Charging at 80a

[devmach-e]

My “240 voltage” runs 244 pretty consistently.

I see anywhere from 242 to 252, both in the Emporia app and at the panel and at the solar inverter. Have not correlated it with a specific time of day or if I'm using the EVSE or electric oven.

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[Mach-Lee]

I see anywhere from 242 to 252, both in the Emporia app and at the panel and at the solar inverter. Have not correlated it with a specific time of day or if I'm using the EVSE or electric oven.

FYI 252V is the max line voltage and might cause faults or the like on some equipment. That probably means too much solar inverter output in your house or in your neighborhood causing an over voltage. Power company might need to switch the tap on your transformer to a lower voltage to keep things in the 230-250V range. If you are being limited by voltage, lowering the tap may also allow you to export more solar power.

 

[devmach-e]

FYI 252V is the max line voltage and might cause faults or the like on some equipment. That probably means too much solar inverter output in your house or in your neighborhood causing an over voltage. Power company might need to switch the tap on your transformer to a lower voltage to keep things in the 230-250V range. If you are being limited by voltage, lowering the tap may also allow you to export more solar power.

Yeah, according to PG&E, 252 is the upper limit of what they consider to be "normal". The Vue's voltage accuracy is +/- 2%, so if it is reading 253-254 (like it currently is now), it probably is closer to 248-249 actual. When I get home, I'll have to compare what the smart meter claims the voltage is versus what the Vue says. I would assume that the smart meter is more accurate. The solar inverter has a display and I'll have to remember to check what it's voltage value is in the morning. We haven't had any trouble exporting power.

I would think that given the number of smart meters PG&E has deployed, they'd already know if I was outputting too much voltage from the solar, or if their transformer was starting to fail.

 

[SpaceEVDriver]

I have an 80A (hardwired, 100A circuit) Ford Charge Station Pro for our 2023 Lightning and a 48A (hardwired, 60A) ChargePoint Home Flex EVSE for our 2022 Mustang.

The 80A is overkill for the Lightning. The 48A is overkill for the Mustang. We rarely use either at their full amperage capability because it's just not necessary. Every so often I forget to charge the Lightning to full before a long trip and the 80A is nice to give me some catch-up charging, and similarly with the Mustang. But that's rare. We could operate both at 50% amperage and still be happy.

 

[Pioneer74]

I have an 80A (hardwired, 100A circuit) Ford Charge Station Pro for our 2023 Lightning and a 48A (hardwired, 60A) ChargePoint Home Flex EVSE for our 2022 Mustang.

The 80A is overkill for the Lightning. The 48A is overkill for the Mustang. We rarely use either at their full amperage capability because it's just not necessary. Every so often I forget to charge the Lightning to full before a long trip and the 80A is nice to give me some catch-up charging, and similarly with the Mustang. But that's rare. We could operate both at 50% amperage and still be happy.

80 amp may be overkill for you, but I'm not you. It's bailed me out a few times in the winter between getting home late and doing my 100 mile commute the next morning in the bitter cold.

 

[devmach-e]

FYI 252V is the max line voltage and might cause faults or the like on some equipment. That probably means too much solar inverter output in your house or in your neighborhood causing an over voltage. Power company might need to switch the tap on your transformer to a lower voltage to keep things in the 230-250V range. If you are being limited by voltage, lowering the tap may also allow you to export more solar power.

Yeah, according to PG&E, 252 is the upper limit of what they consider to be "normal". The Vue's voltage accuracy is +/- 2%, so if it is reading 253-254 (like it currently is now), it probably is closer to 248-249 actual. When I get home, I'll have to compare what the smart meter claims the voltage is versus what the Vue says. I would assume that the smart meter is more accurate. The solar inverter has a display and I'll have to remember to check what it's voltage value is in the morning. We haven't had any trouble exporting power.

I would think that given the number of smart meters PG&E has deployed, they'd already know if I was outputting too much voltage from the solar, or if their transformer was starting to fail.

So I went and checked the smart meter, Emporia Vue, and the solar inverter. The smart meter claims 250V, the Emporia claims 251.4, and the solar inverter claims 249.8. I plugged the car in to charge, and the smart meter dropped to 248, Emporia 248.9, and the inverter was 248.2.

I trust the smart meter and the solar inverter more than the Emporia. My best guess is that the Emporia's voltage accuracy isn't as great when there isn't a significant load on the system. Before I plugged the car in, we were consuming about 2 kW. Afterwards it jumped to nearly 10 kW. I do trust the accuracy of the kW being drawn as it lines up very close to what PG&E says we use.

 

[HuntingPudel]

So I went and checked the smart meter, Emporia Vue, and the solar inverter. The smart meter claims 250V, the Emporia claims 251.4, and the solar inverter claims 249.8. I plugged the car in to charge, and the smart meter dropped to 248, Emporia 248.9, and the inverter was 248.2.

I trust the smart meter and the solar inverter more than the Emporia. My best guess is that the Emporia's voltage accuracy isn't as great when there isn't a significant load on the system. Before I plugged the car in, we were consuming about 2 kW. Afterwards it jumped to nearly 10 kW. I do trust the accuracy of the kW being drawn as it lines up very close to what PG&E says we use.

I don’t trust anything an appliance tells me. I do trust my true RMS meters. ?‍?

 

[Tomm]

Is there an advantage to run at lower amperage? Is it somehow cheaper? I did the load calls, torqued connections and had the install permitted. 60 A circuit and Tesla charger set to 48A.
I am not an engineer ?

 

[devmach-e]

I don’t trust anything an appliance tells me. I do trust my true RMS meters. ?‍?

Sadly, I don’t have access to one of those.

 

[Maquis]

Is there an advantage to run at lower amperage? Is it somehow cheaper? I did the load calls, torqued connections and had the install permitted. 60 A circuit and Tesla charger set to 48A.
I am not an engineer ?

There is a thread somewhere on here when efficiency was plotted vs charge rate. The TLDR was that efficiency is generally worse at lower rates due to the fix loads in the car. 40A was the sweet spot as I^2*R losses came in to play above that. 48A was just slightly less efficient than 40A.

 

[MannyG20]

I leased a 2024 Mach E 3 weeks ago. Instead of taking the rebate (in hindsight I should have done that) i took the charger and free installation. Three weeks later QMerit still hasn’t contacted me though my dealer has been talking with Ford about getting this scheduled. However, my dealer called me today and said my charger was in and ready to be picked up. I went and picked it up today.
So, Ford sent me the Pro Charger. I have a 60amp circuit ready for my charger. I have no intention of trying to free up enough amps to get a 100 amp circuit and I am sure not going to upgrade my service.
My question is this: the Pro Charger allows you to set the Max Current and there is a setting for a 60amp circuit. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is there any reason I can’t keep the Pro Charger and set the Max Current switch to what i want or should I try to return this and get the Connected Charger?

 

[Mach-Lee]

My question is this: the Pro Charger allows you to set the Max Current and there is a setting for a 60amp circuit. Does anyone have any experience with this? Is there any reason I can’t keep the Pro Charger and set the Max Current switch to what i want or should I try to return this and get the Connected Charger?

Yes you can set the amps for use on a 60A breaker. There is a dial inside, see the installation instructions for how to set the amps.

 

[Pioneer74]

So I went and checked the smart meter, Emporia Vue, and the solar inverter. The smart meter claims 250V, the Emporia claims 251.4, and the solar inverter claims 249.8. I plugged the car in to charge, and the smart meter dropped to 248, Emporia 248.9, and the inverter was 248.2.

Where in the Emporia app do you see voltage readings?

 

[devmach-e]

Where in the Emporia app do you see voltage readings?

It is under “Units of measurement”. Was recently added to the app, along with the ability to merge circuits. I.e monitor both legs of a 240V circuit that is unbalanced (for example: one leg used to power a 120V motor in an electric dryer or the controls for an oven).

 

[Pioneer74]

It is under “Units of measurement”. Was recently added to the app, along with the ability to merge circuits. I.e monitor both legs of a 240V circuit that is unbalanced (for example: one leg used to power a 120V motor in an electric dryer or the controls for an oven).

Wow. I never knew. My app never auto updated since I downloaded it. Thank you.

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