installing 240V Plug

[janitorjim]

Why can't a 14-60 work? That's how the OpenEVSE unit does it.

personally do not know but I am guessing it has something to do most electrical codes and may have to do with allowing it to be installed outdoors. Just a guess

Sponsored

 

[SnBGC]

How do you know the ford connected charger is going to be hardwired. I thought if I just install the plug then when I get the charger box I just plug it in.

I dont think the Ford Connected Wall unit has a plug. Not sure what a 60 amp plug would look like...

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

I dont think the Ford Connected Wall unit has a plug. Not sure what a 60 amp plug would look like...

I guess I meant as a general rule. The belief on here seems to be that you simply can't do a 60A plug, but NEMA 14-60 exists.

 

[janitorjim]

I guess I meant as a general rule. The belief on here seems to be that you simply can't do a 60A plug, but NEMA 14-60 exists.

I think 14-60 is 3 pole and I believe most/majority homes are only 1 phase

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

I think 14-60 is 3 pole and I believe most/majority homes are only 1 phase

Interesting. I wonder if the guy doing mine knows that.

 

[janitorjim]

Interesting. I wonder if the guy doing mine knows that.

well in my research I found this but not sure it will be acceptable for the ford in home charger as a plug in. Nor do I know if converting the ford charger to a plug would void the warrenty

https://www.se.com/us/en/faqs/FA108297/

 

[GoGoGadgetMachE]

well in my research I found this but not sure it will be acceptable for the ford in home charger as a plug in. Nor do I know if converting the ford charger to a plug would void the warrenty

https://www.se.com/us/en/faqs/FA108297/

I'm using third party so this is not personally a concern, but it's a valid point for others.

 

[tuminatr]

I have a previous 220v 20A circuit but will have it upgraded based on the charging specs. Xcel energy (the local power company) has a program where they install a 40a juice box and separate meter. This offers cheaper kilowatt rates in the evening and the charger and circuit are a fixed cost. Looks like $880 installed and $4.95 per month gets you a $.04 per kwh 9pm to 9am

 

[agoldman]

I have a previous 220v 20A circuit but will have it upgraded based on the charging specs. Xcel energy (the local power company) has a program where they install a 40a juice box and separate meter. This offers cheaper kilowatt rates in the evening and the charger and circuit are a fixed cost. Looks like $880 installed and $4.95 per month gets you a $.04 per kwh 9pm to 9am

That seems pretty good. I wish pepco had that program.

 

[geekwithout]

Even with high daily usage, a 48A charger (like the Ford Wall Charger) is usually gonna be overkill. Someone would need to be in a pretty unusual circumstance to need to charge that fast overnight at home.

48A @ 240v = 11.5 kW. Someone that runs the Mach-e ER battery all the way down to 10% and wants 100% by morning needs 79.2 kWh. At 11.5 kW, that's only 6.8 hours. On my 40A Grizzl-E it's 8.2 hours. On a 32A charger like the Ford Mobile Charger that comes with the vehicle, it's 10.3 hours. All plenty fast enough for a 90% recharge on most people's typical overnight time. (And most will be recharging before it drops to 10%, and maybe only up to 80% or 90% most recharges.)

Don't forget, some people are more limited in time due to time of use rates.

 

[ajmartineau]

https://www.stayonline.com/product-resources/nema-straight-blade-reference-chart.asp

60 amp devices are normally hardwired. There are 60 amp plugs (rare) and it's common to see 60 amps going to a NEMA 14-50 but not recommended.

If the charger you are installing has 3 wires, you can install it with a 3 or 4 bladed plug. If it has 4 wires you can't use a 3 bladed plug.

 

[jparduhn70]

I think because of the max charging capacity with the amps it has to be hard wired using the larger gauge wiring

This document states that the Ford Connected Charger is hardwired.

https://www.ford.com/powertrains/battery-electric-vehicles/

The hardwired option requires a 60A breaker at the panel. The maximum amperage on a circuit for a plug-in charger is 50A. The Ford Mobile Charger included with the MME is equivalent to a JuiceBox or Chargepoint device.

 

[jlauro]

I have a previous 220v 20A circuit but will have it upgraded based on the charging specs. Xcel energy (the local power company) has a program where they install a 40a juice box and separate meter. This offers cheaper kilowatt rates in the evening and the charger and circuit are a fixed cost. Looks like $880 installed and $4.95 per month gets you a $.04 per kwh 9pm to 9am

What's your regular rate? Have you calculated the break even point to cover the monthly fee? Guessing your normal rate is about triple, I am estimating around 200 miles/month break even before you start saving?

 

[tuminatr]

https://www.stayonline.com/product-resources/nema-straight-blade-reference-chart.asp

60 amp devices are normally hardwired. There are 60 amp plugs (rare) and it's common to see 60 amps going to a NEMA 14-50 but not recommended.

If the charger you are installing has 3 wires, you can install it with a 3 or 4 bladed plug. If it has 4 wires you can't use a 3 bladed plug.

Yea I think thats against electrical code to use a plug with less amp capacity than your circuit. Also my understanding is the ev charger should only be 80% the capacity of the circuit. The most common I have seen is a 50A circuit with a 40A EVSC

What's your regular rate? Have you calculated the break even point to cover the monthly fee? Guessing your normal rate is about triple, I am estimating around 200 miles/month break even before you start saving?

Its seasonal in MN $.11 to $.13 per KWH so charge your car fully once in a month and its worth it

 

[ChasingCoral]

A new option if you have 240 but need to split it:
https://www.greencarreports.com/new...ng-flexibility-without-costly-electrical-work

How to get more Level 2 EV charging flexibility without costly electrical work

BENGT HALVORSON SEPTEMBER 1, 2020

A dedicated 240-volt home-charging circuit is one of the make-or-break essentials for electric vehicle ownership. If you have it, life is easy: plug in each evening, and the battery is charged to your specification by morning. If you don’t—even if you otherwise have the garage space—a 120-volt AC outlet probably won’t cut it.

But American garages—even newer ones, in many cases—are woefully equipped for this. Renters are often left without options, and even owners, installing the circuit and sockets needed for fuss-free charging is often cost-prohibitive as it can require panel upgrades.


NeoCharge Appliance Smart Splitter

That’s where the NeoCharge Smart Splitter launched Tuesday comes in. Simply put, it lets AC vehicle chargers share an existing circuit—like the one you might currently use for your 240V clothes dryer or water heater, in or near a typical home garage.

The project started in 2017 when two Cal Poly engineering students, Spencer Harrison and Akhil Velunu, encountered some of those barriers and looked for a solution. The product they’ve created and refined, measures 5.25 by 5.25 by 2.75 inches and is designed to plug into a 50A circuit.

On the device, there’s a primary and secondary side. So if you have the dryer plugged in as the primary, the device will split what you don’t use by the primary toward the secondary side. Likewise, if you have two car chargers plugged in, the device will split the output depending on the draw of the devices in the same way—in both cases governed by firmware.

The system will work well with either smart-charging or non-networked units you choose to install on the wall, or with the 240V mobile charge cords that many EV makers include with their vehicles.

The U.S.-built device is UL-listed and has been tested for the past two years in various environments—although it’s for indoor use only. Simple LED indicators show power and charging status, and the unit has a quick release to detach from its wall mounting bracket.


NeoCharge supported sockets

It also has built-in wi-fi connectivity for over-the-air firmware upgrades and potential future features, and a mobile app still under development will help track power usage and provide notifications. No app is necessary to use the device on a daily basis.

Two units are available. An Appliance Smart Splitter is rated at 24A total draw, while a Dual-Car Smart Splitter is rated at 40A. They cost $449 and $499, respectively.

NeoCharge has worked with various EV charging companies, utilities, and solar providers, and it’s received interest from several automakers. So expect to hear more about that in the near future.


Clipper Creek HCS-D50 in use

If you do have a 50A circuit you can dedicate to EV charging and want to get a second electric car but can’t make room for a second circuit in your electrical panel, there’s another solution that would work well to help split the difference daily and not turn it into a constant shuffle of cars and charging cables. Last month Clipper Creek announced the HCS-D50, which will split its 40 amps (9.6 kw) equally between two cars when both are charging, or send up to 40A through one connector if only one is charging.

That HCS-D50 unit, also U.S.-made, costs $1,479. The upgrade to a unit introduced last year, it’s indoor/outdoor and comes with two 25-foot charging cables and connectors.

What we like about both of these solutions is they can expand the potential of a limited electrical setup without investing more on a new circuit or service panel, which would allow more charging for EVs. And as more people with less-than-perfect home setups go electric, that will be increasingly in-demand.