Max amps 2021 Kona can handle during Level 2 charging?

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Vlad

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I am brand new to this site and spent an hour searching for similar posts but the only one I found pertained to a 2019 Kona. I installed a double-poled 40 amp breaker in my panel yesterday. I connected a NEMA 6-50 outlet to it where I will plug the Level 2 charger plug into. I tested the outlet and got a 214v reading.

My question is what is the maximum number of amps that the 2021 Kona battery can take while Level 2 charging? Should I replace the 40 amp breaker with a 50 amp breaker, or something higher?
 
Vlad said:
I am brand new to this site and spent an hour searching for similar posts but the only one I found pertained to a 2019 Kona. I installed a double-poled 40 amp breaker in my panel yesterday. I connected a NEMA 6-50 outlet to it where I will plug the Level 2 charger plug into. I tested the outlet and got a 214v reading.

My question is what is the maximum number of amps that the 2021 Kona battery can take while Level 2 charging? Should I replace the 40 amp breaker with a 50 amp breaker, or something higher?
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I did a 50 amp as a new breaker on my elec panel, though on charging, the unit only goes up to 32amp Max on my NEMA 6-50. The 50amp might be more important for a Tesla, though I'm not sure.
 
So it's obviously not 7.4 amps. It's about 7.4kW.
That being said divide 7400 by 220V. That equals about 35 Amps.

That's the max it can take.

If you want to future proof your outlet go with a higher breaker, however be advised that the breaker is not the limiting factor, it's the wiring. You can install a 100 amp breaker, just the wires will melt and set your house on fire if you dare to pull 100 amps.
 
Vlad said:
I am brand new to this site and spent an hour searching for similar posts but the only one I found pertained to a 2019 Kona. I installed a double-poled 40 amp breaker in my panel yesterday. I connected a NEMA 6-50 outlet to it where I will plug the Level 2 charger plug into. I tested the outlet and got a 214v reading.

My question is what is the maximum number of amps that the 2021 Kona battery can take while Level 2 charging? Should I replace the 40 amp breaker with a 50 amp breaker, or something higher?
Click to expand...
Depends on your location... in N.A Kona EV on board charger is single phase 7.2 kW /240 V =30 A. The overcurrent for the supply circuit should be rated at least 37.5 A
In Europe the on board charger is available up to 11 kW (3 phase), doing the math 11,000/220V*1.73 = 28.9A (based at 220 V L to L, @ 220/380 3 phase the current will be less =16.7 A) , in this case the supply circuit should have overcurrent rated at least 36 A for the first or 20.8 A for the latter.
Hope this helps;)
 
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Esprit1st said:
That being said divide 7400 by 220V. That equals about 35 Amps.
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I don't think it will draw 35 amp at 220 volts. I suspect you will draw more current at 240 volts then 220 volts.

Your mistake is thinking there will be 7400 watts at 220 volts. I don't think that's correct.
 
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marshall said:
I don't think it will draw 35 amp at 220 volts. I suspect you will draw more current at 240 volts then 220 volts.
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note : three phase , not single phase, current is 1.73* more (also 11kW not 7.2)
Also I said it will draw 29A, the 36A overcurrent rating is to avoid having the breaker trip while continuous charging (*1.25) the charging current
 
Esprit1st said:
So it's obviously not 7.4 amps. It's about 7.4kW.
That being said divide 7400 by 220V. That equals about 35 Amps.

That's the max it can take.

If you want to future proof your outlet go with a higher breaker, however be advised that the breaker is not the limiting factor, it's the wiring. You can install a 100 amp breaker, just the wires will melt and set your house on fire if you dare to pull 100 amps.
Click to expand...

Thanks for your reply.


1) So to be sure I understand, it is fine for me to have the 40 amp breaker installed and have 8 gauge wire going to the 6-50 outlet and buy a Level 2 charger rated at 32 amps?

2) Just out of curiosity, when you said that the wires will melt with the 100 amp breaker, did you mean the wires going from the breaker to the outlet or the Level 2 charger wires?
 
Vlad said:
Thanks for your reply.


1) So to be sure I understand, it is fine for me to have the 40 amp breaker installed and have 8 gauge wire going to the 6-50 outlet and buy a Level 2 charger rated at 32 amps?

2) Just out of curiosity, when you said that the wires will melt with the 100 amp breaker, did you mean the wires going from the breaker to the outlet or the Level 2 charger wires?
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I'm not an electrician, so i don't know the wires required for a certain load. I do know that you shouldn't overload the wires. So the wires in your wall from the breaker to the NEMA outlet need to be appropriate for the load. In your case a 40 Amp load. (80% of 40 being the 32 Amp charger).

In theory you could install let's say a 100 Amp breaker and install a Tesla 80Amp charger. However that would be the case you would set your house on fire since the wires in your walls are only appropriate for a 40 Amp load. In that case your charger would pull 80 Amp and your breaker wouldn't trip because it thinks all is fine and dandy until the moment your wires melt and short.

That's why the "weakest" link in the system defines your max available load.

I hope that makes sense. [emoji6]
 
Esprit1st said:
I'm not an electrician, so i don't know the wires required for a certain load. I do know that you shouldn't overload the wires. So the wires in your wall from the breaker to the NEMA outlet need to be appropriate for the load. In your case a 40 Amp load. (80% of 40 being the 32 Amp charger).

In theory you could install let's say a 100 Amp breaker and install a Tesla 80Amp charger. However that would be the case you would set your house on fire since the wires in your walls are only appropriate for a 40 Amp load. In that case your charger would pull 80 Amp and your breaker wouldn't trip because it thinks all is fine and dandy until the moment your wires melt and short.

That's why the "weakest" link in the system defines your max available load.

I hope that makes sense. [emoji6]
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It does make sense.

PrimecomTech sells a 40 amp Level 2 charger. So based on everything you have explained to me so far, it would make no sense to buy this charger because the Kona can only accept amps in the low 30's. So I should just buy the 32 amp Level 2 charger right?
 
32 amps, 240 volts. Which comes out to about 7.4 kW (the arithmetic obviously gets you to 7.6, but voltages are always iffy).

If you put it on a level 2 charger with higher amperage, the car will know to take only 32 amps (or maybe it tells the charger to only give 32 amps, I don't know how that works).
 
Vlad said:
So based on everything you have explained to me so far, it would make no sense to buy this charger because the Kona can only accept amps in the low 30's. So I should just buy the 32 amp Level 2 charger right?
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Any EVSE ('charger' if you like) that can supply at least 32 A will maximise the capacity of the Kona's onboard charger. The circuit the EVSE is attached to needs to be rated for 25% higher than the configured maximum current setting inside the EVSE, even if the EV does not use all of it.

So, a 40A EVSE needs to be on a circuit wired for and protected by a 50A or higher circuit breaker. The Kona will pull 32-35A from that circuit but the EVSE will be offering it 40A. If you owned a different EV that could pull 40A then it would do so.
 
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I installed a Clipper Creek HCS-40P for the Kona. I chose to run 6ga. wire from a 50 amp breaker since the same circuit also runs a table saw occasionally. So far I have not charged the car while also using the table saw, but that was the thinking behind using the 6ga cable, which was a real challenge to bend when making connections in a junction box and the outlet box for the EVSE. I'll often feel the charger cable and wire to it when charging and both remain cool.
 
Bill Carter said:
I installed a Clipper Creek HCS-40P for the Kona. I chose to run 6ga. wire from a 50 amp breaker since the same circuit also runs a table saw occasionally. So far I have not charged the car while also using the table saw, but that was the thinking behind using the 6ga cable, which was a real challenge to bend when making connections in a junction box and the outlet box for the EVSE. I'll often feel the charger cable and wire to it when charging and both remain cool.
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6ga wire is the correct size for a 50 amp circuit. Anything thinner would be a hazard.
 
I would agree with KiwiMe's advice. This also corresponds with Hyundai's charging claims. Also fits Oregon code and probably most others. Safety is not to push the limits of your weakest electrical component. Also in your wiring I would use individual wires and not sheathed Romex wire (inside conduit) to give a bit more heat dissipation. This all assumes you live somewhere other than Europe.
 
Bill Carter said:
I installed a Clipper Creek HCS-40P for the Kona. I chose to run 6ga. wire from a 50 amp breaker since the same circuit also runs a table saw occasionally. So far I have not charged the car while also using the table saw, but that was the thinking behind using the 6ga cable, which was a real challenge to bend when making connections in a junction box and the outlet box for the EVSE. I'll often feel the charger cable and wire to it when charging and both remain cool.
Click to expand...
Careful with having your tablesaw on that 50A circuit. I believe code is that 50A circuits can only supply a single outlet or hardwired device. More importantly, if your tablesaw is not some enormous industrial 10hp unit with 6ga wire throughout (typical cabinet saws are 5 hp motor) you're basically not protecting that motor or the wiring to it. If the motor gets overloaded (perhaps drawing say 20A) or the 14ga cord to the motor has a short, it may not trip the 50 amp breaker, and instead just continue to burn, because a dead-shorted 14ga cord might not draw 50A. Breakers should be reasonably close to the size of expected load, so that when the load is exceeded the breaker trips before bad stuff happens.
 
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