The ConnectDER EV Meter Socket Adapter Will Change The Way We Install Home EV Charging Equipment

[@sonnyonny4900]

Anything that makes EV charging easier gets my vote

[@charliesullivan4304]

Yes, and the good news is that there are lots of products that can also solve this same problem: This is most similar to load-cut boxes such as DCC, but better are the dynamic load management systems from Wallbox, Tesla and Emporia that will modulate the charging rate according to how much power other loads are using, vs. the DCC or this that will shut off the charging completely if the other loads are even a few amps too high. And they are actually cheaper than this too.

[@PhxElecAuto]

You can get a dryer buddy that lets you share the dryer circuit when the dryer is off. No extra circuit or capacity needed.

[@TomB.420]

Why? They suck! And aren't going to be around much longer!!

[@JohnCorwith]

@@charliesullivan4304 I was going to say, these guys rated the Emporia at the top of the heap, in part due to its power management. This device will do a hard disconnect of the charger, while I believe the Emporia would likely send the charging complete signal. The former would be fine if chargers retain enough juice to send the signal and do so, but I'd rather tell the car's charger that charging is stopping, instead of simply pulling the plug. I am dismayed by the lack of info I can find about chargers on manufacturers' web sites.

[@mjc0961]

@@TomB.420 LMAO

[@gabrielleburdeti7419]

I’ve know about this for about two years now. I’ve even inquired with the company making this product about making it available in Washington state. Never got a reply. I’m glad to see this product get some traction. I was really interested when we didn’t have a charger but got tired of waiting for it. We ended getting a traditional EV charger. We own a townhouse and were lucky enough to have space in our breaker box and didn’t need to open too many walls in the house to pass the electrical cables to outside. The price to get it installed was still high but we had gotten tired of waiting and public charging isn’t great where we live because of cable theft. Having charging at home is really a game changer for EVs. Now I don’t need to drive around looking for functioning public chargers.

[@adj2]

Same here I could get any information from the manufacturer or from our power company. I’m on Long Island, they said it was approved for NYC but still couldn’t get any information from them. I first saw it 2 years ago too. Leave multiple emails & phone messages. I was lucky could fit the 2 circuits for the charger. But it just kicked the can down the road any remodels we are planning will require more circuits by code & very likely the service upgrade too as we only have 100 amps

[@adj2]

Same here I could not get any information from the manufacturer or from our power company. I’m on Long Island, they said it was approved for NYC but still couldn’t get any information from them. I first saw it 2 years ago too. Leave multiple emails & phone messages. I was lucky could fit the 2 circuits for the charger. But it just kicked the can down the road any remodels we are planning will require more circuits by code & very likely the service upgrade too as we only have 100 amps

[@CashCowCellular]

Same in Illinois lets get that in Belleville Illinois

[@benssolarandbattery]

With my all electric house (in Vermont) fed by a 100a service, I was really excited to try the ConnectDer EVMSA. I've been using it for almost a year now (I know a guy...), and it's been flawless. I really had to try to get close to 100a, even purchasing a 7.6kW garage heater to get there, but I was able to watch the EVMSA in action, shutting off the car when the house load got too high. Thanks for sharing this!

[@philtrubey7480]

How much did it cost?

[@jasonriddell]

all electric within a 100A budget? my all electric home in Manitoba Canada has 78A dedicated to my boiler for heating leaving 100A for the "house side"

[@KyleMackenzie]

​@@jasonriddell An all electric inverter heat pump house may be able to fit in a 100amp budget. We have 5 tons over two split systems & a level 1 charger, and we rarely hit 12kwp, and that is only when cooking with an electric range. I'm sure it will be a higher when we get our level 2 charger installed, but still < 19.2kw.

[@DS-mz7dy]

Great job Tom! What a great product. BTW, as the owner of a hot tub and an EV, that hot tub will take far more juice than his car and get zero miles per kW, however, hot tubs are great!

[@rp9674]

I hope it at least has a time machine

[@rasputinaxp]

put that hot tub on a dolly and give it a push and watch the efficiency climb!

[@ArielBatista]

Wow now that's a great idea. As an electrical engineer I love seeing these good practical solutions. Great job covering this for us.

[@SamHoustonSF]

dude, the bi directional charger product he was talking about would be a game changer

[@robertkirchner7981]

It would be nice if it could prioritise charging either with surplus solar or at night, in addition to using your EV as grid storage.

[@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney]

I agree. I'll be the first to check it out when its ready

[@Cyrribrae]

Man, been waiting for some real seamless bidirectional charging, at least to home (hopefully more elegant than most of the solutions we've seen thus far), if not to grid. Now I'm not sure if it will happen before the politics catches up

[@gregyohngy]

​@@robertkirchner7981, some EV chargers have that feature you requested.

[@jockosboy17]

It really would. A company makes these to connect Generators to homes as well. They need a combo unit that does both as well as supports solar.

[@CitEnthusiast]

That's what I call innovation! Very cool device, I hope it gets approved everywhere.

[@joshuasmith7369]

As an American veteran, I charge my ev on base, which is located between the base gym and base bowling alley. The base chargers are between the gym and bowling alley; and solar-powered, with battery buffer.

[@tommckinney1489]

Great idea. I'm guessing getting the utility company to agree to the install will be the biggest hurdle.

[@charleshill7184]

This. The meter socket is owned by the utility and they're adamant about nothing being done to or inside their meter can. You'll need to get their buy-in. This would be awesome...if.

[@ab-tf5fl]

@@charleshill7184 If this catches on, I could imagine some states (e.g. California) eventually passing laws requiring utilities to allow them.

[@uutube243]

Never happen in 99% of locations. No utility company will ever agree to this crap lol. More ev fantasy land.

[@calvinwalker4654]

But you’re here watching a video about EV charging and commenting

[@natehill8069]

@@uutube243 If the Public Utilities Commission directs it, they will say "yes, sir".

[@radio-riehl]

Very cool! I went another way to solve this problem: I got an Emporia Vue whole-home energy monitor, the Emporia smart charger, and an upgrade for it to enable load monitoring. The monitor measures my whole system input and if it approaches my 100A current limit, it will reduce my charger's output while still allowing charging (rather than cutting the charger off entirely). It was fairly expensive but worth it for the peace of mind.

[@JunitafluxcyfatriciaJunita]

I think this thing has the same principle

[@rcguymike]

​@@JunitafluxcyfatriciaJunita no this currently sounds like it drops out a contactor killing power completely until the house loads go down. Hopefully they can do some smart upgrades with their upcoming solar version

[@dubmob151]

The Emporia Vue monitor is great in allowing the actual charging energy to be measured if your EVSE doesn't have that capability. Then you can determine the true cost of driving in ¢ per mile. With my particular situation, it turns out it's currently more expensive using electric than running on gasoline, because of the cost per kWh from the utility vs a gallon of gas and the MPG achievable with a PHEV hybrid.

[@radio-riehl]

@dubmob151 Ah, you must be on the West Coast or another very high energy cost area, unfortunately. Where I am my discount rate power is around $0.075/kwh and off peak is $0.09, so as long as I don't charge during the 3h a day that it's at $0.22 it's significantly cheaper than gas for me still. Whether that trend continues as energy prices increase.. we'll see

[@dubmob151]

@@radio-riehl East coast, 22¢ per- Gas at about 2.70, and MPG should be 50+, (yet to be verified though)

[@boborambow]

Incredible! Thank you so much for featuring a video about this. I love how you shows the whole install. I feel like I’ve seen this product for 1-2 years now and I can’t wait until I can use it. It’s such a simple solution to a big issue.

[@im4udevco]

Necessity is the mother of all inventions. What a great idea and anything to promote EV growth is a great thing. Thanks Tom for this.

[@JerryCannito]

Tom, you continue to be my favorite resource for everything new in the EV Charing community. Thank you for informing us of this new game changing tech.

[@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney]

Thanks, jerry

[@theblubus]

Fantastic! I have a friend who's an electrician in Vermont. His company installs lost of EV chargers for customers. He's very excited about these adapters lost of his customers end up getting expensive service and panel upgrades because they don't want to use Level1 charging. This gives him an alternative solution :)

[@gtcharliep]

Don't think you mentioned people like me who have more than 1 EV and have enough capacity for 1 or 2, but not enough for multiple EVs. Game changer! 🎉

[@gerardduquette9296]

Total game changer! Imagine what they can do when vehicle to grid comes along

[@roberthunter779]

Somehow my prior comment was removed. I bought my Tesla Y Oct 23. I have the situation described in a townhouse. 125 amp box full. I found out about ConnectDER in Florida. Talked with them in PHL and their rep with Duke energy. They were as described waiting for approval. - for years. In Florida approved for solar systems only. So I went to Qmerit. The first person recommended a DCC-9. A box you installed inside next to your electrics to allow charging when the house was not using too much. The third contractor had a solution that I went with. It is the best for those who cannot wait. An Eaton outside service box that combines a 60 amp breaker the meter and a required fire department emergency cutoff.. The Qmerit contractor USA Voltage in Florida installed this connecting it to my panel for 200 amp service. Excellent. I can send pictures if needed…

[@richarda6435]

I'd be interested in this and the model number.

[@ericm4840]

Nice install. Great concept.

[@Molson700]

Would be great to see this coming to Canada!

[@rony05gmail]

You don't need to have it in canada. We already have similar stuff. It's called backbox.

[@paulinquebec]

Agreed. I am trying to spread the word about this to HydroQuebec. Pretty much everybody I know who has a house could do it this way much easier, and I already know a few people whose panels are maxed out. Get the word out!

[@DM-zq8qy]

The power Cos should LOVE this idea. They can put in a remotely controlled disconnect to “shed load” in emergencies and compensate the owners for this opportunity.

[@whattheschmidt]

They already can do that actually - depends on the charger / car you have and if your utility supports that. For the first 2 years of having my EV I was on a plan to only change overnights. They paid me $8 a month to do so but 3-4x a month I could charge during peak too and still get $8. Sent me a check every 3 months. I have solar too so maybe that's why I was targeted, not sure because I never let my utility know I had an EV. I'm sure they could see with the charging draw though!

[@jasonriddell]

at the meter tap is a "crude" point for load shedding a connected "smart" EVSE" would be more advantageous on a utility POV is they can start/stop and throttle charging with demands and throttling and utility side "over" charging during low demand times is something that CAN BE sold to customers more then ON/OFF we all remember a few summers ago when in Colorado I believe a utility shutdown peoples A/C during a heatwave and got lots of media backlash even knowing they signed up for that and had lower rates if the contract stated MIN charging was 6KW or something that is FAR BETTER then zero for customers to accept

[@williamgrunzweig571]

This is an amazing retrofit idea. Ty for this video.

[@garyclark6747]

Great job Tom. Eventually would like to know if it does cut off and how it turns back on and the time frame that are baked into it because there was no mention of any type of monitoring interface app.

[@AndrewMackoul]

This is very cool! I did the next best thing (if you maxed out your homes electrical panel) and installed another meter. That was far cheaper than doing a service panel upgrade, and you can take advantage of EV rate plans and size up the system as much as you want (I did 100A).

[@tokyozip]

If you don't mind me asking, what was the cost benefit of doing that versus the panel upgrade?

[@phil32757]

I too would like to know how much does that cost

[@VitruviAnman-z9l]

@@tokyozip Performing an MPU (Main Panel Upgrade) typically requires replacing the existing 100 amp SEC (Service Entrance Cable) with a 200 amp cable (or conductors within conduit). It isn't permissible to swap an existing 100 amp panel to a 200 amp panel if the SEC is only rated for 100 amps. Installing a second service is fairly common.

[@fritzpaul2740]

This product is going to be a home run 👍🏽👍🏽

[@davidzobian5459]

Tom, you share so many amazing products but also provide insight to their strengths and weaknesses. Thank you and please keep it up. I’m still thrilled after ten years of ownership of my 2014 i3 REx (96k miles on the odometer). We got a 8 kW solar array on the roof 7 years ago, but no whole house battery backup and our local squirrels like chewing on wires under the panels. As much as I love your channel, I still just use the “occasional use” electric supply device (charger) with a 110v outlet in my garage here in PA. We got a plug-in hybrid for my wife, so I’m swapping the cord between the two cars. I have the exact problem this ConnectDER would solve. I was previously thinking of getting a smart panel for my 100 amp service, but I haven’t yet pulled the trigger. I reached out to QMerit a few months ago, but didn’t hear back from a representative. Have a great day!

[@dianewallace6064]

I love to see real EV owners like Brian in videos.

[@billjohnson3344]

Although this meter collar unit may have it's place, there are typically better options for those with limited power electric service - and without the utility company hassle of pulling the meter (not easy in many jurisdictions). Presently there are at least three name brand EVSE's that can dynamic load manage themselves when paired with a power monitoring accessory. This clamps over the mains at your electric panel, and you run these low-voltage wires back to the EVSE. The EVSE monitors the whole home draw, and makes sure to never pull too much for EV charging. Tesla, Emporia, and Wallbox support this today with their respective compatible energy meter accessories. A more typical install, lower cost, and no issue with jurisdiction approval. EVSE's with dynamic load management is widely done in Europe (Zappie for example), not sure why more EVSE's don't support this here. But there are at least three mainstream ones that do, and cheaper and easier than the meter collar approach - which isn't really feasible for most. Tom - may be worthwhile to cover EVSE dynamic load management as another alternative for those with limited incoming service or a lot of load usage. Perhaps something for the ChargerRater also going forward. Load sharing is also becoming an important topic as more people get two EV's, and have the need for multiple home chargers. The same mentioned EVSE's support that also.

[@peterclark85]

I'm personally planning on purchasing the Emporia option for my 100amp house, and yeah it seems like a better option that this meter one. I've been shocked by how little information there is out there on the dynamic load management options, so I would LOVE to see a video on it.

[@billjohnson3344]

@@peterclark85 Agree. For Emporia, make sure you purchase their EV Charger with PowerSmart bundle option. This bundle is $600 from Emporia, versus $400 for just the charger without load management. Basically the bundle gets you their Vue 3 energy monitor, which you clamp over the incoming mains. This then integrates through their software with the charger, and will be sure your home panel never draws more than the max continuous rating of your 100A service - or the EVSE will lower the power to the car to enforce.

[@peterclark85]

@@billjohnson3344 Yup, that is the model I've been planning on. I was hoping for a Black Friday deal on it (looks like last year they had 5% off), but sadly none.

[@adofoi30]

Yeah but most of us with 100 amp panels have full panel situations but yeah $1000 + is still kinda hard to

[@davidufferfilge7972]

Thanks!

[@seumasmackinlay]

YES! I know so many people, including myself, who park near their power meter 👍😃

[@hyperverbal]

This would be perfect for a mobile home park, Power is normally by the back porch❤

[@andrecornellier7716]

Great idea! This is very similar to the GenerLink installed at my meter to allow my standby generator to power my house while disconnecting from the grid. Had to get my utility to remove my meter to install the device.

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

This innovation is Frunkin' BRILLIANT!🧠

[@alldecentnamestaken]

This is a brilliant idea. For me, personally, I'm looking at getting an EV and will likely keep it outside of my garage... being able to easily install it outside would be huge for me.

[@andyzegerman]

This is a game changer! Especially if the EV as a power backup integration is available too at some point.

[@DouglasJMark]

I’ve been waiting for this to come to Canada for two years. I hope it’s coming soon finally! Our power meter is on the outside wall of our garage near right where we plug in our Tesla inside. The install will be a piece of cake!

[@jasonriddell]

same for me I can read my meter from where I park up and my panel is far inside my house - the EVSE cord will reach my car from the meter as that us where it is installed - with a transfer switch and 30 feet of cable to my panel

[@tonyfrese6903]

Emailed them just waiting on them to get approval in my area. Very exciting stuff!

[@TomKacandes]

ConEd has allowed these for solar for over two years, but I like the approach for all uses, EV heat pumps and solar.

[@JoePolaris]

Tom, Thx for this episode , I reached to them, they are working on certification in my state/county, this would be ideal for us, takes a lot of the complexity out of adding charging for EV

[@lgrantnelson2863]

I live in an older apartment with a 125 amp service. The electrician asked if there was washer dryer. Since there wasn't he installed an EV outlet. It has worked great.

[@nicksgarage2]

I had two Powerwall 3s installed earlier this year here in California and used the Tesla Backup Switch. Made the installation of my Powerwalls so much easier and eliminated all the existing wiring and boxes that I had on my two existing solar systems. It works on my 200 amp service so it shouldn't be a problem for ConnectDER to get there as well. I don't have an electric car yet but I'm in line to get the new Ramcharger.

[@jamesdubben3687]

Thanks for the reporting. Great job.

[@joep5170]

THE BEST PRODUCT SINCE SLICED BREAD!!

[@sadeeressa5784]

Amazing idea Can wait to see it here in Vancouver Canada Hope soon

[@gerharddohne2980]

Wow-what a simple idea and what a huge potential market, in particular if they move to the bidirectional version. These things will sell like hotcakes. I just hope ConnectDER trademarks and patents this so that it is not so easily undercut by cheap knockoffs. Thank you for the great review. I think you are the first one to show this in detail-WELL DONE!

[@technologyandsociety21C]

Elegant simplicity! Let's hope more utilities approve it.

[@sedawk]

For many this solves the wiring pain of bringing service from your panel to your vehicle. Typically the meter is must closer to where you want to charge your vehicle.

[@benbellino3596]

The meter is often nowhere near where u need to charge your vehicle. It’s often on the side of the house, towards the back in an area that is nowhere near your driveway.

[@Tazdeviloo7]

​@@benbellino3596 You're both wrong. It's often buried beneath the foundation. 😅

[@sedawk]

​@@benbellino3596 That is not correct - where I live they are on the front of the houses near the driveway. Even if it is on the wrong side - so much easier to run cabling around the house than through your finished house where the electrical panel is. The most expensive and pain-in-the-butt of my install was getting a cable from my panel, thought my finished house, to the driveway.

[@Yielar1]

@@benbellino3596 not true. Most meters are on the side of the home near the front of the house which makes this a great option for people not wanting to spend a bunch of money running cable from their panel, often in the basement...like mine.

[@4rwayner7]

Builders going forward should attempt to put the meter and /or the service panel near a possible charging location. Mine is on the NE corner of my house and the garage is on the SW corner.

[@bobthebuilder372]

This is awesome. This might be more convenient/cost effective vs running conduit internally through the home depending on the location of the meter, breaker panel, and desired charger location, regardless of their electrical capacity.

[@OneWriter]

Thanks for featuring this product. I've been watching the ConnectDER product and website for more than two years, hoping it will finally break through to widespread acceptance by electric utilities and state regulatory agencies. Availability still extremely limited despite, or perhaps because of, its simplicity and ease of installation.

[@scottstormcarter9603]

Excellent product idea!

[@mrdsn189]

Incredible stuff! Thanks, Tom!

[@PAC56]

Cool looking device. At first I thought it was a charger, but now see it is a tap to the meter. I is a game changer. On another note, I was looking at a KIA EV6, but the arrogance of the dealership and insistence of an unreasonable amount above invoice for me to have the privilege of buying their car sent me elsewhere.

[@bobqzzi]

This is a very clever idea. Success depends on regulatory approval.

[@joelpearson8623]

Wow!🤯 I’m in Maine and hope my electrician will look into this! Thank you for sharing this.

[@BecauseTesla]

Game changer! Thanks for sharing!

[@jimmurphy5355]

The couple who rent the house across the street from me bought a Mach E about 6 months ago. The thought they were going to have to install an EVSE (landlord was OK with that) but discovered that simply charging from an existing regular 120 volt 15 amp outlet whenever they weren't away from home was keeping their car charged enough. It is at home ~14 hours on weekdays, and more than that on weekends.This would not work for someone who drove more than 40-50 miles per day, but it's working for them. There is also a Tesla Supercharger about 3 miles from here, in the parking lot of the nearest big supermarket. They have an NACS to CCS adapter, so in a pinch it's super easy to grab a little extra juice on the way to or from home, or while getting groceries.

[@BobbieGWhiz]

The future president doesn’t support green energy (windmills cause cancer and kill birds and whales) and the $7500 federal incentive will go away. His vice president suggested $7500 incentives for ICE vehicles. So now EV purchases will cost upwards of $7500 more before long. The electorate supported him, so why do we think EV’s will be viable going forward.

[@jimmurphy5355]

@@BobbieGWhiz Trump is only in office for 4 years. The EV transistion started long before he was in office, and will continue when he is gone. "The electorate" that voted for Trump was about 30% of eligible voters and about 25% of the total population. It will only take a percent or two of shift in who votes to swing the administration back to the green supporting folks, and I predict that's exactly what will happen.

[@Olegdj3]

​@@BobbieGWhiz You’re talking complete nonsense. Where did you read that the $7,500 credit will be canceled? Did you make it up yourself, or is there a reliable source? Or was it said on CNN? :)

[@gregyohngy]

​@@Olegdj3, Fox News said Trump plans to get rid of the EV Tax Credit.

[@stevemullen8457]

Because Musk is kissing his butt.​@@BobbieGWhiz

[@paulmcgraw9284]

I think this is a wonderful idea. My home was built in the early 1950’s. Not only that, my panel is toward the back of my home while my driveway is in the front of my home. Would need wiring for charger to go from basement to garage…at least 100’ would be needed plus the possibility of having to upgrade my service. This meter device would cut that part out, potentially saving a lot of $$$. Don’t have EV now but might consider one in the future…

[@jasonriddell]

my car parks near my meter but the service panel is inside my house in the "middle" so a EVSE next to the meter I can plug in right there but the one installed required pulling cables from the centre of my house through walls to the edge and is 5 feet from the meter itself

[@mikeandroi2698]

The future product that would allow BI DIRECTIONAL charging with just a simple collar install would be AMAZING! It would really allow setup to to backup power from the EV for relatively cheap. Right now FORD's solution is so costly its in the $10,000 plus range. If people could upgrade to a backup power connect AND an ev charger connect without a panel upgrade for $1000... I'm sold!

[@Sneaker_Net]

This is great Tom!

[@lemongavine]

Great for parking lots. Most have a meter nearby so it’s easy to tap-into and put the charger right there.

[@bornwestusa]

Edison in so Cal needs to approve this, my fingers are crossed.

[@salsalawyer]

+1

[@AgentOffice]

They haven't approved any rings. I need a solar and a generator ring

[@riznliz]

CA PG&E and SoCAl have Similar upgrade: www.pge.com/content/dam/pge/docs/about/doing-business-with-pge/TD-7001B-007.pdf

[@COSolar6419]

Neat solution and I hope more utilities will soon get onboard. We were fortunate to have existing 200 amp service and an existing 240v NEMA1450 outlet in the garage. At the time we bought the house in 2016 we were not even thinking about an EV.

[@rctezluh42069]

this is super awesome, upvoted!!

[@coffeeisgood102]

Possibly your most important video.

[@davedave1398]

This reminded me of Bob Vila and This Old House.

[@ScottyLo]

Love this product. My meter is on the complete opposite side of the house from our garage so I’m hoping this product would help with ease of installation and cut the cost down for an install. Thanks for sharing this product

[@kc5mzd]

Very cool! My house was built around 1950. It has 200 amp service to the meter from the power co. Power goes from the meter to an outside panel. Then into the house it is 120 volts 50 amps x 2 legs for 240 volts. Needless to say everything is gas. To add a circuit for a faster charger would be cost prohibitive. Since there is already 200 amp service to the meter something like this seems like it would work very well.

[@EVnStevenApp]

This is a really great idea! Lateral thinking!

[@swingtag1041]

Yes, agreed!

[@litestuffllc7249]

There is a possible plus of some people not needing to upgrade but their panel is maxed out for a reason. The negative is; you may go to sleep thinking you'll be charged in the morning and the meter device found your house had priority and your electric heat or airconditioning forced it to drop charging the car often enough that when you wake in the morning you do not have enough charge to get to work or to some other important destination. Folks that can afford to take that risk may want this device but folks that don't may still feel it important to assure they get enough charge and pay feel they must pay to do the upgrade.

[@dubmob151]

The solution mentioned in an earlier post about the Emporia EVSE sounds like the answer to that, as it would be able to automatically fold back the charging current to the available power, being able to fully monitor all the power drawn by the panel. The pwm signal being sent out to the car by the EVSE just gets adjusted, and the car would correspondingly decrease the current being drawn from the circuit. This device doesn't generate the pwm signal, so it can only cut off completely rather than command a lower charge rate.

[@winstonallthingselectrical837]

I have been trying to partner with them to bring the. To my state for years! It is amazing!!! This would help solve so many use cases!!!

[@teslasnek]

More emphasis needs to be made on the viability of 110V charging. I sell EVs for a living, and I always ask them how many miles a day do they typically drive, if it's less than 40, then I Tell them they can get by with just the regular outlet they have in their house

[@dwilkey23]

you can "get by" with 110v for sure. But if a cheaper option such as this can give you the level 2 option, it can save those occurrences when you really need to charge quicker and are cursing the level 1 turtle pace

[@teslasnek]

@dwilkey23 I agree with that 💯 I love this solution, and we need this. All I am saying is hardly anybody talks about 110V as a viable option. When I tell customers at work that they can charge the car from a regular outlet, the thing they say is "Yeah, but it will take 2 to 3 days right?" That's when I asked them how many miles a day they drive. If it's less than 40, then I tell them overnight for their daily driving needs

[@ab-tf5fl]

It depends. Level 2 may be overkill, but it avoids range anxiety on days you drive more than average, and avoids the need to depend on public charging near your home at least a few times per year. It's also cheaper to operate (more energy efficient, plus you can schedule nearly all of your charging when electricity is cheapest). Level 1, the big advantage is being able to use an outlet that's already there to avoid having to pay for any installation. But, if you have to pay an electrician to come out to install an outlet anyway for car charging, I would argue that the incremental cost of going level 2 is usually small enough that it's a good idea to just do it, even if you don't think you'll need it.

[@teslasnek]

@@ab-tf5flonce again, I agree entirely, it's just that the mentality is that you CAN'T get by with a 110 V

[@shanevenhorst4304]

I’ve been driving my EV since February charging primarily on level 1. You do have to plan ahead more (I.e. if you plan on a longer trip you often have to adjust charge limits 2-3 days ahead of time to allow the car to “catch up” additional charging and your daily needs. It’s definitely doable, just far more convenient when you have level 2 options available.

[@VedaSay]

This is excellent product. And thank you for presenting details of same.

[@flyguy1889]

That worth bidirectional charging for power backup from the car will be amazing, give them all of the money!

[@JonDecker]

This is game changing. They need to put this for sale in popup stores right next to, or inside Ford dealerships and similar.

[@jasonriddell]

that is where a LOCAL EVSE installer NEEDS to have a "popup" more then these as these are NOT consumer facing as a electrician and utility is involved

[@JonDecker]

@jasonriddell agreed. The thing about me recommending Ford dealership is that Ford is pushing very hard on its commercial vehicle centers to enroll their commercial and government fleet clients into EVs this year and most of those owner/operators step through front door of the retail shop pretty regularly. If they don't need the device, they need to see the variety of EV specific devices and tools iterating these days as the new normal. While this device is oriented towards the 100amp old house installs, it needs to be seen by the electrical contractors who operate those commercial businesses. If this product needs visibility, they'll need to park it in the checkout lane at the big box store, the service waiting area in the dealerships, and plaster notices on billboards in any state that allows bill boards in rural or older towns. Those are the places where 100amp service panels are most prevalent in the community.

[@motorv8N]

Fantastic idea. Great channel too - subbed! We had the same issue with our place- 100amp service and a near full panel. I had to decommission a couple of basement electric heaters to get the capacity on our panel so this would have been a great solution. As it is I do have a load manager that stops EV charging if the house consumption gets to within the safety margins if the house. It’s tripped only twice in almost 3 years (hot summer evening with the AC and oven going at dinner time as well as EV charging). This thing is going to be a real benefit to people. C’mon up to Canada and work on approval here pls!

[@SteveStowell]

I have known about this for nearly two years. About time utility companies and government approved and installation begin

[@JP-sw5ho]

I would love this for my condo in NJ

[@NativeSunCPD]

This is a GREAT development!

[@deanrhodenizer938]

Clever device. I have seen similar intermediary devices for installing home backup generators and avoiding transfer switch arrangements. I am an EE and I worked the first ten years of my career with an electric utility. I live in a part of Canada with lots of rain, snow, freezing rain, etc. That leads me to my suggestion… The plug in portion if the device should have been on the bottom so it can be better protected from weather/entry of water. BTW, calling it a device that democratizes charging installations is a good way to represent the product, IMO. One other consideration might be the size of the conductor used in the service drop. I am not sure about US regulations, but it might be necessary to upgrade the wire size of the service drop. For 60 Amps services it might be better to install a 100 Amp (or larger) meter socket to facilitate the installation.

[@tpalmer3206]

Fantastic subject and a great video. Thanks.

[@ocdetailnj]

Exciting new product!

[@ryanfagan4563]

Nice coverage

[@jeffu3248]

This was pretty dope. 🔥🔥🔥 This could help the everyday person with comfort in purchasing an BEV.

[@dalepettigrew5071]

We need this product in Canada, awesome idea!

[@TylerPoppe]

Holy crap this would be amazing. I’m renting, and landlord would go for this. He doesn’t want the cost of upgrading to a 200amp panel, but he’d definitely go for this. Hope it works out for California.

[@raitchison]

My Sister In Law just got an Ioniq 5 and she's facing this exact issue. Her current service is just 100A so no capacity to install a higher current charging circuit. Hopefully this will become available in her state (NH) soon.

[@DonBurke1]

very cool. Thanks for sharing this news.

[@ChristianBehnke]

When I first saw this type of device (before we bought our first EV and installed our EVSE), I asked our electrician and he'd never heard of such a thing. It would have been a better solution for our home and resulted in possible higher charging capacity as we're limited to a 30A circuit because of our panel's capacity.

[@VitruviAnman-z9l]

Greetings brother. I appreciate the pertinent information you present. Perhaps this concept can be extended to allow 200A service from the utility to an existing 100-150A service. This would entail developing an active meter socket enclosure which interfaces with the existing 100-150A SEC and service panel on the customer side of the Demarc. Upgrading would require a 200A SEC from the meter enclosure, weather head, etc. The cost of such an upgrade would be negligible. The active enclosure componentry would limit the current entering the structure to the legacy rating of 100-150A while providing 50-100A to the dedicated EV charging circuit. Utilities often install a high current triplex service drop-a 100A service may be supplied by a service drop capable of supporting 200A or more, so the only equipment requiring replacement might be the meter socket and SEC components-exposed SEC cable or conductors within the conduit mast and, possibly, a larger diameter conduit for the conductors. Continuing, this concept could be extended to provide an external upgrade to a 320/400A service with two 80A circuits for EV charging or a 200A (160A continuous) subpanel. If the utility service drop is an older, lower current triplex, the service drop could be upgraded by the utility.

[@mikeandroi2698]

The guy with the hot tub could have just added a 240v plug and then tied the hot tub and car charger to a smart switch like the neo-charge. Smart switch cost about $500 bucks, doesn't take an electrician and can moved if needed. I do like this meter collar for the ability to tie in solar. Also I wonder if it could be used for a sub panel if say adding power to a shop or adu/garden guest house.

[@gregandersen8475]

Neat, they have out for a while and allowed by some utilities as they are UL listed. One thing to note is they won't stack with a whole home surge protection collar, you have to use one or the other.

[@ruftime]

Thank you! Lots of old homes in Vermont still have knob & tube wiring🙄

[@rod2625]

I have been watching this product for over a year. I have a fairly new home but with a hot tub and solar my electrical panel was maxed out. I do not as of yet have an EV but when the time comes for replacing my current one an EV will be purchased. I have since considered moving my hot tub circuit as an option. But hopefully this product will be available by then. I did approach my utility about the ConnectDER but at the time they were firmly against adding anything to their meter. Hopefully that will change.

[@Gazer75]

I guess this is a nice pro to having the meter on the outside of the house. Here in Europe they just do smart boxes that read the total consumption from the smart meter and dynamically adjust the amps based on your selected peak limit. This is nice in places where you pay a fee based on peak demand on top of the regular consumption fee. The meter is inside the main fuse box inside the home here so it wouldn't work any other way.

[@FredSEd-x9d]

It is possible to add charging even with smaller service. When we bought our first ev. Our 110 year old house had a 60amp service from the 1950s. We were able to add a 30 amp 240 outlet to our garage for $900. We bought a 3.3kw 16 amp charger to use with that circuit. We have since upgraded our electrical system to 200 amps, but we are still using the 3.3kw charger. My car supports 11.5 kw and my garage now has a 50 amp nema 14-50 but I have never felt like I needed to update my charger.

[@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney]

In some cases, sure, but certainly not all. Many homes with 100-a and 125-a services are maxed out. And electrician needs to do a load calculation to determine if you have available capacity if you want to do it safely and to code.

[@charliesullivan4304]

@@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney And when it's maxed out, load management systems available from Tesla, Emporia, and Wallbox. Which are great because they can modulate the charging rate instead of shutting it off when other appliances are using a little too much power for the full charge rate.

[@AdamTreier]

My hot take... I bought a full BEV (Volvo c40) 2 weeks ago and bought a charge point EVSE. Before I got it installed I realized we drive less than 50 miles a day, so charging with 110v we gain state of charge.

[@Bighomey103]

I heard about this 3 years ago. I'm in California and I have been still waiting. Just let me buy it already

[@keenanjeff]

Pretty cool product like the generlink meter collar transfer switch. I would probably still go for a 200 amp service upgrade mine was about $3,000 using my existing breakers where possible. My 100 amp panel was full with central A/C, water heater, range, dryer and generator interlock. running the conduit across the house into the garage was the hard part about another $2,000 now I have 2 60 amp circuits and lots of extra breaker slots for future expansion.

[@2009MigyFl]

Amazing job and let's hope most states power companies get in. I don't see why not very easy and useful. The future is electric, like it or not 😂

[@jasonfranciosa]

This is similar to what Tesla does in many states for Powerwall 3 installs. Glad to see this coming for other applications as well.

[@RenlangRen]

What a clever idea!