[Burner]

I brought home our Wind AWD EV6 on Friday, and now need to consider charging solution at home. The car will be parked on the driveway, with easy access to the charger that we are yet to install. I still have the 110V connection, so I am at point of shopping for the best solution to install, to charge the car at home.

Here's what I gathered so far, will appreciate any opinions or suggestions:
Step 1 - add a 220V outlet, and the resistance behind it that can take16A. Should I think big now and try to put a resistance to take 32A or 40A,to make it future-proof?
Step 2 - get a charging cable or charging station to connect from the outlet to the car. I have a "no-name" charging cable with 3.8kW output power rated for 16A at 240V - will that suffice or I need to get something different? Is it fair to calculate that if this cable can generate 3.8kw then it would take ~20hrs to fully charge the car at home?

Instead of that cable, is it more effective to get a proper home charging station?

 

[Kent EV6]

I can’t answer your question, but I recently participated in a thread that may interest you if you read it and not just focus on the title: Does the EV6 allow me to restrict charging to 24AMP? .

 

[mangiacake]

I looked into this a bit. Seems there is a Mustart version 15-32amps where you can use different adapters and charge L1 or 2. Don’t know of any EV6 owners that have used this one but it is what I plan to get.

My situation is 220v Nema 6-20 at home but want flexibility for 15a charging in a pinch.

 

[jadziedzic]

The MUSTART units do not appear to be UL Listed; the Westabo TurboCord dual-voltage unit is. FYI, a device must undergo rigorous testing and safety checks by Underwriters Laboratory to gain the UL Listed status; for something delivering high amperage I'd want something that has been thoroughly tested as opposed to something imported on the cheap.

 

[mangiacake]

The MUSTART units do not appear to be UL Listed; the Westabo TurboCord dual-voltage unit is. FYI, a device must undergo rigorous testing and safety checks by Underwriters Laboratory to gain the UL Listed status; for something delivering high amperage I'd want something that has been thoroughly tested as opposed to something imported on the cheap.

thanks. I will check it out.

 

[ppheijnen]

It seems there is a big difference in setup between the US and Europe (Netherlands).
I will have 3 phase connection @home. So 3x230V and 40 Amps each. Will install a loadbalancer where the energy enters my home. The charger I bought can do maximum of 22Kwh, but EV6 is limited to 11Kwh. The loadbalancer will detect when for example I have high current for electric Sauna it will reduce the Amps for charging while sauna is on. Second it can connect to my solar panels so it will only charge the current the solar panels deliver to network as an option. This can be handy in the future to balance the charging to solar power delivered and when there is no hurry to charge it asap

I have wallbox..

 

[Drjane]

The MUSTART units do not appear to be UL Listed; the Westabo TurboCord dual-voltage unit is. FYI, a device must undergo rigorous testing and safety checks by Underwriters Laboratory to gain the UL Listed status; for something delivering high amperage I'd want something that has been thoroughly tested as opposed to something imported on the cheap.

From what I have read on the forum the Grizzl-E is UL Certified and has been recommended.

 

[twcz3]

Get a Tesla wall connector, future proof it. Lol

 

[aal118]

Any recommendation on what charger to install at home as i am waiting on my EV6 to be delivered i would like to order one now to benefit from the government grant before the end OF MARCH

 

[Burner]

I ordered and installed at home a Wallbox 48A charger, got it from Amazon. Works great, and charges at 11kwh (full charge from zero to full in 7hrs). It's likely more than one would need at home, but it helps to know that I can charge up to 40 miles of range per hour at home.

I would like to order one now to benefit from the government grant before the end OF MARCH

What government grant is there? Can you share a link, please?

 

[dawilso9]

What government grant is there? Can you share a link, please?

He is from the UK. Check with you local utility to see if they have any promos for EV chargers. The federal tax credit ended last year that gave you 30% back. There is still a chance they will extend it again and you will be able to get it on your next tax return. I went ahead and bought the Chargepoint Home Flex last December to take advantage of it. Wired it up myself.

 

[jrsva]

Quite amazing that the EV6 does not come with any charging cable at all. We bitched about this enough that the dealer agreed to pay for a cable. We ordered one from Amazon for $160:
Schumacher SC1455 Portable EV Charger– Level 1 and Level 2, 16A, 240V
One thing that attracted me is that it has a 23-ft cord, so one can park quite some distance from a receptacle. Not an issue at home but it was very helpful when we stayed at an AirB&B for 4 days.

That said, the answer to your question depends on your driving pattern. Our daily use varies from 0 to 50 miles with occasional road trips where we use public charging stations. We will rely on an existing 110V receptacle in the garage for all home charging. This will easily put 50 miles into the battery overnight. We have the top charge limit set at 90% for daily use, then bump it up to 100% the night before leaving on a trip. If we should happen to get caught short, there is an Electrify America 350kW station three miles away.

If you drive >50 mi/day, then a 220V receptacle is called for. A basic 20-amp circuit that can be wired with 12-3 Romax will get you about 130 miles overnight. A NEMA 6-50 adapter, which uses an electric-range receptacle, would give you a nearly full charge overnight. For this you need a stronger charger than our Schumacher.

 

[tonester]

Ok I can accept the argument that a Level 2 charger may be a bit overkill if you drive short distances between charges, but unless your residential infrastructure is such that it's not possible and/or permissible to have a 240V outlet installed, I don't see why else (other than the short trip argument) one wouldn't consider having one installed. I honestly can't see cost as the major roadblock, not when folks have no problem paying $50+K for an EV--what's another <$1K to have a 240V outlet installed? "But wall-mounted Level 2 chargers aren't cheap", you'll counter--decent wall-mounted chargers can be had in the $500-600 range, give or take. Also consider that charging rates at public charging stations are higher than residential rates--currently $0.43/kWh at Electrify America stations here in CA vs. $0.18/kWh at home.

Me--I like the flexibility of being able to charge at ~9.6kWh @ 240V at home--I don't have to worry about potentially having to wait all day and/or night for to replenish my vehicle's driving range while at the same time taking advantage of relatively cheaper electric rates. Put it this way--at least for me if the capability to be able to charge at decently-fast Level 2 rates at home didn't exist I would not have even considered purchasing an EV--i.e., no way would I have been content with having to charge my vehicle solely via a combination of public DC chargers and slow-as-a-snail Level 1 charging.

 

[golfbox]

I looked into this a bit. Seems there is a Mustart version 15-32amps where you can use different adapters and charge L1 or 2. Don’t know of any EV6 owners that have used this one but it is what I plan to get.

My situation is 220v Nema 6-20 at home but want flexibility for 15a charging in a pinch.

Amazing price of $136.00 This one is only 220 but for $199.00 they sell one that can charge at 110 or 220.

 

[Kent EV6]

We have an 11 kw charger on our house and I wouldn’t settle for less. But it’s completely dependent on your needs of course.

 

[jrsva]

folks have no problem paying $50+K for an EV--

I would not say "no problem." Sometimes it is "barely able" and every little bit counts. Anyway, it is the cost thing and/or quite a bit of work, but, most important, why install something one does not need? If I'm going to run a 240V circuit I'm not going to settle for 20A. I will install a NEMA 6-50 receptacle (like an electric range uses) which will get me the 9.6 kW you mention. For that I will need to spend about $300 for a 50-ft roll of 6-3 UFG cable and the receptacle and breaker, then dig up the patio and go down two feet to meet code just to get to the garage. No power equipment bigger than a rototiller can get into the patio area, so this is all hand work.

My wife drove several places around town this week and I made a Costco run to a nearby city today. When I got home I plugged into our 110V circuit. It will reach 90% charge during the night. Meanwhile, if there is an unexpected need later today, there is 175 miles now in the tank ready to go. And there are public fast-charging options nearby for emergency use. We can do quite a bit of public charging for the cost of installing a level-2 setup at home. If you drive >50 mi/day you need a level-2 charger.

 

[Burner]

For that I will need to spend about $300 for a 50-ft roll of 6-3 UFG cable and the receptacle and breaker, then dig up the patio and go down two feet to meet code just to get to the garage. No power equipment bigger than a rototiller can get into the patio area, so this is all hand work.

That depends on personal situation, and likely in your situation many would have chosen to NOT dig up the patio for a 240V outlet. Most people park their cars in the garage, and by code all garages must have a 240V outlet (for dryer). Without any modifications, 100% of the people living in a house or townhouse should get 240V charging with minimal investment (~200$ for a charging cable). There are EV owners who do not park their cars in the garage (for various reasons) and who will need an alternative solution, however they will be very few, in my opinion.

You can charge a 77kw EV at a 110V outlet, but that's like buying the latest iPhone with highest memory size to only make phone calls 3 times per week. It works and it's reliable, but you don't get the full experience.

 

[jadziedzic]

Most people park their cars in the garage, and by code all garages must have a 240V outlet (for dryer).

Which "code" are you referencing here? There's certainly nothing I can find in the NEC that requires a 240-volt outlet in the garage.

 

[jrsva]

Most people park their cars in the garage, and by code all garages must have a 240V outlet (for dryer).

I think that is some local homeowners association regulation, not code. It probably applies mostly to up-scale homes in developments that have attached garages with doors directly into the house. You would not want your dryer out in a typical detached garage! That said, I have a friend in McLean, VA, an up-scale suburb of DC, with a relatively new house that does not even have a 110V receptacle in the garage. To trickle charge my Tesla we had to take out the ceiling light bulb and replace it with a screw-in receptacle adapter.

My guess is that relatively few homeowners, and even fewer apartment dwellers, have easy access to a 240V receptacle.

 

[alansh42]

I have all gas appliances, including the dryer. I had to run a new 50A circuit for my ChargePoint charger. I got a $250 discount from my local utility for buying it from them.