Electrician needed for EV evaluation
Posted by neatgeek83@reddit | plano | View on Reddit | 25 comments
I’m considering purchasing an EV or PHEV soon and would like to have an electrician come out to determine whether my home’s electrical system can support a Level 1 or Level 2 charger. The house was built in 1980 and still has the original electrical panel.
Any recos?
Excellent_Cost170@reddit
I have driven 70k miles only using a dryer outlet.
heinzenfeinzen@reddit
Does your electric panel say "Federal Pacific"?
If so you are going to be doing more than installing a charger
aek82@reddit
Mine never caught on fire, but I eventually replaced mine anyways.
heinzenfeinzen@reddit
Mine didn’t either but I did have breakers not trip when they should have. My house was old enough to not even have a ground rod!
neatgeek83@reddit (OP)
No it’s not one of those. I don’t know much but I do know that
Substantial-Lie2340@reddit
Very highly recommend David at Electrician On Call www.electricianoncall.com He’s a master electrician and overall good guy who’s up-front and doesn’t try to upsell you anything or BS you.
neatgeek83@reddit (OP)
Thank you! 22 replies and yours if the first that actually answers my question
wilkilla@reddit
You can quickly determine it by yourself:
1. Find Your Main Breaker: Look in your panel for "100 amp" or "200 amp". This is critical.
2. Level 1 (Standard Outlet): Slow, but might be enough if you drive <40 miles/day & can charge overnight. ~$500-1000 for the charger (unless you're buying used, you can often negotiate a charger with no increase in the price). The amps in the panel don't matter.
3. Level 2 (Faster Charging): Needs a dedicated circuit. 100 amp panel = likely expensive upgrade ($2k-$5k+), plus the charger. 200 amp panel = it's unlikely that you'll need an upgrade, it's just the price of a breaker, some wiring and power plug.
aek82@reddit
you only need the subpanel if you're charging multiple cars. If its just one car, you only need a single 50 amp breaker.
wilkilla@reddit
That's what I meant by "dedicated circuit". Not a dedicated sub panel. Each breaker controls a circuit. They are also known as "circuit breakers" for this reason.
neatgeek83@reddit (OP)
I posted about this in an electrician sub last month (with pictures), and the consensus was “it depends. Get it checked out.”
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectricians/s/RUpbjfZxJq
neatgeek83@reddit (OP)
Thanks but before i purchase a new vehicle i need a professional out to help me determine this. I cannot be trusted.
ExpertConsideration8@reddit
This is exactly right.. I paid 4k a few years ago for a 200amp panel hi upgrade.. simply installing a lvl 2 charger is more like ~750, plus the cost of the charger.
aek82@reddit
Main factors for cost is proximity of breaker box to where you'll be charging your car - longer cable runs from the breaker panel cost more - and if you have space in your breaker for a 50 amp breaker.
TheDutchTexan@reddit
The big question is: Why are you considering any of those? If it's to save money forego the plugin part and simply buy a Prius. You will save money in the long run.
neatgeek83@reddit (OP)
I haven’t bought a new vehicle and nearly 15 years and just want to know what my options are.
If it’s cost prohibitive to update and install a level two charger in my home then I will know not to consider pure EV’s.
TheDutchTexan@reddit
If you like to keep your vehicle that long do not consider anything with batteries. Some last that long but a lot of people run into issues after their battery warranty goes. For Tesla that’s 8 years / 150,000 miles and for a Prius it’s 10/150k. A full EV will be scrap meat and a plug in will cost you a lot more than a vanilla hybrid car as well.
neatgeek83@reddit (OP)
honestly I plan on leasing this time around since the tech is changing so fast.
neatgeek83@reddit (OP)
Also I previously posted a thread about it seems like half of Plano now has a Tesla so...
FabledF0E@reddit
FYI there's another creative solution available if you can't add a dedicated circuit: use a smart switch to share your dryer connection (which is suitable for L2) with your charger. They cut off your charging when the dryer is running, then resume after to avoid overloading.
neatgeek83@reddit (OP)
Interesting. My commute is less than 20 miles round trip (west Plano to Frisco) so I wouldn't need to charge it that often either. I would think.
FabledF0E@reddit
I've looked into the option myself, but I still don't require many miles after 3 years of use so I still charge level 1, which gets me about 40-60 overnight. I'm usually around 75% most of the time.
bobster36@reddit
My level 1 charger was slow af.
0.7kw/hour. With a 77kw battery at 10% means I need 70kw of charge. So I need 100 hours for that. There’s only 168 hours in a week! I couldn’t get rid of my EV fast enough!
BlazinAzn38@reddit
You were driving 210 miles a day?
neatgeek83@reddit (OP)
If I can only charge level 1 I’ll get a plug in hybrid.