger the cables the more likely they are to be AL these days.

 

[i8iridium]

I'm told that electric code defines a "continuous load" as pulling the load for 3 hours or more (Something that would be common for EV charging). A "continuous load" must not pull more than 80% of the circuit breaker rating.

To pull 48 amps as a continuous load requires a 60 amp breaker (and appropriate gauge wire -- which I'm told must be at least 6 gauge).

6ga THHN in conduit or 4ga Sheathed (Romex)

 

[Mach-Lee]

EDIT: To clarify, the Ford Connected Charge Station can be set up for use with breakers smaller than 60A (via dip switch settings) like all other major EVSEs.

See my breaker and wire guide: https://www.macheforum.com/site/threads/ev-charger-breaker-wire-size-reference.8367/

If he used a 50A breaker, then you need to make sure the charger is set to limit to 40A max. Dip switch #1 should be switched off for 40A (switches set to 01110). If you aren't sure, do not use the charger and call your electrician. Make sure he set the dip switches for the amperage correctly, many ignorant electricians skip this critical step.

Guessing he probably did a 50A breaker because he ran #6 Romex which is the largest commonly available size. If you want a 60A breaker the wire most likely has to be run in conduit, which can significantly increase the installation complexity and cost.

Charger installation manual for dip switch settings: https://www.fordservicecontent.com/...9J_10C823_BAMachEWallCharger_Installation.pdf

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