What are the cons of changing at level 1 daily?

[iaming]

I heard people saying it's the best for the battery if you charge daily.

My commute distance can be fully recovered at night with level 1, should I still install level 2 in the garage?

Is level 2 safer than level 1? More energy efficient? How much more?

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[Spooky]

I’ve always thought level 1 charging would be safer since the faster the charger the more heat is generated as it slams the electrons into the battery??

Also I’ve read in numerous places maintaining a battery closer to 50% is best so not sure where daily charging is better than not came from in your research, but in general I think a lot of worrying and fussing over batter longevity is min maxing.

Don’t charge to 100% unless you are going to use it that day, go to Ford’s suggested up to 90%. Other than that, limit DCFC charging if you don’t have to use it and just charge how you want, don’t fuss over it.

 

[Logal727]

I heard people saying it's the best for the battery if you charge daily.

My commute distance can be fully recovered at night with level 1, should I still install level 2 in the garage?

Is level 2 safer than level 1? More energy efficient? How much more?

One advantage to L2 is that it also tops up the 12v battery too. But if you’ve usually got a longer drive every day, that shouldn’t be an issue.

 

[Mach1E]

I heard people saying it's the best for the battery if you charge daily.

My commute distance can be fully recovered at night with level 1, should I still install level 2 in the garage?

Is level 2 safer than level 1? More energy efficient? How much more?

“best” is definitely a relative thing.

L2 is more energy efficient and faster. You can also precondition when its cold to make your drive more efficient.

I can’t think of any good reason to choose L1 if L2 is an option.

That said, unless you plan on keeping the car past the 8 year warranty, no need to obsess over state of charge, how often you charge etc. Just charge it as often as you need and drive it how you like to.

 

[AKgrampy]

I heard people saying it's the best for the battery if you charge daily.

My commute distance can be fully recovered at night with level 1, should I still install level 2 in the garage?

Is level 2 safer than level 1? More energy efficient? How much more?

Doubtful there is any safety difference as long as wiring for a L2 EVSE is installed correctly. L2 is quicker charging and although things are fine now with L1 you may need additional time when range decreases in winter. If you do any driving other than work commuting L2 may also be desired. I would say if you can get by with L1 you are fine. Please note if you are using the Ford supplied EVSE that many users appear to have problems over time. I keep mine in trunk for emergency or on the road use and installed a L2 in my garage.

 

[RickMachE]

Level 1 will not precondition in winter, not enough power. Also not enough power to warm battery on coldest of nights.

 

[iaming]

Doubtful there is any safety difference as long as wiring for a L2 EVSE is installed correctly. L2 is quicker charging and although things are fine now with L1 you may need additional time when range decreases in winter. If you do any driving other than work commuting L2 may also be desired. I would say if you can get by with L1 you are fine. Please note if you are using the Ford supplied EVSE that many users appear to have problems over time. I keep mine in trunk for emergency or on the road use and installed a L2 in my garage.

What are the ford supplied mobile charger problems over time?

 

[SnBGC]

What are the ford supplied mobile charger problems over time?

The same issue with all potted solid state mobile EVSE units. They have very poor thermal management and overheat. When that happens they fault out or beg the car for mercy asking it to draw less power so it can cool down.

Usually only an issue with L2 though.
L1 would probably be just fine.

 

[dtbaker61]

Doubtful there is any safety difference as long as wiring for a L2 EVSE is installed correctly. L2 is quicker charging and although things are fine now with L1 you may need additional time when range decreases in winter. If you do any driving other than work commuting L2 may also be desired. I would say if you can get by with L1 you are fine. Please note if you are using the Ford supplied EVSE that many users appear to have problems over time. I keep mine in trunk for emergency or on the road use and installed a L2 in my garage.

I have been using my (included) Mobile charger for L2 charging for 99% of my 18,000 miles over the 20 months I've had the MME. No problems using the Mobile charger daily. I usually run my MME down to 50% or so, and then charge for a couple hours back up to 80-85%.... unless I know I have a long day and then I charge to 100% overnight.

I think my 240v outlet pulling 32amps is safer than using the 120v tail to pull 11-12amps thru a 'regular' outlet for 8 hours because I KNOW the wiring in the 240v outlet is stout enough, and the 'regular' house outlet was not really designed for continuous heavy loads for 3+ hours.

 

[Dave-O]

I tend to go with my gut and over prepare at times. I’d suggest having a good Lvl2 EVSE installed just in case, assuming it’s practical for you. If you don’t care about “smart” features then there are various solid and relatively inexpensive ones available.

 

[joebruin77]

I personally chose L2 over L1 for many reasons:

1) With L1, I would personally be concerned about the "wear and tear" on the outlet and home wiring of repeatedly charging for many hours night after night.

2) Again, just a personal preference, but in case there is an electrical issue, I would rather it occur while I am awake rather than in the middle of the night while I am sleeping. With L2 charging, the charging session is usually finished before I go to sleep. Or I can charge in the morning before I leave but while I am awake.

3) Even though your daily commute may be short enough that you can charge with L1, there are bound to be times when you will want to take a longer trip. You will then either have to charge for a day or two straight, or go find a public L2 or L3 EVSE. It is so much more convenient to have a L2 EVSE in your garage.

4) In case of a power outage due to a wind or rainstorm, I feel safer having the ability to charge and top off the battery as quickly as possible. During such weather events, the power may only come on for an hour or two before it goes out again. Charging at the rate of 28 miles an hour would give me much more peace of mind than charging at 2 miles an hour.

5) My local power utility gave me a $500 rebate to cover the cost of the L2 EVSE, so my only cost was about $350 in labor to have my electrician install the EVSE.

 

[HuntingPudel]

I don’t charge every day since I use about 12-15% per day. I charge to 85% indicated on 32A L2 twice a week. I could get away with once per week, but I’m too chicken. If you’re in an area that doesn’t get too cold in the winter or too hot in the summer, L1 charging should not be an issue WRT preconditioning.

That said, I prefer L2 charging to L1 charging.

 

[ChuckA]

I assume you don’t have 240v in your garage and are really asking if you should upgrade your electrical.

Since level 1 will charge at 3 mph, and if your daily usage is under 30 miles, you’d be fine for now on 110v level 1 charger..

 

[roamtheworld]

I personally chose L2 over L1 for many reasons:

1) With L1, I would personally be concerned about the "wear and tear" on the outlet and home wiring of repeatedly charging for many hours night after night.

2) Again, just a personal preference, but in case there is an electrical issue, I would rather it occur while I am awake rather than in the middle of the night while I am sleeping. With L2 charging, the charging session is usually finished before I go to sleep. Or I can charge in the morning before I leave but while I am awake.

3) Even though your daily commute may be short enough that you can charge with L1, there are bound to be times when you will want to take a longer trip. You will then either have to charge for a day or two straight, or go find a public L2 or L3 EVSE. It is so much more convenient to have a L2 EVSE in your garage.

4) In case of a power outage due to a wind or rainstorm, I feel safer having the ability to charge and top off the battery as quickly as possible. During such weather events, the power may only come on for an hour or two before it goes out again. Charging at the rate of 28 miles an hour would give me much more peace of mind than charging at 2 miles an hour.

5) My local power utility gave me a $500 rebate to cover the cost of the L2 EVSE, so my only cost was about $350 in labor to have my electrician install the EVSE.

I had our 110 outlet arc when pulling the cord around within the first few weeks of use.
L1 was fine before we started driving longer distances and L1 couldn’t keep up.

I wish we had some rebates in my area to help with install costs.

 

[awp0]

I just had my L2 circuit installed last week. It was a complicated install (underground conduit, new subpanel, GFCI) and pretty expensive at $2k, but it's very nice being able to fully top up each night from any state of charge. I also wouldn't make it through a New England winter without L2, so this was mandatory for me. As a bonus, I've integrated FordPass and OpenEVSE into my HomeAssistant server and I can almost get away without using FordPass on a daily basis.

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