School me (us) on smart chargers

[Galactus55]

This a great thread very interesting thoughts and answers. If I may add just a technical note. The units that hang on the wall that have been calling "chargers" are real just smart switches. These switches tell the vehicle that there is good grounded power available. The chargers are built in and berried inside the truck/car. In fact in the F-150 with the extended range battery there are 2 chargers. That work with the 80 amp pro switch (charger) that why it can charge faster the the standard range battery.

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[Sdctcher]

The Ford connected charger isn't all that specific or proprietary. It's main distinction is that it's about $100 more than a similar device form another company and you can only buy it from a Ford dealer. There are currently 3 most popular such devices. ChargePoint Home Flex, Juice Box 48, and Pulsar Wallbox. There are even more chargers that top out at 40A. To get to 48A charging, you must have a 60A circuit and have it hardwired.

I assume you mean my 50 amp/240v plug is on a hardwired 60 amp service line (it is).

It looks to me like the best selling Chargepoint Home Flex at $700 - $1,000 is great because it can either be hardwired or portable plugged in (like at an RV Park) and is WiFi-adjustable at up to 50 amp output.

 

[shutterbug]

I assume you mean my 50 amp/240v plug is on a hardwired 60 amp service line (it is).

It looks to me like the best selling Chargepoint Home Flex at $700 - $1,000 is great because it can either be hardwired or portable plugged in (like at an RV Park) and is WiFi-adjustable at up to 50 amp output.

I mean that you can put a 14-50 plug on a 50A circuit. You can then set the charger to 40A. If you have 60A, you can set the charger to 48A, but you must hard-wire it.

ChargePoint Home Flex is a great unit and it's what I have. It's price is $700. I know that some sellers on Amazon are asking a lot more, but don't do it. It periodically pops back in stock and sells for it's normal price. Last year around X-Mas it was discounted $50.

One disadvantage of Chargepoint, is that you are limited to have one unit per account. If you are planning to have multiple chargers, look at Pulsar Wallbox. You can install multiple units and it can be set up for circuit sharing.

All those units can be set to lower charging rate (either through the app or dip-switches in the unit), but only ChargePoint has a plug that can be removed to be hard-wired.

One other thing, if you're buyng a charger, check with your local utility. There may be discounts or rebates. One of the utility companies here, sells ChargePoint for $450. With a 6-50 plug, but still.

 

[Sdctcher]

I mean that you can put a 14-50 plug on a 50A circuit. You can then set the charger to 40A. If you have 60A, you can set the charger to 48A, but you must hard-wire it.

ChargePoint Home Flex is a great unit and it's what I have. It's price is $700. I know that some sellers on Amazon are asking a lot more, but don't do it. It periodically pops back in stock and sells for it's normal price. Last year around X-Mas it was discounted $50.

One disadvantage of Chargepoint, is that you are limited to have one unit per account. If you are planning to have multiple chargers, look at Pulsar Wallbox. You can install multiple units and it can be set up for circuit sharing.

All those units can be set to lower charging rate (either through the app or dip-switches in the unit), but only ChargePoint has a plug that can be removed to be hard-wired.

One other thing, if you're buyng a charger, check with your local utility. There may be discounts or rebates. One of the utility companies here, sells ChargePoint for $450. With a 6-50 plug, but still.

Thanks a bunch. My current panel is a RV Panel with 50 Amp and 30 AMP RV Receptacles and a 20 Amp GFCI Receptacle and is four wires in on a 60 amp breaker. That makes it a NEMA 14-50. My trailer uses the 50 amp plug when parked at home.

I've read where there is little long term future for NEMA 14-50 and NEMA 6-50 will dominate and the j1772 EVSE is NEMA 6-50.

If I buy the $700 Chargepoint NEMA 6-50, is what I have be compatible and I guess I will be limited to 40 amp output? Whatever I buy has to be portable to use at RV Parks. Going NEMA 6-50 to NEMA 14-50 does one need an adapter?

Sorry for all the questions but the title of this post is "Smart Chargers - School Me".

 

[Pilot2022]

Thanks a bunch. My current panel is a RV Panel with 50 Amp and 30 AMP RV Receptacles and a 20 Amp GFCI Receptacle and is four wires in on a 60 amp breaker. That makes it a NEMA 14-50. My trailer uses the 50 amp plug when parked at home.

I've read where there is little long term future for NEMA 14-50 and NEMA 6-50 will dominate and the j1772 EVSE is NEMA 6-50.

If I buy the $700 Chargepoint NEMA 6-50, is what I have be compatible and I guess I will be limited to 40 amp output? Whatever I buy has to be portable to use at RV Parks. Going NEMA 6-50 to NEMA 14-50 does one need an adapter?

Sorry for all the questions but the title of this post is "Smart Chargers - School Me".

Where did you see that?
I would prefer 14-50 over 6-50.. you can convert the first one to the second one but not the other way around.....

 

[Sdctcher]

Where did you see that?
I would prefer 14-50 over 6-50.. you can convert the first one to the second one but not the other way around.....

August, 2021

https://dapplife.com/14-50-vs-6-50-11741

So going for the NEMA 14-50 version it will always be backward adaptable. I have hopes that the 30% tax credit will be extended into 2022 because the Chargepoint models are currently back ordered.

 

[Hemitoeco]

Maybe not the best place to ask but is anyone planning on charging outside? I have some masonry work to be done to remove an arch on my garage door to fit a truck but plan to do so prior to buying. Just curious if people charge outside.

 

[MickeyAO]

Maybe not the best place to ask but is anyone planning on charging outside? I have some masonry work to be done to remove an arch on my garage door to fit a truck but plan to do so prior to buying. Just curious if people charge outside.

My wife charges her PHEV (Pacifica) outside and I charge the work PHEV (Volt) and EVs (Model 3, Mach-E, and many others) outside at work. Not really a problem.

 

[Fordskeptic]

I plan to charge from a smart outlet (aka charger) mounted to the exterior of the garage.

 

[shutterbug]

August, 2021

https://dapplife.com/14-50-vs-6-50-11741

So going for the NEMA 14-50 version it will always be backward adaptable. I have hopes that the 30% tax credit will be extended into 2022 because the Chargepoint models are currently back ordered.

One reason many on the MME forum prefer 14-50 over 6-50 is as follows: if my ChargePoint, I can remove it and use the Ford mobile charge while the other one is being repaired/replaced. I chose to hard-wire mine.

 

[shutterbug]

My wife charges her PHEV (Pacifica) outside and I charge the work PHEV (Volt) and EVs (Model 3, Mach-E, and many others) outside at work. Not really a problem.

There is one potential problem. There have been reports of some charger failing in super hot weather. One person in Phioenix was getting errors on Ford Mobile charger when we experienced a heatwave this year. Of course his was inside the garage, so I don't see how using it outside would be much worse.

 

[MickeyAO]

There is one potential problem. There have been reports of some charger failing in super hot weather. One person in Phioenix was getting errors on Ford Mobile charger when we experienced a heatwave this year. Of course his was inside the garage, so I don't see how using it outside would be much worse.

I live in South Texas. We have not had any problems charging any of the vehicles (one at home and five or more at work). One person in Phoenix making a claim does not mean there is a widespread problem charging vehicles in hot climates.

 

[shutterbug]

I live in South Texas. We have not had any problems charging any of the vehicles (one at home and five or more at work). One person in Phoenix making a claim does not mean there is a widespread problem charging vehicles in hot climates.

So, has San Antonio hit 118 this year? Because Phoenix did. A lot of people reported similar problems in Phoenix Metro, and Vegas. A couple of people in Florida experience a similar problem with a charger mounted in direct sunlight.

Not charger, but one the guys I work with, his Model S went into turtle mode a couple of times this year when it was really hot. My MME told me to plug in so it could begin cooling the battery when ambient temperature was 110 or higher. On those hot days my car on a 48A charger sounded like a freight train and a jet engine had a baby. Dropping it down to 32A eliminated most of the noise.

 

[MikePinkston]

A whole lot of anxiety in this post.

I live in NE Arkansas. I can't drive to Fayetteville without going through Little Rock. If I go to my favorite camping/hiking area in the Leatherwood Wilderness area, I will have 2% battery left when I get back home.

 

[fitek]

I live in NE Arkansas. I can't drive to Fayetteville without going through Little Rock. If I go to my favorite camping/hiking area in the Leatherwood Wilderness area, I will have 2% battery left when I get back home.

I did a 700 mile road trip in a Model X a few years ago. Owner is retired and road trips a lot. We stopped for coffee or food every 2.5 hours and he just charged however long we needed for our stop, not what the car needed. By the end of the day we were 20 miles from home but the car said we had 2 miles of range... just drove slower on the highway and made it (guessing there's some reserve like in an ICE car). I only had 110v outlets at the time so we charged it up overnight and got a measly couple more miles of range, but it was enough to drive it to a fast charger in town.

I had a 220v receptacle installed in the garage after that. Thanks for all the info on this thread. Just bought another dumpy house and looking into all the utility rebates available now.

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