240V but only 20Amp circuit.

[Zapata]

Can the Mach E be configured to reduce Current draw to 20Amps when charging at 240V?

I have a 240V / 20Amp circuit in my Garage. Before I owned an EV I wanted to run a welder in the Garage. The Electrician said that to get anymore Amps I would have to upgrade my service panel. Can the Mach E be configured to reduce Current draw to 20Amps when charging 240V, or do I need to order a special EVSE (Electric vehicle supply equipment) that limits current draw from the outlet?

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[Maquis]

You need to buy an EVSE that is capable of setting the max current. The supplied Ford mobile charger does not have that capability.

 

[timbop]

get an aftermarket EVSE (ie "charger"). You can got one that is configurable to different current draws, or you can buy one that is a fixed 16 Amps or less. FYI the circuit must be rated for 25% higher than the actual current you are going to draw because of the heat that can build up when drawing full power for 3+ hours, which is why you need to draw no more than 16A on a 20A circuit.

 

[DevSecOps]

I would contact another electrician. It would be on the rarer side to need more than a 200amp service for an EV. There's obviously a ton of variables like current load, size of house etc, but if you already have a 20 amp circuit and you wanna replace that with 30/40/50. I find it curious that 10 amps at minimum would set you over the edge.

 

[Maquis]

I would contact another electrician. It would be on the rarer side to need more than a 200amp service for an EV.

He did not indicate what the size of his current service is. There are a lot of older homes with a 100 or even a 60A service.

 

[timbop]

He did not indicate what the size of his current service is. There are a lot of older homes with a 100 or even a 60A service.

Yup. My first house had 60A service, and my second/current house only had 125. I upgraded both houses doing almost all of the work myself, so it wasn't particularly expensive. It is a fair point though that he might at least be able to upgrade to a 30A circuit that would only be drawing 24A - the extra 4 amps is highly unlikely to be that significant to cause an issue.

 

[DevSecOps]

He did not indicate what the size of his current service is. There are a lot of older homes with a 100 or even a 60A service.

Very true. Being that i was in mechanical construction before I've seen these sales tactics used over and over... All he realistically needs is 30 amps (net 10 additional) and I still find that an unlikely need even with a 100 amp service.

 

[Maquis]

Very true. Being that i was in mechanical construction before I've seen these sales tactics used over and over... All he realistically needs is 30 amps (net 10 additional) and I still find that an unlikely need even with a 100 amp service.

Agree 100%. If his electrician is either unable or unwilling to perform a proper NEC load calculation, he needs a new electrician!

 

[RickMachE]

I contacted 1/2 dozen electricians (most on the "recommended EV installer" list of my utility company).

Two insisted I need to add to my 200 amp service (never visited the house, only looked at pictures of my box), and get a 2nd meter.

One insisted that I install a load shedding device, designed to kill the charger if total load exceeded 85% of the 200 amps.

I knew I didn't need a 2nd meter to get a special EV rate, because I already had Time of Day rates and that was preferable.

I called the town electrical inspector, and he said that he had never heard of a load shedding device, and that I did not need one. He said that they put in tandem breakers. Turns out my Square D Homeline panel doesn't permit any type of tandem breaker, so the inspector told them to simply combine two lighting circuits to make room for a 60 amp breaker (48 amp charger).

If an electrician tells you no, either call another one or talk to the inspector to verify the information. Many simply want a more expensive job.

 

[DevSecOps]

I called the town electrical inspector, and he said that he had never heard of a load shedding device

And this is why I would say, never rely on an inspector. They are swiss army knives that know a lot about nothing. Last inspector I had out for a tankless failed me because I had a 1' hole dug in the back yard doing irrigation work. He claimed it was a trip hazard... How that's connected to my water heater in the garage one will never know.

I have 2 load shed modules on my house. Granted, they are for my generator, but they do exist.

 

[Maquis]

I contacted 1/2 dozen electricians (most on the "recommended EV installer" list of my utility company).

Two insisted I need to add to my 200 amp service (never visited the house, only looked at pictures of my box), and get a 2nd meter.

One insisted that I install a load shedding device, designed to kill the charger if total load exceeded 85% of the 200 amps.

I knew I didn't need a 2nd meter to get a special EV rate, because I already had Time of Day rates and that was preferable.

I called the town electrical inspector, and he said that he had never heard of a load shedding device, and that I did not need one. He said that they put in tandem breakers. Turns out my Square D Homeline panel doesn't permit any type of tandem breaker, so the inspector told them to simply combine two lighting circuits to make room for a 60 amp breaker (48 amp charger).

If an electrician tells you no, either call another one or talk to the inspector to verify the information. Many simply want a more expensive job.

I've said this before, but it's worth repeating:
The only way to tell for sure if your existing (or proposed) service is capable of supporting the addition of a significant continuous load, such as an EVSE, is to perform an NEC load calculation. If an electrician is unwilling or unable to do this, you need to find a different one.

If you have a 200A service, it's very likely able to handle the addition of an EVSE. This is especially true of the house is supplied with natural gas for heat.

 

[Zapata]

Found ClipperCreek makes

I would contact another electrician. It would be on the rarer side to need more than a 200amp service for an EV. There's obviously a ton of variables like current load, size of house etc, but if you already have a 20 amp circuit and you wanna replace that with 30/40/50. I find it curious that 10 amps at minimum would set you over the edge.

We have a 200A service but we added a Mother-In-Law Apartment with the Garage last year. With the extra Range, Dryer, AC, and Water Heater we didn't have much room left for other 240V appliances.

 

[DevSecOps]

Found ClipperCreek makes


We have a 200A service but we added a Mother-In-Law Apartment with the Garage last year. With the extra Range, Dryer, AC, and Water Heater we didn't have much room left for other 240V appliances.

I would still get another electrician to look at it. I have a brand new load transfer device in my garage that's meant for a dryer outlet to be used for an EV. If the EV is charging the dryer won't turn on. You have cheaper options.

This thing has never once been used:

 

[Maquis]

We have a 200A service but we added a Mother-In-Law Apartment with the Garage last year. With the extra Range, Dryer, AC, and Water Heater we didn't have much room left for other 240V appliances.

That makes sense...but I would still have the load calc performed.

 

[Tbird]

Yup. My first house had 60A service, and my second/current house only had 125. I upgraded both houses doing almost all of the work myself, so it wasn't particularly expensive. It is a fair point though that he might at least be able to upgrade to a 30A circuit that would only be drawing 24A - the extra 4 amps is highly unlikely to be that significant to cause an issue.

I used the ford charger which comes with the car on a 240v 30 amp circuit for a while and had no problem. Just for safety, I have since upgraded to a Charge Point home flex charger direct connected to a 60 amp circuit. That allowed me to go from charging at 20 miles in an hour to 32 miles in an hour.

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