Preparing for Mach-E charging at home - preparation and installing charger

Sweetwater

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This new code section is specific to EV charging outlets though, not all 14-50 outlets, or limited to 14-50

625.44 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Connection. Electric vehicle supply equipment shall be permitted to be cord- and plug-connected to the premises wiring system in accordance with one of the following:
(A) Connections to 125-Volt, Single-Phase, 15- and 20-Ampere Receptacle Outlets.Electric vehicle supply equipment intended for connection to nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire grounding-type receptacle outlets rated at 125 V, single phase, 15 and 20 amperes or from a supply of less than 50 volts dc.
(B) Connections to Other Receptacle Outlets. Electric vehicle supply equipment that is rated 250 V maximum and complying with all of the following:
(1) It is intended for connection to nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire and 3-pole, 4-wire, grounding-type receptacle outlets rated not more than 50 amperes.
(2) EVSE is fastened in place to facilitate any of the following:

  1. Ready removal for interchange
  2. Facilitation of maintenance and repair
  3. Repositioning of portable, movable, or EVSE fastened in place
(3) Power-supply cord length for electric vehicle supply equipment fastened in place is limited to 1.8 m (6 ft).
(4) Receptacles are located to avoid physical damage to the flexible cord.
All other electric vehicle supply equipment shall be permanently wired and fastened in place to the supporting surface, a wall, a pole, or other structure. The electric vehicle supply equipment shall have no exposed live parts.

625.44(A) Portable Equipment. Portable equipment shall be connected to the premises wiring systems by one or more of the following methods:
(1) A nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire grounding-type receptacle outlet rated at 125 volts, single phase, 15 or 20 amperes
(2) A nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire grounding-type receptacle outlet rated at 250 volts, single phase, 15 or 20 amperes
(3) A nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire or 3-pole, 4-wire grounding-type receptacle outlet rated at 250 volts, single phase, 30 or 50 amperes
(4) A nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire grounding-type receptacle outlet rated at 60 volts dc maximum, 15 or 20 amperes
The length of the power supply cord, if provided, between the receptacle outlet and the equipment shall be in accordance with 625.17(A) (3).
2. Add a new 625.54 to read as follows:
625.54 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. All single-phase receptacles installed for the connection of electric vehicle charging that are rated 150 volts to ground or less, and 50 amperes or less shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.
3. Add a new 625.56 to read as follows:
625.56 Receptacle Enclosures. All receptacles installed in a wet location for electric vehicle charging shall have an enclosure that is weatherproof with the attachment plug cap inserted or removed.
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This new code section is specific to EV charging outlets though, not all 14-50 outlets, or limited to 14-50

625.44 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Connection. Electric vehicle supply equipment shall be permitted to be cord- and plug-connected to the premises wiring system in accordance with one of the following:
While I agree that this is sound practice, the requirement for a GFCI for 240 V EV outlets is only in the latest NEC (2020) which is not adopted/codified by most states... see this map: https://www.nfpa.org/NEC/NEC-adoption-and-use/NEC-adoption-maps to see which states this applies to.
 

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Sweetwater

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CHeil402

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Could not find new code on 240 volt GFCI. Please post new code about this.
625.54 was modified from 2017 to 2020 to remove the "rated 150 volts to ground or less" statement which means it applies to 240 V outlets now...

(2017) 625.54 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. All single-phase receptacles installed for the connection of electric vehicle charging that are rated 150 volts to ground or less, and 50 amperes or less shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.

(2020) 625.54 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. In addition to the requirements in 210.8, all receptacles installed for the connection of electric vehicle charging shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.
 

Sweetwater

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625.54 was modified from 2017 to 2020 to remove the "rated 150 volts to ground or less" statement which means it applies to 240 V outlets now...

(2017) 625.54 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. All single-phase receptacles installed for the connection of electric vehicle charging that are rated 150 volts to ground or less, and 50 amperes or less shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.

(2020) 625.54 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. In addition to the requirements in 210.8, all receptacles installed for the connection of electric vehicle charging shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.
You can not "say" Which means in Electrical Code. It MUST be written. You are not reading
it correctly. They want kitchen and basement 240 V to be GFCI. Nowhere is the garage
stated to have GFCI on 240 V. The "ALL" recps for ev charging to be GFCI is for single phase.
Check here for 2020 code.

625 Electric Vehicle Charging System.

NEC-Content.php
 
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Electrical engineer here. There's a lot of discussion going on here about 240 V install and GFCI. Thought I'd throw my $0.02 in for reference. The typical residential service coming into your house from your utility in the USA is 240 V (kind of). There are three wires: Neutral, +120 V and -120V. If you look inside your breaker box, there is a 'zig zagged' set of buss bars that are interleaved that your breakers connect to. One is connected to +120 V and one is connected to -120 V. When you install a single width breaker, you're making a 120 V circuit. You're connect one wire (hot / black) to EITHER +120 V OR -120 V and the other wire to neutral which is 0 V (neutral / white). You the run this to your outlet and the voltage you get is the difference between +/- 120 V and 0 V (either results in 120 V).

Now when you want a 240 V outlet, you use a double-wide breaker. This is the reason the buss bars are zig-zagged because the double breaker connects one side to a +120 V and the other to -120 V. Then you run this to the outlet with black/red to the +/- 120 V connection. You don't need the neutral in this case... BUT some outlets bring it out (white wire) as is done in a NEMA 14-50 outlet. Then the thing you plug in uses the difference between +120 V and -120 V and you get 240 V! If the end device also wants 120 V, then it can use the neutral. This is what something like an electric dryer does for the lower power electronics... it uses 240 V for the heating element and 120 V for the control electronics and lights.

The circuit breaker is there to protect your wires from catching on fire in the event of a short circuit. It is NOT there to protect you from being electrocuted for two reasons. Your hand might not draw enough current to trip the breaker but still get a potentially lethal shock. And because a circuit breaker trips much too slowly to protect you even if it does trip. That's where a GFCI comes in. It is a Ground Fault Circuit Interrupter. They are designed to protect YOU not the wires. They work by measuring the difference between what goes out one end and comes back in the other. Under normal circumstances, all of what goes out one side comes back the other. If there is an imbalance, it must be going somewhere else (like into you). That's why they're required in places where there is a potential shock hazard (kitchen and bathroom). As soon as it detects an imbalance measured in milliamps, it trips.

This comes to the point of needing one or not for a car charger. A charger that doesn't include a built-in GFCI will ask for one to be installed, like the Ford Mobile Charger. One that does have one built in will ask you to not to install one, like the hardwired Ford charger. However, if you don't have a GFCI breaker, then you're only protected from the point where the GFCI is to the end, so in the example of a hard wired charger, you're only protected in the connector of the charger, if you touched the wiring to it, you'd get shocked unprotected. It would be smart to include a GFCI breaker if you have an outlet that you're plugging/unplugging repeatedly as the GFCI breaker will protect you at the plug, so if when you're unplugging it, it won't shock you if you touch the prongs of the plug.

Now you might think, why don't we always just use a GFCI breaker then? Well the way a GFCI protected EV charger works is that it first verifies that the ground connection is working by sending some current through there... which if you had a downstream GFCI breaker, would be detected as a ground fault and cause a nuisance trip. So this can result in a lot of nuisance trips.

I'm happy to entertain questions, but I want to emphasize that this is all the more reason why you shouldn't be doing this if you're not comfortable or knowledgeable about this. I didn't even list all of the things to consider like wire and conduit sizing.

EDIT: For reference, here's a great video explaining the 240 V panel:
Thank you for your clear, complete and concise explanation on this subject.
 

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Ford Mustang Mach-E Preparing for Mach-E charging at home - preparation and installing charger IMG_20201110_102223


Have my charger installed today!
This new code section is specific to EV charging outlets though, not all 14-50 outlets, or limited to 14-50

I got my rough electrical yesterday. No requirement for GFIC in Placer County CA. They did tell me that for the same Grizzl-e charger I should strap the plug cable to the wall, so it seems they are trying to make it like a dedicated outlet. Also he explained that the reason the ground pin is at the top is for added safety incase the plug comes out a little bit. My outlet is in the wall so I have some more drywall work to finish

625.44 Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment Connection. Electric vehicle supply equipment shall be permitted to be cord- and plug-connected to the premises wiring system in accordance with one of the following:
(A) Connections to 125-Volt, Single-Phase, 15- and 20-Ampere Receptacle Outlets.Electric vehicle supply equipment intended for connection to nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire grounding-type receptacle outlets rated at 125 V, single phase, 15 and 20 amperes or from a supply of less than 50 volts dc.
(B) Connections to Other Receptacle Outlets. Electric vehicle supply equipment that is rated 250 V maximum and complying with all of the following:
(1) It is intended for connection to nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire and 3-pole, 4-wire, grounding-type receptacle outlets rated not more than 50 amperes.
(2) EVSE is fastened in place to facilitate any of the following:

  1. Ready removal for interchange
  2. Facilitation of maintenance and repair
  3. Repositioning of portable, movable, or EVSE fastened in place
(3) Power-supply cord length for electric vehicle supply equipment fastened in place is limited to 1.8 m (6 ft).
(4) Receptacles are located to avoid physical damage to the flexible cord.
All other electric vehicle supply equipment shall be permanently wired and fastened in place to the supporting surface, a wall, a pole, or other structure. The electric vehicle supply equipment shall have no exposed live parts.

625.44(A) Portable Equipment. Portable equipment shall be connected to the premises wiring systems by one or more of the following methods:
(1) A nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire grounding-type receptacle outlet rated at 125 volts, single phase, 15 or 20 amperes
(2) A nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire grounding-type receptacle outlet rated at 250 volts, single phase, 15 or 20 amperes
(3) A nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire or 3-pole, 4-wire grounding-type receptacle outlet rated at 250 volts, single phase, 30 or 50 amperes
(4) A nonlocking, 2-pole, 3-wire grounding-type receptacle outlet rated at 60 volts dc maximum, 15 or 20 amperes
The length of the power supply cord, if provided, between the receptacle outlet and the equipment shall be in accordance with 625.17(A) (3).
2. Add a new 625.54 to read as follows:
625.54 Ground-Fault Circuit-Interrupter Protection for Personnel. All single-phase receptacles installed for the connection of electric vehicle charging that are rated 150 volts to ground or less, and 50 amperes or less shall have ground-fault circuit-interrupter protection for personnel.
3. Add a new 625.56 to read as follows:
625.56 Receptacle Enclosures. All receptacles installed in a wet location for electric vehicle charging shall have an enclosure that is weatherproof with the attachment plug cap inserted or removed.
Thank you for your clear, complete and concise explanation on this subject.
 

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I ordered a JuiceBox 48 about three weeks ago during what was apparently a website "glitch" as someone in support described it. He said they would be in stock in one to two weeks. Today the website apparently had another "glitch" because it showed that you could place an order implying they were in stock. I contacted him, again, and he said they were still waiting. I contacted support directly and get a return email that says:
"Due to Covid restrictions here in California our manufacturing has been delayed until the end of the year. I can get you a JuiceBox 40 Plug in or Hardwired. We would refund the difference plus $25.00, You can wait for your order to be fulfilled or I can cancel your order."
Since I want to take advantage of the federal rebate I think I'll take advantage of her offer, my question is: hardwired or plug-in. I'm leaning toward plug-in so that in the event the JuiceBox has any kind of problem I can use the plug with the mobile cord that comes with the Mach-E. Anybody want to weigh in here and help me make the choice? Thanks!
 

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I ordered a JuiceBox 48 about three weeks ago during what was apparently a website "glitch" as someone in support described it. He said they would be in stock in one to two weeks. Today the website apparently had another "glitch" because it showed that you could place an order implying they were in stock. I contacted him, again, and he said they were still waiting. I contacted support directly and get a return email that says:
"Due to Covid restrictions here in California our manufacturing has been delayed until the end of the year. I can get you a JuiceBox 40 Plug in or Hardwired. We would refund the difference plus $25.00, You can wait for your order to be fulfilled or I can cancel your order."
Since I want to take advantage of the federal rebate I think I'll take advantage of her offer, my question is: hardwired or plug-in. I'm leaning toward plug-in so that in the event the JuiceBox has any kind of problem I can use the plug with the mobile cord that comes with the Mach-E. Anybody want to weigh in here and help me make the choice? Thanks!
Plug in.
 

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I ordered a JuiceBox 48 about three weeks ago during what was apparently a website "glitch" as someone in support described it. He said they would be in stock in one to two weeks. Today the website apparently had another "glitch" because it showed that you could place an order implying they were in stock. I contacted him, again, and he said they were still waiting. I contacted support directly and get a return email that says:
"Due to Covid restrictions here in California our manufacturing has been delayed until the end of the year. I can get you a JuiceBox 40 Plug in or Hardwired. We would refund the difference plus $25.00, You can wait for your order to be fulfilled or I can cancel your order."
Since I want to take advantage of the federal rebate I think I'll take advantage of her offer, my question is: hardwired or plug-in. I'm leaning toward plug-in so that in the event the JuiceBox has any kind of problem I can use the plug with the mobile cord that comes with the Mach-E. Anybody want to weigh in here and help me make the choice? Thanks!
When you were looking to get 48A, your only real choice was hard wired. For a 40A model there is no real advantage with hard wired. Since you are already leaning to plug-in, go for it. Also, plug-in is $10 cheaper.
 

Tsand4

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Just ordered a Chargepoint Home Flex 14-50 plug-in. I like the option to vary charge input and can take the charger with me when we go to our cottage during the summers. Now I just need to get the electrical run at both places. At least I know I will qualify for one 2020 tax rebate.
 

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I went thru this same thought process deciding between 48A hardwire and 40A plug in. Ended up convincing myself that the flexibility offered by the plug in offsets the 20% quicker charge capability of the larger charger.
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