Just took delivery, a quick question please

[MachGT]

Schumacher makes a 16 amp EV charger with the adapter you need. Just buy that if you want absolute hassle free. Cheaper than getting an electrician to run a bigger wire from your breaker panel. It just won't charge as fast (better for the battery anyways)

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[kdonnel]

It is always best to not rely on a breaker to prevent damage and possible fire. Yes, they're there for that purpose, but like anything else in life, failures occur. The Ford Mobile Charger will draw 32A and therefore should trip the breaker. If it trips the breaker, then the OP can't charger their car. If it doesn't trip the breaker, then it might burn down the house (or maybe "just" destroy the outlet, adapter, and possible the Ford Mobile Charger). I'm really struggling to see any upside here.

As for other non EVSE equipment, it really depends on the current draw. YMMV.

No one is suggesting using the Ford supplied EVSE on a 20 amp circuit.

A 16 amp EVSE is much cheaper than getting a 50 amp circuit installed in almost all cases.

A 16 amp EVSE will replenish average daily usage easily for the majority of people.

 

[kkgg]

Whatever you decide to do, if you have a new circuit run make sure that an industrial grade outlet is used. Do not let an electrician (or DIY) install a $15 outlet from Home Depot.

I even read a post about this, decided the $15 version was fine anyway, and of course it melted.

Wow, I will make sure. Thanks so much

 

[Triggerhappy007]

KKGG - I have a suggestion on how to make this plug work for you using the charger that came with the car, but I hesitate to post it here. IF you are interested in my suggestion, feel free to send me a message. I'll be happy to share it with you.

I have a really bad feeling about this.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

No one is suggesting using the Ford supplied EVSE on a 20 amp circuit.

A 16 amp EVSE is much cheaper than getting a 50 amp circuit installed in almost all cases.

A 16 amp EVSE will replenish average daily usage easily for the majority of people.

Sorry, I misread your post. I missed the part about an EVSE that is limited to 16 A. I agree that would be safe. And yes, not everyone needs a higher power EVSE and they can be expensive…

 

[Aggie PT]

Sorry, I misread your post. I missed the part about an EVSE that is limited to 16 A. I agree that would be safe. And yes, not everyone needs a higher power EVSE and they can be expensive…

How many miles would a 16 amp plug add per hour? I am clueless with electricity and currently only have a 120v outlet in the garage. I'm trying to keep costs down as much as possible with an electrician and evse.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

How many miles would a 16 amp plug add per hour? I am clueless with electricity and currently only have a 120v outlet in the garage. I'm trying to keep costs down as much as possible with an electrician and evse.

A 16 amp EVSE would need to be plugged into a 20 amp circuit (this is because for extended use a circuit should only be used at 80% of its max rating). 16 amps at 240 volts results in about 3.8kW of power, but you don't get all that power delivered to your car's battery - there's about a 10% loss, so you're looking at 3.4kW of power. If your car gets 3 miles per kWh of charge, then you would get about 10 miles per hour of range at 16 amps charging at 240 volts. (Don't be confused by a standard 15 amp 120 V circuit like what you have throughout your house and in your garage. That will typically only delivery about 3 miles of range per hour of charging.)

As for costs, since you don't have a 240V outlet in your garage, the cheapest thing to do would be do have a 40 amp NEMA 14-50 outlet installed on a new 40 amp breaker. You can plug the Ford Mobile Charger into that and it will charge at about twice the rate of the 16 amp/240V, which would require you purchase a new EVSE since the Ford Mobile Charger cannot be set to draw less current - it will always potentially draw as much as 32 amps when connected to 240V, so going with a lower amperage circuit would actually cost you more (because you'd need to buy a new EVSE).

Keep in mind that the costs of installing a new circuit are mostly labor - the actual wiring and circuit breaker costs are pretty small in comparison to the cost of the electrician's time. So if you're considering getting a higher power EVSE, then I recommend you match your circuit to whatever EVSE you decide to get, rather than the other way around.

One more thought: some have had issues with regular longterm use of the Ford Mobile Charger. There is a thread on this topic. Anecdotally, it appears that in hot climates (such as Texas) the Ford EVSE may not hold up well as compared to more robust EVSEs...

There are lots of thread on the topic of EVSE selection. Good luck!

 

[Aggie PT]

A 16 amp EVSE would need to be plugged into a 20 amp circuit (this is because for extended use a circuit should only be used at 80% of its max rating). 16 amps at 240 volts results in about 3.8kW of power, but you don't get all that power delivered to your car's battery - there's about a 10% loss, so you're looking at 3.4kW of power. If your car gets 3 miles per kWh of charge, then you would get about 10 miles per hour of range at 16 amps charging at 240 volts. (Don't be confused by a standard 15 amp 120 V circuit like what you have throughout your house and in your garage. That will typically only delivery about 3 miles of range per hour of charging.)

As for costs, since you don't have a 240V outlet in your garage, the cheapest thing to do would be do have a 40 amp NEMA 14-50 outlet installed on a new 40 amp breaker. You can plug the Ford Mobile Charger into that and it will charge at about twice the rate of the 16 amp/240V, which would require you purchase a new EVSE since the Ford Mobile Charger cannot be set to draw less current - it will always potentially draw as much as 32 amps when connected to 240V, so going with a lower amperage circuit would actually cost you more (because you'd need to buy a new EVSE).

Keep in mind that the costs of installing a new circuit are mostly labor - the actual wiring and circuit breaker costs are pretty small in comparison to the cost of the electrician's time. So if you're considering getting a higher power EVSE, then I recommend you match your circuit to whatever EVSE you decide to get, rather than the other way around.

One more thought: some have had issues with regular longterm use of the Ford Mobile Charger. There is a thread on this topic. Anecdotally, it appears that in hot climates (such as Texas) the Ford EVSE may not hold up well as compared to more robust EVSEs...

There are lots of thread on the topic of EVSE selection. Good luck!

Thanks for the very detailed response! I appreciate it!

 

[OrchidMania]

Just use the 120 adaptor with the Ford mobile charger for now. You can add about 20-30 miles every night. If you’re not charged up now, go find a fast charger and charge to 80 or 90%. Those two things should last you a week or more as long as you don’t have a long commute. Call an electrician tomorrow and make an appointment for a NEMA 14-50 install in your garage For an EV. I didn’t do any extensive wiring and it cost me about $600. The guy gave me the estimate and it seemed ok to me so he did it right then. Problem solved. You can shop for a third party EVSE at your leisure but it’s not necessary, only a preference. I’m still using my Ford mobile charger in year two.

I get close to 60 miles added on 120 for 14-15 hours I’m outside in south florida no garage so I like to charge at night or so the charger is t in sun.

 

[kltye]

My absolute favorite EVSE for situations like this (Turbocord dual): https://www.ebay.com/itm/144767747871. I have used it for years and bring it with me on trips because it's so small.

 

[JohnFoxeSheets]

OP has a 240V outlet in the garage, in the form of a NEMA 6-20.

I know, but my response was to @Aggie PT who doesn't have a 240V outlet in their garage.

 

[kkgg]

for now I am running on 110v. An electrician quoted me 1200$, another quoted me 600$ to install nema 14-50 outlet. Checking more options. Thanks for your valuable feedback

 

[mjs020294]

for now I am running on 110v. An electrician quoted me 1200$, another quoted me 600$ to install nema 14-50 outlet. Checking more options. Thanks for your valuable feedback

You can get $1,000 federal tax credit towards the installation of an EV charger.

 

[kkgg]

You can get $1,000 federal tax credit towards the installation of an EV charger.

is it! I don't know that. Will check on that. I live in Minnesota (if that matters)

 

[mjs020294]

is it! I don't know that. Will check on that. I live in Minnesota (if that matters)

Sorry my bad, its 30% tax credit on a $1,000 installation. So $300 max credit.

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