Third-party mobile chargers now under $200!

Louv

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If you are going to install a new outlet in your garage for your EVSE, then install a 14-50. Or hardwire it. It's a long term investment.

If you are rewiring your garage. Add capacity for TWO charging stations. Your spouse will have one soon enough. Sharing is sweet, but leave that to plates of spaghetti.

If you are going to carry one Portable charging station, and only one plug, then carry a 14-50. Why? Because that's the standard used in Campgrounds for high Amperage RV hookups. Someday, traveling across the country, you might NEED to find the nearest campground to get a charge.

If you are buying a new portable charging station, buy a 32A. Don't buy a 16A. Someday, when you are using it, and you need a quick charge, you'll thank me.

This might be your FIRST electric vehicle. It will NOT be your last electric vehicle. Don't waste your money now on "cheap".

Don't buy a cheap, non-UL-listed EVSE. Your house insurance company might not cover you if your garage burns down and it turns out you bought a cheap, crap-brand EVSE.

But, in the end, it's a free country. Buy whatever fits your situation. Cheap, or Quality. Known brand that will support you in the coming years, or a company that buys a cheap design from an unknown company, slaps their logo on it, and sells it as cheaply as possible on Amazon.

Your mileage may vary.
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GoGoGadgetMachE

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Yes, I think it's a safe assumption that IF Ford ends up offering a 14-30 plug, it will automatically step down the amperage. There's no way it could just detect 240v and assume 32A. If it did, it would pop the breaker on a 14-30 plug every time and they'd end up with a lot of returns of the shiny new (hypothetical) 14-30 plug.
you're misunderstanding my statement perhaps.

I'm saying that they may never offer the plug because the charger might be assuming 240V = 32A. It absolutely could do that and it would be simpler than building circuitry into each cable. That's the safer assumption at the moment given the knowns and unknowns - and it mainly matters at the moment because that assumption means you couldn't use a cable adapter to get to a 14-30 plug with the charger.
 

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you're misunderstanding my statement perhaps.

I'm saying that they may never offer the plug because the charger might be assuming 240V = 32A. It absolutely could do that and it would be simpler than building circuitry into each cable. That's the safer assumption at the moment given the knowns and unknowns - and it mainly matters at the moment because that assumption means you couldn't use a cable adapter to get to a 14-30 plug with the charger.
Okay, I see what you're saying. My assumption only applies IF they come out with some more types of plugs. But the point is moot as it relates to using a cable adapter to plug the current 14-50 plug into a 14-30 outlet. Even if the EVSE does have the ability to step down the amperage with different plug types, a generic cable adapter certainly won't be able to trigger that functionality.
 

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@solarmoo900 Just for more clarification... most dryers are NEMA 14-30 I think, whereas oven outlets, and the included Ford Mobile charger are 14-50. There are a lot of chargers out there that are compatible with the dryer.
Yeah, the dryer at their place is in the basement. The only plugs I have access to in the garage are standard outlets

Hey Chicago.

Will your parental units allow a temporary or non-fixed charging station? Or, are you allowed to install a 14-50R outlet (oven-type outlet) in the garage on a 50A circuit breaker?

I installed a temporary charging station two years ago because I was planning to build a larger garage. It is fairly easy once you have the the garage wired for a 14-50 outlet on a 30A to 50A circuit breaker. Once you have the outlet, you could simply plug an EVSE ("charging station") like ChargePoint Home Flex into the outlet or build a temporary structure to mount and hardwire an EVSE.
My parents are happy to have whatever done as long as I pay for it ha. I just don't want to pay too much because I only visit a few times a year so spending money on electrical work is not ideal. $200 isn't much so thats why I was curious about these but I in no way would spend much more than that for a convenience two or three times a year when I can just deal with public charging around them
 
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GoGoGadgetMachE

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Okay, I see what you're saying. My assumption only applies IF they come out with some more types of plugs. But the point is moot as it relates to using a cable adapter to plug the current 14-50 plug into a 14-30 outlet. Even if the EVSE does have the ability to step down the amperage with different plug types, a generic cable adapter certainly won't be able to trigger that functionality.
ok we are on the same page here. :)
 


dbsb3233

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Yeah, the dryer at their place is in the basement. The only plugs I have access to in the garage are standard outlets



My parents are happy to have whatever done as long as I pay for it ha. I just don't want to pay too much because I only visit a few times a year so spending money on electrical work is not ideal. $200 isn't much so thats why I was curious about these but I in no way would spend much more than that for a convenience two or three times a year when I can just deal with public charging around them
Your best bet is probably just to use the included Ford Mobile charger, plugging into a standard 120V outlet when you visit. You'll only get about 3 miles per hour added, so if you're only visiting for a couple of hours, it's hardly worth it. But if you're spending the night, you can add maybe 30-50 miles/night.

It can cost anywhere from $300-$1000 to have an electrician add a 240V outlet in the garage (depending greatly on the location and distance from the main breaker panel). That's surely not worth it for a rare visit.
 

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If you are going to install a new outlet in your garage for your EVSE, then install a 14-50. Or hardwire it. It's a long term investment.

If you are rewiring your garage. Add capacity for TWO charging stations. Your spouse will have one soon enough. Sharing is sweet, but leave that to plates of spaghetti.

If you are going to carry one Portable charging station, and only one plug, then carry a 14-50. Why? Because that's the standard used in Campgrounds for high Amperage RV hookups. Someday, traveling across the country, you might NEED to find the nearest campground to get a charge.

If you are buying a new portable charging station, buy a 32A. Don't buy a 16A. Someday, when you are using it, and you need a quick charge, you'll thank me.

This might be your FIRST electric vehicle. It will NOT be your last electric vehicle. Don't waste your money now on "cheap".

Don't buy a cheap, non-UL-listed EVSE. Your house insurance company might not cover you if your garage burns down and it turns out you bought a cheap, crap-brand EVSE.

But, in the end, it's a free country. Buy whatever fits your situation. Cheap, or Quality. Known brand that will support you in the coming years, or a company that buys a cheap design from an unknown company, slaps their logo on it, and sells it as cheaply as possible on Amazon.

Your mileage may vary.
Better yet, if your panel will support it, wire it for 60A but use a 14-50 outlet and a 50A breaker. That way you can upgrade to a 48A EVSE like the Ford Connected Charge Station later.
 

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Better yet, if your panel will support it, wire it for 60A but use a 14-50 outlet and a 50A breaker. That way you can upgrade to a 48A EVSE like the Ford Connected Charge Station later.
In 2012 I wired my 3-bay carport with an extra 100A subpanel. We had two 32A chargers running and a 20A 110v outlet for misc stuff.

Plan ahead. This is your future.
 

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In 2012 I wired my 3-bay carport with an extra 100A subpanel. We had two 32A chargers running and a 20A 110v outlet for misc stuff.

Plan ahead. This is your future.
Plan ahead, indeed.
I had my garage enlarged in 2011. I also had a 100A subpanel installed. At the time, I didn't have a clue that one day I would own an EV. Turns out to be a very good decision!
 

dbsb3233

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In 2012 I wired my 3-bay carport with an extra 100A subpanel. We had two 32A chargers running and a 20A 110v outlet for misc stuff.

Plan ahead. This is your future.
I know I'll never need that much, at my age (60's). The Mach-E will almost surely be the last vehicle we'll buy. Our Escape still only has 65k miles on it, as we're retired and drive <8k miles/yr. Two vehicles is actually overkill but I wanted one BEV + one ICE (best of both worlds).

Therefore I just had one 50A outlet installed. Even that's more than we need. If we ever did end up with a 2nd BEV for some reason, I'd probably just buy a dual EVSE that's smart enough to stagger overnight charging (if just alternating nights weren't good enough). They already exist, and there's gonna be more and better options coming out as BEV market share expands.
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