Trying to get ahead of delivery -- home charger questions

[ajdelange]

The HPWC enclosure is NEMA 3R which should be OK outdoors as there are certainly plenty of them installed as destination chargers. 3R provides protection against rain snow and ice but not washdown. Perhaps the Watzilla offerings are 4X?

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[Nipomo]

There is certainly no hurry but I am not expecting anything radical. The current home charging solution is based on rectifiers/converters in the car. The biggest Tesla has ever used is 80 A which requires A 100 A circuit which is about as big as I think we can reasonably contemplate in a residential setting. Someone may come up with a Tesla compatible 80 A charger with more bells and whistles or that is much cheaper than the HPWC but I will be very surprised if any DC charging option is available on the residential market, Probably the greatest motivation to wait is that prices may come down as adoption becomes wider. In addition to the SC's there is a large base of "destination chargers" which Tesla was (and perhaps still is) giving away to businesses. These are actually just HPWCs. The new trucks will doubtless be compatible with these and hence the home charger technology of today.

A NEMA 14-50R may be installed on a 40 or 50 A circuit. On any other it is a code violation.

Thanks for the heads up not the 40 / 50 A requirements for the NEMA 14-15R receptacle. I will look into that. I had another receptacle on the circuit, but my daughter has a Tesla Model 3 so I changed the receptacle. (No one accused me of being bright)

 

[azjohn]

The HPWC enclosure is NEMA 3R which should be OK outdoors as there are certainly plenty of them installed as destination chargers. 3R provides protection against rain snow and ice but not washdown. Perhaps the Watzilla offerings are 4X?

The $2k Uno model is rated for 4X.

https://wattzilla.com/shop/index.htm#!/WattZilla-UNO-80-AMP-EVSE/p/60095053/category=0

I also like the mobile Black Mamba charger they offer

 

[ajdelange]

There is no doubt their stuff is BLABSH but unless you are in a corrosive environment with washdown requirements it is, IMO, overkill and, of course you pay for that. The Tesla chargers are half the price, rated to 3R which is good enough for outdoors and multiple units can be networked to charge multiple cars. You can also charge any vehicle with a J1772 connector with them.

As regards water intrusion: it is necessary that the correct gland be used in order to insure 3R integrity against water. The electrician I used did not do this. When I pointed it out he assured me that there would be no problem as the unit is indoors but the inspector did not agree and made him come back. He still did not use the proper bushing but the inspector signed off so, as it is indoors, that's all I care about.

Note that I'm not trying to sell anything here. I don't own Tesla stock (but wish I did). Just dumping what I've learned in the hope that it might be helpful.

 

[Frank W]

I’m also of the mindset of waiting until I know more. My new house came with 400 Amp service (unfinished basement) so I have lots of room. Unfortunately my utility company doesn’t have off peak hours so I’m stuck with that.

 

[Nipomo]

Same with my utility. I have added solar panels so I have “prepaid “ for my charging. I’m also adding 2 Tesla power walls.

 

[Frank W]

Same with my utility. I have added solar panels so I have “prepaid “ for my charging. I’m also adding 2 Tesla power walls.

I REALLY want the same but I don’t think it makes financial sense in my state unfortunately.

 

[chphilo]

I thought about installing a home charger. But there are too many unknowns and 2 years (or shorter if lucky) is a long time for nothing to happen.

 

[Saskateam]

I have been planning to get ahead of the charging as well. I am going to put in a 125amp sub panel in my garage and then I will be able to meet what ever charging the CT has and also charge a second EV when I buy or build an electric Jeep.

 

[Garden_Aum]

My wall charger will be installed on 20 January. I will use it to charge my PHEV Prius and will continue to read up on the different wall charger options. For instance, Wallbox recently released a bi-directional wall charger for home use. Unfortunately, it is for vehicles with CHAdeMO connectors.

Wallbox Quasar

 

[ajdelange]

I have a CHAdeMO adapter. Where do I get one?

 

[Garden_Aum]

I have a CHAdeMO adapter. Where do I get one?

I recommend sending the sales department an email directly to find out where they are currently selling them.
The email address is [email protected]
The product you will be inquiring about is the Quasar

 

[ajdelange]

I was being a bit tongue in cheek. I went to the linked website and it is pretty clear this is vaporware at this point in time. A few things would have to happen before using the car to power the house could happen:
1)The NFPA would have to change the NEC to allow powering the house from a vehicle. The current NEC requires that EVSE (the thing that goes on the wall that many people call a charger even though it isn't) installed in the US must have circuitry to PREVENT reverse flow from the car.
2)The manufacturers would have to come together with EVSE manufacturers and the utilities to come up with standards so that
Tom's car would interface with Dick's EVSE which in turn would not upset Harry's power company.
3)The manufacturers would have to start making cars that met the new standard

All this is, of course, doable. I think it is being done, at least on an experimental basis, in Asia and Europe.

 

[Saskateam]

Does anyone know what size of conductor fits in the Tesla charger? Can it take 2/0?

 

[ajdelange]

No. The maximum is No. 2 but that's good for 115 A with 75 °C insulation. The terminal block is a Hoppy HP - ATA - 100 -1. As the HPWC will draw no more than 80 A No. 2 is more than sufficient unless you have a very long run and want minimum voltage drop. Above 60 A both US and Canadian codes require a separate, lockable disconnect. Should you need to run 2/0 for voltage drop reasons you could run that to the disconnect and something more reasonable from the disconnect to the terminal block.