Decision between 32A and 40A charger?

[devildog125]

Taxes are coming up in the next few months and I've been looking into getting a dedicated home charger. How much more beneficial is it to buy a 40A charger over a 32A charger? I've currently got a 50 Amp circuit in my garage and have been using the mobile charger on 240V/32A since I got the car. I'm just wondering if I should get a 40A charger and charge faster vs saving some money and getting another 32A charger? I typically charge at night between 10pm and 6am and my electric is cheap enough I don't worry about peak times etc.

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[JohnnyForensic]

I think I’d answer this question with a question. How often do you pull into the house at night close to the bottom of your battery? I’d often, or even if just reasonably often, I’d go with the 40A. I have a ChargePoint Home Flex powering at 40A and I never have to worry about not being fully charged by morning. If you almost never come home nearly out of juice, then honestly it probably doesn’t matter much.

That said, I fall into the “be prepared” camp and prefer to have my charging done as quickly as possible for any late night emergency, etc. that will almost assuredly never happen, but I think in worst case scenarios all the time anyway.

 

[Kevin P]

Frankly its not going to make much difference unless you are having difficulty getting enough charge in your timeframe. With that said, there is always future-proofing to consider. If I was going to be in a house for a long time I would most likely go with 40A on a 50A circuit just because of potential future use. But if there is a huge cost difference in what you are looking at??? Might not be worth it.

 

[Maquis]

If you reach your desired charge level before you depart, there’s no need to go bigger unless you anticipate a change in your routine that would impact this.

 

[kltye]

It'd be nice to get an adjustable EVSE, so you'll be able to set your charge speed (since, for some inane reason, Ford still doesn't allow us to change that in the car - which has been an annoyance since their first gen plug-ins). I like charging Li-ion batteries as slowly as possible to maximize lifespan, but that's just me. If you don't care about that, then always go for MOAR POWERRRR

 

[devildog125]

Yeah I don't really ever come home nearly empty. I've had the car 2 weeks tomorrow however I'm not new to BEV's/PHEV's. (Had a Volt until July 2020). I'm kinda thinking I may lean to "future-proofing" because my wife wants another EV -either a Rivian or the new Subaru coming out and we don't plan on moving. Plus we can get a discount on the Lectron 40A through Home Depot with a military discount. I just didn't know which would be a better way to go since the mi/kwh is not that large unlike the difference between the 32A and 48A.

 

[devmach-e]

Get the higher amperage EVSE if the price difference is minor. You already have the capability to use the 40A EVSE without having to upgrade your wiring.

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