[Hecker Stephen]

Forgive me if there is a thread already convering this topic.

I live in a townhouse. I own it. I have a reserved parking space about 20 feet from the front of my home. As there is a community owned sidewalk between my home and my car, I can't run an extension cord to my car, as it would definitely be a tripping hazard for other residents - not to mention visually unappealing.

The community board of directors is willing to consider my running the power line underground and allow me to driller an opening into the curb, but they need some information, including photos of a similar installation.

Can anyone direct me to a vendor who does this sort of installation ?

 

[surgeonFWW]

I am assuming the sidewalk runs across YOUR property with a public "right-of-way". One suggestion would be to install a 50-amp "outdoor" outlet on your property past the sidewalk, on a pedestal (just like a KOA Kampground or a RV park "hookup".) This may, but does not necessarily, require a concrete support. Run a 240 volt cable (designated circuit from service entrance; 40-amp DP breaker) under the sidewalk via a metal, PVC, or PBE conduit. (This can "tunnel" under the sidewalk without disturbing it, or breaking it apart.) Buy an EVSE with a plug that fits this 50 amp outlet. (Many will.)

The problem will be leaving your EVSE (misnamed a "charger") outside. You should not run an extension cord in the car window, put the EVSE on the floor (or seat), and run your J1772 cable back out the window to the car's charging port. If you mount an all-weather, outdoor EVSE on the pedestal and hardwire it, you have basically created your own charging station! Hanging the EVSE temporarily on the pedestal plugged into the outlet requires some manner of "locking it" to the pedestal, but may be a viable solution. Fastening a small (Clipper Creek, GE, ChargePoint) EVSE inside a reinforced "dog house" on wheels which locks to the post, may be a novel (cute) way of getting that EVSE temporarily to the EV.

With no off street parking (near to where you can mount an outdoor station to your house), you have to be a little imaginative, and spend a lot more money, to accomplish your purpose.

The 20-foot underground cable run to an outlet will cost around $1000-2000, and the mounted charger on metal pedestal attached to concrete may cost as much as $3000-4000 (exclusive of the EVSE).

I am on the committee placing a Level 2 EVSE (the first) on our University campus. The commercial station we bought cost ~$2500 and the installation (with 40' underground run) is costing > $9700, for a total cost of $12000+.

 

[Dadrick]

I have to agree, the only viable way to get a Level 2 EVSE would be to bring a conduit underground from the house to the parking space. You could then place a set up like this: https://emotorwerks.com/store/commercial/juicebox-pedestal-commercial-use-pedestal-evse-bundle. This is not going to be a cheap solution any way you go.

 

[redpoint5]

I would just run something like this to take care of the trip hazard:

Otherwise I would bore the hole and run the conduit and cable myself. There are Youtube videos showing how to bore under a concrete slab, and conduit and cable runs are silly easy.

 

[EldRick]

Surgeon - your cost guesses are wildly high for residential use vs. commercial.

More realistic would be $500-600 for the evse, $1000-1200 for the expensive heavy-gauge wiring, and a couple hundred $ for a post set in concrete by a handyman, to which to bolt the EVSE (assuming that they allow him to install a permanent post next to the parking). The post is just a piece of pipe with couple of holes drilled in it.

They are probably not going to allow you to run the wire-guide over the sidewalk, as a legal exposure to a tripping hazard, nor would the association likely be happy with an uncertified installation by a non-electrician. Building codes exist everywhere that have to be met and documented by a real electrician.

 

[surgeonFWW]

Surgeon - your cost guesses are wildly high for residential use vs. commercial.

More realistic would be $500-600 for the evse, $1000-1200 for the expensive heavy-gauge wiring, and a couple hundred $ for a post set in concrete by a handyman, to which to bolt the EVSE (assuming that they allow him to install a permanent post next to the parking). The post is just a piece of pipe with couple of holes drilled in it.

They are probably not going to allow you to run the wire-guide over the sidewalk, as a legal exposure to a tripping hazard, nor would the association likely be happy with an uncertified installation by a non-electrician. Building codes exist everywhere that have to be met and documented by a real electrician.

You may be right, and I don't know how deep an electrical line needs to be (probably not below the freezing level). But, if the trench is not hand dug, the use of a DitchWitch with labor costs, will run you $800-1000 by itself. The copper cable alone, as you noted, will be very expensive. As with all things, labor costs are the "game changer". If you can do much of the work yourself, much savings can be attained. I may be letting that "commercial side" of me influence the "residential side", but I think he will be closer to $2500 than to $1500.

Thanks for clarifying/correcting.

Rick