Setting up 80-100A home charging: Porsche charger vs Lucid Home Charger

[Slappy_G]

You should reach out to Clipper Creek or Autel. They might be willing to to sell you a pair of commercial 80A EVSEs with load sharing.
Check out this big boy: https://autelenergy.us/pages/maxicharger-ac-ultra

I'll try that route. Also, if I even suggested that giant kiosk charger, I'd be looking for a new wife...

if you get two EVSE's that support "shared" load (like clippercreek, Tesla J-1772 Wall Charger, or Wallbox) you can have each of them support up to 80 amps - or they will automatically "adjust" lower when both eV's are charging)

I highly recommend two EVSE's configured to share a 100 amp breaker - it's the best of both worlds and you can run both at once and get split loads, or one at a time and get "full" load.

Are there any 80A chargers that support load sharing? All I can find are ones that max out at 64A. I did come across the Wattzilla Duo, but at a price of over $4000 US, that seems crazy expensive if I only need 1 80-amp capable charger.

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[satchurator]

I'll try that route. Also, if I even suggested that giant kiosk charger, I'd be looking for a new wife...

Are there any 80A chargers that support load sharing? All I can find are ones that max out at 64A. I did come across the Wattzilla Duo, but at a price of over $4000 US, that seems crazy expensive if I only need 1 80-amp capable charger.

I'll bet that Wallbox have a commercial option that you could enquire about. Likely more compact than the Autel His & Hers monolith.

The Wattzilla folks are based here in Massachusetts. When I last looked, their products are UL listed but based on OpenEVSE.

 

[daveo4EV]

I'll try that route. Also, if I even suggested that giant kiosk charger, I'd be looking for a new wife...



Are there any 80A chargers that support load sharing? All I can find are ones that max out at 64A. I did come across the Wattzilla Duo, but at a price of over $4000 US, that seems crazy expensive if I only need 1 80-amp capable charger.

Tesla Gen2 Wall Cahrgers support 80 amp shared load - but those are used/ebay items right now
frankly I'd get the clippercreek ones w/share2 at 80 amp each (64 amp charge rate) and you'll be styling - the difference in 100% charge for taycna between 80 and 64 amps is less than 1 hour difference - and 64 amp charge rate is superfast

you'll appreciate the fuss-free load sharing far more often than the incremental charge speed - especially for daily use charge where the difrerence between 64 amp charge rate and full 80 amp charge rate is likely to be less than 15 min delta.

a good shared EVSE setup that "just works" is nirvana for a multiple EV household.

a good fast shared EVSE infrastructure will be far more noticeable and useful on a daily basis than 10-25 min improvement in charging time - plugging in multiple EV's and walking away to let them sort it out overnight is way more satisfying and noticeable than your Taycan finishing it's charge 15 min sooner…

 

[TDinDC]

Thank-you for the clarification. My Porsche Mobile Charger Connect is connected to a service that is 100% to specification. I initially set the PMCC to 40 AMPS and it worked for 18 months without issue, until Porsche remotely updated the software. The software now forces the unit to 20 AMPs on each startup. When I manually set it to 40 AMPS (an unnecessary requirement), I now get errors during charging (that I never received prior to the software update). There is no excuse for this except that Porsche is trying to avoid liability by down rating their product below specification.

I don’t doubt everyone’s claims here about the software reset back to 20A, but I do not have that problem. Now, when I do get an update, it resets down to 20A, but all I have to do is adjust it back up and it stays there (for months) presumably until the next upgrade.

I did learn one “trick.” When I first got it, I set it at 40A and it would frequently error out and stop charging. Then I noticed that when it was set to 40A, it actually charged at a rate of 42A, which I assumed was the cause of the errors. When I set it to 38A, it charges at 40A and I have never received an error again.

 

[daveo4EV]

the Tesla J-1772 wall Chargers with a max charge rate of 48 amps and sharing of up to 6 units splitting upto 300 amps of charging load for $550/each are the best deal in town for an EVSE with that capability.

I'd seriously consider it - and 48 amp is 11 kW raw charge rate and plenty quick for 99% of the time overnight duty.

 

[Slappy_G]

Tesla Gen2 Wall Cahrgers support 80 amp shared load - but those are used/ebay items right now
frankly I'd get the clippercreek ones w/share2 at 80 amp each (64 amp charge rate) and you'll be styling - the difference in 100% charge for taycna between 80 and 64 amps is less than 1 hour difference - and 64 amp charge rate is superfast

So I just called Enphase (who now own ClipperCreek) and they only sell the 80A models individually and they do not support load sharing (at least according to the person I spoke with). CC may have made those at some point, but he mentioned that they are transitioning those products to the Enphase branding and extending the warranties on them to 5 years, which is nice. I'm guessing the shared 80A units are not ready yet, which sucks for me timing-wise.

 

[Slappy_G]

the Tesla J-1772 wall Chargers with a max charge rate of 48 amps and sharing of up to 6 units splitting upto 300 amps of charging load for $550/each are the best deal in town for an EVSE with that capability.

I'd seriously consider it - and 48 amp is 11 kW raw charge rate and plenty quick for 99% of the time overnight duty.

I'd really like to find something that can at least output 64A (on an 80A breaker) at the minimum for the second charger. I'm in a weird position where I may need to drive 120 miles one way with very limited (2-3 hour) advance notice. If I can get a faster charge, I'll go for it, though I recognize the comment above about there not being a huge difference between 64A constant and 80A constant.

 

[daveo4EV]

I'd really like to find something that can at least output 64A (on an 80A breaker) at the minimum for the second charger. I'm in a weird position where I may need to drive 120 miles one way with very limited (2-3 hour) advance notice. If I can get a faster charge, I'll go for it, though I recognize the comment above about there not being a huge difference between 64A constant and 80A constant.

page 29 of the Enphase website lists "share2" as an optional feature in their 80 amp (64 amp charge rate) product - it might be worth pursuing. Most people don't understand it - I'm betting they still support it - but given it's a more advanced feature their tier-1 customer support may not be fully briefed…

https://enphase.com/download/enphase-hcs-manual

attached to this posting.

page #29

OPTIONAL FEATURES
If the HCS unit being installed is equipped with an optional feature such as ChargeGuard, Share2, COSMOS, use the provided HCS Optional Features User Manual.
A digital copy of the HCS Optional Features User Manual can be found at:
link.enphase.com/ev-charger-docs

 

[daveo4EV]

I'd really like to find something that can at least output 64A (on an 80A breaker) at the minimum for the second charger. I'm in a weird position where I may need to drive 120 miles one way with very limited (2-3 hour) advance notice. If I can get a faster charge, I'll go for it, though I recognize the comment above about there not being a huge difference between 64A constant and 80A constant.

120 miles at 3 miles per/kwh is 40 kWh of power - 40 kW of power @ 15.36 kW = 2.6 hours
40 kWh of power @ 19.2 kW is 2 hours - so 30 minute difference in charging speed

but honestly you'd be better off hitting a fast charger "on the way" - 10 min at EA is like 30 kWh…or 90 miles of range for a 10 min stop.

 

[TDinDC]

but honestly you'd be better off hitting a fast charger "on the way" - 10 min at EA is like 30 kWh…or 90 miles of range for a 10 min stop.

This is the answer most likely (although of course some may not have access to high speed chargers or may have unique circumstances). The high speed chargers are amazing, and I’ve never needed more than my 240V/40A chargers at home.

 

[Slappy_G]

120 miles at 3 miles per/kwh is 40 kWh of power - 40 kW of power @ 15.36 kW = 2.6 hours
40 kWh of power @ 19.2 kW is 2 hours - so 30 minute difference in charging speed

but honestly you'd be better off hitting a fast charger "on the way" - 10 min at EA is like 30 kWh…or 90 miles of range for a 10 min stop.

That would absolutely be my first choice. The problem is there isn't one along my route to the customer, which would mean either getting out the door early and assuming the charger is free when I get there, or heading out a bit low, and hoping I can top off after the meetings.

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but one of the challenges of a sales role is I don't have total control over my own schedule and therefore have to do what the client wants (timing-wise).

 

[j.w.s]

I did see this one, and I was considering it, but wasn't sure how reliable it was. I should have stated one of my requests more clearly above:

I don't care about apps/wifi/etc. But, my max capacity to the garage is a 100A subpanel. I'd like to be able to have a 14-50 outlet with a 40-amp charger for my wife's Audi, and a 100A hardwire for my car.

I know I cannot run them both at max capacity with a 100A panel max, so I was hoping I could run the high power one at 40A normally, and only punch it up to 80A when I need the speed. At such times, only the Taycan would be charging, so I would not exceed the panel capacity. The ultimate solution would be a dual-vehicle 80A charger, but it seems no one makes those anymore.

With two EVs in your plan, consider buying a pair of chargers with "load sharing" - the ability to run two chargers on once circuit, without exceeding the breaker rating. Enphase and Juicebox (and others I assume) have it. I don't think the Porsche and Lucid chargers do.

So two Juicebox 80 Pros?

 

[TDinDC]

That would absolutely be my first choice. The problem is there isn't one along my route to the customer, which would mean either getting out the door early and assuming the charger is free when I get there, or heading out a bit low, and hoping I can top off after the meetings.

Maybe I'm overthinking this, but one of the challenges of a sales role is I don't have total control over my own schedule and therefore have to do what the client wants (timing-wise).

Just be regular in your charging at home. The minute you arrive, start charging and top up to 85% whether you think you need to or not (and don’t use scheduled charging). I bet you would be fine. Why not try and then you can change plans if you get left in a bind too many times

 

[Slappy_G]

With two EVs in your plan, consider buying a pair of chargers with "load sharing" - the ability to run two chargers on once circuit, without exceeding the breaker rating. Enphase and Juicebox (and others I assume) have it. I don't think the Porsche and Lucid chargers do.

So two Juicebox 80 Pros?

Huh... I had not seen the Juicebox 80 pro model on their website. That sounds about perfect actually. Can you foresee any code/inspector issue with installing a so-called "commercial" unit at home, assuming an electrician wires it all appropriately?

Also, the Pro models seem to come with/require a $60/year software license. I can't find any documentation to prove that is not required. I'll try calling them tomorrow.

 

[Torv]

Hey guys,

I'm currently getting quotes for electricians to do a subpanel run to my garage. I will have the option to wire up to a 100A run (80A charger) and am considering the 2 listed above. I have seen some people saying to avoid the Porsche wall charger, but many of those complaints are from 1-2 years ago.

2 main questions:

1. Which would you recommend and why?
2. Can these chargers be limited to charge speed via apps (not having to open up and change switches, etc)? It'd be nice to be able to only use max charge speed when really needed.

Thanks a ton!

I charge my Taycan with my old Gen. 2 Telsa charger and a TeslaTap adapter and it works like a charm. I also use it to charge my wife’s Audi Q4. The current Tesla charger is even better and it's less expensive than the alternatives.

https://shop.tesla.com/product/wall-connector

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