Nervous with charger + extension cord ...add 110V line?

[TonySpice]

Discovered the driveway side of my SFH didn't have an outlet after I picked up my FFE - weirdly every other side does!!!

Based on reco's here, have been using a 25' extension cord run under garage door with the standard FFE charger. Seems to work good, cable/plug is cold but I'm still a little nervous.

Got estimate from an electrician to add new 60' 12ga 110v line from breaker to outside wall. Clear run in empty basement, needs to drill hole in wall and add gfi outlet with cover - $300 (labor, wire, breaker, outlet etc included). You guys think that's OK? Never really had electrical work done before.

He wants $600 more to add a 240v in parallel to it using 10ga which I could use potentially for an L2 charger because I have no spare slots on existing.

 

[WattsUp]

Question: You're not parking your brand-new FFE inside the garage? You're parking it outside in the elements?

 

[davideos]

I ran a 50 ft line from my breaker to the other side of my garage for 240v 40a. The wire alone was $100. The 40a breaker was $50 and the receptacle, conduit, and other incidentals were another $75. With that said, $600 seems a little high for $240v line; especially since it is in addition to a new $120 line to the same location. $150 seems reasonable for 120...20a line, and $500 would seem OK for both. However, every situation is different. If you needed a service panel upgrade and the $600 included that, then that may be a reasonable price.

 

[az erik]

But you're also paying the electrician for his skills and insurance. That's usually a 30% to %50 increase for a professional. Part's he's getting at 1/2 what you would pay from a retail outlet.

I honestly would run the cord and put down some of this wire holder things they use in offices. The 1400 watts you're getting from the L1 charger isn't going to heat up the wire enough to do anything. The 15 amp breaker that the L1's plugged into will flip, or the GFCI will flip well before that cord does anything.

 

[davideos]

Actually, when I consider the cost of labor, I double the material cost. I suppose I should have mentioned that. So for 240, with $225 worth of parts, I'd expect to pay $450 total for the job...as an estimate or rule of thumb. Obviously, get a few quotes. If you do it yourself, be sure to know / have reference to / or know someone who knows the electrical code. Sometime electrical wiring seems obvious, but I've seen many people do it wrong who think they know what they are doing. Get a permit too. If you did both the 240 and the 120, you could save costs and time by sharing the conduit; however, make sure you get a large enough conduit to house both runs.

As for heat...I plug in at work (120V), and when I find myself disconnecting just after it finishes charging, the plug on my Ford charger is quite warm. You might be fine running an extension cord, but get a heavy guage one....I'd get a 12guage extension and then monitor the outlets and plugs for heat. This could be an indication of a resistive contact due to being undersized or excessive wear. You could get by with a 14guage extension cord if the run to the breaker isn't too excessive and the breaker is rated at 15A. You won't necessarily get too much heat, but you could get a voltage drop and the charger could get a fault.

 

[TonySpice]

Thanks for the feedback guys.

WhatsUp ...you feel the car shouldn't be exposed to the climate? Admittedly I'm in NJ which is very soon about to turn cold ... but generally I always park on the driveway. Is there some additional headache with EV's that necessitate them being garaged over winter?

 

[WattsUp]

WhatsUp ...you feel the car shouldn't be exposed to the climate? Admittedly I'm in NJ which is very soon about to turn cold ... but generally I always park on the driveway. Is there some additional headache with EV's that necessitate them being garaged over winter?

It's not the you "can't" or "shouldn't" park outside. It just that if you can park in a garage, I was wondering why you wouldn't? If your garage is generally warmer/cooler than outside, it would mean less stress on the battery and/or cooling/heating systems of the FFE. In general, to help maintain battery performance and longevity, one should keep their EV out of extremes (hot or cold) as much as possible. Park indoors when it is freezing outside, park in the shade when its sunny, etc..

I immediately kicked my ICE car out of the garage to park the FFE there full time. That might also have something to do with the fact the FFE was the new car.

 

[TonySpice]

WhatsUp ...you feel the car shouldn't be exposed to the climate? Admittedly I'm in NJ which is very soon about to turn cold ... but generally I always park on the driveway. Is there some additional headache with EV's that necessitate them being garaged over winter?

It's not the you "can't" or "shouldn't" park outside. It just that if you can park in a garage, I was wondering why you wouldn't? If your garage is generally warmer/cooler than outside, it would mean less stress on the battery and/or cooling/heating systems of the FFE. In general, to help maintain battery performance and longevity, one should keep their EV out of extremes (hot or cold) as much as possible. Park indoors when it is freezing outside, park in the shade when its sunny, etc..

I immediately kicked my ICE car out of the garage to park the FFE there full time. That might also have something to do with the fact the FFE was the new car.

Got it.

Unfortunately the "commander-in-chief" has a 3500 lb ICE minivan parked in there during winter so the kids don't get cold on the way to school and since one half is used for lawn equipment I am, alas, relegated to the driveway regardless of model, make or age of car!