Charging Woes

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SightUp

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There is something to be said for trickle charging though, right? Something about it being better for the battery in the long run?
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berg0319

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If you have a dedicated garage - is there a fuse panel nearby? Perhaps the landlord would be willing to allow a 240V NEMA 14-50 to be wired into the garage? However, this would requre 6 gauge wiring. Tell the landlord he is "making an investment in the future value of his building". If you were able to get the NEMA 14-50 240V on a 50 Amp breaker using 6 gauge wire, you could plug the Ford charger in using the 240 adapter which would get you about 20 mph into the vehicle. I have a Chargepoint flex plugged into a NEMA 14-50 240V on a 50 Amp breaker using 6 gauge wire in my garage, and it puts roughly 25 mph into the vehicle. It does slow down a little when battery reaches 80%, and I have the Ford app set to stop charging at 90% by default. So the ChargePoint Flex is definitely a little fster than the Ford charger using the same plug. I have attached a screenshot from the ChargePoint app that shows the charge progress on a recent 2 hour charge.
Ford Mustang Mach-E Charging Woes ChargePoint
Ford Mustang Mach-E Charging Woes ChargePoint
 

RickMachE

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There is something to be said for trickle charging though, right? Something about it being better for the battery in the long run?
No. 240v charging is what the car is designed for.
 

ChuckA

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There is something to be said for trickle charging though, right? Something about it being better for the battery in the long run?
Charging at 240v with a 32A EVSE or 40A EVSE to 90% SOC is trickle charging enough.
 

jbooth

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https://quick220.com/products/model-a220-15d-for-equipment-with-us-canadian-plugs

Note: I am not recommending this product, nor stating that you should use it. This post is for informational purposes only. I had an electrician upgrade a pre-existing 240 V into a NEMA 14-50... and he spotted some previous owner had put in an 80 A breaker on 60 A wire. I like not burning my house down, so that was good he spotted that. You too should consult a licensed electrician to charge your car at 240 V safely.

But the secret of our US "standard 120 V" domestic wiring is that our electrical system is really 240 V just like most of the rest of the world. We just "split" that 240 into 120 in the breaker panel. And that means if you have a callous disregard for fire safety, you can recombine it into a 240 V circuit. Which is exactly what the device above does.
 


berg0319

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https://quick220.com/products/model-a220-15d-for-equipment-with-us-canadian-plugs

Note: I am not recommending this product, nor stating that you should use it. This post is for informational purposes only. I had an electrician upgrade a pre-existing 240 V into a NEMA 14-50... and he spotted some previous owner had put in an 80 A breaker on 60 A wire. I like not burning my house down, so that was good he spotted that. You too should consult a licensed electrician to charge your car at 240 V safely.

But the secret of our US "standard 120 V" domestic wiring is that our electrical system is really 240 V just like most of the rest of the world. We just "split" that 240 into 120 in the breaker panel. And that means if you have a callous disregard for fire safety, you can recombine it into a 240 V circuit. Which is exactly what the device above does.
Interesting device. If you are thinking about purchasing it, pay attention to " two different 110-120 volt circuits that are out of phase". In a standard fuse panel there will be two columns of breakers. The two 120V outlets that are going to be combined must be one from the left column and one from the right column - in all likelihood that will provide two outlets on different phases. You can test this before you buy it by identifying where the breakers are in the fuse panel that you will be using.
 
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SightUp

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Thanks for the link to the device. I will give them a call tomorrow and see if they have had any experience doing what I need done.
 

devmach-e

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Interesting device. If you are thinking about purchasing it, pay attention to " two different 110-120 volt circuits that are out of phase". In a standard fuse panel there will be two columns of breakers. The two 120V outlets that are going to be combined must be one from the left column and one from the right column - in all likelihood that will provide two outlets on different phases. You can test this before you buy it by identifying where the breakers are in the fuse panel that you will be using.
Thatā€™s not remotely true these days. In my panel, every other breaker slot going down the column is on a different phase. The top slots, left and right, are on the same phase. The next set of slots are on the other phase. And then back to,the first phase. The wiring diagram for the panel shows this. Iā€™m using tandem breakers here, so the first two breakers are on one phase, then the next two breakers are on the other slot. Notice that the 40A double pole breaker for the EVSE has two 20A breakers in between.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Charging Woes B3BD9D56-74FE-487C-9AC1-EC4FE0CE2C0F
Ford Mustang Mach-E Charging Woes 252814E6-FC16-4B45-8F92-7D0CF5B3F6EF
 

StillWaitingForMachE

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It really does not matter about the breaker size except for safety. The mobile charger either charges at approximately 3 mi per hour at 120V or 20 mi per hour at 240V. So if the outlet you are referring to is a 120V outlet your car will charge at 3 mi per hour. If that is not fast enough then you will have to use public charging. If you have access to a 240V outlet you can charge at 20 mi per hour which should be sufficient. Charging at Apartments, in my opinion, is one of the major issues for widespread EV adoption. DO NOT MAKE ANY CHANGES TO THE ELECTRICAL SYSTEM!
One thing that would help would be federal or state grants. Such grants could also help with the current issue of skyrocketing rent by stipulating that the grants are conditioned on landlords having fair and stable rent prices for x amount of years after receiving a grant.
 

berg0319

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Thatā€™s not remotely true these days. In my panel, every other breaker slot going down the column is on a different phase. The top slots, left and right, are on the same phase. The next set of slots are on the other phase. And then back to,the first phase. The wiring diagram for the panel shows this. Iā€™m using tandem breakers here, so the first two breakers are on one phase, then the next two breakers are on the other slot. Notice that the 40A double pole breaker for the EVSE has two 20A breakers in between.

Ford Mustang Mach-E Charging Woes 252814E6-FC16-4B45-8F92-7D0CF5B3F6EF
Ford Mustang Mach-E Charging Woes 252814E6-FC16-4B45-8F92-7D0CF5B3F6EF
You are correct, not all panels are created equally. The most important aspect for that device to work, is that is must be plugged into two different 120V outlets that are on different phases in the panel (not just different breakers).
 
 




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