TheSteelRider

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Here is a real down - to - earth video from The 8-bit Guy. He usually does videos on computer gear, especially older gear. He does not do videos on EVs. However, I thought his latest video was very informative for just this reason -- he's truly an "every man" and this video is heavily geared to non-EV folk. Here is his answer to the question of "How long does it really take to charge".

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dbsb3233

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Excellent video! Thanks for posting.
 

TheBluf

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This was actually really helpful, as I hadn't realized that Tesla to J1772 adapters existed. I'll definitely have to buy one before/when my Mach E arrives (especially given that I won't have home charging and will be relying on work charging).
 

silverelan

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This was actually really helpful, as I hadn't realized that Tesla to J1772 adapters existed. I'll definitely have to buy one before/when my Mach E arrives (especially given that I won't have home charging and will be relying on work charging).
I have a Tesla wall charger installed and will get an 80A-capable JDapter. They're pricey at $300 or so, but it means I can charge anywhere there's a Tesla or J1772 plug. Additionally, many Tesla wall chargers are at 48 or more amps while most J1772 home chargers are 32A.

Tesla HPWC $500 + $300 adapter =$800
48A home charger = $900+
 

Billyk24

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I have a Tesla wall charger installed and will get an 80A-capable JDapter. They're pricey at $300 or so, but it means I can charge anywhere there's a Tesla or J1772 plug. Additionally, many Tesla wall chargers are at 48 or more amps while most J1772 home chargers are 32A.

Tesla HPWC $500 + $300 adapter =$800
48A home charger = $900+
BUT.....does the Mach E max out at 48amps? IF you run an 80 amp breaker, the car may only charge as if there was a 60 amp breaker and max out at a continuous 48 amps? Some of us have installed a 50 amp breaker to run a continuous 40 amp on a 14-50 NEMA outlet which is found outdoors. This setup might not produce 32 miles of range per hour but at 29(?) it would be close and more cost effective when one considers using a 80amp breaker, you need a thicker wire (6awg for 50 amp breaker) which cost significantly more than 6awg.
 


JamieGeek

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BUT.....does the Mach E max out at 48amps? IF you run an 80 amp breaker, the car may only charge as if there was a 60 amp breaker and max out at a continuous 48 amps? Some of us have installed a 50 amp breaker to run a continuous 40 amp on a 14-50 NEMA outlet which is found outdoors. This setup might not produce 32 miles of range per hour but at 29(?) it would be close and more cost effective when one considers using a 80amp breaker, you need a thicker wire (6awg for 50 amp breaker) which cost significantly more than 6awg.
The Mach-E's internal charger is 11kW which means max current at 240V is ~45 amps (minus some that gets converted to heat). Do you really need to charge it that fast? Do you expect to drive 300 miles every day?

I have my home Level-2 set for 30amps and, in the winter, charge up our Bolt every night. I use about 1/3 of the battery daily so it only takes about 3 hours max to charge it up--its always "full" before I go to work ("full" -- I have it set so that it doesn't charge to 100%). Note that I also like to keep the car plugged in at night in the winter so the battery conditioning can keep the battery toasty warm.

Now in the summer months, I charge the car to 100% about every 4th day--I don't even plug it in at night for the other 3 nights (I run the battery down to about 1/3 since I easily get 250+ miles).

For the 300 mile Mach-E I would expect to do something similar: only charge it every few days (heck with 300+ miles of range in the summer I'll probably only charge it once per week).


That video is really well done and should be required viewing for any newbie EV owner.
 

Billyk24

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Nitpicking but isn't the Mach E internal charger 11.5kWh as is Tesla?
 

JamieGeek

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Nitpicking but isn't the Mach E internal charger 11.5kWh as is Tesla?
The only thing I found on the web said 11kW--it could be 11.5kW (note kW is a "rate" and kWh is a "capacity" hence a charger can charge at 11kW and a battery can hold 98kWh--yeah also nitpicking).
 

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For the video, nothing was mentioned about air cooled battery packs as frequently (in the past) found in Plug in Hybrids. Charging produces heat. EV driving produces heat. Some hybrids have an issue with battery degradation from excess EV usage and charging. These battery packs do not manage heat very well especially during the warm (er) months of the year. Then one really should not keep their battery level at 100% all time which is not good for a long life span.
 

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Fantastic video, thank you for posting it, I learn a bunch today!
 

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Here is a real down - to - earth video from The 8-bit Guy. He usually does videos on computer gear, especially older gear. He does not do videos on EVs. However, I thought his latest video was very informative for just this reason -- he's truly an "every man" and this video is heavily geared to non-EV folk. Here is his answer to the question of "How long does it really take to charge".

This is a good basic intro to charging. He's also done a couple of videos on his BMW i3. As the video points out, "how long to charge" depends on several things. I'm not sure he mentioned it, but battery temp. is one as is the charging curve set by the EV manufacturer. I'm anxious to see the curve for the Mach-E. BTW, I haven't seen any manufacturer publish a curve....enthusiasts gather the info and publish it on forums like this one.
 

Ponypower50

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Thanks, Great video
 

Ranger Rob

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Very helpful to me as someone new to EV and all the charging vocabulary. It can get confusing for a newcomer.
 

SnBGC

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I enjoyed that video. Well done.
When people ask me how long my car takes to charge, my reply is "Depends on how depleted the battery is and what method I use to re-supply the battery". I wait for that to sink in and then I say.....the car can be re-charged 3 different ways (not including regen). The basic way is Level 1 which I describe as 3 prong charging....standard outlet that everyone is familiar with. Next method is Level 2 and is the most common method by far. DC to DC charge is the third method and is sometimes called Level 3 and used only while away from home. This is because almost no one's home has enough power to supply a DC fast charger so they are considered 'commercial' fixtures.

L1 and L2 charging happens during my spare time. Meaning...I get where I am going and plug in and the car charges while I work, eat dinner, sleep etc.

An example usually helps. In my case, for my car (2017 Focus Electric)....it's easy to explain that my drive to work is about 24 miles. If I use L1 to charge at work, then it takes about 6 hours because L1 replenishes my battery about 4 miles of range per hour.
Level 2 is about 6 times faster.....so it replenishes in about 1 hour.
DC fast charging is about 6 times faster than L2 so I can replenish the battery in about 10 minutes. However, that isn't exactly true because DC charging has quite a few variables but it's a good generalization for the curious inquiries.

At any rate, most questions about recharge times can be explained in that manner. L1 is 4 miles of range per hour. L2 is 6 times faster. DC is another 6 times faster than that......for my car.

The MME and all upcoming EVs are going to be a different factor. L1 is always going to be about 4 miles of range per hour (assuming current battery density values), because a 120v circuit can only supply about 16 amps max and that is what it is. L2 can be a little more for the MME but only if the required power is supplied from the breaker panel. DC charging is growing in factors of 2 and 3 so it really depends on the vehicle and the circumstances. My car is only capable of 50kw max. Most newer EVs are capable of 3 times that speed so DC is the wild card right now. The speed of DC charging varies greatly during the charge event so that further complicates the equation. I have never DC charged to full capacity and would never plan on doing so. I have only used DC charging to get me to my final or next charge destination. In the 1 year that I have had my EV.....I have DC charged about 5 times for a total of 90 minutes or so.
 

blheron

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Good Video! I learned a lot. I want to make sure my wife sees this.
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