home charge stations

[knotcher]

sorry if this has been covered but the search on this site is pretty lack-luster and i couldn't find anything.

2016 eGolf

i'm lookin at my options for an L2 home charger.
any recommendations on brand? Amperage?

any advice you can give or point me too would be helpful!

 

[knotcher]

actually, i forgot to mention that i bought this car used and this charger came with it. would it work?

https://www.ebay.com/itm/GENUINE-AUDI-A3-E-TRON-Etron-PORTABLE-ELECTRIC-BATTERY-CHARGER-SYSTEM-Ev-Charger/274735152081?epid=629779539&hash=item3ff77dbbd1:g:Sb8AAOSw8kFgX5z~

 

[f1geek]

It looks like that Audi station will work just fine but I see “3.6 kW” printed on the EVSE, so I suspect that is the max charge speed. If your 2016 has DCFC capability then it can accept up to 7.2 kW, so the Audi station is 1/2 as fast as you might be able to achieve.

I have a Clipper Creek HCS-40 P and it has been flawless for 6 years. Check out Tom Moloughney for EVSE reviews. There are lots of good stations.

 

[knotcher]

thanks f1geek

am i correct that my car can only pull in 30A max, so getting anything more wouldn't improve charge time?

 

[f1geek]

If your car has DCFC, then it can take 30 amps at 240 volts (7.2 kW), so a higher amperage station will not improve charging speed. The charger is on board the car. The thing on the wall, the EVSE, will supply what the car requests, up to the EVSE’s maximum output. If you think you may some day have a car that can pull 40 amps, then you could buy a 40 amp station, as they don’t cost much more than a 32 amp station. Also, at home you need to have a properly wired circuit with a breaker at least 1.25x the maximum current the EVSE can deliver (to a car that can take its maximum current output).

 

[knotcher]

thanks again! i do have dcfc.

i'm going to get a 50A circuit installed so that should do me for future upgrades. i think i'll stick with the 3.6kwh eTron charger for now since it's "free" and upgrade to something faster if i feel the need.

 

[f1geek]

A 50 amp circuit is a good idea. It looks like the Audi EVSE has a NEMA 6-50 plug, so you'll need a NEMA 6-50 receptacle installed. Be sure a four conductor wire (two hots, neutral and ground) is used, even though the NEMA 6-50 does not use the neutral wire , as you may need to switch out the NEMA 6-50 to a NEMA 14-50 in the future. The neutral conductor can be capped with a wire nut inside the receptacle for later use. FYI, power is measured in kW (not kWh). Energy is measured in kWh. Electric motors (and charging speed) is expressed in kW. Battery size (and your electric bill) is expressed in kWh. Have fun!

 

[knotcher]

due to the location of my breaker panel and where i park the car, it's to frigg'n expensive ($1000+) to have an electrician run the line. $It's only $225 if they put the outlet right next to my panel. so my new plan:

50A breaker in panel > 14-50 receptacle next to panel > big ass 50' RV 50A extension cord > 14-50 to 6-50 converter > ESVE > car

this will run me about $430.

i've read extension cords aren't the best idea, but all the electricians i've spoken with say it will be just fine.

thoughts?

 

[f1geek]

It will work, but not the safest way to get the power to your car, due to the exposed nature of the extension cable. Ideally, you should have a solution that is permanent since you are going to be charging your car daily if not weekly and the extension cord is really a temporary solution, but I understand you want to save money. I don't know if you have a dryer near where you park your car, but there are companies that make a product that let you connect your EVSE and dryer to the same receptacle and gives priority to the dryer so that both the EVSE and dryer can not run at the same time but you do not need to install a new circuit. These devices cost about $500 (partly due to safety testing) but are a way to avoid paying an electrician.