School me on level two charging

[brian10x]

I'm planning on (mostly) charging my Slate from home, and I was going to have a 240V outlet installed in the carport of my mobile home.
Can I spare the expense of a dedicated charger and just have a heavy duty 240V outlet installed?

Also, do I need to check amperage requirements? I live in a mobile home built when disco was king.

Thanks for the education-

 

[The Weatherman]

You should spend a minute watching Tom on the YouTube Channel: Star of Charge.

He has spent nearly 10 years testing and reporting on chargers.

For maximum Level 2 charging you will need a 60 amp/240v circuit w a 14-50 receptacle. Most all the current chargers that 40-48Amp level 2 can be hardwired for 48amps and have 14-50 plugs for 40amps. Hardwiring will be more expensive then having a heavy duty cycle (EVSE rated) plug installed.

State of Charge will help you with your knowledge and give you a ton of reviews of the many different chargers out there.

 

[brian10x]

Thanks for the tip. I'll add his channel to my YouTube favorites.

 

[Garbone]

14-50 outlet to 60 amp with the proper wires is what I have. Gives you 40 amps continuous charge possible.

My MachE came with a 24amp lvl 2 charger but I use an Emporia one that has a management app. I can monitor usage down to the penny and set schedules etc. with a 14-50 plug if my Emporia ever succumbs to lightening I can just unplug it and use another unit. Nice flexibility.

 

[cadblu]

I'm planning on (mostly) charging my Slate from home, and I was going to have a 240V outlet installed in the carport of my mobile home.
Can I spare the expense of a dedicated charger and just have a heavy duty 240V outlet installed?

Also, do I need to check amperage requirements? I live in a mobile home built when disco was king.

Thanks for the education-

Did you say carport? If that outlet is exposed to the elements I would also install a watertight electrical enclosure. I would also add a lockbox (or turn the breaker off when not in use) so that your neighbors don’t take advantage. Just saying.

 

[brian10x]

Thank you! I wonder if I volunteer to sweep the floors Slate will move me up in line?😵

 

[Garbone]

My charger and outlet live outside. This closureis what I have does have a padlock loop and a more sophisticated charger Emporia can be disabled remotely if one worries about the neighbors.

 

[brian10x]

Thank you for being so awesome!

 

[Benjamin Nead]

I agree with everyone's observations here. Tom Moloughney's State of Charge YouTube channel will offer excellent advice on this topic. Another very good YouTube source for examining the intricacies of charging equipment choices is Nikki Gordon-Bloomfield's Transport Evolved channel.

One thing to emphasize when selecting parts for your NEMA 14-50 installation is to spend the extra money (might cost you $50 or $60) on a receptacle that's designed specifically for EV charging. The big reputable name brands (Leviton, Hubble, etc.) will offer 14-50 receptacles simply rated for 40A continuous operation for around $15. But the word "continuous" for a 14-50 in that application might be an hour or so of a kitchen stove cooking a pot roast.

"Continuous" for EV charging is often a 40A current draw for 8 hours or more. The EV rated outlets these same manufacturers offer will have beefier contacts for the wires and a stronger insulating plastic support structure surrounding those contacts. Don't skimp on wire gauges either.

 

[brian10x]

Great advice! I really appreciate the help.

 

[metroshot]

My 2 cents: avoid the outlet if at all possible.

Many times the outlet and plug will melt and catch fire when over time the elements cause oxidation to the contacts.

If possible, get it hardwired.

Emporia 48A hardwired to the breaker directly has given me zero issues over 2 years now.

I charge 2 EVs in the garage and share the Emporia.
Honda charges at 24A while the Mach E charges at 48A.

 

[cvollers]

You should spend a minute watching Tom on the YouTube Channel: Star of Charge.

He has spent nearly 10 years testing and reporting on chargers.

For maximum Level 2 charging you will need a 60 amp/240v circuit w a 14-50 receptacle. Most all the current chargers that 40-48Amp level 2 can be hardwired for 48amps and have 14-50 plugs for 40amps. Hardwiring will be more expensive then having a heavy duty cycle (EVSE rated) plug installed.

State of Charge will help you with your knowledge and give you a ton of reviews of the many different chargers out there.

Watching his review of the Emporia Pro. Very thorough!

 

[cvollers]

My 2 cents: avoid the outlet if at all possible.

Many times the outlet and plug will melt and catch fire when over time the elements cause oxidation to the contacts.

If possible, get it hardwired.

Emporia 48A hardwired to the breaker directly has given me zero issues over 2 years now.

I charge 2 EVs in the garage and share the Emporia.
Honda charges at 24A while the Mach E charges at 48A.

Is it worth it to spend the extra money for 8 more amps of charging current (40a with plug vs. 48a hardwired)?

 

[Garbone]

Is it worth it to spend the extra money for 8 more amps of charging current (40a with plug vs. 48a hardwired)?

That is a judgement call.

I bought my first EV in February of 21 and bought the Ford 48amp charger and hard wired it myself for 48 amps. Damn thing worked for a week and bricked.
Known Software issue.
I returned it to for for a refund, put in the outlet and used the 24amp charger until my grizzlE showed up. That was good for a month or 2 then started to trip fail to charge every few uses so I unplugged it and returned it for a new one from the manufacturer. Also a known bad chip (Rona supply issue?) The next grizzlE worked fine but was not designed for telemetry data and was just a charger. I replaced it with the Emporia after about a year. Still have the GrizzlE in my garage on a shelf, just in case.

Love the Emporia.

My wifes car has developed trouble charging, it fails at 30 amps AC or above. After 3 trips to Ford with no fix I just set our Emporia to the lower setting. My 22 can charge at 40 amps but mehhh. The Emporia charger telemetry was helpful to me looking at how her car charged vs mine, You can see her rectifier stack getting squirrelly and having a flutter at higher amperage. Told the Ford tech but you know how that is.

Since installing it over a 2 year I have not once opened that closure to check the socket. I did paint the box when I painted the house so that helps with corrosion.

 

[cvollers]

That is a judgement call.

I bought my first EV in February of 21 and bought the Ford 48amp charger and hard wired it myself for 48 amps. Damn thing worked for a week and bricked.
Known Software issue.
I returned it to for for a refund, put in the outlet and used the 24amp charger until my grizzlE showed up. That was good for a month or 2 then started to trip fail to charge every few uses so I unplugged it and returned it for a new one from the manufacturer. Also a known bad chip (Rona supply issue?) The next grizzlE worked fine but was not designed for telemetry data and was just a charger. I replaced it with the Emporia after about a year. Still have the GrizzlE in my garage on a shelf, just in case.

Love the Emporia.

My wifes car has developed trouble charging, it fails at 30 amps AC or above. After 3 trips to Ford with no fix I just set our Emporia to the lower setting. My 22 can charge at 40 amps but mehhh. The Emporia charger telemetry was helpful to me looking at how her car charged vs mine, You can see her rectifier stack getting squirrelly and having a flutter at higher amperage. Told the Ford tech but you know how that is.

Since installing it over a 2 year I have not once opened that closure to check the socket. I did paint the box when I painted the house so that helps with corrosion.

Helpful. My understanding is that 40a requires a 60a circuit where 48a requires 80a. I need to do some checking on what is available at the house. The Emporia Pro has a feature that regulates charge to available current…pretty cool if it works.

Also an extra 8a at 240v is an extra 1.9kW (theoretical) of charging power…