Ford Connected Charge Station Installation

[MarkP213]

I bought the Ford Connected Charge Station and was wondering if a NEMA 14-50 pigtail could be added to it, so I can plug it into a 240v 48amp circuit instead of hard wiring it. That way if anything ever happens to the charge station, I could unplug it and use the adapter that comes with the Mach-E. The alternative would be to hard wire it, and add a NEMA receptacle next to it as a backup.

I would be having an electrician do the work, but wanted any advise for or against this type of installation. Please forgive me if I have my numbers wrong!

Any pros or cons?

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[RedStormREHS]

I bought the Ford Connected Charge Station and was wondering if a NEMA 14-50 pigtail could be added to it, so I can plug it into a 240v 48amp circuit instead of hard wiring it. That way if anything ever happens to the charge station, I could unplug it and use the adapter that comes with the Mach-E. The alternative would be to hard wire it, and add a NEMA receptacle next to it as a backup.

I would be having an electrician do the work, but wanted any advise for or against this type of installation. Please forgive me if I have my numbers wrong!

Any pros or cons?

The 48A/240V Ford connected charge station needs a dedicated 60A/240V circuit. This is a hard-wired connection only! A NEMA 14/50 outlet cannot be wired on this circuit (as a back-up?) and may not be used for the Ford charger.

 

[macchiaz-o]

The 14-50 outlet is paired with a 50 amp circuit. For electric vehicle charging, the charge rate on this circuit is limited to 40A for safety.

This is fine. Your electrician can limit the Ford Connected Charge Station to match (i.e. limit it to 40 amps). It supports that. The instructions for the electrician are in the install guide that comes with it.

He or she can likely install a 14-50 plug onto it once they've set that limit.

 

[MarkP213]

Thank you both. I see now that those numbers make sense (14/50 = 50amps). If I have him limit the amperage on the charger, I'd be getting approximately the same charge speed as if I plugged the included adapter into a 14/50 50amp circuit - is that right?

I'm trying to kill two birds with one stone in case the charger fails on me down the road!

 

[macchiaz-o]

Thank you both. I see now that those numbers make sense (14/50 = 50amps). If I have him limit the amperage on the charger, I'd be getting approximately the same charge speed as if I plugged the included adapter into a 14/50 50amp circuit - is that right?

I'm trying to kill two birds with one stone in case the charger fails on me down the road!

The included mobile charger pulls about 30 amps at 240 volts. The FCCS would be 40 amps at 240V on that same 50A circuit. So it's roughly one third faster if you set it up that way.

Or it might be 36 amps not 40, I'm not sure as I haven't tried this exact thing. Several of us have noticed that it configures in 6 amp steps from something like 6 or 12 to 60.

 

[MarkP213]

The included mobile charger pulls about 30 amps at 240 volts. The FCCS would be 40 amps at 240V on that same 50A circuit. So it's roughly one third faster if you set it up that way.

Or it might be 36 amps not 40, I'm not sure as I haven't tried this exact thing. Several of us have noticed that it configures in 6 amp steps from something like 6 or 12 to 60.

Ok, thanks. That gives me some good information to consider. I’ve read some users complaining about loud fans, etc. when charging at full capacity, so maybe limiting the FCCS might be the way to go. ?‍

 

[macchiaz-o]

Ok, thanks. That gives me some good information to consider. I’ve read some users complaining about loud fans, etc. when charging at full capacity, so maybe limiting the FCCS might be the way to go. ?‍

One more thing to keep in mind if I haven't confused you yet...

Your electrician will set the hard upper limit during the install. This is done by setting a few dip switches on the control board. Once it's installed you can't access those switches anymore, except by nearly removing the whole thing from the wall.

But you, as the FordPass user, can set your own limit up to but not exceeding the hard limit.

So for example, mine is installed on a 60 amp circuit so the hard limit is set to 48 amps (as appropriate for this type of device).

But because it's extremely hot in my garage during the summer, I've temporarily cut the rate in half. This is a little easier on the cooling system that's trying to keep the on board charger and cabling cool while the garage's ambient temp is very high (it's over 100F in my garage).

 

[MarkP213]

One more thing to keep in mind if I haven't confused you yet...

Your electrician will set the hard upper limit during the install. This is done by setting a few dip switches on the control board. Once it's installed you can't access those switches anymore, except by nearly removing the whole thing from the wall.

But you, as the FordPass user, can set your own limit up to but not exceeding the hard limit.

So for example, mine is installed on a 60 amp circuit so the hard limit is set to 48 amps (as appropriate for this type of device).

But because it's extremely hot in my garage during the summer, I've temporarily cut the rate in half. This is a little easier on the cooling system that's trying to keep the on board charger and cabling cool while the garage's ambient temp is very high (it's over 100F in my garage).

That makes sense. Since my garage stays relatively cool in the summer, usually no hotter than 82°, maybe I can get away with charging at full capacity without all the noise!

If not, at least now I know I have options to reduce the speed when needed.

 

[randyja]

How does this sound:

125 amp service panel
open space for 60 breaker
50 foot run
hot wires 6 gauge x2
bare ground 8 gauge
3/4 schedule 40 pvc conduit
hard wired to Ford connected charger

will I be able to charge at 48 amps?
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[macchiaz-o]

How does this sound:

125 amp service panel
open space for 60 breaker
50 foot run
hot wires 6 gauge x2
bare ground 8 gauge
3/4 schedule 40 pvc conduit
hard wired to Ford connected charger

will I be able to charge at 48 amps?
comments are strongly encoutraged

Yeah, but for how long or how safely is hard for any of us to say. We'd need much more detail. You should run your plan by a local electrician and/or your town's permitting office.

 

[Mach-Lee]

How does this sound:

125 amp service panel
open space for 60 breaker
50 foot run
hot wires 6 gauge x2
bare ground 8 gauge
3/4 schedule 40 pvc conduit
hard wired to Ford connected charger

will I be able to charge at 48 amps?
comments are strongly encoutraged

Yes, mostly correct assuming you're using THHN wires (no Romex) that are red and black color. Only change I would make is to use 10 gauge stranded wire for the ground (8 ga isn't required) and make sure it's sheathed with green insulation (THHN). You will have a harder time pulling bare copper.

 

[randyja]

Yes, mostly correct assuming you're using THHN wires (no Romex) that are red and black color. Only change I would make is to use 10 gauge stranded wire for the ground (8 ga isn't required) and make sure it's sheathed with green insulation (THHN). You will have a harder time pulling bare copper.

Thank you. Very helpful.

 

[Maquis]

How does this sound:

125 amp service panel
open space for 60 breaker
50 foot run
hot wires 6 gauge x2
bare ground 8 gauge
3/4 schedule 40 pvc conduit
hard wired to Ford connected charger

will I be able to charge at 48 amps?
comments are strongly encouraged

Everything you describe about the 60A branch circuit is fine. As stated, the EGC only needs to be #10 and should be insulated.

125A is not a big service. You should have an electrician perform an NEC load calculation for your home to ensure the service size is adequate when adding the EVSE.

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