For those who have Pro Station Charger, do you have enough capacity to install 80A?

[EVKing]

My total capacity is 200A but it will be really hard to get 100A available for the Pro Charger, and i also heard that using 80A will cause overheating; for those who installed Pro charger, do you think it is necessary to make it as maximum 80A or just lower to 50A?

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[Whammy Bar]

My total capacity is 200A but it will be really hard to get 100A available for the Pro Charger, and i also heard that using 80A will cause overheating; for those who installed Pro charger, do you think it is necessary to make it as maximum 80A or just lower to 50A?

You should search and do some reading. Your panel and loads are unique to your home. Your charging needs are totally up to you.

 

[TaxmanHog]

Hire a competent electrician to do a load analysis of your home, go from there.

 

[The Weatherman]

I found the calculation for determining how many amps your box is carrying on the web and used it to do a quick analysis before getting it installed. In my case I could stay with the 80A max and put a 100A breaker in.

I think you would be fine setting the charger down to 64A and use an 80A breaker for charging. It charges pretty quickly.

It of course depends on your box’s current load. A licensed electrician can definitely figure out what you may have available.

 

[FirstF150InCasco]

My total capacity is 200A but it will be really hard to get 100A available for the Pro Charger, and i also heard that using 80A will cause overheating; for those who installed Pro charger, do you think it is necessary to make it as maximum 80A or just lower to 50A?

I had an entire new service put in just for the CSP. Cost $7k total, but well worth it.

 

[Madasahatter1138]

My service is only 125 amps so my electrician installed an EV manager that has a 60 amp breaker built in (that was the max they make). It has clips that go one the main panels Bus and as long as main power use is not too high, allows 60 amps to go thru to EVSE..Been working flawlessly, 48 amps at charger is more than adequate for us. It wasnt cheap but a bit cheaper than getting a panel upgrade which had some red tape involved..

Its a RVE DCC-12 EV Energy Management System 240/208V, Max 200A, Max EVSE breaker 60A, NEMA-3R

 

[Zprime29]

My home had/has 200A service. Electric dryer, 2 A/C units (2 ton and a 1.5 ton), Fridge, chest freezre in garage, double oven, gas stove and gas water heater. Had no problem putting in full 100A for the FCSP and charged at 80A in cooler months with no problem. Due to overheating now that it's hot I've dialed it back to stop getting the error notifications.

EDIT: Forgot to mention I have 9kW of solar as well, not sure how/if that affects the load calculation.

 

[djwildstar]

Here's my experience. I have a Charge Station Pro and Home Integration System (not installed by SunRun but also not working yet).

When I was planning for the Lightning, I did a load calculation on my own by adding up the breakers in the box and plugging the numbers into a spreadsheet and concluded that I had little or no capacity available for EV charging. I was nervous about this, because my service is underground, and so a service upgrade isn't going to be practical.

When everything arrived, I hired a local electrician to do the installation. He took a look at everything, noted that we have a gas furnace, gas stove, and LED lighting throughout the house. I also pulled 18 months of hourly consumption data from my utility for him to look at. When he came back with the estimate, it included a 100A circuit for the Charge Station Pro, so it was installed to deliver the full 80A 19.2kW charging power. I've signed up for my utility's EV time-of-use rates, which includes a very low charging rate between 11pm and 7am. With 80A available, I can fill the battery in that window no matter how low it was at the end of the day.

I have not observed overheating. I almost asked the electrician to install it at 64A instead of 80A because of heat concerns, and I've been fully prepared to dial it back if I see heat problems. I think there are two reasons why I haven't seen overheating:

• I charge only during the coolest part of the night due to the EV time-of-use rates. Even during the current heat wave, it is at least 10 degrees cooler by 11pm. Charging with temperatures in the 80s is a lot better than charging mid-afternoon when it is between 90 and 100.
• There is a known overheating issue with the default Charge Station Pro. If you can get the station configured and connected to your WiFi, it will automatically update itself over the next day or two which should help with the problem.

As an aside, the first Charge Station Pro I got had a bad WiFi chip and could not be configured. Ford replaced it under warranty, and the second one (while finicky) has worked.

 

[ridgebackpilot]

Because my home was built in the 1980s, I only have 50 amps to the detached garage. Which means I can charge my EVs at 40 amps max continuous.

To use the Ford Charge Station Pro that came with my Lightning, I’d have to get my utility to install a new 100 amp service to my garage. That’s likely not economically feasible.

However, I also have a 36-panel, 13 kV solar array, and installed an Emporia charger that allows me to charge using excess solar power. Instead of sending the solar energy I produce to the grid, I pump in into my EVs. The Emporia charger varies the rate of charge according to the available excess solar power.

In the summer months, I’m able to operate entirely off-grid including charging my Lightning and Mustang Mach-Es. I’ll happily sacrifice charging speed in favor of charging for free with solar power!

 

[Charley]

My total capacity is 200A but it will be really hard to get 100A available for the Pro Charger, and i also heard that using 80A will cause overheating; for those who installed Pro charger, do you think it is necessary to make it as maximum 80A or just lower to 50A?

I have been happy with the lower setting. I always charge at night and it is always ready by morning. I occasionally would like to charge faster but gave up after numerous calls and visits with electrician. I may have a max power issue as well. Change to 64 in the station worked for me.

 

[TaxmanHog]

I have been happy with the lower setting. I always charge at night and it is always ready by morning. I occasionally would like to charge faster but gave up after numerous calls and visits with electrician. I may have a max power issue as well. Change to 64 in the station worked for me.

Assuming your circuit is up to the task, set the FCSP at max 80 amp dial setting.
Then use Fordpass, Charge Station / Connected Charge Station / "SETTINGS" to dial it up or down as your needs fluctuate.

 

[vagabond7846]

My total capacity is 200A but it will be really hard to get 100A available for the Pro Charger, and i also heard that using 80A will cause overheating; for those who installed Pro charger, do you think it is necessary to make it as maximum 80A or just lower to 50A?

I have a 200A service to my house and had no issues getting a 100A breaker installed for 80A to FCSP. My installation was done by SunRun. I have 2x HVAC units. I run a Sense energy monitor on my panel ( https://sense.com/ ), and the max I have ever pulled with both ACs on and while charging, is 28.6kW (this is about 120A from the full 200A). Keep in mind your service panel is 200A @ 240v (ie 48kW)

edit: I've never had any over heating problems w/ my FCSP. It is located outside. I am in NJ and regularly hit 90F+ ambient. It is pulling full 80A. Make sure the electrician you hire torques everything properly; that will make a material difference at these loads.

 

[Maquis]

Here's my experience. I have a Charge Station Pro and Home Integration System (not installed by SunRun but also not working yet).

When I was planning for the Lightning, I did a load calculation on my own by adding up the breakers in the box and plugging the numbers into a spreadsheet and concluded that I had little or no capacity available for EV charging. I was nervous about this, because my service is underground, and so a service upgrade isn't going to be practical.

When everything arrived, I hired a local electrician to do the installation. He took a look at everything, noted that we have a gas furnace, gas stove, and LED lighting throughout the house. I also pulled 18 months of hourly consumption data from my utility for him to look at. When he came back with the estimate, it included a 100A circuit for the Charge Station Pro, so it was installed to deliver the full 80A 19.2kW charging power. I've signed up for my utility's EV time-of-use rates, which includes a very low charging rate between 11pm and 7am. With 80A available, I can fill the battery in that window no matter how low it was at the end of the day.

I have not observed overheating. I almost asked the electrician to install it at 64A instead of 80A because of heat concerns, and I've been fully prepared to dial it back if I see heat problems. I think there are two reasons why I haven't seen overheating:

• I charge only during the coolest part of the night due to the EV time-of-use rates. Even during the current heat wave, it is at least 10 degrees cooler by 11pm. Charging with temperatures in the 80s is a lot better than charging mid-afternoon when it is between 90 and 100.
• There is a known overheating issue with the default Charge Station Pro. If you can get the station configured and connected to your WiFi, it will automatically update itself over the next day or two which should help with the problem.

As an aside, the first Charge Station Pro I got had a bad WiFi chip and could not be configured. Ford replaced it under warranty, and the second one (while finicky) has worked.

You cannot perform a load calculation by adding up the value of your breakers.
Here is an example calculation method.

It’s fortunate that your utility was able to provide that demand data. Many won’t or can’t do it.

 

[Ventorum94]

You cannot perform a load calculation by adding up the value of your breakers.
Here is an example calculation method.

It’s fortunate that your utility was able to provide that demand data. Many won’t or can’t do it.

Just hang an inductive ammeter on the supply to the main panel (or an electrician can do for you) and then make all high current electrical appliances turn on (a/c or heat pumps, water heaters, pool pump, oven, stove, dryer, refrigerators). Never mind about lights, ceiling fans, etc., as they account for very little current. If the total amps you see is 80A less than the capacity of your panel, then you’re probably ok without an upgrade.

 

[Maquis]

Just hang an inductive ammeter on the supply to the main panel (or an electrician can do for you) and then make all high current electrical appliances turn on (a/c or heat pumps, water heaters, pool pump, oven, stove, dryer, refrigerators). Never mind about lights, ceiling fans, etc., as they account for very little current. If the total amps you see is 80A less than the capacity of your panel, then you’re probably ok without an upgrade.

That would result in a load higher that you would come up with doing an NEC load calculation due to the load diversity factors used in the calculation.

If that measurement says you’re good, you’re good, but if it shows not enough remaining capacity, it’s possible you’re still OK.

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