Using 100 amp Ford Pro Charging Station for Mach E

[MannyG20]

I leased my 2024 Select Mach E at the end of November and choose to receive the free charger and standard installation instead of the rebate.
Ford sent me the Pro Charging Station as my free charger ( I was expecting to get the Connected Charger but who am I to question Ford’s decision). I have a 225 amp main panel and plenty of room to add a charging circuit. I had an electrician look at the panel and he says that we have enough unused amps that we could add a 100 amp circuit if we wanted to.
My question is this: Is it worth it? I know the Mach E will not use the extra juice and its max charge rate is matched to the 40amp Connected Charger. I may get a Lighting in the future but that is uncertain. Is there any downside to wiring the Pro Charger to its maximum amperage other than you are tying up amps that you’re not really going to use?
opinions?
bottom line: Should I wired this up for 100 amps or wire it up for 60 amps and call it a day?

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[MonkeyNutz]

Not worth it for the Mach-E as it can not use the full 80A charging capacity that the 100A charging circuit would allow. The Mach-E, as well as most EVs on the market, are capable of using up to 48A @ 240V (11.5kW) charging. So you would be best served to install the charger on a 60A circuit, which allows for the sustained 48A charge rate.

Also note the Charge Station Pro is a bit of a quirky charger. It has a full CCS connector on it as Ford utilized the DC power pins of the CCS connector to provide return power -- vehicle to home -- for the F-150 Lightning. This is a non-standard utilization of the CCS plug and while the charger will charge all CCS vehicles just fine, it's near impossible to use it on any EVs or PHEVs that only have the J1772 plug. And requires modifying a J1772 to Tesla adapter in order to charge a Tesla/NACS vehicle -- it's also hit or miss charging older Teslas as some experience compatibility issues with the Charge Station Pro, even with a properly modified adapter.

 

[Maquis]

Unless there is an unreasonable up charge for the 100A circuit, there’s no downside.
And you don’t really “lose amps”. If for some reason you need more capacity in the future for something else, you can dial down the FCSP using the internal switch and use the lower setting in any load calculation.

 

[MonkeyNutz]

Yeah, installing it on a 100A circuit could be a means of future-proofing it in a way. I suppose it depends on how far your wiring run would be and if the additional installation cost would justify themselves.

 

[hayhayday]

I would run it with 100a, you could always downgrade the breaker to 60a in future if you needed to. If you decide to do 60a anyways it would be a good idea to run 100a wire as the small extra cost of wire is likely a fraction of the cost of labor to do it again if you changed mind later.

 

[Maquis]

I would run it with 100a, you could always downgrade the breaker to 60a in future if you needed to. If you decide to do 60a anyways it would be a good idea to run 100a wire as the small extra cost of wire is likely a fraction of the cost of labor to do it again if you changed mind later.

If the wiring is capable of 100A, there’s no need to change the breaker.

 

[hack-e]

If I recall correctly, the Ford Power Promise includes 60A circuit (48A charging) maximum. So the downside to going to a 100A circuit (80A charging) maximum would be just the additional cost. I doubt it's really worth it, even for any potential 80A EV but it would be cool to have.

I'm not sure what I would do.

Congrats on your 2024 Mach-E. That Power Promise is a nice deal. I wish I had it way back. And nice that it's been extended into 2025!

 

[mike_alt_del]

Greetings! I'm in the process of getting a quote for installation of the dealer provided Pro Charging Station via Qmerit. There is panel capacity for the 100A circuit, however I'm curious how much it will cost above and beyond the standard installation package. (The run is at least 80 feet, and apparently will require the addition of a shut off switch in the garage, which wouldn't be needed for a 60A circuit.) And prior posts mentioned, it may provide some future-proofing, but no benefits with a Mach-E.

 

[MonkeyNutz]

Greetings! I'm in the process of getting a quote for installation of the dealer provided Pro Charging Station via Qmerit. There is panel capacity for the 100A circuit, however I'm curious how much it will cost above and beyond the standard installation package. (The run is at least 80 feet, and apparently will require the addition of a shut off switch in the garage, which wouldn't be needed for a 60A circuit.) And prior posts mentioned, it may provide some future-proofing, but no benefits with a Mach-E.

The local disconnect or sub-panel in the garage is actually beneficial and can save you money. With an 80ft run, they can use aluminum service wire and save you on wire cost. This is a use case where aluminum is appropriate and good. Then a short run of copper from the disconnect/ panel in the garage to the charger.

Labor is a significant part of the cost in doing this so while the Mach-E won't benefit from the 100A circuit, it's still a good idea to run a larger circuit if you're spending the money. You can set a 100 or 120 Amp sub-panel in the garage and this will enable you to later change your setup. Maybe you will want that charger on a 100A circuit for a future vehicle. Or maybe you'll want to run two chargers at 50 or 60 A...

 

[Mach-Lee]

Greetings! I'm in the process of getting a quote for installation of the dealer provided Pro Charging Station via Qmerit. There is panel capacity for the 100A circuit, however I'm curious how much it will cost above and beyond the standard installation package. (The run is at least 80 feet, and apparently will require the addition of a shut off switch in the garage, which wouldn't be needed for a 60A circuit.) And prior posts mentioned, it may provide some future-proofing, but no benefits with a Mach-E.

They will install a 60A circuit (which will provide 48A charging), if you want a 100A circuit that costs extra and is no benefit for the Mach-E. If you don't want the bigger circuit, don't let them force you to pay extra for it.

I would just go with the standard 60A circuit. Unless you're going to be driving an electric pickup 250+ miles per day you aren't ever going to need 80A charging. If you want to future proof, have the conduit sized such that you can get two 40-60A circuits in the garage for a second EV.

 

[MannyG20]

Thanks to everyone responses. I appreciate all the input. I am still waiting for the estimate, but I think I will go with a 60A circuit and leave room another circuit if needed.

 

[mike_alt_del]

The local disconnect or sub-panel in the garage is actually beneficial and can save you money. With an 80ft run, they can use aluminum service wire and save you on wire cost. This is a use case where aluminum is appropriate and good. Then a short run of copper from the disconnect/ panel in the garage to the charger.

Labor is a significant part of the cost in doing this so while the Mach-E won't benefit from the 100A circuit, it's still a good idea to run a larger circuit if you're spending the money. You can set a 100 or 120 Amp sub-panel in the garage and this will enable you to later change your setup. Maybe you will want that charger on a 100A circuit for a future vehicle. Or maybe you'll want to run two chargers at 50 or 60 A...

Thanks for adding your thoughts! The electrician (company owner, not the guy who came out) initially said they had to install a 100A because the charger can do 80A, though since the charger can be derated, I'm assuming that would be a company policy not code. But, the idea of getting a subpanel in the garage is definitely appealing for later flexibility with chargers, or otherwise. I'll post my eventual quote in case provides a useful data point to anyone...

 

[MannyG20]

I got my Charging Station Pro installed yesterday. I went with a 60A circuit and down-regulated the charger. Honestly the main reason was that the installation of the 60A circuit was free. I didn’t even ask for a quote on a 100A circuit when they told me the 60A would not cost anything.
In regards to doing a 100A circuit to ‘future-proof’ my charger I personally think ‘future-proofing’ is simply a way for me to spend more money on something I’ll never use - not just on this charger but ‘future-proofing’ in general is wasted money. Tech becomes obsolete very fast. Technology changes and new ways of doing things quickly supplants old ways. Future-proofing is a lie.
I had a friend who just had a charger installed and he was charged $950 to run a 60A circuit so I figure the Ford Power Promise was worth about $2200 for me - $1300 for the charger and $900 for the install.

 

[shutterbug]

I had a friend who just had a charger installed and he was charged $950 to run a 60A circuit so I figure the Ford Power Promise was worth about $2200 for me - $1300 for the charger and $900 for the install.

That's a bit optimistic. You could get a decent 48A charger for quiet a bit less than $1,300. an Emporia charger is $399. $399 plus $900 minus $1,000 cash discount works out to $299. In addition you may be able to get 30% tax credit for for installing a charger on your own. 30 of $1,200 is $390.

 

[MannyG20]

That's a bit optimistic. You could get a decent 48A charger for quiet a bit less than $1,300. an Emporia charger is $399. $399 plus $900 minus $1,000 cash discount works out to $299. In addition you may be able to get 30% tax credit for for installing a charger on your own. 30 of $1,200 is $390.

I understand that you can get a charger for much cheaper than the Ford charging station pro but the fact remains is that the charger I got retails for $1300. Not that it’s worth $1300 but it does cost $1300.

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