Setting up for charging in garage

daveo4EV

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the advise is kinda simple - when having the electician visit - don’t be super laser focused on just the NEMA 14-50 plug in your garage - ask to to quote both a NEMA 14-50 plug- or a subpanel of 50 amps or greater - you might be surprised that it’s not that much more money - and getting a subpanel to the garage (the most likely place you’ll want the chargers) will make it easier for your future multi-EV household - if the electrican says your panel can handle it - then get the biggest subpanel to your garage you and your home can handle - adding/removing/adjusting EVSE’s or NEMA plugs from a near by sub-panel is almost a DIY project once you have the high capacity/high quality circuit from the main panel and will give you degrees of freedom in the future when you bring home your 2nd EV.

get the biggest circuit/breaker/wire your garage and main panel can handle, you’ll thank us later.
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daveo4EV

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thanks. well, if it was in the 1,000s in Texas, then it is probably in the 10,000s in California ;)
having it it done in San Jose -it wasn’t 10’s of thousands - but it wasn’t cheap - like I said you may not have to do all the way to 100 amps - if your panel can handle 40 amps - then it might be able to handle 60 amps - and a 60 amp circuit the garage into a sub-panel is still a great setup for the future (2 30 amp EVSE’s in the future is pretty good) or a dynamic load sharing 2 EVSE’s sharing 60 amps means one EV could get 48 amp charge rate if it was solo, or 24 amps each when both are charging - still better than a single 50 amp circuit.
 

HelfFL

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I agree 100% with @louv - this is your first EV, not your last EV, and there are more EV’s in your future, not fewer. So a good 100 amp sub-panel in your garage is not much more expensive than a single NEMA 14-50 plug from a permit, labor, hassel factor - and once you have a 100 AMP sub-panel in the garage adding another NEMA plug or EVSE becomes much simpler and cheaper in the future for your future multi-EV household.

My personal setup for my household is:

100 amp sub-panel in the garage
shared 100 amp circuit for 4 EVSE’s configured to dynamically split load based on EV charging demand

I can charge up to 4 EV’s all at once, and the EVSE’s share the load based on demand, as EV’s finish charging in the early morning, load redirected to the last EV so it charges at a faster rate upto the 100/80 amp limit of the circuit. It works great!

when all 4 EV’s are charging at once each EV starts out the evening with 20 amps each (80 divided by 4) - however the last EV charging will dynamically ramp up to a maximum of 80 amps (the circuit limit) so it can charge as fast as possible

One EV plugged in = maximum circuit load
multiple EV’s plugged in - maximum circuit load is split, but dynamically adjusted based on demand

it’s far better than “static” load EVSE’s in my opinion because you can maximize your charge rate based on demand rather than making a “static” choice for EVSE - and still use/share a single 100 amp circuit.

the EVSE’s that can do this are $500 each - so you can have two dynamic load EVSE’s installed and sharing a 100 amp circuit for less than what porsche charges for their 40 amp mobile EVSE.

but yeah to @louv point - install a 60, 80, or 100 amp subpanel - and then install your 1st 14-50 circuit from that panel, this is not going to be your last or only EV…

the following charging scenaior is not uncommong in my home (4 EV’s charging at once)

1. Volt charging - maximum charge rate 16 amps
2. Bolt charging - maximum charge rate 32 amps
3. Model 3 charging - maximum charge rate 48 amps
4. Model X charging - maximum charge rate 72 amps

plug 4 cars in - let the EVSE’s sort out the demand - and has EV’s finish charging, the unused AMP capacity is shifted to the EVSE that needs it - but never exceeding the 100/80 amp limit of the single circuit.

I’ve had the Volt & the X plugged in - and had the volt charging at 16 amps, and the x charging at 64 amps (16+64 = 80 amp the circuit limit). If it’s just the volt & the Bolt each get their max charge rate - Volt @ 16, and Bolt at 32 -since the overall load fits into the 80 amp shared budget.

the best part is you don’t have to “know” or “manage” which charger with which amps to use - the system just adapts dynamically to what ever it can provide vs. what is needed at the moment.

NOTE: the configuration can adapt load for _ANY_ cirucit size (40, 50, 60, 80, 100) - but 100 is the maximum load it will split, but it will adjust for lower single circuit loads as well

it’s like the rolling stone song

”You can’t always get what you want .... but if you try sometimes ... you can get what you need!”

if you have any thoughts that you might be a future multi-Ev household - a 100 amp circuit + subpanel and investing in a high quality EVSE w/load sharing capabilities will making your home charging situation nearly painless.
@daveo4EV and @louv - thanks for all the helpful information. Any chance you can post a few pictures of your charging setups in your respective garages?
 

louv

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What I had done by an electrician in 2012 at my last house was:
- Upgrade the main panel from 100 to 200A
- run conduit to my carport (100 feet through attic, 50 feet hanging between house and garage, 50 feet to other side of garage “attic”, outside, underground 30 feet to a 100A subpanel outside carport.
- 2 separate 40A 240V circuits, plus 1 20A 120V circuit for outlets
- 2 32A EV Charging stations installed in carport
- 2 120V duplex outlets in carport
Cost about $5000.
 

louv

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What I had installed at this house, in Maine:

- 50A breaker
- 50 feet from breaker panel to junction box in basement, 30 feet under driveway in conduit to post across driveway from house.
- 14-50 outlet in waterproof box
- 40A capable ChargePoint Flex EVSE
- Mounting bracket for Porsche Charger in case I want to use that.

update: photo of post with both ChargePoint & Porsche EVSE mounted. (Only one can be plugged in at a time)

Porsche Taycan Setting up for charging in garage 96D1BC82-669C-486D-BE82-0A09D4077A5F
 
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thenaimis

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images from my installation. Upper right panel is dedicated to the charger circuit. Left is literally everything else in the house. The 2nd pic is just to show the size of the additional grounding cable they installed to comply with code.
Porsche Taycan Setting up for charging in garage IMG_20200517_142454
Porsche Taycan Setting up for charging in garage IMG_20200517_142531
 

daveo4EV

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here is a photo of my charging setup - there are two Tesla HPWC's in the picture - and there are two more "behind" me in this photo graph…

I have tested this setup with my dealer's demo 2020 Taycan Turbo and it successfully charged at 40 amps via the JAdapter w/Tesla HPWC.

the four chargers "share" a 100 amp breaker - and are configured in a supported setup - 1 Master, 3 Slaves - you tell the master the breaker amp's, and then the slaves all take their cue's from the master to split the load - if one looks closely at the photo you can see a "brown" wire between the conduit - this wire is a 2 wire 18 guage copper wire (thermostat wire) - this wire connects all four chargers so they can communicate and adjust their loads to match demand…

in this photo there is:
  1. a 100 AMP Subpanel
  2. 2 x Gen 2 Tesla HPWC EVSE's
    1. 2 are not in photo - total of 4 - 1 Master + 3 slaves
  3. JDApter for charging J-1772 EV's like the Taycan/Bolt/Leaf/Volt
  4. two wire 18 gauge copper thermostat wire for Master-Slave communication for dynamic load management - the EVSE's communicate with each other to manage total load to not exceed the breaker setting on the Master
  5. Backup NEMA 14-50 plug in case the chargers lose their mind - rarely used on there for emergency backup - it doesn't get much simpler or more reliable than a simple 240 volt plug - hard for that to break/fail.
Porsche Taycan Setting up for charging in garage IMG_1553
 
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daveo4EV

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here is a link to the GEN 2 Tesla HPWC charger w/Master Slave support

https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/wall_connector_installation_manual_80A_en_US.pdf

Appendix B (Page 30): covers the Master/Slave configuration settings.

Tesla has a ne GEN 3 Wall Charger available for sale supporting up to 48 amps charging (60 amp breaker) - and can communicate via WiFi for load sharing - up to 16 chargers apparently can be joined to a "single" electrical circuit for load sharing - I have no personal experience with this new GEN3 charger

I've been running the 4 charger shared load setup now for almost 2 years - and have charged many J-1772 & Tesla vehicles - it works well and it great for sharing the electrical load of charging EV's.
 


ron_b

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As Porsche is forcing me to buy their $1000 EVSE in the USA I am embracing it. I cannot think of why I would buy an Tesla HPC charger or any other vendors unless I had a Tesla of course. I did already purchase a Tesla to J-1772 adapter in preparation for the Taycan, but I plan to install a 50A NEMA 14-50 receptocal and 50A breaker, maybe larger wire for future proofing, but remember that the breaker must match the lower of the receptocal and wire.

I will simply use the Porsche EVSE and bring it with me should I ever do any long road trips where fast charging would be uncertain, like national parks or such.

If you have or plan 2 EVs then run a second set of wires at the same time with a second breaker and receptocal when needed, or hard wire.
 

daveo4EV

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@ron_b yes since Porsche is forcing the purchase of an "option" - it makes very little sense to purchase a separate EVSE - Porsche's EVSE included/forced with purchase is high quality and feature rich (unlike some EV's manufacturer included EVSE) - so for most people the included/forced Porsche EVSE is not only a default choice but also an excellent choice.

the only con's I see with the Porsche model is that is' un-necessarily heavy/bulky - it's quite large for 40 amp EVSE - and there are smaller/lighter choices that deliver a better "mobile" experience - but those would be additional $$$ and utilization is likely to be very very low…

as I personally have become a nearly all EV household with 4 EV's and 4 drivers - it's impractical to provide each EV with it's own 50 amp circuit (200 amps) - so using a load sharing system that splits load between a single 100 amp circuit is a great choice with very few downsides…and rare does any car suffer from the lower circuit capacity given they have all night to charge. for the cost of a single 100 amp circuit - and 2 Porsche EVSE's - you can purchase and install 4 shared load EVSE's which should be enough for anyone…and if all you need is 2 EVSE's the cost about the same as what Porsche charges from their EVSE…

the major message is don't wimp out on the circuit to the garage - over-spec it and while you may only need a single 50 amp NEMA 14-50 plug now, that's unlikely to be your final solution - a little planning for the future and your 2nd EV's charging solution will be easier and cheaper…
 

GreggT

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100 amp sub panel added back at my service in my basement shop (70' from garage).......50 amp service #6 wire terminating with 14-15 in garage which will hide under P.Dock. $1200. electrical and utility co. rebate covers $500. of that. Your millage may very.
 

Toby Pennycuff

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I just had a 14-50 50-Amp plug installed in my shop last week. I'm ready for one of my two Porsche Mobile Connect chargers to "live" there for weekend charging. At our house in Dallas, I have already installed the Porsche enclosure (I scored a decent price on a new one on eBay) and I'm waiting for the electricians to come and extend an existing 50-amp circuit to the wall inside my Porsche dock and I will be ready to go. The Charger I ordered with the car includes the 25 foot charging cable. The second one I have on order from Porsche only has the 8 foot charging cable. I'll leave the 25 foot cable in the car for overnight trips when an ElectrifyAmerica location is not handy or a Porsche dealer is not close by/ on the way. Also have the TeslaTap coming. Now I need to add an extension cord with a 30-amp plug on one end and a 14-50 female plug on the other and some assorted adapters for road use. Probably overkill, but that's OK. daveo4EV has a really good post about necessary components of an EV Warrior road kit. I highly recommend it!
 

r553

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This is how I plan to power the Porsche charger in my garage. The Taycan will sit outside on the far end of the 25' charging cord spec'd with my build. 50 Amp breaker in the panel. I have 7KW of PV and a back up generator so I am partially ready for hurricane season.
Porsche Taycan Setting up for charging in garage EV socket
 
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Dave T

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I drove down to my dealer today and picked up the "mobile charger connect", so I could show it to my electrician to figure out how to do the wiring. I think it's missing some stuff. It only came with a connector for a regular 3 prong outlet, not the NEMA 14-50 connector. Isn't it supposed to have both? Also, there is no mounting hardware at all. Shouldn't there be?
 

ron_b

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I drove down to my dealer today and picked up the "mobile charger connect", so I could show it to my electrician to figure out how to do the wiring. I think it's missing some stuff. It only came with a connector for a regular 3 prong outlet, not the NEMA 14-50 connector. Isn't it supposed to have both? Also, there is no mounting hardware at all. Shouldn't there be?
The 14-50 seems to be packaged separately because there are several cord options, but yes it should have come with it in a separate bag or box.
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