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Stupid newbie Level 2 charging question

5304 Views 14 Replies 9 Participants Last post by thesecond55, Aug 27, 2021

Hi_Fi_Guy

Discussion Starter · Aug 25, 2021

My wife and I are finally ready to make the leap from ICE to EV. We are going to look at VW ID.4s and I have been trying to figure out the home charging situation.

Our garage has a dryer style 240v/30a plug however it is the older NEMA 10-30 connector. I have found several NEMA 10-30 to NEMA 14-50 adapter cables on Amazon to allow a Level 2 home charger to connect to power.

So the big question is about Amps. It looks like most of the home chargers are looking for 32-40 amps and I know my 30amp outlet is only capable of about 24amps continuous. Will the Level 2 chargers work with this lower amperage? Does the level 2 charger or the ID.4 itself have a way to set the charge to 24amps to protect the circuit from overloading?

We are looking at the Level 2 home charger from Electrify America because it supposedly works with their app. Is it worth it? Will it work? Or are some of the units available from Amazon a better fit for our situation?

HomeStation - Level 2 Home Charger from Electrify America

Level 2 EV Home Charger – HomeStation

Electrify Home - HomeStation

www.electrifyhome.com

1 - 15 of 15 Posts

Huey52

· #2 · Aug 25, 2021

Welcome to the forum!

Some EVSE's I believe can be plugged into 30A dryer sockets and set for the lower 24A throughput. Alas the popular Chargepoint cannot (needs to be hardwired other than 40A & 50A circuits).

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I've moved this thread to the appropriate area where you'll see much discussion.

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hilld

· #3 · Aug 25, 2021

I don't want to come across as a pusher of the Grizzl-E smart charger, but it had dip switches where you can set the maximum amps for the charger to use. That way you can reduce the power the charger will try to consume to match your electrical circuit. Also, the Nema 14 plugs use 4 wires while Nema 6 only uses 3 wires. The additional 4th wire in a NEMA 14 is a neutral wire and most chargers don't use it, so if you are going to swap out the outlet or make an adapter, it might be easier to buy a NEMA 6 version of the charger.

Here is a link to the Grizzl-E. If you look right below the price, there is a drop down box where you can have them set the maximum amps if ordering directly from them. The chargers are made in Canada and can be mounted outside.

Grizzl-E Smart – GRIZZL-E

Reactions: 1

Huey52

· #4 · Aug 25, 2021

This is a popular "travel" L2 charger that may be used at home as well:

Nai3t

· #5 · Aug 25, 2021

The most important question, above all else, is how many miles do you typically drive in a day, and how long are you parked overnight?

An ID.4 connected to a 24 amp circuit will take about 9 hours to charge from 20 to 80%, or about 15 hours to go from 0 to 100%.

Reactions: 1

Hi_Fi_Guy

Discussion Starter · #6 · Aug 25, 2021

Thanks for the feedback so far. This is all new to my wife and I so I expect a learning curve. Our typical daily milage would range from a low of 10 miles to a high of 70-80 miles on the days my wife has to travel to additional locations.

Enzo589

· #7 · Aug 25, 2021 (Edited)

Hi_Fi_Guy said:
Thanks for the feedback so far. This is all new to my wife and I so I expect a learning curve. Our typical daily milage would range from a low of 10 miles to a high of 70-80 miles on the days my wife has to travel to additional locations.

I think you are all set. Just change the plug from a 10-30 to a 14-50. The decision really comes down to if you are looking for a smart charger or basic one. I only pay $0.04 per kwh, so I decided on a dumb charger and plug it in whenever my car gets below like 40-50%. I also only charge to 60%. As you can see, I don't really drive too often working from home, haha. But, the point is, if you would like to manage when the car should charge and if you would like to use another app to manage that functionality along with possibly having charging stats, a smart charger is the way to go. I bought the Grizzl-e Classic and I love how robust it feels. It doesn't have any smarts, but I like it like that. I am also on 30amps, charging at 24amps. I bought the outlet at Home Depot (Link). Easy install, just make sure the power is off at the breaker!

Huey52

· #8 · Aug 25, 2021

You should be all set at a 24A thruput as even at 80% recommended ID.4 charge capacity you have far more than your max 80 mile travel available.
On those longer travel days just adopt the nightly "always be charging" (ABC) philosophy to avoid any range anxiety.

Hi_Fi_Guy said:
Thanks for the feedback so far. This is all new to my wife and I so I expect a learning curve. Our typical daily milage would range from a low of 10 miles to a high of 70-80 miles on the days my wife has to travel to additional locations.

Froggy

· #9 · Aug 25, 2021 (Edited)

Just to be contrary I think it might be worth running a new dedicated circuit. At sometime in the future you might become a two EV family. Then you could alternate nights charging.

RichV

· #10 · Aug 26, 2021

Hi_Fi_Guy said:
My wife and I are finally ready to make the leap from ICE to EV. We are going to look at VW ID.4s and I have been trying to figure out the home charging situation.

Our garage has a dryer style 240v/30a plug however it is the older NEMA 10-30 connector. I have found several NEMA 10-30 to NEMA 14-50 adapter cables on Amazon to allow a Level 2 home charger to connect to power.

So the big question is about Amps. It looks like most of the home chargers are looking for 32-40 amps and I know my 30amp outlet is only capable of about 24amps continuous. Will the Level 2 chargers work with this lower amperage? Does the level 2 charger or the ID.4 itself have a way to set the charge to 24amps to protect the circuit from overloading?

We are looking at the Level 2 home charger from Electrify America because it supposedly works with their app. Is it worth it? Will it work? Or are some of the units available from Amazon a better fit for our situation?

HomeStation - Level 2 Home Charger from Electrify America

Level 2 EV Home Charger – HomeStation

Electrify Home - HomeStation

www.electrifyhome.com

I too have the older dryer style plug in my garage (240V, 30amp, NEMA 10-30). I found the following portable EVSE on Amazon and have had no problems using it to charge my ID4 at 24 miles per hour at a rate of 24 amps.

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: Splitvolt 24A NEMA 10-30 EV Charger with 16 ft Cord, Level 2 240V, Fastest NEC-Safe 30 Amp Circuit Charging, J1772 Plug, Includes EVSE Cable Travel Bag : Everything Else

Buy Splitvolt 24A NEMA 10-30 EV Charger with 16 ft Cord, Level 2 240V, Fastest NEC-Safe 30 Amp Circuit Charging, J1772 Plug, Includes EVSE Cable Travel Bag: Everything Else - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

Reactions: 1

Huey52

· #11 · Aug 26, 2021

... and if the Li-ion ideal pattern of between 40-80% then easily accomplished while asleep.

Nai3t said:
The most important question, above all else, is how many miles do you typically drive in a day, and how long are you parked overnight?

An ID.4 connected to a 24 amp circuit will take about 9 hours to charge from 20 to 80%, or about 15 hours to go from 0 to 100%.

Hi_Fi_Guy said:
Thanks for the feedback so far. This is all new to my wife and I so I expect a learning curve. Our typical daily mileage would range from a low of 10 miles to a high of 70-80 miles on the days my wife has to travel to additional locations.

Hi_Fi_Guy

Discussion Starter · #12 · Aug 26, 2021

We are now officially EV owners! We traded our 2019 Tiguan toward a 2021 ID.4 Pro S. Wife loves it so far. Used the Level 1 charger overnight... 3MPH

I guess I better order that Level 2 charger STAT!

Thanks for the advice, it is great to see a community here where owners are helping other owners!

Reactions: 4

Nai3t

· #13 · Aug 26, 2021

HiFiGuy I bet you have your upgraded speakers already ordered! Congrats.

ChristophW

· #14 · Aug 26, 2021

I would not change the outlet to a 14-50 while on the same breaker and wiring. At some point you might plug an appliance into the 14-50 that draws as much power as one could expect on the outlet, and at best it will trigger your breaker, at worst it will overheat your wires.
Much better would be to adjust the plug and dip switches on the EVSE to properly use what the outlet supports, or (much less clean) perhaps use that adapter you mentioned.

thesecond55

· #15 · Aug 27, 2021

RichV said:
I too have the older dryer style plug in my garage (240V, 30amp, NEMA 10-30). I found the following portable EVSE on Amazon and have had no problems using it to charge my ID4 at 24 miles per hour at a rate of 24 amps.

Amazon.com: Splitvolt 24A NEMA 10-30 EV Charger with 16 ft Cord, Level 2 240V, Fastest NEC-Safe 30 Amp Circuit Charging, J1772 Plug, Includes EVSE Cable Travel Bag : Everything Else

Buy Splitvolt 24A NEMA 10-30 EV Charger with 16 ft Cord, Level 2 240V, Fastest NEC-Safe 30 Amp Circuit Charging, J1772 Plug, Includes EVSE Cable Travel Bag: Everything Else - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

After doing my due diligence, I opted for the Splitvolt unit that could hook up to my also old 240v, 30amp NEMA 10-30 receptacle. 4 screws to install (although you could just lay the box on top of your drier if that works for you) and a built-in circuit breaker complete with digital readouts on use. At 24amps, I charge 19/20mph per hour.

Reactions: 1

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