SplitVolt or NeoCharge Smart Splitters

SeattleYates

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First, I'm not knowledgeable about electrical matters (which will become obvious VERY quickly). I can't simply add a new dedicated circuit for the Taycan (my house is maxxed out), and we don't plan to stay in this house a lot longer, so I don't want to go the expense of expanding it (unless I have to).

I watched Tom Moloughney's excellent video (), and he discussed these two smart splitters, and think I'm interested in using one - in conjunction with our electric drier.

Qs:
  • Any preference for one of these Smart Splitters over the other?
  • My drier is about 50 ft away from the garage, but on a common outside wall, so I'm wondering if I should:
    • Install the splitter in the drier room, and run a long extension cord along the outside of the house to the garage (how long of a cord CAN I run?) for the Taycan; or
    • Have an electrician (if they'll do it):
      • Disconnect the drier (or gas oven?) at the breaker box;
      • Install a new 30-amp outlet near the breaker box;
      • Plug a smart splitter into that new outlet, into which I plug the drier and the Taycan charger.
Any thoughts or advice is much appreciated.
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F16HTON

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While the smart splitter is a neat concept, it is only really accomplishing the same task that can be accomplished manually, which is unplugging one device and plugging in another.

It is important to note that 240V household dryers are typically 30amps, which does not have a plug that is compatible with the Porsche charger that comes with the car, nor will the wiring from the main panel to the plug be rated for 50amps either.

The Porsche charger has a Nema 14-50AMP plug and needs a dedicated 50amp circuit (it only delivers 40 amps to the car because on a 50 amp circuit, you only goto 80% of the max rating)

You may need to buy a 30amp Level 2 charger which will only allow for a max of 7.2kW charging. In that case, I would not invest the additional money for the smart splitter and just plug and unplug myself.

If you are set on the smart splitter, I would plug it in at the dryer and just run a 30 amp extension cable to the 30amp Level 2 charger you select.
 

Jhenson29

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The Porsche charger has a Nema 14-50AMP plug and needs a dedicated 50amp circuit (it only delivers 40 amps to the car because on a 50 amp circuit, you only goto 80% of the max rating)

You may need to buy a 30amp Level 2 charger which will only allow for a max of 7.2kW charging. In that case, I would not invest the additional money for the smart splitter and just plug and unplug myself.
You can get also get 30A supply cables for both the PMC+ and PMCC.

I have a 14-30 on order for the PMC+.
$114 through the dealer.
 

daveo4EV

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I’d work with an electrician on your options - my understanding of the smart splittlers is that they need both appliances (the Dryer & EV Chargers [EVSE]) plugged in to the same circuit/outlet so that they can monitor the demand of the “primary” device) - your electrician can advise on the best method to proceed.

it also might not be true you are maxed out - if your panel is simply “full” you can make room by swapping some existing breaker for 1/2 height breakers making room for another 240 volt circuit.

Porsche sells 4 types of “supply” cables for their PMCC and PMC+

NEMA 14-50
NEMA 6-50
NEMA 14-30
NEMa 6-30

two 50 amp cables, and two 30 amp cables.

althought for what Porsche charges for these cables you can nearly purchase an entire 2nd non-Porsche EVSE that will work with your car (not that you need a 2nd one).
 
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SeattleYates

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...It is important to note that 240V household dryers are typically 30amps...

The Porsche charger has a Nema 14-50AMP plug and needs a dedicated 50amp circuit (it only delivers 40 amps to the car because on a 50 amp circuit, you only goto 80% of the max rating)

You may need to buy a 30amp Level 2 charger which will only allow for a max of 7.2kW charging....If you are set on the smart splitter, I would plug it in at the dryer and just run a 30 amp extension cable to the 30amp Level 2 charger you select.
The Taycan only "needs" a dedicated 50A circuit if you want/need to charge at 40A/9.6kW. I'll probably get either Chargepoint Home Flex or Enel X Juicebox, either of which will deal with however many amps you give them. It's pretty easy to get adapters, so it doesn't need a native NEMA 14-50 for the plugs in/out of the splitter. And 30A/7.2kW is still 7-10 times faster than Level 1, and plenty for my day-to-day needs (daily commute is ~30 miles round trip).

As for just unplugging/plugging each time, I can just picture my wife's expression after throwing wet laundry into the drier, only to have no power because I didn't switch plugs... :swear:

The cost of the smart-splitter is MORE than justified by the fact that it has a "marital bliss" setting, i.e., the drier always has priority access to power (if the Taycan is charging, it just pauses until the drier stops using power). :angel:
 


daveo4EV

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  • Any preference for one of these Smart Splitters over the other?
  • My drier is about 50 ft away from the garage, but on a common outside wall, so I'm wondering if I should:
    • Install the splitter in the drier room, and run a long extension cord along the outside of the house to the garage (how long of a cord CAN I run?) for the Taycan; or
    • Have an electrician (if they'll do it):
      • Disconnect the drier (or gas oven?) at the breaker box;
      • Install a new 30-amp outlet near the breaker box;
      • Plug a smart splitter into that new outlet, into which I plug the drier and the Taycan charger.
  • no preference, I have no personal experience - another possible one is called “Dyerbuddy”
  • _IF_ you go this route I think you need to have the dryer and the EV circuit plugged into the same unit - but I could be wrong.
  • a 240 volt electriical cord is just 240 volt wire with a plug & socket on either end - it can be as long as you like - however long cords are super expensive, I’d just have the electrician run an “extension” for you on the outside of the home - it could be the same or less money than a high quality super long cord.
  • gas oven isn’t going to use a lot of amps or 240 volts - so disconnecting it won’t help
  • as far as to “where” to install all this - it’s doesn’t matter electrically - the major cost is going to be the electrician’s labor to do all this - the parts and materials are _NOT_ the cost here - it’s the labor to do all the rewiring/wire-pull - so work with an licenced/bonded electrician.
again I’d encourage you to consider an entirely new dedicated circuit - and have an electrician evaluate if your panel is “overloaded” - you can also install smaller electrical circuits - Porsche chargers can work with 30 amps or 50 amps breakers or circuits, but there are a wide range of EV chargers (EVSE’s) that can operate at any AMP rate from 15-80 amps - a 20 amp EVSE (16 amp charge rate) would still charge your Taycan overnight for most daily driving usage and may be an option.

Electrical panels can be full to two main reasons
  1. no empty slots for another breaker
  2. amp capacity - based on the main breaker size you may have too many 240 volt breaker vs. the main breaker’s capacity (normally tied to the residential service/meter capacity from your power vendor)
if your panel is full for reason #1 that might be fixable with physically smaller breakers to make room for a new 240 volt breaker for your EV circuit

if your panel is full for reason #2 - that is typically a much more expensive problem requiring an upgrade.

however all is not lost - hte only time it’s really a problem to be over capacity is if _ALL_ your 240 volt appliances were being use at once - idle appliances use very little (if any power) - you can be ‘over capacity’ but if all the devices are never used at the same time it won’t matter - since the EV will mostly likely only charge at night (when you’re asleep) it’s unlikely to be drawing power at the same time your major appliances are running (like the clothes dryer)

example:

if your home’s main breaker is 150 amps - and you have the following “major” appliances
  • 50 amp oven
  • 40 amp electric stove
  • 30 amp water heater
  • 30 amp clothes dryer
you add up the load of the 4 240 volts breakers - 50 + 40 + 30 + 30 = 150 amps - _IF_ all 4 are running at once - you are “at capacity” - but it’s not often all 4 are used at the same time - in fact the oven is rarely used during the day (evenings only typically)

you could in theory add a 50 amp circuit for your EV (if you have physical space) cuase it will rarely be used at the same time as the other appliances staying under the main breaker’s 150 amp limit. i.e. it would only be a problem if all four of your existing appliances & the EV charger were being used at the the same time - which could be unlikely if you’re runing the EV charger via the vehicle’s charging schedule off hours...midnight to 7 am for example (use your oven a lot between midnight & 7 am?? if the answer is no - then you have 50 amps of “unused” capacity for the EV charger to use during those hours)

the other option is to bite the bullet and upgrade your electrical system - costly yes (but not really vs. the cost of a Taycan - there are options on your Taycan that cost more than an upgrade of your electrical panel) and it’s likely to increase the value of your home for sale - more and more people are getting EV’s and the next owner may value having an EV ready garage with a proper NEMA 14-50 ready for any EV they bring home.
 

daveo4EV

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@SeattleYates post a picture of your main panel?

we can do some internet electrican planning - licenced and bonded _NOT_ - but fun for a sunday afternoon....

I have a rough idea what most electrician’s will “tell” you - but please do not mistake me for someone who knows or can speak to building codes or what’s allowed/common in your local region for electrical upgrades...

upgrading your panel might be cheaper than you think - a really really expensive panel upgrade is like $5000 - and more commonly $2000 or less to simply move some circuits to make room -well again I’ll point out there are options on your Taycan build that cost more…and there is no substitute for a high quality dedicated EV charging circuit for the future EV owner, and again this is a home improvement - so it’s not completely wasted money if you own the home and plan to sell it.
 

Jhenson29

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@SeattleYates post a picture of your main panel?

we can do some internet electrican planning - licenced and bonded _NOT_ - but fun for a sunday afternoon....

I have a rough idea what most electrician’s will “tell” you - but please do not mistake me for someone who knows or can speak to building codes or what’s allowed/common in your local region for electrical upgrades...

upgrading your panel might be cheaper than you think - a really really expensive panel upgrade is like $5000 - and more commonly $2000 or less to simply move some circuits to make room -well again I’ll point out there are options on your Taycan build that cost more…and there is no substitute for a high quality dedicated EV charging circuit for the future EV owner, and again this is a home improvement - so it’s not completely wasted money if you own the home and plan to sell it.
$1875 for me to have an electrician:
  • replace 2 breakers with half breakers and move circuits to make room in “full” main panel
  • Add breaker, run feed, and install new 125A recessed subpanel in garage
  • Mount and hard-wire 75A EVSE in garage
  • Install 14-30 receptacle in garage wired to new subpanel
  • Pull permits and get inspection
And, I think there’s a federal tax credit of 30% up to $1k on this kind of work.
 


daveo4EV

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And, I think there’s a federal tax credit of 30% up to $1k on this kind of work.
OMG +10 house points for house @Jhenson29 for also pointing out the 30% “discount” for doing EV charging improvements to one’s home the same year they purchase their EV - it will never be cheaper to go ahead and invest in this sort of improvement.
 
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SeattleYates

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$1875 for me to have an electrician:
  • replace 2 breakers with half breakers and move circuits to make room in “full” main panel
  • Add breaker, run feed, and install new 125A recessed subpanel in garage
  • Mount and hard-wire 75A EVSE in garage
  • Install 14-30 receptacle in garage wired to new subpanel
  • Pull permits and get inspection
And, I think there’s a federal tax credit of 30% up to $1k on this kind of work.
Wow, very impressive! And thanks, dave04EV for good ideas, too!

FWIW, I asked an electrician last time one was here; he said I would need to replace the whole panel to get ANY additional dedicated circuits, but it's sounding like even that might be worth doing. I forgot about tax credits, too - here in WA state, the state is so climate-conscious that they probably have even more credits than most places.

I'll be calling an electrician to evaluate/estimate the cost of these various options! ?
 

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FWIW I use the Neocharge smart splitter. We put in a NEMA 14-50 outlet when we got our Model X a couple years ago. Then got the splitter when the Taycan arrived, so that we could have both chargers plugged in. It's very convenient to not have to unplug/replug chargers, nor have to work with adapters.
 
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SeattleYates

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  • no preference, I have no personal experience - another possible one is called “Dyerbuddy”
  • _IF_ you go this route I think you need to have the dryer and the EV circuit plugged into the same unit - but I could be wrong.
  • a 240 volt electriical cord is just 240 volt wire with a plug & socket on either end - it can be as long as you like - however long cords are super expensive, I’d just have the electrician run an “extension” for you on the outside of the home - it could be the same or less money than a high quality super long cord.
  • gas oven isn’t going to use a lot of amps or 240 volts - so disconnecting it won’t help
  • as far as to “where” to install all this - it’s doesn’t matter electrically - the major cost is going to be the electrician’s labor to do all this - the parts and materials are _NOT_ the cost here - it’s the labor to do all the rewiring/wire-pull - so work with an licenced/bonded electrician.
again I’d encourage you to consider an entirely new dedicated circuit - and have an electrician evaluate if your panel is “overloaded” - you can also install smaller electrical circuits - Porsche chargers can work with 30 amps or 50 amps breakers or circuits, but there are a wide range of EV chargers (EVSE’s) that can operate at any AMP rate from 15-80 amps - a 20 amp EVSE (16 amp charge rate) would still charge your Taycan overnight for most daily driving usage and may be an option.

Electrical panels can be full to two main reasons
  1. no empty slots for another breaker
  2. amp capacity - based on the main breaker size you may have too many 240 volt breaker vs. the main breaker’s capacity (normally tied to the residential service/meter capacity from your power vendor)
if your panel is full for reason #1 that might be fixable with physically smaller breakers to make room for a new 240 volt breaker for your EV circuit

if your panel is full for reason #2 - that is typically a much more expensive problem requiring an upgrade.

however all is not lost - hte only time it’s really a problem to be over capacity is if _ALL_ your 240 volt appliances were being use at once - idle appliances use very little (if any power) - you can be ‘over capacity’ but if all the devices are never used at the same time it won’t matter - since the EV will mostly likely only charge at night (when you’re asleep) it’s unlikely to be drawing power at the same time your major appliances are running (like the clothes dryer)

example:

if your home’s main breaker is 150 amps - and you have the following “major” appliances
  • 50 amp oven
  • 40 amp electric stove
  • 30 amp water heater
  • 30 amp clothes dryer
you add up the load of the 4 240 volts breakers - 50 + 40 + 30 + 30 = 150 amps - _IF_ all 4 are running at once - you are “at capacity” - but it’s not often all 4 are used at the same time - in fact the oven is rarely used during the day (evenings only typically)

you could in theory add a 50 amp circuit for your EV (if you have physical space) cuase it will rarely be used at the same time as the other appliances staying under the main breaker’s 150 amp limit. i.e. it would only be a problem if all four of your existing appliances & the EV charger were being used at the the same time - which could be unlikely if you’re runing the EV charger via the vehicle’s charging schedule off hours...midnight to 7 am for example (use your oven a lot between midnight & 7 am?? if the answer is no - then you have 50 amps of “unused” capacity for the EV charger to use during those hours)

the other option is to bite the bullet and upgrade your electrical system - costly yes (but not really vs. the cost of a Taycan - there are options on your Taycan that cost more than an upgrade of your electrical panel) and it’s likely to increase the value of your home for sale - more and more people are getting EV’s and the next owner may value having an EV ready garage with a proper NEMA 14-50 ready for any EV they bring home.
Thanks for all the useful info! Since then, I had to replace the furnace, and it's more efficient, so they replaced the 50A breaker with a 40A, and discovered a 30A that isn't being used at all, so I won't need to use a splitter after all! I've got an electrician coming next week to see whether he can make the EV outlet 40A or can fit a 50A outlet in.
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