[US] - Over the Top - the well equipped EV home garage…for those that wish to "over do it"…

[Crick]

FWIW, this is Palo Alto, CA's EVSE Residential Permit Guide:

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[daveo4EV]

new charger from Porsche - $1600’ish - good feature set - adjustable install via dis-switches from 20-100 amp breaker setting

probably a good choice for an adjustable 100 amp EVSE in North America…

https://shop.porsche.com/us/en/porsche-wall-charger-connect/p/$B-HCHH0LAA/

I’m looking forward to any first hand feedback.

 

[daveo4EV]

here is the install manual for the Porsche North American 19.2 kW EVSE…
breaker/output settings from 10 amp to 80 amp (charging capacity)
dip switches for 240V, 120V, 208V

only sadness is a 14.8 ft charging cable - a bit short for a $1600 charger

 

[daveo4EV]

only sadness IMHO is the 14.8 ft charging cable vs. industry standard 25 ft - for a $1600 charger I’d expect a 25 ft charging cable

I wonder if the 25ft charging cable part for the PMC+/PMCC is compatible with this charger?

5 hour charging times are nice but only required when car is nearly empty - daily usage will be much much less…

there is a table of settings for charging rates from 10 amps to 80 amps - so this is a good flexible charger and can be installed with virtually any breaker size

also has dip switchs for 120V/240V/208V power sources…

this is a competitive 100 amp EVSE inline with other offerings of similar quality and feature set.

the only thing it’s “missing” is any apparently ability to share load with other EVSE like ChargePoint, ClipperCreek, Tesla Gen2/Gen3 Wall chargers - allowing one to install multiple EVSE’s that share a single breaker and split the load while charging multiple vehicles…

however I believe that functionality is supported by the Porsche Home Energy Manager product which is not yet a thing in North America - so Porsche has this functionality but it’s not yet available in North America - time will tell…

based on the specs and price I see _NO_ major reason not to consider the Porsche Charger if you’re starting from scratch with an EVSE install - a minor reason would be to consider EVSE’s with split load functionality for your eventual multi-EV household - but I’ll spot Porsche the difference here and assume once/if the Home Energy Manager becomes an offering for North America that it would support that…

otherwise in this category of EVSE I’d consider something like the ClipperCreek 80/100 amp chargers with share2 functionalty so that you can charge 2 EV’s off of one single breaker.

but kudo’s to Porsche for this well priced and competitive offering - it’s a great choice for most Porsche Customers.

 

[Chedman13]

Great to have more options and finally reasonably priced (including the plastic dock).

If I did it again, I'd still opt for the PMCC + Docking Station because I like the flexibility of having it not hardwired with a 14-50 outlet.

My other locations will be the docking station + PMCC on a standard household outlet. I'm very happy with my setup so far and it looks great.

There is an abundance of PMCC and docking stations as I have a lot of people reaching out that they have one for sale=).

If I drove more, utilized the charger more, I would not use the PMCC and go with a ClipperCreek for a bulletproof and safe setup.

 

[AmpedUp]

The Enelx Juicebox 80 amp was supposed to be released in late Q3 according to their help desk team. The only features I see “missing” from the Porsche Wall Charger Connect vs. the Juicebox is 1) load balancing (as already discussed) and 2) ability to schedule charging based on how “green” the grid is.

I likely don’t need load balancing since I have 400 amps service at my residence. And the “green” data Juicebox uses is static and publicly available, so I can manually incorporate that into my charging schedule regardless of the charger I use.

Now that Juicebox has missed their target date, I’m wondering if I should just order the Porsche charger and be done. My delivery date got pushed out to January, so I might still have time to wait a bit longer for the Juicebox release. Torn tbh.

If anyone buys the Porsche Wall Charger, I would like to know if it’s possible to swap out a 25’ cable. I’m 99% sure I’d be fine with 14’, but I worry my next EV might have the charge port somewhere else and the cable might not reach.

 

[daveo4EV]

at these price points the ClipperCreek HCS 100 stuff is in the mix and should be seriously considered - neighbor ordered his was told 6 week back order, and it arrived 5 days later…

not saying that will happen to you - but I think good companies under promise and overdeliver - and ClipperCreek is a good company.

I prefer "simple" EVSE's - less to conflict wiht the car's charging software…my 8 years of experience fewer problems with simpler EVSE's.

 

[Crick]

neighbor ordered his was told 6 week backorder, and it arrived 5 days later….

FWIW, I ordered the Clipper Creek HCS-D50 (hardwired, 40 Amp Dual Charging Station) on September 17th, 2021. CC website said delays of up to 12 weeks. It arrived four days later on September 21st.

 

[AmpedUp]

at these price points the ClipperCreek HCS 100 stuff is in the mix and should be seriously considered

I looked at the ClipperCreek 100 but I honestly can’t stomach a charger that big and ugly even in my garage. Most ClipperCreek units are ok design wise, but that one model is an oversized grey metal box. Wattzilla might be my limit as the ugliest I could tolerate and I may go that route if I opt for a basic function charger. Both are probably great choices to deliver full 80 amps.

FYI for anyone considering the CC HCS 100 - it cannot load share. The largest they offer with shared charger function is the 64amp model (share 80).

 

[astrojeff]

I just installed the Porsche Wall Charger (80 amps) to use when my Taycan arrives in a couple of months. In the meantime I’m trying to use it to charge my VW ID.4 which can take 48 A. It will only draw 15.5 A from the charger. The charger will charge my Tesla at 40 amps with no problem. I think the issue is with the communication between the charger and the car. My Tesla wall charger will charge the VW just fine. I sent a message to Porsche but have not heard back. I want to make sure it will work with the Taycan when it arrives. Any thoughts?

 

[whitex]

I just installed the Porsche Wall Charger (80 amps) to use when my Taycan arrives in a couple of months. In the meantime I’m trying to use it to charge my VW ID.4 which can take 48 A. It will only draw 15.5 A from the charger. The charger will charge my Tesla at 40 amps with no problem. I think the issue is with the communication between the charger and the car. My Tesla wall charger will charge the VW just fine. I sent a message to Porsche but have not heard back. I want to make sure it will work with the Taycan when it arrives. Any thoughts?

Do you have a TeslaTap adapter yet (allows you to charge your VW or Taycan from a Tesla wall charger). If so, try connecting the Porsche Wall Charger --> Tesla J1772 adapter --> TeslaTap --> VW. Wait 30 seconds or longer before plugging in the car. TeslaTap tricks the charger into thinking there is a car connected, but will not talk any advanced PnC protocol, so the charger might time out and drop down to "dumb SAE J1772" mode (it does that for Tesla chargers), which could deliver 48A to the VW. Just an experiment to try, if you have a handy Tesla Tap (since I assume you have the Tesla J1772 adapter as it comes with every Tesla).

 

[astrojeff]

Do you have a TeslaTap adapter yet (allows you to charge your VW or Taycan from a Tesla wall charger). If so, try connecting the Porsche Wall Charger --> Tesla J1772 adapter --> TeslaTap --> VW. Wait 30 seconds or longer before plugging in the car. TeslaTap tricks the charger into thinking there is a car connected, but will not talk any advanced PnC protocol, so the charger might time out and drop down to "dumb SAE J1772" mode (it does that for Tesla chargers), which could deliver 48A to the VW. Just an experiment to try, if you have a handy Tesla Tap (since I assume you have the Tesla J1772 adapter as it comes with every Tesla).

Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking of doing that. I will try it tonight. I do have the Tesla Tap and tesla adapter.

 

[astrojeff]

Thanks for the suggestion. I was thinking of doing that. I will try it tonight. I do have the Tesla Tap and tesla adapter.

Success! The Tesla tap worked perfectly. The PWCC made a successful connection to it after several seconds. Then I plugged it into the VW which began to charge immediately at 48A. The VW doesn’t have the PNC feature which may be the problem communicating with the charger. I hope VW can add it via OTA software updates.

 

[Tooney]

Thanks for the information about EVSE in home garage, and future-proofing. Couple of questions.
--I plan to have work done by licensed electrician - info is for my planning. --

1. I understand at least some 220v EVSE units only require 3 conductors. To meet electrical safety and code requirements, should a circuit having a NEMA 14-50 receptacle be wired with 4 conductors or 3? Is either ok for safety and code, or does it depend on what the receptacle -which has contacts for 4 wires - is used for?

2. If I want to start by using a plug-in 40 amp EVSE on a circuit with NEMA 14-50 receptacle, but have the ability in the future to convert that same circuit to a 48 amp hard-wired EVSE requiring a 60 amp circuit breaker, is it ok for electrical safety and code requirements to initially install wiring and circuit breaker sized for 60 amps, but use NEMA 14-50 receptacle and 40 amp plug-in EVSE? (At some point in the future the same circuit could be hardwired to a different EVSE and the receptacle removed.)

 

[Jhenson29]

To meet electrical safety and code requirements, should a circuit having a NEMA 14-50 receptacle be wired with 4 conductors or 3? Is either ok for safety and code, or does it depend on what the receptacle -which has contacts for 4 wires - is used for?

14-50 receptacles have to have the neutral connected.

The EVSE just won’t use it.

is it ok for electrical safety and code requirements to initially install wiring and circuit breaker sized for 60 amps, but use NEMA 14-50 receptacle and 40 amp plug-in EVSE?

No. Wire can be upsized if the terminal it is going to is rated for the size, but the breaker needs to be 50 amps.

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