Should I correct my 110v situation in the garage or just add a 220v line for a Level 2 Charger?

I would suggest running a dedicated 120 outlet, but use wires that could go 220V at 30 amps. That way if you find a need for 220 down the road, only connections need to be changed.

 

If you were to use the timer function to charge at night, say in the wee small hours, then the dryer wouldn't be running. Then you wouldn't have to spend any money at all, right? Toyota does suggest a dedicated circuit, but from what I read in your post, the only conflict would be if you are trying to charge and also dry clothes. OTOH, if you were spending the money to get 220v, the dryer would probably benefit by working more efficiently and finishing a load in a lot less time, so you would be killing two birds with one stone. Not sure about the tax situation.

 

grkmalaka
Something I missed the first time I read the manual is the timer on the PIP is has two functions a start and charge until full time function and a end time full function. So if you use the end timer the PIP sorts out what time it needs to start to accomplish a full charge, and then starts at that time. The two functions are independent of one and other.

 

Exactly

SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 ?

 

The timer will assume the EV battery is without any charge left. If you set it to end at 6AM, it will start about 3AM. It doesn't take into account how much charge is in the battery when starting to charge. Only that it needs about 3 hours to complete the charge.

Mine usually takes 2 hours and 20 minutes to complete charging from empty.

 

I also have the dryer and washer on the same circuit in my garage. When I first purchased my PiP, I decided to do absolutely nothing in terms of changing my electricity rates, buying a new EVSE, or rewiring. I'll just charge at night when there is no interference with washing or drying clothes.

I suggest you do the same. So that you know what costs are involved with a couple months I actual usage.

I found out my increased cost of electricity was roughly equal to the cost of using gasoline in the vehicle instead. This meant any additional cost on plugging in the vehicle is a direct added cost. I changed my electricity rate plan to offset cost a little but the math still said I saved $100 a year using electricity. The cost for a 220V EVSE Is just too high. I plan to upgrade or rewire when they come down in price. I believe the tax credit ended last December.


iPhone ?

 

My electric bill actually went down significantly when I got the PiP. Two reasons:

1) I changed to a time-of-use electric rate plan, and charge in the middle of the night. I also try to run the dish washer and electric clothes drier during the cheaper off-peak time whenever practical.

2) I used a Kill-a-watt and found and eliminated a bunch of "vampire" devices that were each pulling a few watts 24/7.

 

I apologize for assuming that just because you mentioned a dryer on the 110 circuit that it was all electric- my bad. Was that extra EVSE cord expensive? A second done would be handy to have, but they were pretty pricey before.

 

I think the cost of a 240 line would be very close to the cost of a 120 line. The only real difference is the gauge (and therefore cost) of the wire.

 

The gauge wouldn't change for the same current capacity, but a 240 V circuit has four wires instead of three. Both 120 and 240 use black (live), white (neutral) and bare copper (ground); the 240 circuit has an additional red (live) wire.

 

Incorrect. 240V devices do not necessarily need neutral. Some devices use neutral as well to run a secondary low-voltage internal supply or offer both 120V and 240V downstream outlets. L2 EVSE's are pure 240V (or 208V) devices and do not need neutral. Some use a NEMA 14-50 plug which has neutral (though they may not actually use it internally), just to be cross-compatible with modern dryer outlets and RV parks. Plenty of others use a NEMA 6-50, which does not have neutral.

Many people "convert" a 120V 20A circuit to a 240V 20A circuit by moving (and relabeling) the neutral wire in the breaker box to a 2-pole breaker, and then change the outlet type on the other side. Perfectly valid for a pure 240V device.

 

If you're thinking of the federal tax credit for EV charging equipment, that expired at the end of 2013.

 

Agreed for the Level 2 chargers - I was thinking of appliance circuits, which use the 240V for heating elements but also need 120V for fans, lights, etc. In the OP's case, if the new circuit would be used only for charging the car it could be run as 120V and switched later to 240V, as you describe.

 

I had a house at one point that was built in the 1950's, and most of the wiring was cloth insulation.

I ended up rewiring the entire house and updating the fuse box to current codes.

Not sure where you are and what type of wiring, but having a certified electrician scope it out would be well worth the $.

When having electrician install separate 120v gfi outlet in current house garage 2 years ago for Pip, (built in 80's), had them use wire gauge that would handle 240v if we ever decided to go that route, which we did in December. Same electrician used and we had space in our fusebox for the 240 breaker.

Good luck,

Bill

 

I think it would be worthwhile getting the level 2 charger installed if you can. You never know when you'll appreciate a 90 minute charge time.

 

Time of use is expensive when you need to run air conditioning during the day.