How Many Amps Do You Need For Home EV Charging?

How many amps does your home EV charger need? I take a look at the different factors you need to consider when buying a home EV charger to help you figure out how much power you need.
This video is powered by Qmerit, North America’s leading provider of installation services for EV charging, home energy storage, and other electrification technologies. See how Qmerit is making the energy transition easy for home and business owners: qmerit.com/ev/charge
Check out my EV charging safety video: • How To Safely Charge Y...
Chapters:
00:00 Intro
00:49 EV charging terminology
06:21 Does the charger come with the car?
08:10 How vehicle efficiency relates to how fast it charges
09:59 The four main questions you need to consider when buying an EV charger
15:01 How many miles of range per hour will EV chargers at different amps add?
19:59 Higher power home charging is better, but it's not always necessary
22:15 Always hire an EV charging equipment specialist to install your EV charger
24:16 Consider future-proofing your garage
25:32 Outro
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Note: I do earn commission from sales generated from the links above

[@musicjohn1]

Nice work Tom, very informative and explained perfectly. Those of us who live in the EV world sometimes forget how many questions people new to EV's have.

[@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney]

Thank you. This is probably not for many of my loyal followers, it's more for those new to EVs. 🙂

[@mattbrew11]

“Those of us who live in the EV world” talk about a deep seated need to get over yourself

[@FrunkensteinVonZipperneck]

Everyone needs this info. Argued yesterday with an engineer friend. Based on his college learning- 50 years ago- his worst case is that no one can charge at home…

[@kardy12]

I know EV drivers who don’t know the foggiest about the physics of electricity and charging delivery - any more than most ICE drivers know about the mechanics of refuelling. So a video like this is likely very useful for plenty of people who “live in the EV world”.

[@Wildsam157]

Those of us who live in the EV bubble 😂😂 I have elevated myself to live in the solar energy bubble,screw these guys who still go to the gas station 😅

[@jaime2001sastre]

GREAT presentation. This is still something that so many people don't understand but especially DO NOT KNOW about Electric cars and charging. I put in a 40 Amp Breaker and fully charge with my 2022 M3 Standard Range "EVERY NIGHT" at 32 Amps and full battery every morning (Even if I didn't really need to charge!). My wife no longer thought of so called "Range Anxiety" after our first trip about 1200 Km over a long weekend. I bought myself 40 feet of 240V AWG 6 NMD 90 Electrical Wire (Ready for the future!), ran the wire myself as per specs from my panel (Not PLUGGED in, all the way through to my Garage, then called my Electrician to finish connecting and VERIFYING my connection to my 40 Amp breaker!! Always better to be safe!!!

[@theichione1827]

One other thing people should consider is if they have “Time of day electric service” it may actually save money in the long run to install at least the fastest EVSE/circuit their EV can support, so that it can reach their preferred state of charge in the cheapest rate window.

[@tedmoss]

Yes, we have extreme off peak, 11:00Pm to 5AM.

[@cleanitup_pls7893]

Tesla comes with an app so you don't have to buy anything. Just open the app and put in the hours that it can charge. The car decides how much to pull, when to start and when to stop.

[@theichione1827]

@@cleanitup_pls7893 Some people have a very limited time window set by their power company (I.e. not an app thing) when energy is very cheap but if they have a slow EVSE/circuit and a EV with a large battery, they may find they have to continue charging their vehicle well into pricier time windows to get their EV to the required state of charge.

[@dmandman9]

@@cleanitup_pls7893So do Fords.

[@gary2984234]

until everyone gets an ev and charges at that time.. . Hello primetime. @@tedmoss

[@americanegale697]

Finally someone that knows how to explain. Its called a PROFESSIONAL! Subscribed!

[@PakCanPTI]

Electrician my self, can’t explain better than you have. Got many answers. 🙏

[@jefsel881]

Vevor32A variable amperage capable.10-32A..$100. 14-50 plug $15.Running a 32a charger out of a 50a rated plug is fine. #6 copper 3+ground, 2ft out of the panel. 50a breaker $33. All set for an upgrade as well. Cost $150. Plus 3hrs labor. Take shop class kids. Pays dividends year after year.

[@rugbygirlsdadg]

Just for info, here in the UK (240v power supply), the standard for single phase home chargers is 7.5kW - 32amps. The grid connection

[@KangoV]

You go all the way to 24kW. Although this would be the limit of the 100 amp main fuse of your house ;) Luckily I have 3-phase wooooo.

[@zeedustrakok]

Over here I have a triple phase 16A connection on 400V. So that is 11KW. Technically My charging point is capable of 32A, but my home connection is 3x20A and my car’s internal charger is limited to 11KW (3x16A).

[@reiniernn9071]

Very well explained. One of the best I've seen until now. But I have something to add (as a West European with a standard 3 fase 240V house connevtion...25A each fase house maximum) All wiring is cupper, 16amps max in outlets. (Not all outlets are 16 amps...be carefull which one you use for plugin charging) We do have a lot of electric high power users in house, like induction cooking ...up to 8KW A heatpump...using 1,5KW continuous. (An airco is also a heatpump) Washer (2,5KW), dish washer(2,5KW), dryer (1,0KW-heatpump version) and freezer-refrigerator (0,5KW) Most of this equipment is only used short time daily. I write this because we do have smart car chargers that adjust the charging power to the level the house can deliver. If you start the dishwasher when the car is charging the car charger simply reduces the charging speed to prevent overloading. Another possibility for very cheapcharging...connect the smartcharger to the solarpanel convertor...using only (the solar energy reducing youre bill. Be sure you can overrule this, canging to charging from grid, if there is not enough sun. Also possible...the smart charger will only charge the surplus of the panels after all other household users keeping the bill to zero as long as possible. And of coarse is important the possibility to start the charging process automatcally at the time you can get reduced (night) price foer electricity. ps I drive EV since 2013. My actual charging power I reduce to between 4 and 5KW because that's enough. Only if I need in one night a full charge from empty I'll adjust to 11KW charging...7 hours to charge the battery. My portable 3 fase charger is connected to an industrial 3 fase connector and can be adjusted in the following steps: 8, 10, 13 or 16 amps. It can also connect to one fase with 3 times slower charging. This portable makes it easier to charge at more places without any car charger available. I'm afraid that in the USA we cannot use this type of portable chargers. But this is not that smart charger which adjusts the charging speed automatically to the level of available poewer.

[@wesbishop3790]

Awesome info Tom, I’m an electrical engineer and I agree that it’s best to over build when it comes to the circuit and EVSE. I’m new at the EV game and still learning stuff every day. One suggestion I would make is to include one other electrical property called, “resistance”. Unwanted resistance can equate to inefficiency. Example: My idea was to use a 50 amp circuit (I’m limited because I live in a condominium) which dictates 6 gauge electrical wire and a EVSE designed for 40 amps. The EVSE I bought was a Wallbox 40 amp unit which is a very popular brand. But what I learned is the Wallbox 40 amp unit only uses 10 gauge wires for the 25 foot EV service cable. I noticed when I charged my vehicle, the cable would get very warm to touch. The smaller the wire, the more “resistance” creates heat loss which in turn loses money in the long term. I’ve decided to change to an EVSE designed for 48 amps and dial it back to 40. My hope is the new unit will have a larger gauge service cable and run very cool. For those who may be confused about my numbers, the lower the number, the larger the wire. Hence 10 gauge (10AWG) is smaller than 6 gauge (6AWG). Most manufacturers don’t mention the gauge wire used in the service cables. It would be great if you added those figures when you review the different EVSE units. Thank you and keep up the great work!

[@feyree_officialstore]

Hello, 10AWG is only suitable for 32A chargers, 40A chargers require 8AWG, and 50A chargers require 6AWG

[@RB-xv4si]

What is the terminal temperature rating of a Tesla Wall Connector based on your interpretation of NEC 110.14(C)(1)(a)?

[@carlnelson9162]

You should read through the install guide for the Chargepoint Flex. The guide tells you the circuit rating for each charging amperage. For a 48amp load, you need a 60 amp circuit. Wire size for a 60 amp varies depending on the style of the wire. THHN wires can take the highest because they are not bundled so heat can more easily dissipate. Problem is they then need to be in conduit. For my 48amp install (60amp circuit), i had electrician run #4romex from 60amp breaker to cutoff switch above my charger. He then ran #6 THHN in conduit a short distance to my charger. My Homeflex charger cable feels warm at 48amp but it isn’t hot.

[@julianevjourney]

Thanks for making this video. I say that not necessarily for me. I just purchased my first EV in March 2023. Prior to making the switch to an EV I had to do a lot of research on all the topics you covered in this video, especially the topic of things to consider when your home has limited amperage. I think if your video had existed it would have cut down on the amount of research I would have had to do because it's all explained very succinctly and concisely in this one video. So, hopefully, future potential EV owners will greatly benefit from your video.

[@jasonblair4057]

Excellent timing of this video for me. I am in the process of choosing an EV to replace my X3 in few months and want to have a L2 installed. This is an important topic for people to get educated on. 👍👍

[@user-cn4yf5gu6d]

Very well done. Every potential EV owner needs to watch this!. Very well done. Every potential EV owner needs to watch this!.

[@gbsorenson]

I agree that we all get too worried about charging speeds, especially when you get your first EV. We only have 20 amp service to our detached garage, so uprading to higher service would have been expensive. I had a Wallbox installed, dip switch set it to max at 16 amp. We've had our EV for about a year now and only once has the charging speed been an issue, and that was because my wife had two "longer" trips in one day. I also put in a 48 amp Emporia at my office, which is only 1/4 mile away from our house, so if we need a faster charge we have another option.

[@StefanSteinerWA]

This is exactly my experience too. I have a 20-amp 120v outlet in my garage too. I have the 5-20 adapter for the Tesla mobile charger and use that. My Model Y charges then at 16 amps too. I’ve been using this setup for the past year. Only once have I had to hit a SC before going on a number of errands around town due to coming back from a long trip late at night and having around 10% SOC. By early morning when I left I had 30% which wasn’t enough. I’m amazed to read about people who spend thousands to get updated panels and high amp circuits added for charging. I could see it if you have to commute 100 miles per day with no charging at work but most of these people seem to mostly just putter around town. I did like going from 15-amp to the 20-amp setup. The 20-30% boost does help.

[@onelesho3199]

This rule states that an OCPD can be loaded to only 80% of its rating for continuous loads.

[@mikethompson3534]

Bottom line EVs are not worth the extra money and headaches with costs , range and insurance rates for your home and I don’t even want to talk about maintenance costs of the battery pack if ever you’re battery pack gets damaged from road debris and road vibration or to replace the battery when they no longer cannot be charged due to age and also collision damage costs from your automobile insurance

[@alleyoop5185]

@@mikethompson3534thermal runaway is potentially right under your butt or in garage while charging. Luckily it’s not real common now but wondering how much more it’ll be if essentially 95% more users will be when ICE is outlawed. And how in the world will the grid handle this especially when the gas furnace and gas stove are outlawed. We’d definitely need a lot more nuclear plants and/or coal fueled plants.

[@joncoutts1671]

11 months late, but this video has been a HUGE help for me understanding how much I should spend on an charger. Thank you, Tom!

[@arnecarlsson9740]

This great video should be included with every EV sale (or demo)! 👏👏👏!

[@revaldo29]

Thank you for this. Before I got my Rivian I thought I would need a 60 amp breaker with plans to charge at 48 amps. I have been using the mobile charger instead connecting to a NEMA 14-50 and I set the car to draw a max 24 amps (5.7 kw). I replenish my usual daily driving in less than 5 hours

[@thesells1]

Charger, smarger. Your detail and delivery are excellent and you demonstrate a sincere desire to inform with clarity.

[@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney]

Thank you.

[@Chris21709]

Great video, Tom. The chart says it all. There isn't very much information on this basic charging technology out there, and it will be an eye-opener for most people (who are not technically schooled), even for people who already own EVs-who will no doubt be advising friends and relatives. This is especially true when most charging stories in the mass media exclusively talk about public charging-the familiar gas-station model. My charging station is on a 30-amp breaker, but using a 40-amp cable to the EVSE; the heavier gauge cable costs only a little more.

[@dansanger5340]

My ID4 is capable of charging at 48 amps, but I am getting by quite comfortably on the 16 amp charger I bought years ago for my Chevy Volt plug-in hybrid. It can be slow, sometimes taking over ten hours to get me back to 80%, but it's never been a problem. And, I've never been tempted to spend the money to upgrade the wiring and charger.

[@stephenj280]

My experience too. I had a readily available 20A circuit so I decided to use it instead of having to fish cable from the panel for a 50A circuit. So far the EVSE set at 16A works for our purposes.

[@JeanPierreWhite]

Same here. Charging an ID.4 at 16 amps is just fine. It charges while we sleep.

[@jimji2774]

Mr. Your subject matter may be limited but you might be making one of the best done and informative videos on KZbin thank you.

[@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney]

Thank you!

[@drfaizan]

Best one stop shop for learning everything EVs. Thanks Tom! there no as comprehensive video as yours available on the net. Thank you for your service!

[@nilomaia4851]

Hi Tom, regards from Brazil! I've been following you for a long time now. I work on the solar business and we also offer EV "chargers". Very nice and comprehensible compilation. I was really happy to see the same arguments I use for the actual recharging needs. That means I've learned well from you! Thanks a lot! Keep up the good work!

[@aussietaipan8700]

When I purchased my 2015 model S in March this year, I also purchased 2 x Tesla power walls. The power walls were both installed on dedicated 40 amp, 230V circuits. The model S was factory restricted to AC charge at 16 amps, so I had the onboard charger modified to charge at 32 amps. This is perfect for me and the way I use the car. I also have mobile 8 and 13.5 amp chargers to trickle charge when the model S is not in use. At my livin house, the power wall installation was $1200 for the dedicated circuit and $750 for the PW, all up about 2K. My other house was $750 for the PW and $450 for the DC as it was much easier to install the DC at my holiday house. I live in Australia.

[@naturalbynecessity4197]

Excellent and thorough video. I’m a new EV owner and you’ve taken all the anxiety and stress out of figuring out the charging debacle. I was ready to return my EV because there were no DC charges close to my home. I drive 65 miles a day for work and need more than the 1kw trickle I’m getting now. Thank you for making this easy to comprehend.😅

[@chadyee4470]

Absolutely love this video! Great work Tom! Fantastic and easy to understand educational video for new and current EV owners. Charging and the electrical terminology is always confusing for people but you did a great job of making it easy to follow and understand. The chart is fantastic. Education is one of the keys to mass EV adoption. Love it.

[@feyree_officialstore]

Thank you for your support

[@m.tronglu4847]

101 I love...too!!

[@kavehhushyar7960]

Tom, god knows how many youtube clips I have seen so far on this subject, and yet your clip was by far the best ever created, explained, and right to the points. I enjoyed it much. Thanks for your contribution.👍

[@ezpoppy55]

“This may be your first EV, but it won’t be your last EV.” Truth. I got my Tesla M3 SR+ in March, 2021. My wife, an EV doubter, saw the light and dumped her Camry for a VW ID.4 in July of that year. Two years on, and neither one of us is looking back. She’s very excited about the VW Buzz (and I gotta admit, so am I). Regardless of when we get our next EV, neither of us is going back to gross ICE vehicles. Great job on this video, Tom! It’s an excellent primer, and I’ve sent it to some I know who’ve expressed an interest in EVs. Safe travels to all.

[@tedmoss]

At 80 years old I fully expect my Teslas to be my last cars. Who should I will them to?

[@jaimimcentire99]

​@@tedmosswhy, me of course. :)

[@richdaley9982]

Same situation here. My wife didn’t give a lick about cars until I bought our Bolt EUV. She is completely in love with it and is now asking me my thoughts about trading in our 2017 Volt for a second fully electric vehicle. We are also considering the ID buzz but we are close to being empty nesters so we probably don’t need that much space.

[@gao57009]

Very well done. Every potential EV owner needs to watch this!

[@warwickcathro2650]

It's pretty simple. If you have 240 volts and rooftop solar, all you need is a standard 10 or 15 amp powerpoint. I have charged my EV for 5 years this way, and am now happily charging two of them.

[@shunjieyin2024]

Well done Tom. I can always learn something from your videos. It's very informative and explained clearly!

[@alanpeterson6768]

Really good video. When I try to explain this stuff to people I get stuck on "where do I start?" Oversize with adjustable output is great advice. I have an old 32amp charger that is on its third EV. At the time I bought it, that was pretty good sized EVSE. With my PHEV, it was really overkill. Then along came our Bolt as our second car, and it was plenty. Now, with an Ioniq 5 as our only car, it still gives me an overnight charge easily and reliably.

[@greglivesey1734]

This is the explanation I've been searching for. Well done. Thank you.

[@artwhelan13]

As a soon to be EV driver, I really enjoyed this video. You answered so many of my outstanding questions and that charging chart was the icing on the cake. Thank you so much for your channel and EV videos. My house has a 100amp panel and I plan to install a 50 amp circuit breaker to feed my Grizzl-E smart charger (max 40amp draw). Since 90% of my driving will be local, and well under 60 miles a day, I plan to use the smart app to select a lower charging rate, hopefully to avoid any issues. I keep hearing about the 80% rule - unless absolutely necessary, only charge your EV to the 80% level. Be interested in a video on this topic. Thanks for your videos.

[@alainnoel2198]

I sincerely want to thank you for the quality of this presentation! I now understand the terminology and functionality of charging operations. Will receive my ioniq5 in a week and will listen to your other presentation in your list about my incoming I5. Thank you

[@trustbuster23]

This is all good advice. Personally, I put in a 50 amp circuit and paired it with a 32 amp max EVSE. The circuit needs to be future proof, but the EVSE can be sized to your current needs. You are going to wear out your EVSE eventually by dragging the wire across the concrete, plugging and unplugging it every day, etc. I figured out that there was essentially no scenario where it would be critically important to me to charge my current vehicle at 40 amps vs 32 overnight. So I saved a bit of money on the cost of the EVSE, I have an extra margin of safety on the circuit, I'm being more gentle with my batteries by not charging them as fast as possible, and I've given up nothing for it. Do your own homework, but charging as quickly as possible at home is not nearly as important as most people think it is. Fast charging matters on road trips, but at home it makes little difference if your car is done charging at 3AM or at 6AM if you almost never leave home before 7AM.

[@tedmoss]

All true, charging at 48 Amps will not deteriorate the battery to any great extent vs. 40 Amps since you are not going over the "C" rating.

[@Jeddin]

@@tedmoss no but it does cause more heat and wear down your home electrical components more over time. I keep my 50 amp circuit limited to 32 amps even tho it could be 40. I don’t need the extra amps and it’s worth protecting my circuit breaker and home wiring

[@ab-tf5fl]

Agree, but with one exception. In the event that you wake up the morning of a long trip and realize that you forgot to plug in the night before, the speed of home charging actually does matter. But, even then, it's not a huge deal. Worst case, forgetting to plug in means you have to stop at a public charger on the way back and spend an extra 10 minutes.

[@dubmob151]

​@@ab-tf5fl what's the difference in cost if you need to charge at the public charging stations vs. at home?

[@jruggle]

You do such an outstanding job in all of your videos. I always recommend your channel to anyone who has EV questions. Top notch. Thanks for what you do!

[@StateOfChargeWithTomMoloughney]

Thank you!

[@djkeltn]

Thank you. Bought a new plug-in hybrid and the manufacturer provided little info. This is just what I needed. Appreciate you.

[@jamesodell3064]

I believe that a slow charge is healthier for an EV battery.

[@leiflillandt1488]

Most believe so, but if you look at batteries that often have been fast charged, you can't really see a big difference. As of now, 2024, the age (in years) seems to be the most significant factor. As battery cell technology evolves, it's right now difficult to say what will happen in the future, but we all hope that they will last longer that's more years. Then we have a question that needs to be responded to, what happens when the battery lasts way longer than the rest of the car... 😯🥺😉

[@reiniernn9071]

@@leiflillandt1488 Not only the age, also the amount of charging cycles counts. But I agree with you that it is less important if you charge with level3 chargerrs (fast) or at home or on public ac chargers . (Source; Test videos made by teslabjorn)

[@ChristopherDillman]

15:37 - Helpful charge table here. I only had room for a 40 Amp circuit in my panel, therefore a 32 Amp charger for me. If I wanted to go to say a 40 Amp charger, I would have had to upgrade my panel from a 120 to a 125 Amp. That cost would have been north of 2k. So I'm perfectly happy with sticking to 32 Amps. I'm ok to wait. ☺

[@dathyr1]

Thanks for this video and its valuable information. I had a 220 or 240 volt outlet installed in my garage before I got my 2023 Tesla, and have the basic mobile kit to interface to the vehicle. Being retired, only drive around town so most of my charging of the EV is just at home, and I don't connect to my 220 volt outlet every night. I charge up my vehicle on off peak hours when electricity rates are lower. Works very well so far. Take care.

[@martshearer498]

Thanks for a very thorough review, which should be a continual reference. My only concern is that more emphasis should be placed on continuous use circuits only being set at 80% of breaker capacity. A 40 amp circuit should only be used for a 32 amp or lower EVSE, for example.

[@feyree_officialstore]

Yes, what you said is very correct. The maximum power of the charger cannot exceed 80% of the circuit breaker, usually controlled at 50%

[@sparkysho-ze7nm]

Any electrician dat don’t derate Issa Plummer wannabe

[@cjonesplay1]

Great Video Tom. This is a video I can send to my friends and family. So they can get a good idea of Charging. Keep up the Great Work.

[@lkeil84]

You covered 99% very well. The only thing I would add is that where I lived in California, you got a real low charging rate between the hours of 11pm and 7 am. This reduced the charging to 8 hours, but as in my case, I left home at 6:15 am and sometimes even earlier cutting down my available hours to charge. This was never a problem because I had a 30 amp (24 amp) and a 20 amp (16 amp) charger available. My car only had a 33kw battery and my wife's PHEV only had a 17kw battery. With this setup, I think we really only used the 30 amp charger 98% of the time and used the small 20 amp charger very rarely. On another note, we had at work 2 chevy volts and a Prius prime that ran for 18 months without any of them using gas off of a single 120 volt receptacle in the parking garage. Our needs were light being in San Francisco and only driving 10-15 miles a day. I would set them all to charge at 8 amps and use a timer to charge one for 6 hours and then the other for 6 hours every night. The third one was my Volt that I would plug in during the day as I was mostly office based. I had to set them at 8 amps because occasionally somebody would plug in one level down and take 12 amps during the day. It was a difficult feat but I did keep 3 PHEV's from the gas station with a single receptacle for 18 moths.

[@ChristineJump]

Thank you. Finally competent and comprehensive information!

[@jamesrose1191]

Great video. On the charging esp winter time, I find it best to keep current low so battery is charging all night long. This has the battery warm when you are ready to go. This will allow a little more range when you go. It’s also good to preheat the cabin on the house so your max range for driving with a warm car, seats and wheel also.

[@m3tek44]

What you provide here is simple amazing educational vid!!! Thank you for putting this together!

[@arqcm]

From my Emporia, im using between 9-12 amps out of 48amps! No need for more!:)

[@benjibumble]

Why aren’t you using the full amount possible?

[@e-care-books9867]

Great video, Tom. You are very good at explaining charging for "regular folks."

[@phtofl]

First off, great video Tom! In my research over a year ago, I had these same questions, and steps, and knew I wanted to figure out how much power items take in my house. 12:15 an even better way to understand how much power your house is using is to actually measure it over weeks/months. I got the Emporia Home Energy Monitor, so i can tell how much power my house takes, max Amp/kw draw, etc. It helps in letting your electrician know what your usage actually is rather than just base it off a load calculation. 18:01 Another point when deciding with your electrician what size circuit to install is if your house has conduit, you may be able to just use existing conduit and run new wire to your EVSE. This will save a bit of money to not have to run a new conduit to your garage. This what I did... I already had 1/2" conduit running to my garage that had room in it, so he just wired it with the max size wire (10ga) that will fit into a 1/2" pipe, and a 30 amp circuit, so I can charge at 24amps. So my Emporia Smart EV charger is just set to 24amps. I figured if in emergency i could run to the nearby Supercharger and top off, but I've never had to do that in over 15k miles. Eventually I'd like to get new subpanel installed in my garage, but in the mean time this has been fine and much cheaper.

[@MrH786]

That chart at 15:00 was very helpful. Thanks. 👍

[@happyhippo1710]

I've been looking for a video like this for awhile. Good job!

[@ambassadorfromreality1125]

I know a lot about this subject in the uk and was curious about the us. I am writing this comment because I wanted to say what a good job Tom did, explained everything clearly. I am sure it will help a lot of people.

[@richardhale2117]

Great explanatory video. Answered all my questions.

[@flyingspirit3549]

Superb, comprehensive essay on a crucial EV topic, especially for those considering buying their first EV.

[@ericm4840]

Great job of breaking it down and making it understandable!

[@rmbmpd]

Great presentation. Very informative. That chart is an extremely useful tool. One just has to look at what your vehicle’s maximum usable capacity to determine what’s the most they would probably need as a worst case and look at 80% of that to see what’s the most they realistically probably would need. For example, the extended battery on a Mustang Mach E has 91 kWh usable. Since they recommend not to go over 80%, then 80% of 91 is 72.8. Since most people would rarely, if ever charge from 0%, the 32 amp output is probably more than enough (it provides 70 kWh over the 10 hours) and the 40 amp usable provided by your Lightning, which provides 85 kWh would be more than sufficient for a Mach E owner.

[@08pickd]

As the first EV owner many of my friends and family have met, I can say my number 1 question is "Where do you charge?". Many are surprised when I say "My garage"! There really is a perception that you would drive your EV to the "electron station" to charge up ever couple of days. Great video! I've only had my first EV for ~ four months (Tesla Model Y) and my wife and I both work from home so we have modest charging needs (~40 miles / day of charge). Truthfully, we would have been fine so far just having a standard 110 outlet L1 charging but - we have the car parked in the garage 20+ hours a day. We did install a L2 EVSE wired up for 40A continuous but I keep it set for 15A for less batter degradation. Long-term I think we'll probably keep our one 40A L2 charger, and any additional EVSE we install we might just opt for mobile connectors on 110 outlets, or lower priced L2 EVSE wired for 20A continuous. That should meet all of our needs, and whenever we do need a 0-100 overnight, we'd have the 40A connection to work with. I'm also thinking about friends and family visiting with their future EVs and would want them to be able to add a hundred miles of charge in a few hours so again, I will always want to have ready access to a 40A EVSE.

[@zeedustrakok]

That’s a good point. I live in the middle between my parents and my brother. My parents live just out of range for most EV’s to drive there and back again. So my 11KW charger might be a good solution for them to make a quick 1 hour social stop and get back home again.

[@pasoroblesbruce7370]

Great presentation. With you and the out of speck guys, so much helpful and entertaining info. Thanks

[@gregorscott]

This video is great for sharing with prospective EV owners! Thanks for making it!

[@flyingjeff1956]

Very nice explanation. I limit my Tesla Level II to 40A just to keep things from getting too warm. Heat eventually kills electrical components. I also have a NEMA 14-50P for guests. I suggest limiting those to 32A---just in case.

[@tedmoss]

Be careful, most of those dryer sockets and plugs are not rated for continuous use. I used direct wire and checked mine with an infrared camera.

[@valcaron]

@@tedmoss This. Sandy Munro demonstrated this; consumer-grade outlets bought at Home Depot or whatever will eventually melt. Need one of the industrial grade ones. (also, 23:35)

[@barryw9473]

Thanks, Tom. It is more accurate to refer to volts as pressure (force is close), but not speed. Current is volumetric flow, more akin to speed than pressure or volts.

[@Chris21709]

Exactly, but try to explain electrical potential to someone (not a physicist or engineer). 🙄

[@dubmob151]

​Voltage is like water pressure, like psi. Amps is like flow rate, or gallons per hour. Watts is like ratings for pressure washers, where you have gallons per minute along with the psi, which indicates how powerful the pressure washer is, since pressure alone without enough water won't clean very well, and a lot of water but with no pressure behind it also won't have much cleaning power. kWh is the total energy stored up, like the amount of gallons pumped up to a certain height, so 50 gallons pumped to 10 feet would have more energy capacity than 50 gallons pumped up to 1 foot.

[@johncipolletti5611]

If you buy a friendly EV, a Toyotal Prius or Chevy Bolt, you can charge on a 110 home outlet. You can also use a 220 one.

[@johnreese3762]

Very well done Tom, great video/information!!!

[@quazaar]

Thanks for the info! I am in an older house that doesn't have much juice. I was plugged into an (120v) outlet that was original to the house (1957). I caught it burned out. Looking, the gauge was way to small. I then plugged into a outlet that was added years later and could handle it. I don't plan on being here all that long. And I eventually, want to be on an off grid farm. So I have opted to install an expandable solar panel system dedicated to charging my Lightning. I work from home so this is very feasible. The system is up and running, 5.4kw of solar tops out at about 4.5kw of AC. The Ford Pro charger, doesn't play all that nicely with the solar. If I manually bump the charging amps through the amp to high, I have to wait 10-15 minutes after unplugging the truck to reset it back down. I followed your previous video and got a Emporia charger because they have an add on that should scale up and down the charging rate automatically. First one I got, I had some issues and the truck wasn't happy. The Ford Dealership reset the truck and I am just waiting to get it back now (it has some updates, why does it take over a day...). Once it is back, I will be testing this system out. They are supposed to be able to go from 1.4kw up to my 4.5kw automatically. With the ford one, I can only choose 6, 8, 10,12,14, etc. And I have to do it manually. Get one good cloud and it kicks off, etc.

[@aussie2uGA]

Are you saying it's straight solar to the truck without running through any buffer battery? If so, I'm surprised it works at all as the power would be constantly fluctuating.

[@quazaar]

@@aussie2uGA yep, solar to hybrid inverter (no batteries) to charger

[@mikem138]

Another option you didn't mention is at your panel install an EV electrical management device (an extra box worth about $500 retail). This monitors the amps you are pulling in from your whole house and will throttle the EV should your home be at 80 Amps say dyer and air conditioner is on at the same time. I have this for my 240 circuit, my draw is set at 37.5 amps and on occasion the charge is interrupted for a few minutes. My BMW i4 portable level 2 charger is fine with that and starts again fine all automatically.

[@Tennisbull-match-statistics]

The emporia unit has a $200 power management add on

[@craiggoldstein2461]

I think this is the best educational video a new (Or even experienced) EV owner can view. Well done!

[@tuan056585]

What a good lesson and tips for people like me who are planning to buy an EV car soon! Thanks you very much Tom. I already subscribed, and I hope to see more of your videos like this in near future.

[@abrarsherazi4619]

Thanks for giving useful information. Really I appreciate to give us details information.

[@brady9214]

This was extremely helpful overall, and the chart at 15:09 explaining the relationship between breaker amps, evse amps, kw and mi added was exactly what I needed. Thanks!

[@pasoroblesbruce7370]

Wonderful presentation. Great electrical info for any electrical application not just for Ev’s.

[@briancolly2990]

I've owned my EV for over a year now. This has been the best video re: this topic. Well done and very informative.

[@billklatte7536]

Another great video by you Tom. Thanks.

[@thelake9596]

Very informative. Thanks and keep’em coming.

[@melissaresnick6482]

This was incredibly helpful! Thank you!

[@erictheblue7256]

A very informative video: Thank you! I'm 1-2 years out from the purchase of my first EV, but it's good to start thinking about the wiring requirements now.

[@kardy12]

This is a very useful video, I often explain similar issues to people, both EV drivers and those that are interested. The fact is that the vast majority of typical driving needs can easily be covered by a 3kW charger (E.g. a typical 13A socket at 240V in Europe). At one point, my wife was driving 100 miles per day with our car (the average commute in the U.K. is less than 20 miles), and a 3kW charger was still enough to charge the battery back to the charging limit each night between when she got back from work and started her drive to work again the next day.

[@mikeydude750]

Only if you own your home/condo and have a dedicated parking spot.

[@rogerphelps9939]

Most of my charging uses a granny charger running at 2kw. I have a 7kw wall charger but it is not used very much.

[@kardy12]

@@mikeydude750 Not really - we use a communal car park that does not have designated parking, but the bottom two levels of the car park have chargers at every parking space. Similar facilities are being built across the UK. Many towns are rolling out kerbside charging facilities for people who park on the street as well. So the opportunities are getting better, though it obviously takes time.

[@mikeydude750]

@@kardy12 Chargers at /every/ parking space? That's gotta be super expensive.

[@kardy12]

@@mikeydude750 Why do you think 7kW chargers are expensive? You can get one installed on a house for a few hundred pounds, and an established operator can buy them in bulk.

[@salacarh]

Thanks for posting, I learned a lot today..

[@mattwolters7030]

Very useful information. Thanks for explaining how all this works.

[@nomenetasaili8598]

Came here to see hoa many amps needed. Left with a whole lotta of usefual information to boot. Thanks a lot.

[@user-ff8ju1ee9b]

Great video Tom, I especially like the charging chart.

[@rockycata6078]

In 1988, I expected to have a home/office data-center, so had 300A service installed with 2 panels. It was a new service so added about $1200 for the added amps. Most homes are 150-200A. Good call, about doing higher gauge wiring and industrial sockets. One solid run of wire from the breaker/fuse box to the charger is best since every connection is a unbalanced load that produces heat. Stay safe, and stay charged.

[@kl5090]

Excellent presentation! Thank you.

[@Lovetoflyeast]

Thank you for the best informative video with simple language on ev. great work

[@martiruda]

this should be printed of everywhere, it applies to no only EVs but pretty much all

[@1979benjohnson]

Brilliantly helpful video. Big thanks!

[@stevevansak7324]

I preordered a Volvo EX 30 for my first-ever EV. I’m trying to educate myself ahead of time and figure out what charger will work best for that vehicle as well as my home. Thanks for making these! I’m saving them to a playlist for the 2024 delivery.

[@whattheschmidt]

Well said and thought out, great information. I did a service upgrade when I installed solar and put my old 100 amp panel in the garage as my subpanel! Garage is set for this century :)

[@pinballdan]

Using your old panel as a subpanel is pure genius that is awesome

[@EV-Darryl]

Great video Tom, really appreciated. Stay safe.

[@marccracchiolo4935]

Great presentation thanks for taking the time to educate us because this is coming soon. Can you do a video on the in floor induction charging where you park your car over the charger? These have such potential to simplify home charging

[@Mvendrel]

Fantastic for beginners or for refresh!!!

[@TrainsFerriesFeet]

Tom, this is an excellent video for EV novices or 1st time home charging people.

[@AdventuresInTheSky]

Every new EV owner should be watching this one.

[@chuckkennedy6553]

Such a good primer. Thanks.

[@johnbolwell7043]

Thanks for this video, Yes you are correct, I am watching this because I am new to E.V's Here in the UK, we are quite slow in the uptake of E.V's. I have gained a lot of info from this. Thanks. USA. Our friends.

[@DCPHONEGUY]

A really great video, very informative and well explained.

[@michaelsanders2822]

Tom this is the best video I have seen on this topic for new users.

[@davidshinn9016]

Very informative.. Especially about future proofing and the Industrial grade receptacle

[@Av-fn5wx]

One of the most informative vdeos on this topic!!

[@bigboobtube2980]

As usual great info… thanks so much

[@beautyofgrace3915]

I’m getting an ev soon, I needed this thanks Tom

[@rose415]

TY, from an earlier video I took the suggestion and got a 32amp charger. Works fine and nothing gets hot.