Will you be installing a Level 2 charger?

[KevinRS]

I believe it will be a dual voltage charger. The new Ioniq 5s & EV6s now come with a similar one. We got a dual voltage charger with our ID.4 from the VW dealer, though it was not a VW specific charger.

So far answers from slate are that it will come with only a 120 v charger. Someone should ask for clarification, showing this page with the conflicting information. If it is only a 120v charger, they need to search their pages in depth to correct.

One big issue is an "appliance outlet" is highly unlikely to be rated and made for continuous use, or plugging/unplugging more than a handful of times in it's lifetime. This is the reason there are lots of stories with photos of burned up outlets.

 

[AZFox]

One big issue is an "appliance outlet" is highly unlikely to be rated and made for continuous use, or plugging/unplugging more than a handful of times in it's lifetime. This is the reason there are lots of stories with photos of burned up outlets.

I think the solution for that is a splitter that allows you to share a dryer plug with your EV charger and limits the power draw to something safe.

 

[KevinRS]

I think the solution for that is a splitter that allows you to share a dryer plug with your EV charger and limits the power draw to something safe.

First step is to replace the outlet with one that is rated for the use. Splitter is only needed if you need the outlet for the dryer.
A dryer only uses power in cycles, switching on and off for up to an hour or so at a time, a charger will use pretty much the max it is programmed for up to 8 hours or more.
The other issue is exactly which outlet type. Mine doesn't look like the one on that splitter, and neither looks like the one drawn on the Slate site.

 

[AZFox]

First step is to replace the outlet with one that is rated for the use. Splitter is only needed if you need the outlet for the dryer.
A dryer only uses power in cycles, switching on and off for up to an hour or so at a time, a charger will use pretty much the max it is programmed for up to 8 hours or more.
The other issue is exactly which outlet type. Mine doesn't look like the one on that splitter, and neither looks like the one drawn on the Slate site.

The idea of someone having a dryer outlet without a dryer plugged in didn't occur to me.

Even without a dryer the splitter would still function as a voltage limiter.

The one pictured (just one I found, not necessarily a recommended brand or anything) limits power draw to 24 amps on a 30-amp circuit. That way the charger can't draw more than 80% of the 30 amps no matter how the charger programmed.

Upgrading a receptacle to a fresh, high-grade one is probably a good idea even when it isn't actually necessary.

The photo was a "NEMA 10-30" version. Here's a NEMA 14-30 version. Another socket type is NEMA 14-50, which looks like what's on Slate's site.

 

[KevinRS]

The idea of someone having a dryer outlet without a dryer plugged in didn't occur to me.

Even without a dryer the splitter would still function as a voltage limiter.

The one pictured (just one I found, not necessarily a recommended brand or anything) limits power draw to 24 amps on a 30-amp circuit. That way the charger can't draw more than 80% of the 30 amps no matter how the charger programmed.

Upgrading a receptacle to a fresh, high-grade one is probably a good idea even when it isn't actually necessary.

The photo was a "NEMA 10-30" version. Here's a NEMA 14-30 version. Another socket type is NEMA 14-50, which looks like what's on Slate's site.

The issue with using the stock residential outlet is real, and actually necessary.

I have a gas dryer, that uses only a 110 outlet for power. So there is a dryer outlet there that has never been used. Now that I go and take a picture behind the dryer, looks like it is a nema 10-30, scale was throwing me off.
I'd looked into it, and a likely charger I looked at has jumpers to set max charging rate, if hardwired, so I could potentially remove the outlet entirely and hardwire the charger.

My problem is more with placement though, even if the garage was empty, plugging in behind the dryer means the cord goes across the route from house door to back door to reach a vehicle parked there, but garage is full of stuff, parking will have to be in driveway. I'd need to route either down or up the wall, past the door to house, to the front of the garage, and probably through that wall and mount the charger on that wall at the front, about 25 feet in the garage.
Probably something that needs to be professionally done to be legal, so I'm waiting until launch is closer before figuring out whether that or just a new run from the panel is cheaper and getting a quote.
The only 110 circuit in the garage apparently is labelled washer at the panel, and runs to the master bedroom outlets on the back wall, to the master bath and GFCI outlet, then feeds from that to the other bath, and to the garage and backyard outdoor outlets. I don't think with all that going on that circuit could be trusted for level 1 EV charging.

 

[AZFox]

The issue with using the stock residential outlet is real, and actually necessary.

The issue is real and necessary, I suppose.

Replacing the receptacle isn't always necessary though.

Devices exist that provide power management for preventing circuit overload and charging safely using a dryer outlet.

Here's a blurb from the site of a manufacturer of one of the devices.

What Makes It Safe?​

Your existing dryer circuit is actually perfectly suited for EV charging because clothes dryers and EVs have very similar electrical requirements. The standard dryer circuit in North American homes is designed to handle 30 amps at 240 volts - exactly what most Level 2 EV chargers need. This isn't a coincidence; both appliances were designed around this common household electrical standard. The wiring in your walls (typically 10-gauge copper wire) was selected specifically to handle this power level continuously and safely, with significant safety margins built in.​

​

Furthermore, your dryer circuit already has several important safety features built into its installation. The circuit breaker was sized specifically for this load, the wiring was installed to handle the full rated current, and the outlet itself is rated for continuous use at these power levels. When you plug in an EV charger instead of (or alongside with a smart splitter) your dryer, you're using the circuit exactly as it was designed to be used - to provide 240V power to a major appliance. This is why you can have complete confidence in using your dryer circuit for EV charging, provided you're using proper UL-listed equipment and following the manufacturer's instructions.​

More details:
Is it Safe to Charge an EV Using a Dryer Outlet?

 

[KevinRS]

The problem is 240 volt outlets generally installed in houses for things like dryers are not rated or designed for continuous use, even at 24 amps.

Search "ev charger outlet melted"

You need an industrial grade or EV specific outlet installed, and it's an electrician job, partly because the screws have to be torqued to the proper spec to reduce resistance and heating.

 

[Doctors Do Little]

The issue with using the stock residential outlet is real, and actually necessary.

I have a gas dryer, that uses only a 110 outlet for power. So there is a dryer outlet there that has never been used. Now that I go and take a picture behind the dryer, looks like it is a nema 10-30, scale was throwing me off.
I'd looked into it, and a likely charger I looked at has jumpers to set max charging rate, if hardwired, so I could potentially remove the outlet entirely and hardwire the charger.

My problem is more with placement though, even if the garage was empty, plugging in behind the dryer means the cord goes across the route from house door to back door to reach a vehicle parked there, but garage is full of stuff, parking will have to be in driveway. I'd need to route either down or up the wall, past the door to house, to the front of the garage, and probably through that wall and mount the charger on that wall at the front, about 25 feet in the garage.
Probably something that needs to be professionally done to be legal, so I'm waiting until launch is closer before figuring out whether that or just a new run from the panel is cheaper and getting a quote.
The only 110 circuit in the garage apparently is labelled washer at the panel, and runs to the master bedroom outlets on the back wall, to the master bath and GFCI outlet, then feeds from that to the other bath, and to the garage and backyard outdoor outlets. I don't think with all that going on that circuit could be trusted for level 1 EV charging.

In retrospect, I'm glad I chunked in the cash 3 years ago on 2 EV lines into my garage. It was eye-wateringly expensive, but it was done to code and the panels are balanced and I used one of them for 5 months when I had the Lightning, and I am using the other one in the other part of the garage with a PHEV. Both are flawless in performance and I'm not worried about melting/shorting/burning anything.

If you can save for that expense and/or get local utility to kick in some too, I'd do it.

Also, conduits in the garage were the way to go....up, down, across, it's all carefully protected. I had my garage painted recently, and it really all looks nice and is 100% functional.

 

[AZFox]

Search "ev charger outlet melted"

I'm aware there's fear mongering. Some (but not all) of it is justified.

If I have it right, 220v at 16 amps charges 3x as fast as 120v at 12 amps. For me that would be more than adequate.

 

[AKrietzer]

Would this type plug work with the cord Slate shows? This is 120 Volt - 20 Amp. Would this be much of an improvement over the 15 Amp plug? Would that need to use a larger wire and larger circuit breaker? If you could get 17 Amp would that even be much different than 12, enough to notice?

How does the Dryer Splitter switch work?When the dryer quits, the car starts charging? I also saw some chargers that can charge 2 cars at the same time, but it would only charge each car at about 20 Amp each of a 50 Amp circuit.

 

[AZFox]

How does the Dryer Splitter switch work?When the dryer quits, the car starts charging?

I think so. The automatic ("smart") splitters prioritize power to the dryer outlet when the dryer is in use, and send power to the EV outlet when the dryer is off.

 

[Luxrage]

Would this type plug work with the cord Slate shows? This is 120 Volt - 20 Amp. Would this be much of an improvement over the 15 Amp plug? Would that need to use a larger wire and larger circuit breaker? If you could get 17 Amp would that even be much different than 12, enough to notice?

My house is entirely wired up with 20A circuits for some reason (Built in 1970), and for these kind of outlets they use 12 gauge wire instead of 14 and they're all 20A breakers. So you'd at least have a slightly beefier cable and breaker for it. I think the nominal continuous current draw would be something like 16A for it instead of 12-13A for a regular home outlet. There might be some efficiency losses doing it 120V instead of 240V though.

Edit: the weird outlets the house had