evse recommendations?

Slight topic change: My ChargePoint Home Flex was installed this morning! The electrician did a fantastic job.

• 200-amp house service with only a single breaker slot left
• He combined two existing breakers into a single switch, freeing up space for the 50-amp double breaker
• He ran the thick electrical cabling through the walls and the attic over my garage for a clean look
• I installed the ChargePoint app and had the device up and running on my WiFi in no time. I just had to specify during setup that my source line is 50 amps
• Cost: $750 ChargePoint + $650 electrician = $1,400. I will get $420 of that back on taxes next year (IRS form 8911 Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit)

Now I just need a car to plug into...

 

That's a nice clean-looking install. It definitely needs a shiny new SE to feed!

 

Looks better than ours. To make room for trash cans, we opted to install a wood panel to the studs so we could easily mount the EVSE where we wanted. We moved some line around as well. I also have the ChargePoint and very happy with it for my car. We opted for this one in case we get a car in the future that is over 32A as well. I like the features so far, though it asked me at one point if I needed help with charging since I hadn't done it yet (was waiting on my car like you). We just did our taxes and since I have an electrician in the family only got $350 back this year in taxes. Admittedly the tax incentive did cause me to want to get the more costly ChargePoint as well.

 

After I took the photo I realized that I really should paint the garage wall - that's 20 years of scuff marks...

 

My house was built in '47. It's way worse as I am not sure the last time it was painted. Not since we moved in 20 years ago. That's why I am not showing a pic of mine - that and you all don't need to see our trash cans

 

So, I think what I plan to do is run an experiment, and find a way to fix my phone in place so I can video my meter as it cycles through to show the live Kw rate. I can start video, start up a handful of appliances and note when I did, and try to build the max-load that seems a reasonable proxy for overnight charging.

 

Mine was built in 1945, but a PandemicProject recently was to clear out a bunch of stuff we didn't need, paint some unfinished walls, mount new shelves and now my garage looks better than it has in years!

 

LOL! You're the only one who looked at that photo and focused on something other than your futuristic electrical car refueling device that was brimming, yea glowing, with sustainable green energy!

 

You're right! I'm just trying to live up to the Jetsons level of future - need a shimmering clean space all around that device. Hmmm...this gives me some ideas...

 

IMHO, these higher registration fees (which are really road use taxes) on EVs are just a way for state legislatures to raise taxes on road use without most vehicle owners (ICE, today) complaining to the politicians. But, once the EV market becomes more mature and large in scope, voila, there are higher road use taxes already in place without most people (former ICE drivers) even knowing it was happening, right before their very "ICEd over" eyes.

 

I'm just starting my MINI journey up here in Canada. About a month ago, I ordered a 2021 Premier+ (Iconic in the US) with all the parts needed to de-chrome. I've read every post in this thread, but it's my first electric car so I wouldn't mind any second opinions on my evse understanding and plan:

• I've ordered the Grizzl-E Classic NEMA 14-50, 40A (Canadian company, seems like good value, those in this forum who bought the same seem happy)
• Even though the MINI manual says "A charge current strength of up to maximum 16 A is possible." in the Level 2 Charging section, the consensus here is that it can draw close to 32A
• Since the Grizzl-E can push out 40A, I'll need to get a 50A breaker installed on my electrical panel (125% of 40A)

Have I got that about right? Anything I'm missing?

 

Welcome!

40A is the minimum for your car (125% of 32A). If you ever get a car that can draw 40A, then you’d need a 50A circuit to take full advantage of the Grizzl.

at least that’s what I understand.

 

The Grizzl-E has DIP switches inside to limit the maximum draw. I set mine to 40 A and put in a 40 A breaker since the SE maxes out at 32 A. It won't hurt to be on a 50 A circuit, since the car will only draw what it can. I'm no electrician, but I've read if your breaker is higher than you need it can take a bigger spike to trip the breaker.

 

For a 40A evse do go with 50. While your car can only draw 7.4kWh or about 31A max, it's the correct thing to do for what you have. I have a 40A charger to future proof a little on a 50A circuit. To jump from the 16A to 32A charging, there is a setting to change under the planned charging options in the menu.

 

Thanks for the feedback peeps! I love this forum!

 

Drill down on that a little? Let's say, down the road, I get a car that can charge at greater than 32A, but my circuit is only 40A and my EVSE is capable of 40A. Will the EVSE try to max out and fry the circuit, or does it "know" to limit the draw from the max of the circuit?

 

It'll likely blow the circuit. The only way your set up would know to max at 32A us if your evse is able to be limited or there is a setting in your car like the SE to not do full draw.

I have an electrician in the family and I just do as they say so I don't worry.

 

I face the following dilemma. I cannot tell if it is safe for my house to have a 50A circuit installed, so I'm inclined to go with 40A.

Future-proofing is interesting to me since I do not plan to buy my next car for about 9 years. I can pretty well be sure that 9 years from now, I'll buy an electric car that can charge faster than 32A, but I don't know that now. I would sit for 9 years with "future-proofed" capacity that I do not need.

I can get a 32A EVSE and 40A circuit now, and only be sure that I will want to expand the capacity in 9 years, or I can get one or both of those "future-proofed" now. I realize the dollars are not the same (cost delta to get a 40A EVSE vs, cost delta to get a 50A circuit installed). I guess I have some math to do.

 

I didn't go crazy with future proofing to be honest. The next car will most likely not be mine but it will be another EV. It won't be an SE simply due to size. We could be looking in 4 years though and that was enough to go to 50A (40A charging) . To be true wire for the higher circuits are difficult to work with and costly. I'm not sure we'll ever go above 50A in the box.

 

You may be right, in that even in ten years, home charging is not likely to demand more electricity than existing home infrastructures can accommodate. Whatever innovations occur, I would imagine it is in the nature of the batteries themselves, how efficiently cars use electricity. Or, home charging becomes irrelevant with fast-charging stations replacing gas stations.