Where to position EVSE?

[KevinMalone]

Planning ahead in case we get an EV in the next few years. Current will be limited to 30A (ie 24A) because reasons. The plan is to hardwire an EVSE like a Grizzl-E Classic 40A that has a 25' cable, hopefully with a NACS connector by then. Question is, where would you position the EVSE in a two car attached garage? Panel is on a side wall in the garage, and the garage's exterior walls are not finished so running armored cable around isn't a big deal.

I was originally thinking right next to the panel to keep wiring runs short and simple, but have read that positioning the EVSE between the two garage doors may be a better idea. This would also be more futureproof if we pick up another EV in the future.

What are your thoughts?

 

[eljefino]

Up front is a good idea like you mention with the garage doors. Then you can charge outside if you feel like it as well as inside with the 25' cord.

 

[Vercingetorix]

Closest to the box, then add a second EVSE when it’s time

 

[JeffKeryk]

@Vercingetorix advice is spot on. You might wanna consider where you will park your vehicle and which side the port is on.
FYI, 2 Tesla Wall Connectors can be installed on a single circuit. I would imagine other brands can as well, but I am not familiar with any others.

In my case, the service panel is in the back of the house so an electrician ran 60' of #6 copper wire to the front of the garage.

 

[KevinMalone]

Closest to the box, then add a second EVSE when it’s time

Seems like this is the way to go. It would be perfect if said future EV has a driver side charging port too. Hopefully the industry standardizes on that, especially if everyone will be using Tesla/NACS charging infrastructure. Although passenger side would better accommodate curb-side charging

 

[E365]

I have three Autel Maxicharger AC Lites (NACS) in a 2-car garage. All three are load-shared to never surpass 48A total

The first is on the back wall, in the center, to reach a vehicle in either spot. Then the other two are on the outer side walls, nearest the overhead garage doors.

My thought process is I can charge 2 cars at the same time, parked in any location. In the garage, or in the driveway, on either side of the driveway/garage. Cord runs under the garage doors if they're outside. I’ve installed the “UNDOR” product.

 

[Brons2]

I have three Autel Maxicharger AC Lites (NACS) in a 2-car garage. All three are load-shared to never surpass 48A total

The first is on the back wall, in the center, to reach a vehicle in either spot. Then the other two are on the outer side walls, nearest the overhead garage doors.

My thought process is I can charge 2 cars at the same time, parked in any location. In the garage, or in the driveway, on either side of the driveway/garage. Cord runs under the garage doors if they're outside. I’ve installed the “UNDOR” product.

My Lightning doesn't fit in the garage so I need to so something, I've been fine on L1 so far for daily use but getting it up to 100% for a longer trip does take some planning. Realistically for maximum flexibility I need an L2 either outside or inside. I had been leaning towards outside but for that b---- Hoa. Undor is an interesting potential solution for keeping the cord under the door, although with the step-up just inside the door maybe slightly less useful. $62 for something that probably costs 15 cents to make is a little steep, but, probably cheaper than installing a hardwired outdoor EVSE.

Either way the main panel is right outside the garage on the side of the driveway that I park my Lightning.

 

[Torrid]

Here's my setup. It's on the back wall of my garage as close to center as I could get it. I have a NACS extension connected so that it reaches both cars when backed in. To the right of the picture you can see where the extension plugs into the plug from the EVSE and I zip tied it to the peg board on the wall to keep the installation clean. The second is the close up of it with the plug holder I put on the wall.

I would have put in a Tesla Home Charger but my garage doesn't have a 60a power supply so I went with a 14-30 240V outlet as a compromise. It's been more than enough power to alternate charging the cars as needed. I'm driving 140 miles a day right now for work and top off to 80% when I get home from work. It's been cold and windy lately and I'm getting home between 20%-25% battery. It's taking around 7-8 hours to charge to 80% from that point. If my wife needs to charge I plug hers in when I leave for work around 3am if needed. She usually only charges once a week to 100% since her car has the LFP battery.

 

[KevinMalone]

While we're at it, what are the benefits of "smart" EVSEs? I assumed scheduling is handled by the vehicle? We don't have time of day pricing and I'd purchase an EVSE where I can manually set the operating current to 24A. The Grizzl-E Classic was appealing because it is cheaper, simple and "dumb"

 

[dogememe]

While we're at it, what are the benefits of "smart" EVSEs? I assumed scheduling is handled by the vehicle? We don't have time of day pricing and I'd purchase an EVSE where I can manually set the operating current to 24A. The Grizzl-E Classic was appealing because it is cheaper, simple and "dumb"

Dumb is fine, scheduling should be done in the vehicle NOT the charger. It’s better for the EV.

But, I like smart stuff and keeping track of usage could be handy.

If I was buying a Level2 EVSE it would probably be Autel.

Positioning depends on the vehicle. All three of my GM EVs have had the charge port on the drivers fender. But many other EVs, even some GM offerings, have them elsewhere.

PS: since you can charge at home, EVs are awesome. I know you said in the next few years but there are some great deals right now. If you don’t care about it not having Apple CarPlay the Equinox EV has great lease deals. If you are going for a cheap used economy vehicle, you can’t beat a used Bolt. We love our Prologue which is a Honda in name only… really made by GM.

 

[ragtoplvr]

What about fire protection?

That garage is attached to the house where you sleep.
I am thinking maybe an overhead sprinkler and alarm.

Rod

 

[Torrid]

While we're at it, what are the benefits of "smart" EVSEs? I assumed scheduling is handled by the vehicle? We don't have time of day pricing and I'd purchase an EVSE where I can manually set the operating current to 24A. The Grizzl-E Classic was appealing because it is cheaper, simple and "dumb"

This is what mine allows changing amperage right on the box, but I still just make any adjustments from the car. I don’t use scheduling, but my wife does. I like adjusting amperage from the car side because I can do it from the app remotely.

 

[Torrid]

What about fire protection?

That garage is attached to the house where you sleep.
I am thinking maybe an overhead sprinkler and alarm.

Rod

Which garage? Mine is detached.

 

[KevinMalone]

What about fire protection?

That garage is attached to the house where you sleep.
I am thinking maybe an overhead sprinkler and alarm.

Rod

Valid concern. I think there are enough safety features and fail safes that an EVSE shouldn't cause a fire. If the EV itself catches on fire, sprinklers won't do anything. Smoke detectors might have too many false alarms in a garage but a heat detector isn't a bad idea. Thanks for bringing it up.

Some stats for context: https://www.metroev.ca/blog/ev-charger-fires

 

[y_p_w]

While we're at it, what are the benefits of "smart" EVSEs? I assumed scheduling is handled by the vehicle? We don't have time of day pricing and I'd purchase an EVSE where I can manually set the operating current to 24A. The Grizzl-E Classic was appealing because it is cheaper, simple and "dumb"

Some utilities are offering discounted rate plans based on being able to control/adjust the time of use for charging systems, but they have to be given direct control. The idea is to dynamically shift when cars are charged to the lowest demand periods.

 

[Brons2]

While we're at it, what are the benefits of "smart" EVSEs? I assumed scheduling is handled by the vehicle? We don't have time of day pricing and I'd purchase an EVSE where I can manually set the operating current to 24A. The Grizzl-E Classic was appealing because it is cheaper, simple and "dumb"

There's different levels of "smart" with these things. Some give you a lot of fancy usage statistics, some have RFID built in, etc.

I posted this in another thread but I've been eyeballing this one that can adjust charging current available relative to panel usage: https://shop.emporiaenergy.com/coll...r-with-load-management?variant=44414260248831