EVSE purchase & installation in 2017

Update - I just had my JuiceBox 40 installed yesterday. Love it!!! @DavidA my JuiceBox J1772 isn't at all difficult to get into the charging port. Of course it could be that one unit you have, though you mentioned that even your second unit is a little tough to get seated. This doesn't seem to me, to be normal.

 

Fun using the faster method, ain't it? My JB40 is still a little difficult to push in. Might be that it is just wearing, or that the weather is getting cooler. I haven't tried the suggested silicone spray yet, though I might, as I have some of that from the 90's (doesn't ever go bad). The blue handle on the OEM 120v still fits in waaaay easier, but at 5.5 hrs vs. 2:05, I'll keep using the JB.

 

Great job. Nice logical layout.

 

@Tideland Prius Sticky that link. please.

 

So let me get this straight... If I were to buy the JuiceBox 40P, I would need to hire an electrician to add in a 240V 50A circuit to my garage before I could use it, correct?

In my area that will run me about $350 including labor... so altogether it will be about $1k to do this upgrade. Is the decreased charge time worth that investment?

 

I don't know much about electricity, so please pardon my ignorance.

1) If the Juicebox charger itself is 40A, would I not need a breaker that is more? That is why I thought of 50A.

2) How do you go about getting a rebate? Do you need to have them add a separate meter?

 

if by 40 amp, you're referring to the breaker, then yeah, it'd mean the evse's max capable delivery would be 30 amps ie; 7.2kW's .... ~double the Prime's 3.6kW's capable of receiving.
.

 

yes - that seems to be a capability of many evse's. It's always worth pulling oversized wiring as a way to futureproof for the growing capabilities of plugin's. We just picked up an EVSE capable of delivering 19.2kWs ... new, for $300!! Running full power, that'd require a minimum of #4 wire. Fortunately, the charger built into our plugin - (capable of receiving almost 17.3kW's) is manually adjustable - so we can throttle its charge rate down as low as 5amps, in 1amp increments. We'll never need to charge faster than 45/50 amps, so that only requires a 60amp breaker & 6 gauge wire. Economy thinking AND Future proofing. Pic's coming once install is complete.

.

 

EVSE discounts / rebates / credits depend on where you live. For instance, three years ago I received an Oregon state tax credit for my installation. In other locations the rebate might be from a local electric utility. I seem to remember several years ago some area in California offered multiple deals that could be added together!

 

So true. we installed our Aerovironment EVSE in 2010. They told us it was the 1st one in orange county. We didn't even have our plug-in yet, not for another 4 months! SoCal Edison was paying for ½ the install & equipment cost. Knowing about incentives, of course Aerovironment jacked their prices up Sky High. Back then, they were the only game in town, so they had us by the shorts so-to-speak.

Reading the instructions on this unit I'm installing right now, I see it can be daisy-chained together with 3 other high-power EVSE's. Wired into a 100 amp breaker, the most power any one EVSE could deliver would be 25kW, presuming 4 cars were charging simultaneously .... or 2 cars could receive 50kW.
I'm not regularly wiring such heavy duty stuff. I must say - looking at this number 2 wire, virtually the same size as my pinky finger, it's sort of blows me away.


.

 

Above EDIT;
oops ... went stupid when I did my math yesterday. Long day. Maximum 4 cars would be 4.5KW one car 19.2kW & so forth. Sorry.

 

Well.... Apparently, the discontinued 2017 EVSE installation credits for a 30% tax rebate... IS BACK! Electrek had the article yesterday, and I'll link it here.

Bought an EVSE and hired an electrician to install some or part of it in 2017 and thought you were S.O.L. for the rebate that ended at the end of 2016? Wait for a revision of form 8911 and get your receipts in order. Filed already without 8911? Talk to your accountant.

 

So stupid they did it retroactively.