Getting the house ready for EV question

[Highpi]

Hi, looking at possibly getting a Lightning. As for the electrical side, I currently have a 220 outlet for my table saw.
In a few days, we will begin remodeling our kitchen, which will include an induction cooktop, which also requires 220. They will be wiring up a new 100 amp sub panel because my 200 amp panel is maxed out.
Can I adapt my saw circuit for charging and switch back and forth or do I need a third 220 outlet, if that’s possible? Thanks.

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[jimfigler]

you could probably get by but what's the amperage on that table saw outlet?

 

[RocketGhost]

You can plug a charger into an existing 220 outlet, but you have to keep a few things in mind. The outlet itself needs to be commercial grade to avoid overheating due to continuous loads (cheap outlets are really meant to handle high current for short periods, like when using a saw). Your charger needs to be capable of being set to an amperage that is at most 80% of the circuit capacity. The charger itself needs to have the right plug or be used with a proper adapter.

 

[Altivec]

It all depends what your expectations are. If you drive a lot in a day and need your truck fully charged by morning, you may want something more powerful. Even though they gave me the big Ford 100 Amp charger with my truck I've been doing fine just using the 30AMP one that you plug into a standard 220 outlet like your table saw. It only charges at 6kw per hour. So it basically would take 10hrs to charge half of an extended range battery (150 miles). I only go about 50 miles in a day so I am all charged up in a few hours. Since your electrician is already there, I would check with him to see what the biggest amperage cable he could bring to your garage. Even if a 30 amp might be good for you now, its nice to know what your house can handle should your driving habits change and need to get something more powerful later.

 

[Mike G]

So my ancient Craftsman table saw actually pulled fewer amps when it was configured for 220V than 110V (just change the jumpers around on the motor). I wanna say it was around 11-15 amps?

With that said. You only need a 60amp circuit to power a 48amp EVSE (like the Wallbox Plus).

Remember, the newer Lightnings (with some exceptions), will only charge at 48 amps max anyway because Ford removed one of the truck's internal charging modules, I assume to save money.

My Ford Charge Station Pro that came with my '22 Lariat is still in its original box. You can read numerous posts about the issues with that solution elsewhere on this forum.

I used the Ford provided portable charger(s) (Webasto is the OEM) for a couple of years until I got fed up with the overheating and I went through three of them.

My Wallbox Plus (48 amp) was an Amazon open-box purchase that I hard-wired in place of the 14-50 outlet the portable used to be connected to. I couldn't be happier.

 

[Hammick]

I would put a junction box where your saw outlet is so you can hardwire a charger. You don't want to be constantly unplugging a charger. Dryer type outlets are not rated for constant unplugging. There are EV rated plugs but hardwire is the way to go. You can then install your saw outlet on the junction box.

I recommend the Autel hardwired charger. You can set the maximum amps by removing the front cover and turning the amp dial with a screwdriver. Some smart chargers only allow you to lower the charging amps by software.

I'm guessing your saw circuit is 30 amps. Unless you have a crazy long commute charging overnight at 24 amp should be fine. If you need faster charging I would talk to your kitchen remodel electrician about putting in a dedicated 60 amp or larger circuit.

EDIT: While I would personally be comfortable doing this it's not allowed by code. See post no. 9 below from an expert.

 

[Highpi]

Ironically, the electrician will be at the house today. I told him I might be getting an EV and explained the little bits that I know. I told him about the 100 amp panel, charging 80% and actual is 48. We will talk when he gets here. Sounded like his install will allow me to add on what I need.

Watch, I'll go through all this and then wind up buying the Powerboost instead!

 

[Highpi]

you could probably get by but what's the amperage on that table saw outlet?

20 amp

 

[Maquis]

20 amp

Then you should run a new circuit. I’d run a 60A.

Contrary to previous posts, an EVSE generally cannot share a circuit with other equipment/outlets.

 

[potato]

20 amp

On a 20 amp circuit you can charge at 16 amps continuous. That would be 3.8 kW, or about 3% an hour for an extended range battery. Depending on how much you drive that may be enough, but it's probably worth putting in a 50 amp circuit to charge at 40 amps if it's not too difficult. Gives you more margin if you need a bigger charge overnight.

 

[Newton]

If you have an electrician there go whole hog with the subpanel in the garage. It sounds like you are into woodworking, so put in more 220V outlets. There are always more tools to get.

 

[Highpi]

If I understood him correctly, it's a 100 amp panel, but the circuits won't draw more than 60. Does that sound right? He made it sound like wiring up the Ford station wouldn't be a problem and the panel will be able to handle it, as long as we aren't running the big draw items all at once.

I'll clarify with him when I see him again.

Does the Lightning come with the home charger, along with the remote cord?

 

[Scorpio3d]

Your breaker panel should tell you the bus bar rating(circled in red below):

Then you can look at your breaker and obviously it will be less than the maximum load:

So for mine, it is 225 max with a 200 amp breaker and mine was fairly maxed a as well so swapped out to a dual meter base and I added a second panel on the outside of the house. Which has another 200 amp breaker that I installed to handle my Ford charge station pro as well as a future solar installation which I did in July. I look at it like the future is EV’s and it was better to spend the money now so that in the future, I should have plenty of capacity if I need to put in a larger amperage breaker. This is currently counterintuitive to the direction Ford has chosen to go with the reduction or removal of one of the chargers (in everything but the fleet order pro and platinum I think)to reduce the charge rate to 48 A.

 

[Maquis]

If I understood him correctly, it's a 100 amp panel, but the circuits won't draw more than 60. Does that sound right? He made it sound like wiring up the Ford station wouldn't be a problem and the panel will be able to handle it, as long as we aren't running the big draw items all at once.

I'll clarify with him when I see him again.

Does the Lightning come with the home charger, along with the remote cord?

Your electrician is very likely correct. The NEC provides a calculation method to determine what a panel can handle. It takes into account the fact that everything isn’t in use all at the same time.

 

[Scorpio3d]

Does the Lightning come with the home charger, along with the remote cord?

Ford is currently running a promotion. I believe through the end of the year that they will give you either $2000 off on the vehicle or give you the Ford charge station Pro and installation. Search for the “Ford Power Promise” on ford.com.

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