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Charging Options for home

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charging
7K views 44 replies 19 participants last post by  jmcbrew 
#1 ·
I'm getting ready to install a charging station in my garage and I have several questions:
1. What is the maximum amperage the car can take using the supplied level 2 cable if I just install an outlet?
2. If I go with a charging station instead of an outlet, does it need to be smart? It seems to me that the car is smart (allows delayed charging, charging during off-peak times and charging to a specific level) so are there other features the charger might have that the car doesn't? I will only ever be charging one vehicle.
3. Are the Ultium EV chargers available yet?
 
#2 ·
1. First off, why? What's your expected usage? Common misconception is that you need the absolute highest capacity possible when that is almost never the case. My wife gets by on a 120 volt outlet at 12 amps.
2. IMHO, most people don't wind up using the additional smart features but if you do compulsive things like keep track of exactly how much gas you've put in at every fill-up, then you might want to get a smart one.
3. Ultium is a marketing term GM uses for a style of battery pack and it would not require a special charger, not that the Bolt uses Ultium packs. Never heard of Ultium branded chargers.
 
#3 ·
1. Although the EUV can handle more, the GM EVSE (dual level charge cord) that comes with the EUV will only provide 32A at 240V.
2. That's up to you. Smart EVSEs can help you track data about your charging sessions, and some electric utilities will offer a rebate for specific smart EVSEs that allow them to track or even control your charging during peak load events.
3. GM has Ultium branded chargers that they are installing at dealerships. I don't know of Ultium branded chargers for sale directly to customers.
 
#4 ·
3. GM has Ultium branded chargers that they are installing at dealerships. I don't know of Ultium branded chargers for sale directly to customers.
Dug around and it looks like GM announced these home chargers back in October of last year and then nothing. Probably will be way overpriced but an easy add-on when buying your Ultium Hummer, if they ever get past vaporware. Here's an article with what looks like a CAD model made to look like an actual product:
GM Will Make Its Own Ultium-Brand EV Charging Units
 
#5 ·
I have a dumb charger. Generally your choice of plug or hardwire is not a factor other than complying with code. A plug charger can usually be adapted to hardwire.

Your car has all the smart charging you need. I set my time of use and summer and winter. It was klunky but it works. My electric has a smart meter if I want to see it draw power each night. I have my charger set to 24A so it only draws about 6KWh. Could bump it up but no great need for my 60 mile a day commute.
My guess is almost every Bolt owner can survive at 24A setting 240VAC.

The only issue may be forward looking. Say you want to buy a pickup truck that gets half the e-mpg so maybe greater evse potential.
 
#6 ·
As MitchBolt said "Smart EVSEs can help you track data about your charging sessions, and some electric utilities will offer a rebate for specific smart EVSEs that allow them to track or even control your charging during peak load events." Check with your power company on rebates. This could make the cost of a smart EVSE less than a dumb EVSE.
 
#7 ·
Is there even a price difference between smart and dumb EVSEs?

Emporia's 48 amp smart charger is $400.


I've seen EVSEs for as little as maybe $250, but they are also lower power.
 
#8 ·
I'm getting ready to install a charging station in my garage and I have several questions:
1. What is the maximum amperage the car can take using the supplied level 2 cable if I just install an outlet?
Assuming you are getting/have an EUV, the supplied 240V EVSE only charges at 32 amps. You cannot use it on a circuit less than 40 amps without tripping the breaker. Chevrolet will assist with the installation of a 50 amp circuit, terminated with a 14-50 receptacle. A 14-50 outlet is what you'll need to plug in the supplied EVSE.
 
#9 ·
With my smart EVSE, I am setting it up to do solar PV divert. The solar system publishes its power production and the total house consumption. When there is excess production, the smart EVSE will send that excess to the car rather than out to the grid.

Obviously the car has to be at home during the day. Since I work from home, it will work for me.
 
#10 ·
There is information available from a "smart" EVSE that the car doesn't have. My JuiceBox shows amperage, power being delivered, voltage (I believe that's the wall voltage feeding it), and the current temp of the EVSE. It also offers historical information, so I can see exactly how much electricity I've used and what it cost. So there are advantages to a connected EVSE. Only you can decide if the cost is worth it.
 
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#14 ·
Great replies. The one thing I will definitely do is put in a circuit with a 60 amp breaker so that I can upgrade to 48 amps later if I choose. I don't think I need a smart charger, but the Emporia that redpoint5 posted looks like a good choice. I would just like to check out its reliability. Finally, has anyone seen anything about potential reverse usage to power the home during a power failure like Ford is touting?
 
#16 ·
The reverse usage requires an EV that is capable of such, so far GM has not embraced that concept. If GM does, it would be on new Ultium based EVs since no R&D is being done on the Bolt's BEV2 platform any longer.

Make sure you check into what your utility offers. Many utilities provide rebates, sometimes on Smart EVSEs - particularly if they want use reporting for TOU plans, or eventually envision demand-response programs.

I know the temptation is, faster is better. For your "normal" use of 60 miles, the Level 1 120V cord that comes with Bolts would be just about enough. Add an adapter and 240V outlet and you would recover 100+ miles overnight. So, that is the low end solution. For the few times you need 200+ miles, stop at DCFC before returning home, then top off overnight.

32A L2 would fully charge (0-90%) in 8-9 hours. Anything more than that is not necessary but adds a little comfort for the occasional back to back 200 mile days.

EVSE prices tend to start low for low powered, and rise as the power level rises. So, economic tradeoffs come into play.
 
#21 ·
In my case, I went with smart EVSEs because they have the ability to share a single circuit and I have two cars to charge.
It is all automagic this way and I didn't have to run another circuit.
 
#32 ·
Just remember that in Canada and specifically Ontario, non-certified electrical equipment is not legal for sale and not legal for use....ultimately means no insurance coverage if something happens.
Had the electrician taken a permit it would never have passed.
 
#26 ·
Check out smart splitters. I use a neocharge splitter. It runs off the stove 50 amp circuit. You can research this option and you won't need to run a separate circuit possibly.
It runs either your stove or charger without plugging in and out. It prioritizes which it runs by which side the device is plugged.
 
#29 ·
I have a generac home battery backup system with my solar also. I have a juice box 40 smart charger that with the app I can adjust the amps on the fly to match the solar output immediately at any given moment. I can monitor my Solar output from the generac app also and I don't need to be home. You can adjust the amps from the juice box app down to single digits all the way to 40 or 32 if you get the 32 juice box.
 
#38 ·
US insurance companies can and will investigate claims and either refuse to pay or delay payment. Selling your home without permitted work may go on in some states but you can still get sued later.
I live in an area that so far doesn't require permits and have built everything myself. Lucky for me my annual house insurance is an agreed price costing $250 a year.
 
#41 ·
My level 2 charging unit stopped working after a month.....plug is fine. I do local driving, usually max mileage is 80 miles, so I've found that charging with level 1 charging unit (loaned to us by dealership) is adequate for local driving. Sure would like level 2 capability again - no word from Chevy.....does anyone know if replacements are even available?
 
#42 ·
You can use any brand of charger (technically called an EVSE) you want. If yours pugs into an outlet (as opposed being hard-wired), make sure your replacement has the same style of plug -- usually a NEMA 14-50. Clipper Creek, Grizzl-E, Autel, and Chargepoint are nice units. Stay away from most of the cheap Amazon ones (especially Mustart).

If you're interested, I have a couple of new Autel units that were sent to me for evaluation. I will be selling them off.
 
#43 · (Edited)
The general rule of retail is that you get what you pay for. There are reasons why something sounds like it is just as good, but it’s priced at a noticeably lower price.

There are also products that while having a certain standard of specs, the price is noticeably higher.

So what is the difference if both extremes perform the same function? This is where the price will show itself when “problems” occur, and how much time passes until the problem occurs.

To present the high end of EVSEs that will grant the purchaser the longest and most trouble-free service, the category of commercial will be the peak performing product:


This is overkill for a residential property owner, unless they are looking at it as the final and long-term solution for a residence they have no immediate intention to leave. Or they intend to take the EVSE with them. A dual cable commercial unit is only going to entice the upscale property owner who has 2 BEVs to simultaneously charge. The price is ridiculous for a typical EV owner.

A compromise is to buy the best charging equipment that fits into the budget. Sometimes it’s best to use what one has until the budget allows for the higher grade of equipment that will provide the service that the owner knows will stand the test of time, or at least a level of comfort to protect the second most expensive thing the average person will ever purchase: a car.

The moral is DO NOT PURCHASE A MUSTART NO MATTER HOW ENTICING THE LOW PRICE !!!
 
#45 ·
Good point. For instance, my electrical provider has a rebate IF you buy from a list of specific EVSEs. Also, my state has a rebate that covers 40% of the installation of any EVSE at home, up to $700.
 
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