Pairing A Home EV Charger With A New Vehicle.
Most electric vehicle chargers are designed to work with any brand electric vehicle. Tesla vehicles have their own configuration for their charging port, but most charger manufacturers offer the Tesla charging port option along with the charging port that is the industry standard. When choosing an EV charger for your home it is best to first consult a licensed electrician to analyze your homes compatibility, and then cross reference the options the car manufacturer recommends.
Home EV Charger Amperage Sizing.
Most EV chargers are rated between 40 & 50 amps. They also make EV chargers that are 60 amps & above, but on most occasions they are not practical to install on a typical home due to: A large amount of electric vehicles being produced that have a max charge rate of 36 amps regardless how fast a home charger is; Install becomes more expensive; Most electric vehicles are charged overnight anyways. Giving them plenty of time to get a quality charge; Fast charging any kind of battery longterm has negative effects on the overall battery’s lifespan.
What To Look For When Choosing The Install Location For A Home EV Charger.
When choosing a location to install an electric vehicle charger you want to make sure that the charging cord is managed, and not a serious tripping hazard as the vehicle charges. The charger device should also be mounted to the wall in a very sturdy fashion. A well thought-out install plan will usually have the EV charger & cord mounting bracket installed on a wooden backboard rather than relying on only one stud and/or the drywall.
Should The EV Charger Have A Plug Or A Hardwired Disconnect?
Home Safety Code NEC mandates an EV charger have some type of disconnecting means. This could either be an outlet plug, or a safety disconnect depending on the amperage size of the chosen EV charging device. If a home wants to install a 50amp rated EV charger of more, it’s required to be a hardwire safety disconnect. A outlet plug might seem like a good idea first, but it has shown to be a failure point due to cheaply made 40-50amp outlet devices. A much more reliable install option is to install a hardwired safety disconnect instead.
How To Avoid An Electrical Service Upgrade When Installing An EV Charger.
This is where you really want the expertise of a professional electrician! Just installing an EV charger without properly sizing your existing electrical service will cause serious problems resulting in your main breaker tripping, and/or causing electrical surges throughout your home that are damaging to whatever is plugged into the home.
Most homes that have a 200 amp electrical service with Natural Gas/Propane major appliances (oven, stove, dryer, etc.) can handle one electric vehicle charger rated at 40 or 50amps. Sadly, there is no avoiding an electrical service upgrade for a 100amp electrical service. This size service just cant handle the extra power needed to charge an electric vehicle. If a home has an existing 200amp electrical service with major appliances being all electric, then we still can avoid upgrading to a costly 400amp electrical service by using a special piece of equipment called Load Management Monitoring System or better known as “Dynamic Charging”.
Most EV chargers available for purchase only have the ability to charge at their max amperage rating. This causes an extremely high energy demand for your home to keep up with. “Dynamic Charging” is a piece of equipment that helps a home monitor its’ amperage usage in realtime. It pairs with the EV Charger, and controls the charging rate depending on your homes amperage usage at that given point in time. Resulting in the electric vehicle being able to charge safely while still being able to power everything in your home without issue.
Only certain EV charger’s offer dynamic charging as a feature at this time. The brandname leading the industry in EV Charger’s with dynamic charging is Emporia. They have made the first “reliable” load manager that is capable of consistently monitoring charging rates between your home and EV Charger. A few manufacturers have started to release load management systems with their EV chargers, but they have consistency issues with monitoring failures, customer support, and stock availability. This includes Tesla’s load management system as well. Tesla’s dynamic charging has many reports of failures, and has become very hard to get the necessary load management equipment.
Save Amperage Space In Your Existing Electrical Service For Other Future Home Projects.
Again, “dynamic charging” regulates itself to not charge at max load until your home amperage usage is at a lower threshold. This means you can also use dynamic charging to lower a homes overall amperage usage. Freeing up amperage space for fun & exciting home projects like a hot tub, pool, ADU, big kitchen remodel, etc. This feature is the major reason to always consider installing an EV charger with dynamic charging no matter the install circumstance.
Getting A Home Surge Protector Is A Very Good Idea!
Whole home surge protection is a new standard for all new home builds. Whole home surge protectors are installed inside a homes electrical panel whenever you have the following: A brand new home; Home is at high capacity to main breaker; An Area that has a lot of power outages; Generator installed; Solar Panels installed; Car Charger installed; Expensive Home Equipment/Computer/Server; Old home equipment. Surge Protectors installed in your electrical panel come with $75,000 Home Surge Protection Warranty if it were to ever fail to stop a surge from wreaking havoc in a home. No Subscription or monthly fee involved, but surge protectors do not last forever. They have to be replaced if surge device is over five years old or whenever a home surge has occurred. When this happens, contact us. We will help.
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