Charger Home Installation

Thanks! This is a pertinent thread for me now as I've got the go ahead to get some quotes and to make sure our panel can handle adding an HPWC. I would like to do as you and many others have done with the 14-50 also as a back up. Need to decide on placement for both.

I know a 200amp panel is pretty common but would anyone have some general guidelines in determining how much room is available for these additional circuits?

Thanks!

goneskiian said:

Thanks! This is a pertinent thread for me now as I've got the go ahead to get some quotes and to make sure our panel can handle adding an HPWC. I would like to do as you and many others have done with the 14-50 also as a back up. Need to decide on placement for both.

I know a 200amp panel is pretty common but would anyone have some general guidelines in determining how much room is available for these additional circuits?

Thanks!

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Lots of good advice at FAQ: Home Tesla charging infrastructure QA

Cottonwood said:

Lots of good advice at FAQ: Home Tesla charging infrastructure QA

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Thanks for the reminder! I think I read that many moons ago and have forgotten how much is in there. I'll give it another perusal. ;-)

Here's our Tesla HPWC installed in our garage by Tesla's recommended electrician CESG. Awesome completely hidden wiring to our inside subpanel via a 100A breaker:



Then I added an eMotorWerks WattBox 200 which enabled us to:

1. "digitally" separately meter our Tesla HPWC... giving us access to SCE's TOU-EV-1 extended Off-Peak hours (9:00PM to 12:00 noon daily) via their PEV Pilot Program. The WattBox measures the HPWC current via a highly sensitive magnetic coil wrapped around our HPWC supply wire. Very simple to install. Its connected to our WiFi which then sends our HPWC charging data to SCE and eMotorWerks. This "virtual" separate meter saved us HUNDREDS of dollars vs. installing a separate "physical" SCE meter & circuit.

2. get details on our EXACT Tesla electrical usage via an eMotorWerks personal WattBox webpage

3. allow OhmConnect to AUTOMATICALLY turn our HPWC off during SCE's "peaker plant" dirty power #OhmHour... and back on again when the #OhmHour has passed. This not only reduces pollution but also earns us OhnConnect points which we can cash in anytime we want. We're already up to 3,408 points = $34.08 credit in 120 days = $8.52 per month off our $100 month average electric bill (higher in winter, dramatically lower in summer with SCE's Summer Discount Plan).



Electric Motor Werks, Inc. - WattBoxâ„¢ 200 - PEV Pilot Package

HPWC was installed on our 200A electric service with the proper electrical permit using our electrician's "load calc". We'll probably need to upgrade to a 400A panel if we add a grid-connected solar system in 2016.

I've read through the HPWC installation guide and referenced FlasherZ's FAQ but didn't see this info in them - if I missed it somehow, apologies beforehand.

But does anybody know if the HPWC can be installed sideways? Or does it have to be in a vertical orientation? I don't have enough vertical space on the garage wall where I'm thinking about installing a HPWC!

spleen said:

I've read through the HPWC installation guide and referenced FlasherZ's FAQ but didn't see this info in them - if I missed it somehow, apologies beforehand.

But does anybody know if the HPWC can be installed sideways? Or does it have to be in a vertical orientation? I don't have enough vertical space on the garage wall where I'm thinking about installing a HPWC!

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I don't know of anyone who has installed it sideways. Technically, as long as the instructions don't say you must install vertically, you could do it. Now, that said, if you do it I would suggest finding a way to support the HPWC where it comes out of the unit.

spleen said:

I've read through the HPWC installation guide and referenced FlasherZ's FAQ but didn't see this info in them - if I missed it somehow, apologies beforehand.

But does anybody know if the HPWC can be installed sideways? Or does it have to be in a vertical orientation? I don't have enough vertical space on the garage wall where I'm thinking about installing a HPWC!

Click to expand...

I don't think I've seen a 'sideways' install but I have seen people install on their ceiling. So from a gravity perspective I doubt there is a problem.

I would be careful about how/where you mount the cord holder so as to minimize strain on the cable where it runs into the HPWC housing.

FlasherZ said:

I don't know of anyone who has installed it sideways. Technically, as long as the instructions don't say you must install vertically, you could do it. Now, that said, if you do it I would suggest finding a way to support the HPWC where it comes out of the unit.

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pvogel said:

I don't think I've seen a 'sideways' install but I have seen people install on their ceiling. So from a gravity perspective I doubt there is a problem.

I would be careful about how/where you mount the cord holder so as to minimize strain on the cable where it runs into the HPWC housing.

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Thank you to you both - will ponder the part about how best to support the cord/HPWC. The ugly solution would be a pipe support bracket of some kind but will see if I can think of a more aesthetically pleasing solution.

spleen said:

Thank you to you both - will ponder the part about how best to support the cord/HPWC. The ugly solution would be a pipe support bracket of some kind but will see if I can think of a more aesthetically pleasing solution.

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Any kind of 'solid' support will simply move the point of strain and potential damage down the cable. I think you will want some sort of flexible conduit to gently curve the cable from horizontal through a 90 degree curve to vertical.

spleen said:

I've read through the HPWC installation guide and referenced FlasherZ's FAQ but didn't see this info in them - if I missed it somehow, apologies beforehand.

But does anybody know if the HPWC can be installed sideways? Or does it have to be in a vertical orientation? I don't have enough vertical space on the garage wall where I'm thinking about installing a HPWC!

Click to expand...

The other thing that I would worry about is cooling. Often when the orientation is changed, the convective cooling does not work as and designer assumed.

Just had the HPWC installed this morning (in anticipation of Model X later this year, likely end of 2016). Cost = $500.