Question about home charging

[VinceKaufman]

I just got my 23 RT1 a couple of weeks ago and I was curious about my home charging setup.

Right now my garage does have power going to it, but im not sure if its solid enough to run a level 1. It's a detatched garage using 120v plugs but theres a garage subpanel with 2 30A fuses and there's 15A coming from the main breaker panel.

I'm getting quotes from electricians right now (some who even specialize in EV setups), but as of right now, would I be ok just setting up a small level 1 charger until I can get the level 2 upgrade that I'm looking to do?

Also, in regards to mounting. The electrician I talked to suggested not building the charger in my garage (inside is just large cement bricks), but on the outside. I'm also assuming that'll be a nightmare to mount something onto as well?

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[4sallypat]

If you can, get 240V installed.

L1 is much too slow to unless you plan on charging for a few days straight.

 

[macchiaz-o]

Yes, L1 charging is fine as long as you have it on a dedicated circuit (nothing else in use at the same time) and you have limited mileage per week.

 

[Phil-Springs]

I just got my 23 RT1 a couple of weeks ago and I was curious about my home charging setup.

Right now my garage does have power going to it, but im not sure if its solid enough to run a level 1. It's a detatched garage using 120v plugs but theres a garage subpanel with 2 30A fuses and there's 15A coming from the main breaker panel.

I'm getting quotes from electricians right now (some who even specialize in EV setups), but as of right now, would I be ok just setting up a small level 1 charger until I can get the level 2 upgrade that I'm looking to do?

Also, in regards to mounting. The electrician I talked to suggested not building the charger in my garage (inside is just large cement bricks), but on the outside. I'm also assuming that'll be a nightmare to mount something onto as well?

You can use a 12 amp 120v charger safely until you get the other installed

 

[sukhoi_584th]

Take a pic of your garage subpanel, and a pic of the main panel with the breaker that goes to the subpanel.

 

[VinceKaufman]

If you can, get 240V installed.

L1 is much too slow to unless you plan on charging for a few days straight.

This is the goal right now and I'm getting estimates. But for now, I'm limited to L1.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

An easy way to estimate whether you can get away with an L1 EVSE is to take the number of hours your car will be charging every day (10? 8? 12?) and multiply that by the average efficiency you get on your daily driving.

If the result is more than the number of miles you drive daily, then you can get away with an L1 EVSE for most of your needs.

Example: Our average efficiency is 3.5 miles/kWh, our around-town efficiency is about 4.2 miles/kWh during the summer, but let's use the lower efficiency. We charge for at least 12 hours a day.

12 * 3.5 miles = 42.

We drive fewer than 42 miles most days. We've been just fine with a L1 EVSE for nearly a year because it provides just over 1 kW of power to the car. If we drove 50 or 100 miles per day, and we only had an L1 EVSE, then our battery's morning SOC would decrease through the week until we had a chance to charge for more than those 12 hours.

Before anyone gets all uptight thinking I'm telling people not to get an L2: I'm not. I'm talking about the difference between "can get away with an L1?" and "definitely cannot get away with an L1".

I love the L2 charger we have, but I haven't had time to reinstall it. If you can afford to get one installed and that's possible at your location, then absolutely get an L2 EVSE installed!

 

[VinceKaufman]

An easy way to estimate whether you can get away with an L1 EVSE is to take the number of hours your car will be charging every day (10? 8? 12?) and multiply that by the average efficiency you get on your daily driving.

If the result is more than the number of miles you drive daily, then you can get away with an L1 EVSE for most of your needs.

Example: Our average efficiency is 3.5 miles/kWh, our around-town efficiency is about 4.2 miles/kWh during the summer, but let's use the lower efficiency. We charge for at least 12 hours a day.

12 * 3.5 miles = 42.

We drive fewer than 42 miles most days. We've been just fine with a L1 EVSE for nearly a year because it provides just over 1 kW of power to the car. If we drove 50 or 100 miles per day, and we only had an L1 EVSE, then our battery's morning SOC would decrease through the week until we had a chance to charge for more than those 12 hours.

Before anyone gets all uptight thinking I'm telling people not to get an L2: I'm not. I'm talking about the difference between "can get away with an L1?" and "definitely cannot get away with an L1".

I love the L2 charger we have, but I haven't had time to reinstall it. If you can afford to get one installed and that's possible at your location, then absolutely get an L2 EVSE installed!

My commute is 4 miles one way to work and 4 miles back, that's about it.

I'm not sure if the charger at my job is an L1 or not (took about 6 hours to go from 50% to the recommended 80%) so I use that when I need to (it's a free charger, I'm definitely gonna use that) but I'd like to have the home option as well when I decide to take small trips on my days off from work. That way I can go without having to worry too much about range anxiety.

 

[generaltso]

I'm not sure if the charger at my job is an L1 or not (took about 6 hours to go from 50% to the recommended 80%)

That‘s a Level 2.

 

[RedHookEnzo]

I just got my 23 RT1 a couple of weeks ago and I was curious about my home charging setup.

Right now my garage does have power going to it, but im not sure if its solid enough to run a level 1. It's a detatched garage using 120v plugs but theres a garage subpanel with 2 30A fuses and there's 15A coming from the main breaker panel.

I'm getting quotes from electricians right now (some who even specialize in EV setups), but as of right now, would I be ok just setting up a small level 1 charger until I can get the level 2 upgrade that I'm looking to do?

Also, in regards to mounting. The electrician I talked to suggested not building the charger in my garage (inside is just large cement bricks), but on the outside. I'm also assuming that'll be a nightmare to mount something onto as well?

Not sure about the lines/amps themselves but as far as mounting goes, our electrician ran right through our cinderblock foundation from the basement with no issues. Our main panel (along with wall studs etc) are all bolted right into the same type of block. That shouldn’t be an issue. Just make sure any holes are properly sealed after.

Our install ran about $1900 and that included the wiring, the breakers, labor and the Chargepoint Home Flex charger. We built and dug the post in the driveway ourselves to save some $ since we don’t have a garage. Install came out very nice looking. We even built out planters around the whole area to blend it in a bit to the house.

 

[dtbaker61]

My commute is 4 miles one way to work and 4 miles back, that's about it.

I'm not sure if the charger at my job is an L1 or not (took about 6 hours to go from 50% to the recommended 80%) so I use that when I need to (it's a free charger, I'm definitely gonna use that) but I'd like to have the home option as well when I decide to take small trips on my days off from work. That way I can go without having to worry too much about range anxiety.

sounds like L1 on 110v outlet will work for you most of the time. overnight charge of 8-10hours will get ya 20-30 miles of range to more than cover your daily commute.

running a fresh 60amp 240v circuit to garage, adding a 60amp sub-panel, and a 50amp breaker for a NEMA 14-50 outlet for L2 charging is going to cost you probably $1500 or more depending on distance from main panel. You can avoid that by topping up at your nearest DCFC public charger if you are going on a trip, or score some L2 charge time at work if that is an option.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

My commute is 4 miles one way to work and 4 miles back, that's about it.

I'm not sure if the charger at my job is an L1 or not (took about 6 hours to go from 50% to the recommended 80%) so I use that when I need to (it's a free charger, I'm definitely gonna use that) but I'd like to have the home option as well when I decide to take small trips on my days off from work. That way I can go without having to worry too much about range anxiety.

Yeah, you likely don't need an L2 for the commuting. That is, at least not until winter when you'll want the extra juice to allow your car to maintain its battery in the cold.

That's not to say don't get an L2, just that you don't *need* one for your daily commute. There are lots of other reasons to get one, including peace of mind.

 

[Fremont Kid]

I agree with others to install an L2 charger. Drilling into the garage wall cinder blocks should not be an issue. A quality caulk or even mortar will seal any holes.
You live in an area that both gets cold and receives a lot of snow, so relying on an outdoor charger mounted on a post could be problematic. I recommend placing the charger where you park - inside. Eliminate all potential weather and access conflicts.

 

[alexgorod]

My commute is 4 miles one way to work and 4 miles back, that's about it.

Don't you drive it for other reasons, or for no reason at all? I have mine for 1.5 years and still looking for any opportunity to drive it somewhere.

If you can constantly use the charger at work, and have a DCFC nearby, that might be enough for some time to figure out the best way to get the L2 in your garage.

 

[VinceKaufman]

Don't you drive it for other reasons, or for no reason at all? I have mine for 1.5 years and still looking for any opportunity to drive it somewhere.

If you can constantly use the charger at work, and have a DCFC nearby, that might be enough for some time to figure out the best way to get the L2 in your garage.

All of our DCFC stations are outside of the city. There's only up to L2 chargers in the city.

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