How to Solve Home Charging Problems | EV Basics

[@EVPulse]

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[@beautyofgrace3915]

I have a PHEV Chevy Volt, I use the ev part around town, fill up with gas when I travel, it’s a great car. Hybrids are great as well.

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

So many TLC/ ride share drivers forced to switch to electric cars due to high gas prices. The public charging network is crowded with them here in NYC.

[@cterrell4861]

I’ve been Level 1 charging for the first 6,000 miles of my Chevy Bolt, and I am on pace for 15K miles in a year. Level 1 charging on a 20A circuit at home allows me to charge at 12A, which nets me 5 miles per hour. I routinely get 60 miles back every day, and I’ve never used a public charger.

[@BTC909]

Leaving everyday with a "full battery" isn't a good idea unless your battery is an LFP.

[@ziploc2000]

Quite, staying in the 20-80% range prolongs the battery life.

[@rp9674]

Hi amperage 48 amps or higher would be mostly beneficial for public charging if you could ever find it, iHome charge at 16 amps because there's no rush, sharing the charger between two EVS

[@corystahmann7726]

DUDE!!! Thank you so much for this information. Just wanted I needed to know. I greatly appreciate it! 🖤🤘

[@lonelyp1]

I never had any home charging problems. My brother is an electrician and installed my level two connection for me.

[@michaelriera6277]

What is the point of your comment?

[@lonelyp1]

@@michaelriera6277 The thread is "How to solve home charging problems" I'm simply pointing out that I haven't had any. I have had Leafs of all battery sizes except this latest and greatest 2025 model and done 99% of my charging at home. NO problem. Maybe I'm lucky.

[@carlwhitney4786]

Cadillac 2023 LYRIQ Charging 19.2 KWH CHARGER. I typically charge to 50-60% using a Level 1 charger. Objective slowest charging as possible while maintaining 50% SOC adjusting pending anticipated driving needs( some days no charging needed). Fast charging only for long distances planning not to exceed 80% if possible. I have a 19.2 KWH CHARGER with a 11.5 kwh EVSE. Is Level I less detrimental to your battery than Level 2? What charging recommendation would you recommend for my situation?

[@QiChu223]

One concern I heard especially about level 1 AC charging is the efficiency. The car may say it got 50kWh, it may cost you a lot more on the electric bill.

[@davidmenasco5743]

I've seen dozens and dozens of comments by people who charge level 1 at home. None of them ever mentioned anything about electric rates being higher than they were expecting.

[@rightforme]

I level one charge over night and my bill went up less than what I thought it would.

[@georgepelton5645]

L1 efficiency is only about 10% less than L2. Not enough to notice on your electric bill.

[@michaelriera6277]

Level 1 is great for ease of access and very inexpensive.

[@jbbevan]

One thing not covered: The Level 1 charger provided by some car companies will work either plugged into the wall or into a high capacity (mongo). extension cord. However some do not. I had a Mach E which worked fine with my extension cord...I traded for a Genesis GV60 and the charger "looks" like it is charging when plugged into the extension cord...but, in reality, it is not. Right now I cannot get that charger to the receptacle in the wall and I use up 50 miles of range just getting to a DCFC. When I move into a new home I will re-install my trusty/dusty 9 year old Level 2 Siemens charger...but what to do until then?

[@MrDebranjandutta]

Had a qs, the voltage in Europe and Asia is 220-240v does that mean level 1 chargers used here will be faster than US 110v level 1 chargers?

[@georgepelton5645]

Yes, but installing L2 home chargers is still popular in Europe. L1 at 220 V is good for about 60-80 km per day average driving, IIRC. L2 is still needed to pre-warm the car without drawing from the battery to supplement the power from your home.

[@barryw9473]

Being able to L2 charge at home is very important but not absolutely necessary. I charge every day at work, which provides enough energy for my 50 mile round trip commute. L1 provides 2-5 miles of range per hour, depending on car efficiency. Also, you still want to check the quality of the wiring and receptacle so you don't have issues charging at 120 V or 240 V. It is important to know that charging to 100% full is bad and not needed. All you need to do is to charge what you need every day, thus the charging time is much less than what you suggest. FYI I change at 4 hours at 3 kW every day and that is plenty to keep my battery between about 60% and 75% every day. FYI I use a Neocharge at home, when I charge at home - it is great. But I removed the cheap dryer receptacle and replaced it with a heavy duty Bryant NEMA 14-30 receptacle with properly torqued conductors.

[@diydrivenGA]

I think big box home improvement stores need to either create a subsection for DIY installations to help us either install our own level 2 charger to code. Bonus points if someone can create bundles for standard installs (14-50R, Conductor, housing, brackets, etc). That would also help electricians and handyman that can do the work but may forget a few things when sourcing for the job.

[@diydrivenGA]

@@30smsuperstrat do you have a write of what was needed for your install?

[@rp9674]

DIY is a bad idea, especially for insurance purposes. Maybe doing the basic work and letting electrician do the final connections is a good compromise, if you're capable. Install junction boxes & conduit, cable, leave pigtails

[@rp9674]

that's a dangerous level of underestimating, especially with 240v, and not an impressive argument to be making to your insurance company in the unlikely event of a catastrophe

[@rp9674]

DIY Psychiatry is not working for you

[@30smsuperstrat]

@rp9674 Ok Tod.

[@stevekight1955]

I think the Burro liked it.

[@Jviera1989]

I would love to be able to charge at home but electricity is so expensive where I live. It’s significantly cheaper for me to charge at DC fast chargers ( I pay 58+ cents per KW at Home for electricity).

[@lunycelicourt7381]

Where do you leave for fast charging beeing cheaper than home charging.

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

I think home chargers should be rentable. When I’m not using my driveway, I could charge people a fee to use my driveway and home charger. I set a price that covers my fees and secures some profit. People can use my driveway between the hours of 10 and 2. All done by app. I get a tax incentive for helping America “go green”. Range anxiety decreases because now, the number of available chargers has just doubled overnight.

[@diydrivenGA]

I mean you could get a charger that uses a RFID card and share that card with a select few so you know who is using it. You can claim any tax incentives to getting that installed and have it mounted externally and on a post to keep anyone charging from blocking your own access.

[@EVPulse]

Craig recently interviewed someone from a start up called Chargiquity for an upcoming EV Basics. The company aims to do exactly what you're requesting. They want to be the Airbnb of charging.

[@buffyken69]

Nothing new, this exists in belgium You can choose to set your charger to private or public Anyone with a charging card thats compatable of that brand can use it You can choose how many you charge per kwh and just get it paid from that company

[@chargehanger]

I recommend adding a Charghanger to any good L1/L2 install. Also, in Europe we often put reinforced socket (like P17) to accelerate L1.

[@1voluntaryist]

The ultimate answer is a self-fueling EV, e.g., the Aptera has PV panels, 40/miles/day.

[@Snerdles]

A company called Point Guard energy is advertising a home bidirectional DC fast charger that can run at 12.5kw or 25kw. It sounds interesting but seems like it's vaporware so far.

[@EVPulse]

We just saw a demo from a company called dcbel that is hugely impressive.

[@Snerdles]

@@EVPulse That one looks nice too. I think it has the same problem as the Point Guard module, in that it says lots of promises but doesn't actually work with any vehicles. Comete vaporware so far too. Hopefully once I get my electrical and solar up and running one of these companies actually has something functional and usable.

[@ewitte12]

For them maybe but bidirectional is the future. Just may be another decade or two to be ubiquitous.

[@PassportBrosBusinessClass]

I have a LECTRON VBOX home level 2 charger. It takes 6-7 hours to charge to 100 KwH. Level 1 is too slow to be significant and most people won’t trust it because of their fear of an emergency. Level 1 is only good for hybrids with batteries smaller than 30 KwH. WHAT WE REALLY NEED is Solar panels, electric furnaces/ water boilers and 100-200 KwH backup batteries with DC FAST CHARGING for our cars.

[@brucemcdou]

Not sure I agree - Maybe it's not "sufficient" for your use case, but Level 1 should be sufficient for a typical driver who only drives 20-40 miles per day, or (like me) only drives a couple times a week. If you can Level 1 charge at night to replace those miles you're good. Maybe find a Level 3 DC Fast Charger once a week to top back up while you do your grocery shopping. Way easier than a gas car. Unclear what "emergency" you mean with regard to a Level 1 charger? A massive power outage? An approaching hurricane? EV would be no different from an ICE vehicle: you'll only be able to drive away from the emergency as far as you have range. not an EV-specific, or Level 1 charging-specific thing.

[@YeOldeTraveller]

Level 1 may not be as efficient as Level 2, but it is the outlet I have and it gets me back to my charge limit before I need to drive again. I can charge at work, but I don't need that to maintain the SoC I want. I only charge to 70% at home, but I usually use less than 20% in a normal day.(50 mile round trip to work). For the unexpected trip, I can get to a convenient to the route DCFC as long as I have 20% when I leave. There is a 62 KW DCFC less than 3 miles from my house, and 5 miles gets me to either a Tesla (with Magic Dock) or CCS that will deliver the full rate my car will accept. The faster sites are much less convenient if I am leaving on a road trip. If the emergency is a power outage, that 70% SoC will get me over 180 miles which is 60 miles a day for three days which is the longest power outage we have had in the last 25 years at my home.

[@rp9674]

I got by for a year with short-range EVS home charged off level one. It works for a shorter commutes or reduce the need for public charging if it's not easy to get L2 at home. It worked great when I had workplace charging. L1 charging at home + L1 charging at work can work for some. I even lowered my L2 charging rate to 16 amps to share between 2 EVS, because I don't need 32 amp

[@ziploc2000]

Owning and running a pure EV is just not going to be possible for all drivers, especially those that cannot charge at home. We need hybrids to be in the mix for a long time to come.

[@paulo123-]

Agree, whatever we can do to reduce fossil fuels is a win. Even someone switching to a more fuel efficient ICE car helps

[@K03sport]

why did you use file footage of a guy using a hammer drill on a concrete wall in a demo'd house and then a guy on a tower working in an electrical box at 4:01? Those 2 scenes have nothing to do w/installing an outlet in your garage (unless thing are different in Canada). These 'representative' cut scenes crack me up......