Electricity & EV nerds: assemble!
October 4, 2024 11:58 AM Subscribe
I have a 2021 Bolt EV that I have been charging with this charger in a regular 3 prong outlet at home. I drive so little that this has been totally sufficient for my needs. I just moved and my new landlord wants to install a new outlet for me but I have questions.
I have a mental block about reading through the various online forums about this so hoping you can help:
Currently the garage only has a two prong outlet. Landlord says she wants to ask electrician to install a 50 amp 3 prong outlet. Based on brief googling this seems unnecessary, and possibly too much for my charger?
Alternatively I guess I could ask if she will install an actual charger.. If that seems the best thing then can you recommend what I can ask her to install? I do not need super fast charging at home and I've heard that faster charging reduces battery life faster?
Thanks all.
I have a mental block about reading through the various online forums about this so hoping you can help:
Currently the garage only has a two prong outlet. Landlord says she wants to ask electrician to install a 50 amp 3 prong outlet. Based on brief googling this seems unnecessary, and possibly too much for my charger?
Alternatively I guess I could ask if she will install an actual charger.. If that seems the best thing then can you recommend what I can ask her to install? I do not need super fast charging at home and I've heard that faster charging reduces battery life faster?
Thanks all.
A 50a outlet is almost certainly 240v, the same kind of outlet your electric stove or electric dryer use. Which -- if you have an electric vehicle -- would be an improved charging method, but you'll need a new charging cable to hook up to it, you cannot plug the one you have into it.
The landlord has less incentive to put a dedicated car charger there; a generic 50a connector can be used for a welder, garage heater or A/C, etc, and doesn't have the additional cost of whatever the charging mechanism needs.
Whatever you do: do not use a 'cheater' to plug your existing cord into a two-pronged outlet, pain and injury increases exponentially, and best case scenario is probably just damage to the car.
Edit: If you really dig around, you'll find RV people have weird adapters for everything and they have adapters to plug your 120v into a 240v by selectively connecting the wires to get the right voltage. This also brings only pain and woe, slightly less than the cheater, but still using electricity in unintended ways that may let it flow the wrong direction.
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:16 PM on October 4 [2 favorites]
The landlord has less incentive to put a dedicated car charger there; a generic 50a connector can be used for a welder, garage heater or A/C, etc, and doesn't have the additional cost of whatever the charging mechanism needs.
Whatever you do: do not use a 'cheater' to plug your existing cord into a two-pronged outlet, pain and injury increases exponentially, and best case scenario is probably just damage to the car.
Edit: If you really dig around, you'll find RV people have weird adapters for everything and they have adapters to plug your 120v into a 240v by selectively connecting the wires to get the right voltage. This also brings only pain and woe, slightly less than the cheater, but still using electricity in unintended ways that may let it flow the wrong direction.
posted by AzraelBrown at 12:16 PM on October 4 [2 favorites]
TLDR: There should still be 120 volt outlets for you to continue using your current setup.
As for the 50 Amp line? There are incentives to upgrade/update the wiring that the landlord would want to take advantage of. It's likely in the form of a tax break. That 50 amp service is certainly 240 volt, which is significantly better for charging most ev's than the standard 120 volt. However, your Bolt would not see much dramatic improvement as it is a slow charger/was optimized for 120v. I would expect a 240 line to be in addition to the existing wiring - as the garage door opener and lights would all still be 120v.
However, the current service in the garage might be old and simply not be up to the task of charging any EV. ALL garage lines should be grounded (3 prong), and in these parts it also needs to be GFCI (the little test/reset buttons like in your bathroom or kitchen). 120v lines are often 20 amp (for fridges) or 30 amp (air handling) and the standard here is 20 amp service to the garage.
So if I were talking to my landlord about it I would be looking to ensure that 20 amp GFCI service. It's a safety and code thing so if you want that to bolster your argument you'll need to do some searching for your local regulations. The rule generally is that once someone starts doing work on a circuit they have to bring related circuits up to code. The 120 line wasn't likely upgraded before because apart from any incentive programs the material cost for that type of amperage on a 120v electrical service is much higher than a 240v line, because of electrical math.
posted by zenon at 12:29 PM on October 4 [2 favorites]
As for the 50 Amp line? There are incentives to upgrade/update the wiring that the landlord would want to take advantage of. It's likely in the form of a tax break. That 50 amp service is certainly 240 volt, which is significantly better for charging most ev's than the standard 120 volt. However, your Bolt would not see much dramatic improvement as it is a slow charger/was optimized for 120v. I would expect a 240 line to be in addition to the existing wiring - as the garage door opener and lights would all still be 120v.
However, the current service in the garage might be old and simply not be up to the task of charging any EV. ALL garage lines should be grounded (3 prong), and in these parts it also needs to be GFCI (the little test/reset buttons like in your bathroom or kitchen). 120v lines are often 20 amp (for fridges) or 30 amp (air handling) and the standard here is 20 amp service to the garage.
So if I were talking to my landlord about it I would be looking to ensure that 20 amp GFCI service. It's a safety and code thing so if you want that to bolster your argument you'll need to do some searching for your local regulations. The rule generally is that once someone starts doing work on a circuit they have to bring related circuits up to code. The 120 line wasn't likely upgraded before because apart from any incentive programs the material cost for that type of amperage on a 120v electrical service is much higher than a 240v line, because of electrical math.
posted by zenon at 12:29 PM on October 4 [2 favorites]
The outlet you want is a NEMA 14-50. It can be used to plug in a wide variety of chargers, portable and not, as well as welders and other high-wattage tools.
Once you have that, you can get, for example, this GM OEM charger (not technically a charger but close enough) that will charge your Bolt about 4-5x as fast as the old 110 V. Agree that you do not want to risk anything from Amazon or otherwise not from a reputable manufacturer.
posted by wnissen at 12:31 PM on October 4 [1 favorite]
Once you have that, you can get, for example, this GM OEM charger (not technically a charger but close enough) that will charge your Bolt about 4-5x as fast as the old 110 V. Agree that you do not want to risk anything from Amazon or otherwise not from a reputable manufacturer.
posted by wnissen at 12:31 PM on October 4 [1 favorite]
It (EVSE) doesn't have to be a 50 amp one, just no more than 50 amp
Just a note here that you should never pull more than 80% of a breaker or outlet's rated current, especially when using a charger which pulls the maximum current continuously for hours unlike a dryer or other 240V tool.
Most Level 2 EVSEs will limit at 40 amps for this reason. You can also instruct the car to not pull more than 40 amps. Be safe.
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:50 PM on October 4 [2 favorites]
Just a note here that you should never pull more than 80% of a breaker or outlet's rated current, especially when using a charger which pulls the maximum current continuously for hours unlike a dryer or other 240V tool.
Most Level 2 EVSEs will limit at 40 amps for this reason. You can also instruct the car to not pull more than 40 amps. Be safe.
posted by JoeZydeco at 12:50 PM on October 4 [2 favorites]
(Hello fellow 2021 Bolt EV owner!)
> I've heard that faster charging reduces battery life faster?
This is generally from Level 3 chargers (aka DC fast chargers), like the ones you use at malls etc. For reference, a Level 1 charger (the 120V one you normally use) charges at about 1.4kW, Level 2 (240V, what we're talking about installing) at up to about 7.2 kW, and Level 3 can be hundreds of kW (but the Bolt EV maxes out around 55 kW). So no need to worry about battery degradation with a L2 charger. And really, the Bolt is so conservative with it's slow L3 charging, even that's not really a concern. Charge away!
posted by Tu13es at 1:53 PM on October 4 [1 favorite]
> I've heard that faster charging reduces battery life faster?
This is generally from Level 3 chargers (aka DC fast chargers), like the ones you use at malls etc. For reference, a Level 1 charger (the 120V one you normally use) charges at about 1.4kW, Level 2 (240V, what we're talking about installing) at up to about 7.2 kW, and Level 3 can be hundreds of kW (but the Bolt EV maxes out around 55 kW). So no need to worry about battery degradation with a L2 charger. And really, the Bolt is so conservative with it's slow L3 charging, even that's not really a concern. Charge away!
posted by Tu13es at 1:53 PM on October 4 [1 favorite]
Yes, a NEMA 14-50 outlet is great to have and will allow you to charge much faster, without harming your battery at all. We have a cheap 240V charging cord from Amazon and it has been totally fine for the last 7 years. You don't need a wall mounted charger.
posted by ssg at 3:55 PM on October 4 [1 favorite]
posted by ssg at 3:55 PM on October 4 [1 favorite]
2022 Bolt EV owner adding to the chorus of "Yes, you really do want this". Can't speak to the specifics of various modern chargers, I have a ClipperCreek (which is apparently now Enphase) wall charger installed 8 years ago(!) that's been rockin' it for me.
But, yes, Level 2 charging won't impact your battery life, and will allow you to recover as much of a charge as you want to overnight, where a Level 1 charger (your 110v extension cord) could take over a day. Take advantage of this.
posted by straw at 4:58 PM on October 4
But, yes, Level 2 charging won't impact your battery life, and will allow you to recover as much of a charge as you want to overnight, where a Level 1 charger (your 110v extension cord) could take over a day. Take advantage of this.
posted by straw at 4:58 PM on October 4
The Bolt will not allow you to select the wattage/amperage on 240V L2 charging. L1, yes, L2, no. It will blow the breaker if you got it connected up to a less powerful outlet. Or even worse, it might draw more than the 80% of the rating that corresponds to the safe continuous draw. Either you want a 50A / 12 kW outlet, or a selectable EVSE that will allow you to limit the draw.
posted by wnissen at 6:54 PM on October 4
posted by wnissen at 6:54 PM on October 4
I'll note that when the electrician is there it would cost less than a $100 to swap out the two prong outlet with a modern three prong GFCI outlet. If your landlord won't have the electrician do this (and they should, it's a big safety improvement) I'd talk to the electrician and ask if they'd do it for cash. It's the kind of thing I would do practically for free if the resident already had the outlet ready to go. Leviton is a decent lower priced brand your electrician will actually have heard of.
That would allow you to use your perfectly fine for your use 15A charge cord.
posted by Mitheral at 8:47 PM on October 4 [1 favorite]
That would allow you to use your perfectly fine for your use 15A charge cord.
posted by Mitheral at 8:47 PM on October 4 [1 favorite]
I believe the Bolt is like many EVs and allows you to set whatever maximum charge current you like somewhere in the infotainment menus. Setting it to only charge to 80% will have a much greater effect on the longevity of the battery than any rate of charge possible on a home charger.
Just to correct this bit of misleading text, the setting that commenter speaks of is about battery capacity, not "charge current". For nearly all EVs, you can set it to charge up to 80% (or 90%, or whatever) of full and then stop. Staying away from 100% full maximizes the long term life of the battery. It's not about the power flowing in, rather it's about how high you let it charge.
Now, people will often read the above and think they should never charge their car to 100%. Nope. Occasional charging to 100% (e.g. the night before a roadtrip) is just fine. Just don't leave it there for ... days, weeks, months, years. The combination of 100% SOC and time is what slowly cooks the battery.
posted by intermod at 9:37 PM on October 4
Just to correct this bit of misleading text, the setting that commenter speaks of is about battery capacity, not "charge current". For nearly all EVs, you can set it to charge up to 80% (or 90%, or whatever) of full and then stop. Staying away from 100% full maximizes the long term life of the battery. It's not about the power flowing in, rather it's about how high you let it charge.
Now, people will often read the above and think they should never charge their car to 100%. Nope. Occasional charging to 100% (e.g. the night before a roadtrip) is just fine. Just don't leave it there for ... days, weeks, months, years. The combination of 100% SOC and time is what slowly cooks the battery.
posted by intermod at 9:37 PM on October 4
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If your landlord does go that route, you'll need to buy a 240 volt EVSE. (It doesn't have to be a 50 amp one, just no more than 50 amp) A quick Google search turns up several under $500. The installation for that is basically mounting it to a wall and plugging it in.
I believe the Bolt is like many EVs and allows you to set whatever maximum charge current you like somewhere in the infotainment menus. Setting it to only charge to 80% will have a much greater effect on the longevity of the battery than any rate of charge possible on a home charger.
posted by wierdo at 12:11 PM on October 4 [2 favorites]