Failure & Success of the EV Street Charger

[@Tim_Kent]

Interesting to hear about the development process. Learning how to design the PCB will give you more control of the product. A few thoughts: 1. Low intensity sidewalk lighting might provide utility, reducing objections from neighbours. 2. Consider theft; it looks like the electronics box can be unscrewed in seconds. 3. Aim for a standard pole size so that the electronics can be fitted into various types of pole to blend in. 4. Get a quote from a board manufacturer like Pcbway to get an idea of cost. Keep going; pursue your dream. ☮️

[@chargeeverywhere]

These are good thoughts. Thanks for bringing them up. 1. Are you thinking a light on top of the post to illuminate the sidewalk? 2. Yes, the box is easy to remove, but the bolt is a security Allen head bolt. Granted you can purchase these drivers, but it's not as simple as dropping a Phillips screwdriver down in there. Later version also have screws securing the post cap. 3. Yes, this is a good idea. Currently we're using an off-the-shelf 4"x4" steel or aluminum post. 4. We've worked with PCBWay and several other board suppliers - they are amazing for quickly turning around inexpensive prototype boards.

[@qellman]

@@chargeeverywhere For sidewalk/curbside lighting, the Post Cap could flare out like the brim of a square hat, with downward-facing lighting around the brim. Also, perhaps if the material used to make the cable terminal comes in a clear or white translucent etc, then where the power is coming out of the pole could show the status color. And bonus it's facing away from the residents and is easily seen from the charging car.

[@davidgekler]

@@chargeeverywhere Love the Mark 5! I would put a LED ring around the downward facing receptacle! That would be enough to to help the person using it at night. I assume you mean to mount the Mark 3 on a wall - but sorry to tell ya however tough you make that swinging door... it will come off - just make another angled down receptacle for that unit as well.

[@MCP647]

I love the invisibility of it. I think adding any kind of always -on lighting defeats that goal. However, an illuminated plug or ring around the plug, similar to the images already on your webpage, that's turned on by a very short range (or adjustable) proximity senor, either in the face or on the top, would be excellent when trying to plug in at night. It's easy to see this fitting into a mailbox post form factor as well.

[@raviteza8]

I think from longevity perspective, you need to design the PCB while considering the clearance and creepage norms for industrial electronics. Also you may need some sort of coating or even complete potting of the box, this improves reliability over lifetime of the posts. Last but not least, you need to also perform some sort of accelerated testing (corrosion/salt spray, thermal cycling) which will give an idea where weaknesses exist in your current design. This gives you valuable input for both Hardware and Mechanics. Cheers.

[@jimmykelly5320]

I was just wondering how well the electronics would hold up under full sun in a hot climate.

[@chargeeverywhere]

Yes, all of these are important considerations we’re making. We are moving to the post not housing the EVSE, which helps considerably on all fronts-especially the hot weather/hot sun situation.

[@soccerrayray9]

Ii love how transparent Josh is about his product. This is going to be the best way to advance your project. Keep up the great work! I can’t wait until this is everywhere

[@chargeeverywhere]

Thanks. I'm glad you appreciate that. We think it's the best way to get the word out.

[@northMOFN]

When you presented the Mk3 with its horizontal outlet and door flap... wow am I glad you went back to the angled outlet for Mk4. As an EV driver in Minnesota, though, please consider either moving or duplicating the status lighting from the center of the top face to the outlet bezel, perhaps just under the overhang, or a ring around the outside of the top. The top of that post is a snow/ice collector.

[@renuing]

You have definitely nailed the form factor, even for those of us with garages i can tell you i would 1000% want one or two of these posts installed just outside the garage for charging on the driveway rather than the clunky evse boxes on the side of the house or running a cable under the garage door. Really nice work!

[@renuing]

Funny, i actually wrote the above comment right before you revealed the mark 3 version in the video. I don't like the look of mark 3 and the flappy cover, so glad you went back to a similar look as mark 2 with mark 4 version 👍🙏

[@chargeeverywhere]

Thanks for the comment. Yes, there is a segment of folks like you who we also want to sell these things to. We're all about putting a product out there and letting people decide what they want to do with it. The MK4 does have a door, but it's much cleaner than the MK3 - very satisfying to use in person too.

[@DavidHarrisondavidoharrison]

@@chargeeverywhere We run an Airbnb. Having an outside charging spot would be great.

[@1964mcqueen]

Very Nice. A much needed service. I especially like that the customer has their own cable to plug into the EVSE. I have always thought the we got the whole cable/EVSE thing backward. The cable and EVSE should be on-board every EV, not on the public charging hardware where it is subject to the weather, use and misuse. This would make instalation of charging infrastructure much cheaper for businesses, landlords and municipalities. The only time external cables should be necessary is with DC Fast Chargers.

[@89five3five]

You are doing God’s work my friend.

[@chargeeverywhere]

Thanks!

[@SHO1989]

I concur. I really wish you the best and hope to one day convince my condo association to do a major capital expenditure project to put CoulST chargers in every condo parking space. I think if we spent the money up front for the chargers and to bring in fiber from the street to our buildings and parking spaces, it would more than add enough equity to pay for the upgrades. I'll be watching your progress closely.

[@ignacioverboten9382]

For places that use street facing mailboxes, perhaps a way to mount a mailbox on top of the pole would be in order. Also, a simple white multicolor led to display status on the front may be easier/cheaper and more practical.

[@newporttom]

Came to say the same thing. A certain percentage of your potential customer base needs to have a pole there anyway for a mailbox. So figuring out a way to accommodate a mailbox would be a big plus.

[@jilliebean613]

How would the mail truck deliver the mail if their were EVs parked in front of every mailbox?

[@ignacioverboten9382]

@jilliebean613 there are these things called "power cords" that cause one not to be parked directly in front of the pole. Besides, it's a bit of a hard balance for suburban letter carriers to deal with parked cars overall.

[@mark123655]

As in comments in your first video in this topic, as per the J3400 standard (what was is NACS) the correct socket for BYO cables is the Type2/ Mennekes socket that has an internal lock, and commerocal Type 2 to Type 1 cables already exist for Japanese imports into Europe and Australia.

[@PeaceChanel]

Thank You Everybody for All that you are doing for our Planet Earth.... Peace.. Shalom.. Salam.. Namaste 🙏🏻 😊 ✌ ☮ ❤ 🕊

[@timhoyt682]

I'm loving learning about your design process for these. As an electrician installing EV chargers I would love to see if you can implement a couple of features: 1. Power sharing, to allow multiple chargers on one circuit. 2. EMS integration, to reduce the number of customers needing a service upgrade to install a charger. I would be interested in learning about the challenges of adding these features, and if they would be impractical to add at all.

[@carltanner3632]

The Mark 4 looks pretty slick! That looks professional.

[@swingtag1041]

Really nice designs! You put a lot of thought into these prototypes. Well done!

[@chargeeverywhere]

Thanks! It's been a fun journey and we're still learning so much.

[@Spencergolde]

In cold weather climates, it would be very helpful to adhere a heating element and thermocouple to the door flap, to prevent it from freezing shut. Just have it run a defrost loop up to 10C if it detects a temperature of 0C. As a bonus feature, if you go the route of using a QR code and app for charging payment, you can put the QR code on the door and get added defrost of the code.

[@AaronHope_Sow]

Keep going Josh. The US and the world needs this but I'm with you. It had to be dumb simple and invisible to make the most impact.

[@qapla]

Nice seeing the progress of this device. Keep the updates coming. While the mark 4 looks to have the simplicity of installing the "box", I think you had something with the Mark 3. Some thoughts: 1) I like the idea of a cover that closes - this cover could come with a key to keep the box from being used when you are not using the post. 2) Make the box and cover out of metal to make it more tamper resistant 3) If you make your own cords, using a 90° plug would put even less strain on the connection 4) Put the light around the outlet or around the cover instead of on the top. This way, the post can double as a mailbox post.

[@swecreations]

Make sure to conformal coat the PCBs as well, on top of the waterproofing!

[@KingTechHD]

The MK4 looks great. You’re doing amazing work

[@peterlecraw8301]

Bro singlehandedly solved the biggest current issue with EVs. Once you get a product you're ready to deploy you should offer to cover the cost of install at a local apartment complex for anyone who has an EV. Apartments that are the first to sell "Free EV Charging" would make absolute bank.

[@old-wise-one4473]

I love your design! A simple post is the most elegant solution. Here in New England we face some serious weather which with your current design would be risky as the outlet socket is too exposed. How about having a slide up collar cap which is held up by the cords connector. That way the cap lowers its self once the cord is removed. I would also leverage the edge of the electronics box as a light pipe so the posts edge is lit white, green, yellow, and red. White for availability, green the charger is active, yellow under charge, red charger failure. As far as connectivity, WiFi is a bit heavy as the coverage distance is quite large, while I’m not sure if the POS systems charger systems use is able to use Bluetooth and/or NFC both of which can offer a smaller radius of signal so people nearby are not snooping to the data stream. This is important is dense cities where this would be a sizable market. Lastly, what is the expected level of charging you are looking to support? With in a suburb space I can see Level-1 or 2, in urban spaces I can see Level-2 or 3 with more Level-3 fast DC charging in dense cities. As an example here in Boston we don’t have the sidewalk space in many parts of the city to even have street side charging. Instead we are planning a few sizable charging parks with 20~30 Level-3 fast DC charging stations. Allowing people to charge up and then move out in less than an hour, so someone else can charge up. Where we can have curb side it will likely be just Level-2. So while you are still experimenting consider what the power options you will provide. The bulk Level-3 gear will be in a separate vault space close by so you will still need a comm line to the vault to enable the higher voltage. A larger post with Level-3 might be needed.

[@TradieTrev]

Cool design mate! I'd like to build something similar for our Aussie conditions. So many different types of poles and wires here in Australia and to get an Aussie certification we need to do proper EMC & RFI testing. The most challenging part on any EV install is to ensure the client has the maximum amount of juice the supply authority will give.

[@ThisRandomUsername]

I love it. You're definitely going to want to make the lid a bit sturdier. Another thing: You'll need a good WiFi antenna at the top of the unit in the plastic lid. You really want to maximize the signal strength, and having a PCB antenna mounted directly to another PCB isn't going to do well inside a metal box. You can probably quite easily play around with a few designs using ESP-NOW.

[@comeradecoyote]

Something worth consideration, is a design that collapses into an in ground cavity, like a collapsible bollard. It protects the cable from the elements, and protects it from damage from cars going over the curb. It may also be worth considering one that is “duplex” with twi outlets. The electronics may benefit from being “potted” in epoxy. A commercial version as a street parking offering, with means of payment might be worth development as a product aimed towards cities. (However, if you pursue that, it should offer an RV connector, for food trucks to be able to ditch portable generators)

[@-iIIiiiiiIiiiiIIIiiIi-]

Off-the-shelf prototypes typically utilize standard plastics that don't possess the durability, flexibility, or thermal resistance required for your final product. What were you thinking?! Prototypes are designed for validation and testing, not for end-use.

[@MrUpscaleman]

For curb appeal slap a mailbox on top. I have an anodizing and paint shop if you need anything.

[@M1CK3YL33]

Nice work mate! Might suggest a tipping sensor to cut power, in case of accident, or the post is damaged and it doesn’t trip the breaker.

[@markot4627]

Very interesting to see the development process from the first to the latest version. I wish you luck in your endeavour. There is definitely a need and a market for a good product and service. And the market is not US only it is in Europe as well.

[@koryleach9660]

I’d also agree with the light indicator being on the face or edges vs the top. For northern climates it’s a snow buildup concern that would make visibility an issue. For some areas up lights are problematic as “light pollution”. Granted, that may also be a concern for some areas with sea turtles and down lights as well. I seem to recall there being regulations about that when I was in Florida. Sigh, all kinds of research that must be undertaken.

[@Foxfried]

ESP32 should never be used in production it has backdoors that can be exploited by certain governments, they do not show or share their WIFI stack, this will never be approved. Switch to STM micro controllers and their wifi/bluetooth chips. Real Tek or TI would also be good alternatives.

[@jamess1787]

Interesting observation.

[@PatrickOReilly]

Pretty sure Yoto have shipped products running off an ESP32

[@PatrickOReilly]

Definitely agree that the original ESP32 is unsuitable for a production product. Switch to a microcontroller that can be locked down to only run signed code like the ESP32-S2 or RP2350

[@anguswetty]

It’s perfect for a prototype tho if mass produced it would prolly have something more secure

[@msds1502]

Really good progress! If you're looking for electronics expertise, I've got >10 years of experience in automotive and industrial HV electronics. I saw a couple comments about lighting. Had you considered using a translucent plastic for the plug assembly. It would function as a lightpipe and be more readily visible from the street, vs. the lighting on top of the post. Admittedly, I don't know which options are available that would meet durability requirements. I assume the existing assembly is using something like ABS or PC+GF.

[@kyledurch8824]

Form factor and size is great. Might work well mounted on mailbox posts. I do wonder about how this concept works with curbside easements.

[@dawsonsuderman2637]

Very cool! Would be interesting to have two outlets on one post so that two cars can parallel park on either side and charge at the same time

[@petergronvall1183]

Could you add an NFC chip in there? allowing someone to gain more information on that charger say if there are issues but you don't own the charger etc.

[@chargeeverywhere]

Are you saying that the NFC would directly communicate charger status to an app or something like that? We will have this capability, but not through NFC. NFC will be useful to allowing authentication of charger users though.

[@sky0kast0]

NFC to cloud connect to error messages would be maybe interesting or terrible if not done safely

[@MichaelKirven]

This should be on Shark Tank. It's right up his developers alley.

[@onepedal]

I really like your modular design quite a bit, especially for servicing and maintenance which is a huge problem in chargers. Here a couple of things I would recommend: 1. Determine your market is residential or city governments. I think you are close on residential market. If you want to go into the other markets, you will need to consider different input voltages and phases as part of an existing infrastructure like street lights. 2. I would consider different input power disconnect strategy so that electrician is only needed during installation. Maybe consider an HVAC-style blade system so no worrying about torquing screws in terminals. Maybe this could be part of the wedge system or another accessed from the top. 3. Add optional small down lights for sidewalk/walkway to double function and help adoption. Residents may allow post if lighting is added which also has charging. I think someone else may have mention this already. 4. Support NACS plug and signalling upgrade as a module swap out as a selling point.

[@Mike__B]

Definitely a very cool idea/product. I don't have an EV, partially because I don't have anywhere to park one on premises, but I assume there's communication between the EV and the charging point such that no power can flow otherwise? So no kid or vandal can jam some metal into the port and get a healthy dose of death delivered? That said my biggest concern is that the space in front of your house, isn't "your space" there might be some unwritten rule that it is in very sparsely populated suburbs but as population is a bit more dense, every parking spot is fair game.

[@Carnutzjoe]

This could be a nice wall mounted charger for people with garages. As a way to raise $$$ and fund development of the curbside ‘hitching post’ charger why not make a wall mount unit with optional cables of different lengths? I like the idea of the cable staying in the car.

[@CoatsyJnr]

Would love a type 2 version

[@danieljk826]

We should shift to a similar model to Japan where you can't buy/register a car if you don't have a parking space on privste property for it. It would solve this problem as well as the subsidization of car ownership at the expense of everyone else.

[@laneyjohnson6302]

Pretty Cool concept. Ever thought about reverse engineering a tesla destination charger where you bring your own charging cord and add a "Coul St" app to access?

[@YTMarcoYT]

@chargeeverywhere hey, I'm from Europe. First of all.... Great idea. We could also use that in Europe. But... Especially in my country I think there are a lot of rules that would forbid that, even if it's a very good idea... Coming from Europe... Do the cables lock on both sides while charging? We have similar things like this in my country. And to prevent people unplugging it just to annoy you or even to steal your cable (they are about 300 Euro here) the cable locks in the car and in the charger station. With Kia you can configure if you want them to unlock after the car is charged or after you unlock your car. In public... The second option is way safer.

[@chargehanger]

Nice Project. I strongly recommend adding a Charghanger to avoid the dangling cable.

[@MrAgility888]

Love watching your videos and seeing the progression. Will you be transitioning to J3400 connector at some point?

[@chargeeverywhere]

We have experimented with J3400 on the charger, and there is definitely a reason to go that route. However, in the near term we will be using the Type 2 connector station side, but the vehicle side can be either J1772 or J3400, so you just need the right cable for your EV.

[@wesbishop3790]

Looking good! Keep up the good work!! I love your concept!!

[@jackcoats4146]

Nice design. Looking forward to getting a couple for our HOA. I would like to see you have some software to allow RFID or VENMO (or similar) payment for charging if made 'publicly' available.

[@feuby8480]

Here is my advices, you are probably better than me to know what's shit and what is not, but I really know that the feedback always help. (6 points incoming) 1. Build modular if you can. Use standards communications (usb or others). Build it so it is SERVICEABLE. Being modular help this by identifying what works, what doesn't and will help with replacing parts easily. 2. Keep all possible costs low. This is especially important for mass adoption. If you use standard communications, and everything (like powering with an arduino or raspberry pi) you could even just sell the software, and have some videos or website explaining how to build it DIY, just providing some specific parts to comply with regulations). This could both improve your project spreading, but keeping costs down, and improving serviceability of the final product. Using standard communications would even allow you to sell diagnosis tools for maintenance "here what is not working, replace it, you can find a part here : ..., you can even just scan that QR code to get there, and here a QR on a video on how to service that part" 3. As you need to burry some electric cable from your house, maybe you could split everything : just some basic things in the post, the main control unit in the house close to electrical pannel. This will help with modularity, and keep maintenance costs down, as replacing the exterior unit will be cheaper, and less things exposed to weather. 4. I see that you are talking about wifi. You should maybe consider offering some kind of software (app ? cloud ? If you need some advices with that, I'm an android dev, so you know...) in order to allow easy identification of who is charging and how much electricity you are getting in order to simplify splitting the bills. I do not support AT ALL every apps and authentification for fast charging, this is stupid, just put a credit card ffs. But in your case, charging always from the same spot close to your home means that it makes total sense. This could also allow you to get a bit more computationnal powerif you split communication to your house, and maybe even the main switch. 5. I don't know if you though about it, but a locking mecanism to prevent the car cable to be stolen could be some use. You could get like some part (a chain ?) hold with a lock inside the post, and "customers" could put their lock to the chain. If someone malicious let something locked into, you just remove the chain by unlocking the owner lock, throw everything, put another chain and voila. 6. Evs are often sold with some regular 120V charger. You could probably put just some regular exterior outlet switched by some computer (arduino ?), with authentification like you probably already do, and just let people use their own 120V chargers. I think this could be a viable marketing strategy to do both, allowing even people not from your neighborhood to charge on your post through the authentification system or something like that. That's for later, probably, but you know. And last : good luck man. This needs to be everywhere. Roadtrips are not that common, you know, you don't get that each week. But if you had chargers everywhere, why would it matter ? Your car would be charged each time it's parked, that's the dream. That's even more convenient that gas station because car are parked most of the time anyway.

[@Canucker4Life]

Major missing feature IMHO. I have a Tesla. When you plug a NACS into my Tesla, there is a lock in the tesla securing the plug, and it can't be yanked out. Yes, someone could cut it (Have fun with that, keep 911 on speed dial), but you can't unplug and steal my charger. Your design is interesting. The customer supplies the plug. It may lock to my car, but it won't lock to your post. I know NACS is new as the charging standard, but I see a world where I bring my cable in this design, gets locked into place on your charging post, like on my car. While I'm charging, both are locked, until I stop the charge. This adds a lot of complexity on your side, but I see that as must as a long term design plan.

[@jamess1787]

You should add provisions for a "bike lock" to let people lock their bikes to your charger. Multi function. 🧠

[@hobbes5043]

You dont want poor people on bikes locking their shit to your Post

[@antigroundhogday]

How do you handle security/vandelism? Good luck with the project!

[@znogaragego3421]

Form factor is a dilemma. I understand the curb appeal but you also want these things standing tall enough to be visible during a snow season. Side walks are often used to dump snow piles. I also wonder how this will fare in flood zones. I still think power companies will eventually dominate this space. They already own light poles and have access to easements. I’m not trying to discourage you. I’m just sharing some of the things I thought were challenging. Good luck.

[@CrissaKentavr]

Hey! Have you thought about linking/partnering/making a companion 'granny cable' box that is compatible with the cable your boxes will be using? Then people wouldn't have to carry.buy two cables...

[@RoamingNorway]

Wow this is just insanely cool!

[@benjaminhilborn]

Josh, quick question/feedback for you on the port design. First, any door /will/ get broken, I've seen many similar (and sturdier) designs be ripped apart by a haphazard body. Second, I think you were onto something good with the downward angled port, which would prevent any moisture from ever pooling inside, and mostly stop it from entering the port in the first place. I've lost a couple EVSE and adapters to water in the ports.

[@charleshill7184]

Please add an optional accessory of a ring to better emulate an old hitching post. I think it would help in getting approved in a couple historic areas I know. Also, can you go a bit into why the change from the exposed, tilted plug to the flat, door -covered one? Was the tile not sufficient for keeping water out? Or was it more of an out of sight out of mind for keeping people from sticking things in the exposed holes?

[@emmettturner9452]

This… is a good idea. Even in areas where they don’t need it to look like something historical, relating it to a hitching post should reduce NIMBY objections.

[@chargeeverywhere]

I hadn't considered this angle, but I will definitely use it now.

[@chargeeverywhere]

As I said in the video it was mainly for regulatory reasons. However, as you rightly point out, it does help keep people from realizing what's behind the door. Granted kids with gum will still surely find it. The other thing is that it helps keep moisture and weather off the otherwise exposed contacts. While the pins are sealed to the inside of the post, their contacts would still be exposed, possibly leading to some corrosion/etc. over time.

[@TheNiteinjail]

Incorporate lit up house numbers. A mailbox top?

[@whiteboytows9133]

Can we as a community charge outsiders for electricity while they park in front of our homes to help pay for repairs and maintenance ?

[@DustinGamester]

Cool idea, but why not use Nema 14-50 and then have your custom PCB control power to the plug via a relay? I don't think many people have j1772 to j1772 connectors, but pretty much every EV owner has a Nema 14-50 to whatever their car uses.

[@emmettturner9452]

Other than the color, that MK1.5 box looks just like the enclosure I bought for my custom portable EVSE at the end of 2021. :)

[@emmettturner9452]

Mine is just a NOS ClipperCreek Gen2 with GM firmware that I got for less than 30 smackers combined with some water-tight fittings, an OpenEVSE J1772 cable, and a NEMA 6-20P that can be adapted to anything else I need (120v or 240v). Yeah, it’s only a 12A (16A with AmazingE FW) EVSE so NEMA 6-20 is perfect.

[@chargeeverywhere]

That's great, but our enclosure was quite terrible. It was even a two-piece print (glued together) as we hadn't upgraded to a larger printer at the time. What color do you have? Light grey I'm guessing? We eventually went white for our in-post boxes to help reduce absorbed heat within the post.

[@emmettturner9452]

@@chargeeverywhere I didn’t even realize yours was printed. Mine was item 294268994917 with the 250x80x70mm size option. Main difference I see is that mine only fastens at the corners. On yours I see the perimeter ridge that fits up into the lid. Was there a corresponding gasket up there? Mine had a silicone rubber gasket that seals against water with the fasteners outside that seal. I drilled holes and fitted it with waterproof cable glands for the two main cables.

[@chargeeverywhere]

@@emmettturner9452 Since this was printed, I filled the gasket "groove" with a somewhat soft silicone that was allowed to set up before assembling the box. It wasn't great. Since then I've experimented with printing TPU gaskets, but ultimately we'll have a foamed-in-place gasket in the final product - something like what you see in off-the-shelf enclosures like your's.

[@sallerc]

Interesting stuff, thank for sharing and your work. Believe this has the potential to improve EV adoption. Greetings from Sweden.

[@viamptor]

@chargeeverywhere Have you thought about working with citrineOS ?

[@nickfelstead7559]

can i ask what all the vias on the PCB are for? looks interesting....

[@chargeeverywhere]

It helps distribute current between the two 240VAC planes on both sides of the board. It’s one way to keep things running cooler without thick copper layers - doubling up of the layers. I have a Grizzl-e that does this.

[@jimmurphy5355]

Aside from the unique curbside form factor and the intent to power it from existing residential grid connections, this seems sort of like you are re-inventing what ChargePoint does. How are you going to implement authorizaton and billing? Will people need a CoulStreeet account? Who's going to set up and maintain in perpetuity that back end?

[@naronaroyan323]

We can rent out our sidewalks and put these connected to our house power?

[@jeremyjedynak]

Why don't you sell a version of these that can be wall mounted into a garage?

[@BenBrand]

In a previous video, did you say that you were moving towards moving the electronics indoors after the issues you had with the mk 1? Is that not the case anymore?

[@chargeeverywhere]

That is still the case, but it took us until after MK4 to discover that. Stay tuned.

[@MatthewGarbett]

Interesting to see the different prototypes. Now that NACS has an official spec with a double sided cable I think it's a huge mistake to not just switch over to that especially since the majority of new cars 2025 and forward will use that connector. It doesn't make a lot of sense to use an old connector that'll likely never be innovated or updates again vs the new living spec everyone is moving towards. I'm interested to see what's next though.

[@chargeeverywhere]

Yes, we've moved away from J1772. As soon as NACS was adopted by Ford and GM we immediately jumped on changing the socket form factor.

[@MatthewGarbett]

@@chargeeverywhere glad to hear that's the case. So does this mean you're going to switch to the new standardized NACS sockets now? I don't have an EV yet but I'm hoping you guys are able to take off so it's ready once I can pick-up a Tesla.

[@chargeeverywhere]

@@MatthewGarbett Yes, no, and maybe. Let me explain. For now, the station side is what is called a Type-2 socket. This is the station-side standard in Europe and much of the rest of the world - and likely will be here soon, too. We want to use NACS on the socket, but this doesn't look like it'll be the standard - although we'll support it if something changes. Either way, the station side socket doesn't impact what vehicle can use the charger. You'll have a Type-2 to NACS or Type-2 to J1772 cable, and since you carry the cable with your car, you'll always have the correct one with you. Hopefully, this answers your question, and we want to be ready for you.

[@MatthewGarbett]

@@chargeeverywhere ok thanks for the answer. It was my understanding that after NACS was standardized it had the doubled sided cables as well. It's hard to predict the future so we'll see how it turns out. I imagine it won't be super hard to update them later on if you need to. Interestingly, I recently saw an EV with the cord built in. It would be interesting to see if that happens more in the future.

[@mcmadness110]

Type-2 looks preferable for this type of situation. NACS doesn’t have a latch on the handle so it would have to be secured and unlocked by the post for a secure connection, which adds complexity to the receptacle and adds a point of failure. So a type-2 to NACS cable in your car is the best bet.

[@TheLobo91]

Would it be possible, to take the electricity from the pole, step it down to a proper voltage, then from that box run it down the sidewalk to each pole? The grid company could put their own meter on it and even do the billing per vehicle. What do you think? Does this exist?

[@chargeeverywhere]

Yes, this is possible and a good idea. There is a company mounting "drop-down" chargers on poles like this. However, this does require a pole to be more or less where you need it (probably not a big issue as there are poles everywhere). The bigger issue is the transformer, new connection, and meter required for this setup. By powering our charger from existing power supplies (buildings) we get around new service connections, saving cost and time.

[@93maanoj]

Yes the local utility is starting to do that here in Seattle! seattle.gov/city-light/in-the-community/current-projects/curbside-level-2-ev-charging

[@bedobabado3824]

Paint the post white so it won’t heat up too much by the sun.

[@jd9875a]

I don't know why this just popped up in my feed but it's very cool! I like the suggestion that @Tim_Kent made. Warm white LED's on the sides of the post that shone down towards the ground could make an optional subtle sidewalk or street/parking light. Something that doesn't blast anybody in the face and I suppose is optional. How does a unit like this prevent cord theft? Could there be a mechanism where once the charging starts the cord gets latched in to the post and needs to be released by the app?

[@chargeeverywhere]

Yes, a locking mechanism is in the works. Also, nearly every EV has the option to lock the cable to the vehicle, which prevents theft, but not an unwanted unplug. The lights are an interesting idea too and I’m onboard for subtle lighting. When I played around with white or colored lights, it got pretty brash pretty fast.

[@jd9875a]

@@chargeeverywhere ya. Not so much a gaudy indicator light. The subtle lights could also help a driver find a charger in the dark. Random black post could be challenging to see when one is rolling down the street looking where to stop.

[@Gazzell82]

Incorporate into one of those mail boxes you have in US?

[@anguswetty]

Wouldn’t be the best unless you have a very short driveway or a very long cord. Also it wouldn’t work in cities. What’s most interesting about your idea is that any sort of tampering with a mailbox is a federal crime.

[@Gazzell82]

Ah I see. I hadn’t realised as I am from UK. We have on street charging here in cities. Not used them myself but they look ok. For us I always thought they could incorporate charging into street lamps.

[@Julian-nl7vv]

What is the contact resistance of that PCB relay?

[@chargeeverywhere]

The contact gap is >1.85mm. Resistance less than 50 mOhms.

[@phenomeenah-yar]

Some new ev's do not even come with a charger cable anymore, so ppl need to buy their own cable.

[@Tim_Kent]

The clamp is ingenious and might have wide application. Is it your own design? If so, maybe you could protect your IP rights by patent. 🤔 Try to embed the nut in the clamp as a captive nut so it doesn't drop down into the pole.

[@chargeeverywhere]

We have a few variations of the wedge patent pending. The newer styles solve this issue.

[@miodice3]

I know a bunch of us wrote you emails a few weeks back when you asked to write in, are you more in the KZbin space now or still looking to assemble a team to move this concept towards production?

[@chargeeverywhere]

Both. Shoot me a follow up email. There were many I didn’t get the chance to respond to - just too many at one time.

[@overcaffeinatedengineering]

This is all getting overengineered. You have a prototype. You've tested it. It's time to get funding and hire people with the expertise to build these. You really don't want to cut your teeth on power electronics for an end-customer product. And water-proofing electronics boxes are a solved problem. A lot of this can be built with off-the-shelf components.

[@astral16]

Why are you trying to re-invent the wheel? You said it yourself that Europe has already figured this out.

[@emach5665]

Terrible idea.. Use the mated plug to push out a pin to keep the door open. So the spring loaded door doesn't push down on the mated plug and receptacle.

[@chargeeverywhere]

It's a light spring and doesn't impact the plug by pushing on it.

[@emach5665]

@@chargeeverywhere even better. Love the product.

[@sziehr]

This is the #1 issue for EV adoption period. The lack of charging with out a garage, and the lack of an open source network that is not blink of evgo. We need the hardware like this to make the other half the cell radio, and cloud billing infra a thing. This product and the legislation allowing there install is what is needed in the EV space today.

[@petergab734]

I don’t think you BYOC cable is certified or legal in the USA. I asked several vendors in Europe if they would sell me theirs and they refused because they told me it wasn’t legal in the USA

[@chargeeverywhere]

It's legal. The codes or standards don't prevent BYOC, but American companies haven't seen the opportunity. Now, the cable probably isn't certified to UL standards, but we expect this to change in the near term. We're not the only company working on BYOC in North America.

[@petergab734]

I hope you are right. I spoke to an account rep at Rema (EV charging cable vendor) advised me that the BYOC charging cables are not permitted for use in the USA. She said her team was involved in writing the industry standard. I pushed back and asked her team to site the specific source and verbiage. No concern for now, just passing this info along

[@petergab734]

@@chargeeverywhere I am very interested in following this subject. Just want to be helpful

[@ayrtonfineout442]

I really hope Mk5 is NACS cause the whole industry is moving to that in the US

[@fuckthisksksjjksdfjd]

When you bring your own cable it can be what ever you want.

[@markot4627]

It should not matter what is the outlet in the charging post. The car owner can buy the Type1-NACS cable.

[@justinjones6810]

On the first board you might need a bigger capacitor might be why you were tripping breakers it might have been overloaded

[@SRTV580]

I've commented before and I'll say it again, this is street charging, stop over thinking it. A 120v plug is fine because your car will be there forever. They literally put 120v outlets by trees on the curb for Christmas lights. Make your product an app to control a lock to that plug and simplify your life.

[@hobbes5043]

Why didnt you put a NEMA 14-50 on the post instead?

[@jimmurphy5355]

Because it has voltage on the socket at all times and no communication ability. The core idea of this project is that the power to the post comes from the house it is in front of. But that street spot is open to anyone, and random strangers could park their and get free charging. The post need to be fed from (or contain) and EVSE and that EVSE needs an internet connection. The EVSE only energizes the socket when an authorized vehicle is plugged in. That implies the need for a back end infrastructure like Chargepoint has, and I haven't heard the creator of this project talk about that aspect yet. But it will be at least as big an effort to create that infrastructure as it is to design the hardware.