Any Ford 48-amp Charge Station users?

[valfam]

I bought my 23 MMEP a few days ago and I have been using the mobile charger for a few days I was using a 120v then I put in a 14-50 plug. I see the topics about the 14-50 plugs melting so i'm thinking of getting the Ford hardwired charge station. I'm thinking of reducing the charge load to 40 AMPs anyway. well my question is? I think the Ford charger is a smart charger but what more can I get out of it than any other charger from Amazon I cant find much information on it? Do you think its worth spending the extra money for the Ford charger?

Thanks

Sponsored

 

[bshaw]

I bought my 23 MMEP a few days ago and I have been using the mobile charger for a few days I was using a 120v then I put in a 14-50 plug. I see the topics about the 14-50 plugs melting so i'm thinking of getting the Ford hardwired charge station. I'm thinking of reducing the charge load to 40 AMPs anyway. well my question is? I think the Ford charger is a smart charger but what more can I get out of it than any other charger from Amazon I cant find much information on it? Do you think its worth spending the extra money for the Ford charger?

Thanks

There have been only a few instances of people posting melted 14-50 plugs. If you follow electrical code (max charge 40A), and install a quality plug, then your chances of getting a melted 14-50 connection are low.
Since you're going to de-rate a hardwired solution to 40A, you will actually be better off with the 14-50A outlet. Why? Because if your installed charger ever goes broken, you can swap it out yourself for a replacement. Don't set yourself up so that an electrician has to come and replace an appliance for you. Is your fridge or electric dryer hardwired? (It's probably not)

 

[Jimrpa]

I have a FCCS. No issues with it. I believe there are chargers that provide better metrics. The FCCS is integrated into FordPass.

 

[AKgrampy]

I run my EVSE at 32 amps and that is fast enough for me. No overheating issues at this time. No reason that I can think of other than personal preference to go with the Ford EVSE.

 

[RickMachE]

I can't think of any reason to spend more money on the Ford charger.

 

[tbrumleve]

There have been only a few instances of people posting melted 14-50 plugs. If you follow electrical code (max charge 40A), and install a quality plug, then your chances of getting a melted 14-50 connection are low.
Since you're going to de-rate a hardwired solution to 40A, you will actually be better off with the 14-50A outlet. Why? Because if your installed charger ever goes broken, you can swap it out yourself for a replacement. Don't set yourself up so that an electrician has to come and replace an appliance for you. Is your fridge or electric dryer hardwired? (It's probably not)

The connections to a hardwired EVSE are super easy to remove and reinstall. The myth that plugs are easier are only mildly correct. Is a plug easier than unscrewing 3 wires? Yes. Is the later hard? No.

 

[RickMachE]

The connections to a hardwired EVSE are super easy to remove and reinstall. The myth that plugs are easier are only mildly correct. Is a plug easier than unscrewing 3 wires? Yes. Is the later hard? No.

Totally agree.

In May we added a 2nd charger, sharing a circuit (load balanced). Easy.

 

[Maquis]

I have the FCCS and it works fine. If I had a do-over, I’d buy the Emporia at half the price.

 

[bshaw]

The connections to a hardwired EVSE are super easy to remove and reinstall. The myth that plugs are easier are only mildly correct. Is a plug easier than unscrewing 3 wires? Yes. Is the later hard? No.

Completely agreed. But I think you are talking about yourself and other members of this forum who are willing to use a screwdriver to open something up.
There's a lot of people who do not even own a proper screwdriver, and the plug is a better option for generic advice.

 

[Triggerhappy007]

Yes, get an Emporia. They're cheap, reliable, UL listed, and the company is based in CO. You can use it as a plug in up to 40A or hardwired up to 48A and you can change the Amperage fast using the App. I've had mine for 2 years and it's been great.

 

[valfam]

Everyone thanks for your suggestions and insight. I think I will keep using my portable charger then possibly get the Emporia charger if I ever need to add more range.

 

[ryano7700]

I have the FCCS. Works fine and integrated in FordPass. That provides some data. There are cheaper ones that probably return better data. I probably wouldn’t buy now knowing what I do.

 

[Art]

I bought my 23 MMEP a few days ago and I have been using the mobile charger for a few days I was using a 120v then I put in a 14-50 plug. I see the topics about the 14-50 plugs melting so i'm thinking of getting the Ford hardwired charge station. I'm thinking of reducing the charge load to 40 AMPs anyway. well my question is? I think the Ford charger is a smart charger but what more can I get out of it than any other charger from Amazon I cant find much information on it? Do you think its worth spending the extra money for the Ford charger?

Thanks

A electrician installed a 14-50 receptacle and wiring for me. I bought a Grizzl-E with a 14-50 plug for $350 from Amazon. It has switches on it for lower amps but comes set to 40 amps. The cable is more than twice the size of the Ford cable supplied. I've had it for a year with no problems. It gives me about 37 miles per hour on a 2021 MME.

 

[averyintucson]

A recent amendment to the National Electric Code requires that a GFCI breaker be installed on a 240VAC outlet when used for EVSE (electric vehicle charging). This is intended as a safety enhancement because many models of 240VAC outlets are not intended for frequent plug/unplug cycles, and wear out, presenting a shock and fire hazard.
However, this is incompatible with most EVSE and EVs, since most of these have internal GFCI, and they test the ground connection in a way that results in nuisance tripping of the outlet GFCI.
The EVSE will frequently nuisance trip the outlet GFCI because it tests the ground connection by putting a current on the ground wire. This means that the NEC amendment for GFCI on EVSE outlets is incorrect because it doesn't include a way to prevent these nuisance trips. In effect, this is a ban on using 240VAC outlets for EVSE and a requirement for hard-wiring EVSE, and I find this unacceptable. Most consumer EVSE are sold with 14-50 plugs, and if an electrician installs a compliant 14-50 outlet with GFCI, after a few nuisance trips residents will just swap out the GFCI breaker with a standard one. What the industry needs to figure out is how to have a GFCI on a 240VAC outlet and plug in an EVSE without nuisance trips.
I found these articles among many that discuss the incompatibility of the GFCI built in to EVSE and the GFCI installed for outlets:

https://qmerit.com/blog/nema-14-50-and-gfci-breakers-connecting-ev-charging-stations/

I found an answer to my question on GFCI for EVSE in a FAQ PDF from Williams Electric:
Q: WHY does the code require GFCI BREAKERS for EV charging outlets?
A: EVSE outlets are NOT like the outlets behind your dryer or your stove, which are out-of reach and accessed once every 10 years. This is a live, 240-volt, high-current outlet on the wall inside your garage, where kids can get at it and the floor could be wet. It’s different, and the safety rules are different.

My soap box response:
This answer sounds like FUD to me: “kids can get at it”, “floor could be wet”. Someone who says the oven and dryer outlets are “out of reach” and not “where kids can get at it” has never had kids. But still, the perception seems to be a safety problem during cycling (pulling or inserting) the plug, so why can’t I put a padlock on the plug to prevent unauthorized unplugging instead of installing an outlet GFCI which, due to being redundant to the GFCI in the EVSE, will exhibit nuisance tripping? The only reason I can see is that this is not considered in the NEC. My EVSE and outlet actually are under lock and key.

The FAQ answer also refers to a rationalization I have heard for the GFCI requirement on 240VAC outlets when used for EVSE, which is that high cycle use (plugging and unplugging many times) wears out the connector making it unreliable and unsafe, and the GFCI adds safety margin for a worn outlet. Why is this an issue just for EVSE, and not for RV parks which also use the NEMA 14-50? And why is this an issue for a permanently installed EVSE, and not just for portable EVSE?

https://www.williamselectric.net/documents/FAQs-NEMA-1450-outlets-pkg-20210919.pdf

 

[JamesStew71]

I bought my 23 MMEP a few days ago and I have been using the mobile charger for a few days I was using a 120v then I put in a 14-50 plug. I see the topics about the 14-50 plugs melting so i'm thinking of getting the Ford hardwired charge station. I'm thinking of reducing the charge load to 40 AMPs anyway. well my question is? I think the Ford charger is a smart charger but what more can I get out of it than any other charger from Amazon I cant find much information on it? Do you think its worth spending the extra money for the Ford charger?

Thanks

No, we used the mobil charger for awhile. I self installed a 14/50 nema and 6-4 wiring on a 50 amp breaker, then bought a grizzl e charger had them set he dip switches to 32amps, charges great 11pm till 2/3 am all good 2 years and counting

Sponsored