How to DIY install 240V Level 2 Charger NEMA 14-50 for Nissan Leaf, Hyundai Kona/Ioniq or Chev Bolt?

[@stevejordan7275]

Owned a 6,6 kW Leaf for a decade, done this in two houses already. This is a good explanation for anyone who's never done it before.

[@DIYable]

Thanks for sharing your experience, this is definitely doable for DIYers.

[@paddle_shift]

You are so right about KZbin DIY on this type of installation. Not one had the breaker or Romex needed based upon the specs of your charger. Only yours did. God bless! Well done! I do disagree with your comment on what the manual says. If it says you need 50 amp, use a 50 amp. Don't give the automaker an excuse if something goes wrong and they find out you used an amperage below what was recommended.

[@DIYable]

Yes, 50 amp is definitely better because in case you need to upgrade your car, you don't need to upgrade the cable and breaker in the future. Let's take Nissan Leaf aside for a second, a lot of charger for example Tesla wall charger, you can change the settings of the output max amp to 32A, 40A, 48A depends on your preference. Then, you can choose the proper circuit breaker 40A, 50A, 60A. www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/support/charging/Gen3_WallConnector_Installation_Manual.pdf

[@DIYable]

Update and Sharing information: I have a friend who hired a master of electrician to do the installation for his Tesla Model Y. My friend's town house has 100A main panel. The guy installed a new 60A breaker and ran a 6-Gauge cable called "TECK90", this cable is amazing there is no need to use conduit, it's flexible, armored, waterproof and rated for direct buried. All you need is one single "TECK90" running all the way from the main panel the garage, it passed all the code and passed ESA inspection. Yes, you hear it right, 60A breaker on a 100A panel is actually fine according to the master of electrician!!!!! My friend set the Tesla wall charger to 48A, has been running it for at least half a year without any breaker tripping. For DIY people, I don't think you can find TECK90 in your local big box hardware store, you need to visit those electrical supply store or order them online. Hope this helps!

[@lordlukeatyoutubable]

After 22 years in my house and running extension cables to power thing up in a detached garage, I finally got the balls to wire up my garage for 120VAC. Going up to 240VAC, I feel I'll need that drive again. Good vid; maybe watching it a few more times will give me that boost.

[@DIYable]

Glad it helped!!! Just be careful on every step you do. If you understand everything before you start, it should not be too difficult. Again, hire professional if you not comfortable.

[@Supernaut2000]

ProTip! When using/spraying foam insulation, do NOT touch it! Let it harden and then simply cut/scrape it away. Reason is that it will stick to everything and continues to expand! Let it dry and it's quick and easy to trim away.

[@DIYable]

You are correct :)

[@cfldriven]

Glad I found this, got more specific info out of this video than all the other EV wiring videos put together. Nicely done.

[@DIYable]

Glad it was helpful!

[@willybrown6300]

Great job, thanks getting the Canadian info on wire size/type

[@DIYable]

No problem 👍

[@skateguy50]

great video, here in Massachusetts the only person other than an licensed electrician that can do wires is the home owner, so fi you are not confident and not doing it yourself don't have any old handy man type person do it. I just did this for my leaf and decided to run it at 50 amp incase I want to upgrade later for other vehicles. One note I would say is be sure to follow his table for wire to match the breaker. If you use 8/3 wire and just swamp to 50 amp breaker it is very unsafe as the point of the breaker is to be the weakest link. It was a lot more for 6/3 wire but if I ever want more amps my setup is ready for it. Cost me $500 just for the 125 ft roll of wire, unfortunately for me the break was at the opposite corner of the house in the basement so it till all 125' to pull my run. Also if you have enough amps on your breaker but not enough slots you can get narrow breakers that double up, much safer than running two wires to one breaker. I did this on a few switches to make room as we have a few 240 v systems taking a lot of space up. however its 200 amp total dont expect our electric oven, electric burners, and electric dryer to all be running around 2am-6am when the car will mostly be charging.

[@DIYable]

Just to clarify, I was using 8/3 on 40A breaker. But 8/3 on 50A breaker is VERY dangerous. 6/3 on 50A breaker 6 Gauge with 50A is the best I have to agree. However, if you look at other EV manufactures in additional to Nissan, such as Ford or Tesla, their "240V mobile charger" comes with the vehicle are limited to 32A too. Most hardwired "wall charger" are 48A or above which exceeds the 14-50 spec at 50A, with 80% rule, you need 60A. BTW, recently I have made a video on Tesla mobile charger (32A), enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6SbfGiBoJWFkKc

[@skateguy50]

@@DIYable Yea, I'm looking at getting a Ford, Chevy, or Tesla truck in a few years as my next electric and just over built for future use incase they allow for a higher rate level 2 charging at that point.

[@keithharrington8715]

As an electrical guy, I find many different videos inspiring for the home owners. Please, please, make sure you are doing it right. Many aspects of electrical work come into play with installing level 2 chargers. Calculations for your service (utility to house) wire size, wire size selection (normally limited to the 60 degree C column of the NEC chart) there is a seperate nec section for car charging that requires gfci protection for a car charging recepticle, where to drill holes in your joists to keep structural safety, and if your garage does not have the studs covered you might need conduit to protect the wires. So. Can a diy'er do the install, yes! Is there a lot to know, yes! Can you get the correct knowledge, I hope so! Take care, doing this one wrong could result in a fire that kills you car, garage, house, and maybe family.

[@DIYable]

Thanks for the comments, I totally agree with you. My advice to all DIY people reading this, please don't trust any KZbinrs, just use the videos for reference only. Do your own research before doing it. If in doubt, hire the professional.

[@colinpovey2904]

Note that it is good practice to turn the power off and check ALL the screws in high current applications like this after 6-12 months of use. The large current draw can make the wire expand, loosening the connections. Which is NOT a good thing.

[@jakechung9295]

Surely great video! Especially, the fact that you included the NEC code made me free search on my code book. On top of that, the comment you added about your friend case was so helpful for my decision. Actually, I have to figure out how much amperage of the service panel will be appropriate to my situation. Thanks again. You're my hero.

[@DIYable]

Glad it helped. Yes, my friend's Tesla TECK90 can save you a lot of time and effort. Check out my other videos too, I don't just make videos for "entertainment", I seriously want to share knowledge to help people out there.

[@jimanddiana4103]

Nice work. I like that the 240V breaker is GFCI, very helpful.

[@DIYable]

Yes, GFCI is good for safety, because you will never know.... I had an incident where the garden hose burst and water splashed everywhere. The ONLY drawback is that, GFCI breakers are very expensive, even 120V 20A is expensive enough. 240V 40A is double the price of that.

[@mahdavimail]

with all that effort I would put #6 wire to be future proof. tnx for video

[@DIYable]

That is a totally valid statement. Just FYI... I have upgraded to a Tesla Model 3 recently and I DID NOT spent money on the "Tesla Wall Charger". I just use the "240V Tesla Mobile Charger" comes with the car which is rated at 32A @ 240V. Worth to notice, it doesn't matter which brand of car, most 240V Mobile Charger is rated 32A. It's fast enough to top up the battery for daily commute. In another words, if you plan to use the mobile charger (even switching from one car to another), 8 AWG is good enough. But yes, 6 AWG is future proof.

[@Hawki777]

Great video. I am going to get it done by electrician, but just for me to know what will be done is great to know.

[@DIYable]

It is a remake of the video because there was some wrong information in the original one, I hope this would help the EV community who wants to DIY.

[@kyakukid1]

The voice got me. Had to give a like to this video. Awesome work.

[@DIYable]

Glad you liked it... hope there are some good information can help!

[@weigefans]

great video！！！ but actually the manufacturer charger on the car was 32 AMP maximum, so basically I use it like a travel emergency one and bought a 40 amp one install at the garage. Anyways, great DIY video!!

[@EndUser-yu7gg]

Nice Video ... I figured for future proofing an EV Charger being installed in the garage would be a good addition for potential renters to have that available ... I wouldn't put it outside purely because yeah ... imagine you go off and some random person comes to have you pay for charging their car on your dime... no... and would someone be one to do that? ... these days I wouldn't put it past some as some folks are seriously that frugal and have the twisted idea everything should be free or those of us with ability to own a home should be guilted into cutting people a break... to that I say ... no, actually these people should work smarter not harder and improve themselves vs waiting on someone else to do it

[@DIYable]

Thanks! EV has become very popular, you are correct.. that is a good addition for potential renters.

[@-rjw-1035]

First, let me say, this is a top-notch video! I recently purchased a Bolt EV with a dual-level charger - I noticed the cradle/holder which you used to wall-mount your Nissan box - do you think it would work for my Bolt EVSE box (4"W; 2.1"D)? If so, do you know where might I buy it? Thank you! ...Would love to see a snow tire video on the Bolt EV?!

[@DIYable]

You may have to look for Bolt EV specific wall mount, Nissan one came with the charger.

[@-rjw-1035]

@@DIYable - thx, cannot find one - will attempt to make one for myself (no 3D printer - just lumber scraps) - keep 'em coming, son!

[@timmynguyen6121]

I have the same car. Look sick tinted 👍. Thanks for informative video.

[@electriciantv5174]

As an electrician I’ll say there is no reason to bond that box. However it may be NEC code. I don’t believe it is CSA code though.

[@DIYable]

Are you referring to NEC 250.24(A)(5) at 8:40 in the video? I didn't bond that sub panel. kzbin.info/www/bejne/i6jHm4p7i52njaM

[@electriciantv5174]

@@DIYable I was referring to the plastic box that you put the 50 amp 125/250 plug

[@DIYable]

@@electriciantv5174 That's a very good point, indeed!!!

[@electriciantv5174]

This was a great video though

[@ashrafc7794]

Amazing vid. Learned a lot. Thanks

[@f1176]

Excellent work. Thumb up.

[@DIYable]

Thanks!!

[@forc3s646]

Great Ontario Code Video, is it ok to use 6/3 Cooper wire with 40A breaker?

[@junw3199]

Could you please share what bit you are using to drill down through the studs at 4:19. Fantastic videos by the way...inspiring!

[@DIYable]

That's the similar installer bit kit I had, it's very handy to have it. I used it for running cat5 cables, PoE security cameras.. strongly recommended. www.homedepot.com/p/Klein-Tools-3-Piece-Flexible-Drill-Bit-Kit-53721/203913339

[@junw3199]

@@DIYable thank you kindly for taking the time to respond. I'll definitely looking to get one of these - as I have run into a few instances where this tool could have made my life much easier. Below is a Canadian link : ) www.homedepot.ca/product/klein-tools-flex-bit-kit/1000664025

[@kwrzesien17]

Word of warning: US Code says if you install a 50A wall socket you must use 50A rated cable and a 50A breaker. So 6/3 for 220V “oven” type connections. Almost all 40A EVSE’s are hardwired type for this reason, there is no 40A plug/socket standard. True that the Leaf system is only 32A, but someone else could come along with a 40A system and burn the house down.

[@kwrzesien17]

Tldr: Use 6/3 cable

[@DIYable]

If someone comes along with a 40A system, my 40A breaker will trip and protect my house. Even if you have 50A with 6/3, say someone bring a 85A telsa charging system (assuming it is able to plug it into 14-50), your 50A breaker will trip to protect your house too.

[@kwrzesien17]

@@DIYable I get what you are saying, but a Tesla charger has to be hard-wired. I guess the question is whether it’s code to use a 50A socket on a 40A system, and is there any situation that would put the wire at risk. Because technically a constant 40A draw won’t trip the breaker but could melt the wire. And 50A EVSE will allow a constant 40A draw. I was interested in this because I have a hard-wired Blink 100HQ on 8-2 wire and 40A breaker that I installed, and now the wife asked me to move to the other side of the garage. It ended up being a moot point, the run was too short and I bought new 6-3 Romex, 50A socket and a pigtail for the Blink.

[@kwrzesien17]

I’m leaving it on the 40A breaker to protect the Blink.

[@DIYable]

I have a new EV related video published, check it out: How to make EV charging cable retractor and install extension cord for Tesla mobile charger? kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6SbfGiBoJWFkKc

[@georgyporgy7051]

Why is there no home charger, is it safe to directly plug in to 240 outlet?

[@cooldadyo]

Paid $700 had it installed by a professional company which included all the parts and a lifetime warranty 😎

[@darktipper13]

Nice! I was thinking about doing that too. Did they take a long time? What was the whole process like?

[@duanescooterhawthorne6509]

Awesome job.

[@DIYable]

Thanks.. hope that helps

[@samaanalkhaldi2364]

Perfect 👌 👏👏

[@JetFeng]

In USA the AC charge for a EV maximum is 240v 50A? About 12kW? In Europe I know it’s 22kW , thanks

[@poundermonster]

I have a 14 bmw i3, I’m going to install a 240v in my garage with a 40 amp breaker, a 32 amp receptacle, with 8 gauge wiring so I can charge my car, I’m I on the right path?

[@keithharrington8715]

Please talk with your local building department or local electrician. Code can vary from building department to building department (nec 90.4) and the NEC may not apply to your job, your area. Also, the pros see these every day and may have a solution for a problem you did not know you had.

[@-rjw-1035]

How do you feel about 8A vs 12A charging on a 15A, 120V circuit? So far, I've just been using the default, 8A setting.

[@DIYable]

It's extremely slow honestly with 120V 15A.... it depends on how often you use the car, you may or may not have enough range. My friend has a Chev Bolt EV and he has been using 120V 15A for 1 year without issue, notice that he has been working from home. So it really really depends on a lot of factors, like your daily commute distance or routine.

[@-rjw-1035]

@DIYable - thx - I should have been more specific - I meant in terms of efficiency? and safety? (not speed). Bolt charger/EVSE provides 2 choices at 120V, 8A or 12A only.

[@terryvanwhy1404]

In US 8 gauge thhn wire also supports 55 amps. Must be thhn for 55 amps.

[@garydailey809]

#8 gauge supports 55 amps at 90°C, but how about the other components ? The Hubbell 14-50 receptacle is only rated to 75°C. Better to use 6 AWG.

[@keithharrington8715]

If you are talking code, NEC 110.14 for terminal connections talks about breakers less than 100 amps are normally rated for 60 degrees c. This means the wiretap connects to it must use the 60 degree C rating no matter the insulation....thhn, thwn, romex, etc....at the 60 degree C rating.

[@Anime1986X]

Using the wrong receptacle you should be using industrial grade Plug.

[@zenornot9949]

Thank You

[@ecker21]

Where did you find your charger? I can't seem to find one anywhere...

[@DIYable]

It comes with the car in the trunk...

[@ytyjustin]

nice work !

[@DIYable]

Thanks!

[@MrSquareart]

Nice video!!!!!!!!

[@walteralbayero3267]

Awesome video thank u

[@robcormier6670]

When wiring the outlet (when looking at the rear of the outlet), ground on top, neutral on bottom, does it matter which wire goes on the left then the right?

[@i12flytoday]

No. That sounds simple, but it is, the answer is no. Both are split phase 120V legs and can be interchanged when wiring a 240v outlet. I know you have probably already found your answer, but I wanted to leave a comment anyway in case others had the same question.

[@joseantonionolascojimenez4361]

thanks

[@DIYable]

Welcome to EV world

[@kambal8491]

Is the nema 14 50 compatible to bmw i3 for home charging?

[@JSmith-wy3yh]

Compatible to all EVs

[@spyhunter99]

love your videos, but get yourself a better tripod

[@rafars2246]

"50 Amp not necessary..." C'mon man...Why would you risk years of operation over few bucks?

[@DIYable]

Indeed, yes and no... you are correct, 6 Gauge with 50A is better generally speaking. However, if you look at other EV manufactures in additional to Nissan, such as Ford or Tesla, their "240V mobile charger" comes with the vehicle are limited to 32A too. Most hardwired "wall charger" are 48A or above which exceeds the 14-50 spec at 50A, with 80% rule, you need 60A. I have made a video on Tesla mobile charger (32A), enjoy: kzbin.info/www/bejne/f6SbfGiBoJWFkKc

[@rafars2246]

@@DIYable I haven't expressed any rule, but true, I'll go to 60amps or even higher. Don't want to do that work twice.

[@DIYable]

@@rafars2246 Totally understand and your point is valid, if I had 200A service panel, I would definitely go with 60A too.