Outdoor EVSE overheating? Shelter, covering ideas?

Daniel Kutcher

Daniel Kutcher

New Member
So we have a ChargePoint Flex EVSE in our driveway. It gets direct sunlight on it from about 10-3pm. If it’s a hot day, we’ve noticed the breaker will trip if we charge our car.

we are thinking it might just need a little shelter from the elements. Has anyone done a DIY project to give their outdoor EVSEs a little protection?
 

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Ouch! Mounted on brick. Brick is a great absorber of heat and a slow dissipater. Mine (different brand) came with a 1 inch aluminum stand-off bracket just for heat dissipation. The back of most chargers is the heat sink for the semiconductors. I would check the load with a clamp on amp meter to tell whether it's the breaker or the charger doing it.
 
You never told us what amperage the breaker is and what charge rate the unit is set at. The breaker has to be 125% higher than the load for continuous use. So if your trying to charge at 50 Amps, you would need a 70 amp breaker. Also Charge Point Flex has to have solid wires or crimped on spuds due to there cam lock connectors. Stranded wire will cause heat at the terminals.
 
Direct hot sun exposure may indeed cause the unit to run warmer than spec ratings, particularly if drawing full load from your XC40 ( 7.4 kW) and this is a high ambient location.
I agree check the amperage draw is within specs (~31 amps), and if breaker continues to trip start with replacing it as some breakers hold full load better than others (depending on the manufacturer). This of course after doing a visual on the terminations of the wires (insure # 8 AWG conductors minimum) feeding the unit within the unit itself ( no burning of insulation etc).
There have been modifications done to protect portable EVSEs from environmental deterioration:
index.php

If you build such a box, be sure to allow for adequate ventilation (stand-off from brick wall as mentioned above). A simple cover or well placed bush may provide enough shade.
 
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I think a Volvo C40 recharge can do 48A so you would have to hardwire for 11kW charging. That must be a lot of daily driving if you have to add 78+ kWh per day.
 
electriceddy said:
Single phase 7.4 kW, 3 phase (Europe only) 11 kW
https://pod-point.com/guides/vehicles/volvo/2021/c40-recharge
Click to expand...
The charge point flex will charge from 16 to 50 amps. Last I knew that was 11.5 KW. And their install manual wants #6 wire and 70 amp breaker. Problem is the user can set the rate of charge on their smart phone. The installer is supposed to mark with the supplied stickers the charger and breaker as to the max load/rate of charge. If it is installed with #8 wire and a 40 or 50 amp breaker it would only have a max of 32 amps (ie;7.4 KW). Number 8 THHN copper is rated at 48 amps 90C in a raceway, So 40 amp would be the max legal breaker. If wired with Charge Point's recommended #6 wire the actual NEC wire rating would be 68 amps. So one would have to use a 60 Amp breaker. Limiting the charge rate to 48 amps. Which is 11KW.
 
electriceddy said:
Single phase 7.4 kW, 3 phase (Europe only) 11 kW
https://pod-point.com/guides/vehicles/volvo/2021/c40-recharge
Click to expand...
Actually, it looks like it can charge at 11 KW single phase.

Volvo is recommending

The charging time depends on the charging equipment you use and the electric installation at your home. For regular charging at home,. We recommend a Level 2 home charger with 50 amps of power from a dedicated single phase 240-volt circuit with a two-pole circuit breaker rated at minimum of 70 amps (or 60 amp circuit with max load of 48 amps) This installation can give you approximately 8 hours charging time (from empty to 100 per cent), or around 25 miles of range per hour. When charging at stations outside your home, the most probable situations are that you will top the battery during shorter periods of time, for example from 40 per cent to 80 per cent (11 kW AC gives around 25 miles of range per hour).

https://www.volvocars.com/us/v/cars/c40-electric
 
Frank Pierson` said:
The charge point flex will charge from 16 to 50 amps. Last I knew that was 11.5 KW. And their install manual wants #6 wire and 70 amp breaker. Problem is the user can set the rate of charge on their smart phone. The installer is supposed to mark with the supplied stickers the charger and breaker as to the max load/rate of charge. If it is installed with #8 wire and a 40 or 50 amp breaker it would only have a max of 32 amps (ie;7.4 KW). Number 8 THHN copper is rated at 48 amps 90C in a raceway, So 40 amp would be the max legal breaker. If wired with Charge Point's recommended #6 wire the actual NEC wire rating would be 68 amps. So one would have to use a 60 Amp breaker. Limiting the charge rate to 48 amps. Which is 11KW.
Click to expand...
Doesn't code say the electrician suppose to password lock the setting to prevent someone who doesn't know what they are doing from changing the setting? In theory, the electrician isn't suppose to give that password to the user.
 
Will depend on your local code. Virtual DIP switches on EVSEs makes me a bit uneasy and I'd much prefer to have #6 wire + 70A breaker if you really want maximum charging at 50A. So again, the original poster has to indicate whether or not the EVSE is at the maximum 50A for a product that is designed primarily to be in the garage for optimal use.

Realistically speaking, most EV drivers won't be charging from 0-100% SoC on a daily basis. Even from 50%-100% SoC on a C40 Recharge would only be around 48.75kWh (78 * 50% * 1.25 estimated efficiency losses) so even 32A x 240V could be sufficient for overnight charging.
 
Hey y’all. It’s a 60 amp breaker. The ChargePoint manual lays it all out clearly for the owner and the electrician. There’s even “60 Amp” stickers included for the fuse box.
 
And again, everything works perfectly UNLESS the sun is blazing hot, and directly shining on the charger between 10-3pm AND we try charging during that time (which we rarely do anyway).
 
Maybe try reducing the Volvo's onboard charger to 40A and leave your EVSE at 48A? Most public Level 2 chargers are 25A-32A anyways. That way you can still get 0-100% SoC on your Volvo in under 11 hours @ 40A instead of 9 hours @ 48A.
 
marshall said:
Doesn't code say the electrician suppose to password lock the setting to prevent someone who doesn't know what they are doing from changing the setting? In theory, the electrician isn't suppose to give that password to the user.
Click to expand...
With the Flex, it's controlled by the user in their phone app. I'd rather have dip switches inside the unit like Grizzel has.
 
Frank Pierson` said:
With the Flex, it's controlled by the user in their phone app. I'd rather have dip switches inside the unit like Grizzel has.
Click to expand...
I understand that. I prefer dip switches too.

I just looked at the latest National Electrical Code. Section 625.42 says an adjustable setting EVSE must be fixed in place, and if software controlled, it must be password protected and accessible only to qualified personnel.

You can get free access the National Electrical Code now on their web site.
 
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