Best Practice for future proofing?

mrwegas

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Hello I just ordered a 2022 GT and have started diving into charging. Even though the car is 6 months away from delivery I want to get the house ready. This is our first EV and this is a whole new world to me. I am intending to have this all done professionally, but I like to understand what I am getting into. Although this is our first EV I anticipate us owning more than 1 in the future. My other intention is to have this as a selling feature to the home if/when we would ever decide to move. I have reading through the forums, but a lot of terminology is lost on me and has left me more unsure.

Looking for the ability to charge in the garage and outside the garage. Potentially at the same time. What brand Model holds up the best? Outdoors would have sun exposure and all 4 seasons exposure, any brand hold up better than others? Quality of product is more important than cost. Is there additional adapters I should have on hand? Should I carry other adapters in the vehicle? What resources did you read to help this all make more sense?

Thank you for your help.
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SeattleMachE

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Lots of discussion on this if you check out the search feature
 
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mrwegas

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Lots of discussion on this if you check out the search feature
I appreciate that, and I have. Not sure what to properly search for. Terminology is lacking...I don't know the right question to ask.
 

RickMachE

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+1

In addition, you can't really "future proof". What you can do is to setup a subpanel in the garage with adequate amperage to supply what you can currently think of. For example, the fastest home chargers that exist are 48/50 amps. So, today, you want to have two going full blast at once (not needed)? Setup for 100 amps, which means you need 120 amps of service.

But...

Tomorrow, i.e. in 2022, the F-150 Lightning will start arriving at homes. That vehicle can have an 80amp charger. Now, you need 50 + 80 = 130 amps + 20% safety margin = 165 amps of service.

As such, I have my utility company working to verify that my service can supply up to 320 amps, now I have 200 amps. That way, IF I get the Lightning and have the Mach-E, I can pull in more service and have what I might need.
 


RickMachE

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SnBGC

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Hello I just ordered a 2022 GT and have started diving into charging. Even though the car is 6 months away from delivery I want to get the house ready. This is our first EV and this is a whole new world to me. I am intending to have this all done professionally, but I like to understand what I am getting into. Although this is our first EV I anticipate us owning more than 1 in the future. My other intention is to have this as a selling feature to the home if/when we would ever decide to move. I have reading through the forums, but a lot of terminology is lost on me and has left me more unsure.

Looking for the ability to charge in the garage and outside the garage. Potentially at the same time. What brand Model holds up the best? Outdoors would have sun exposure and all 4 seasons exposure, any brand hold up better than others? Quality of product is more important than cost. Is there additional adapters I should have on hand? Should I carry other adapters in the vehicle? What resources did you read to help this all make more sense?

Thank you for your help.
Give this a try.

https://www.insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/charger-reviews-by-tom-molougney.10647/

Before getting too deep into the weeds, determine how much power is available in your panel and how much of that you want to devote to your EV. Sometimes more isn't better. Then select a location for the EVSE unit that is most practical for you and go from there.

If you think you might get another EV in the future......that doesn't necessarily mean you need two plugs. Many times one plug can be shared between two vehicles just fine. But there are times where you want a plug for each vehicle for things like cabin and/or battery conditioning. So don't forget about that because it is easy to overlook.

You can also circuit share and that allows 2 or more plugs on a single circuit. Juicebox and Wallbox allow circuit share. There may be others too....do some research if you want that feature.

Here is a photo of my set up. I have two separate circuits, one for each plug. One unit outside, one inside. Both with pretty long cables. I end up using the exterior unit most times and we share between two cars. The interior machine hardly ever gets used because it isn't as convenient. (I park my EVs in the driveway vs the garage.)

I have two different units because the exterior station was installed several years ago and the interior station just a few months ago. If I had to do it again from scratch today, then I would buy two 48A units from JuiceBox or Wallbox and put them both on a single circuit and power share.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Best Practice for future proofing? 20210602_180527
 

bshaw

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EV batteries and cars are going to be getting more efficient over time. To me, this means the electrical service you build out now will be able to put increasingly more miles into a battery in the same charge time. And the J-1772 will be the standard L2 connector for the foreseeable future for all US EV cars.

So, in terms of future proofing, anticipate what you'll need in terms of number of vehicles and plug locations, but whatever you buy today should still be viable EVSE equipment in 3-5+ yrs. (Assuming it doesn't break of course)

The exception would be the F-150 Lightning, it will have a cool home power option that will have to be connected to your house via an 80A(I think?) special circuit to use that feature. But, you'll still be able to charge that future F-150 using the same L2 chargers from today, maybe just not as fast and only in 1-direction.
 

HuntingPudel

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I have a L2 charger that is rather old. It’s mounted on an interior garage wall. My Fusion Energi resides in the driveway (as does my brother’s). The charging cable snakes under the garage door through the seam between the slabs. So, if I want, I can charge a car in the garage or in the driveway with the one charger.
 

SnBGC

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EV batteries and cars are going to be getting more efficient over time. To me, this means the electrical service you build out now will be able to put increasingly more miles into a battery in the same charge time. And the J-1772 will be the standard L2 connector for the foreseeable future for all US EV cars.

So, in terms of future proofing, anticipate what you'll need in terms of number of vehicles and plug locations, but whatever you buy today should still be viable EVSE equipment in 3-5+ yrs. (Assuming it doesn't break of course)

The exception would be the F-150 Lightning, it will have a cool home power option that will have to be connected to your house via an 80A(I think?) special circuit to use that feature. But, you'll still be able to charge that future F-150 using the same L2 chargers from today, maybe just not as fast and only in 1-direction.
I believe only the extended range battery option in the Lightening is going to have the VTG device. I am guessing it will come with a small sub panel to accommodate that feature.
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