Work From Home Charging

[m3fan2023]

Same boat as me.

My original plan was to just use 120v overnight charging in garage since we don't drive much, and then see how it goes, as to whether I proceed with upgrading our garage outlet to 240v.

But honestly after two months, I've had no problems with staying on 120v charging.

And on the rare occasion where we actually take a trip, there are plenty of ChargePoint and Tesla chargers for a quick fill-up.

Actually there's a Tesla supercharger across the street from my house lol

 

[m3fan2023]

If you have 20amp breaker feeding your 120v outlet, you should be able to change the outlet to a NEMA 5-20 and charge at 16amp/120v instead of 12amps, (with the appropriate adapter cable for your EVSE).

The car will draw very minimal amounts of power after it reaches the preset SOC. One advantage of leaving it plugged in is that you can remotely precondition the car and battery via your cellphone app, which will save range after you depart.

Thank you @DuncanM !

 

[Iron]

Charging at 110V would make it tougher to charge during TOU off peak times,due to length of time charging, but it can be done. You'd want to leave it plugged in all the time, then automate all charging via the app. This means it would only charge at the times you set.

As an example. My TOU peak rate is weekdays from 3-8pm, June 1st thru Sept 1st. All other times are off peak. So 8pm-3pm weekdays, all weekends and sept thru may are all off peak.

Since having an EV, my electric bill has dropped a bit. But, I also got an AC unit for the bedroom and keep the rest of the house warmer while we sleep.

 

[granddude]

As stated by someone later on, the 110v apparently is less efficient than the 220v (uses more KWh to put power into your car) so you may want to seriously consider an outlet.

The cost of adding a 220V outlet for charging should be evaluated against the efficiency losses of using a 120V line. I would have to run a new power line from my circuit box across the home and behind drywall. I had an estimate including a wall charger in excess of $2000, mostly for running the line.

 

[DuncanM]

The cost of adding a 220V outlet for charging should be evaluated against the efficiency losses of using a 120V line. I would have to run a new power line from my circuit box across the home and behind drywall. I had an estimate including a wall charger in excess of $2000, mostly for running the line.

If the outlet used for charging is fed by a dedicated 120v breaker, you might be able to change the breaker to a 15 or 20amp 240v breaker and the outlet to a NEMA 6-15 or a NEMA 6-20 and then you can charge at 220-240v/12a or 16a. The new outlet can still be used by 120v devices, if needed, via various adapters at the outlet.

 

[AC Traction]

If the outlet used for charging is fed by a dedicated 120v breaker, you might be able to change the breaker to a 15 or 20amp 240v breaker and the outlet to a NEMA 6-15 or a NEMA 6-20 and then you can charge at 220-240v/12a or 16a. The new outlet can still be used by 120v devices, if needed, via various adapters at the outlet.

Converting to a 6-20 receptacle is a great idea if the circuit only serves one receptacle. Twice the kW for the cost of a breaker and receptacle.

NEMA 6 receptacles cannot be adapted to be used for 120V devices. There is no neutral in a NEMA 6, so any adapter that gets 120V off a NEMA 6 uses the equipment grounding conductor as a neutral which is a code violation. EGCs are never permitted to be a current carrying conductor for a list of reasons.

 

[Ti317]

That would be great if my bill didn't go up so much!

Your bill will only go up about $20/month and the savings at the gas pump will offset that.
As for TOU billing, if you air condition your house, the increased peak rate during high demand times which is when you need the air conditioner makes the total bill much higher. TOU works if you are not home and can raise the thermostat during peak hours.

Maybe I'll eventually get 240v.

Why? Even if you can do your own work and pull the permits like you can in my city, it’s easily $1200 or more to put in a wall charger and more likely closer to $2000. All to save your parked car from charging 6 hours a day while you work from home?
I don’t know about your region but apps like Charge Point and Plug share can help you find free Level 2 chargers nearby.