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Sanity check on L2 charger

Discussion in 'Prime Plug-in Charging' started by PerryD, Apr 13, 2022.

  1. PerryD

    PerryD Junior Member

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    I have a security light on a pole by my driveway, and my local electric company said it'd be fine to drop a connection off of it into a standalone socket, on a separate meter. I'm planning on buying a Level 2 EVSE such as the Lectron line to plug into the socket.

    There's no discount on the rate (it is currently 14.6ยข / kWh), but the electric company said they'd do the hookup at no charge. My startup cost is just the riser with the socket under a weatherproof hood, a few brackets, the EVSE, and an electrician for a few hours. There's a $10/month charge for the meter, unfortunately.

    Anything I'm missing or misunderstanding?
     
    #1 PerryD, Apr 13, 2022
  2. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    #2 Salamander_King, Apr 13, 2022
  3. PerryD

    PerryD Junior Member

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    The security light and pole are relatively far from the house, and we want to mount the EVSE at the pole. A side benefit is that I'm all set with a meter socket if the town offers a separate rate for EV charging.

    I'm in a small town with a small electric company, the engineer I'm working with is psyched as no one has asked to do this sort of thing yet in town (he also is the guy who approves the plans, so that's a plus).

    [edit] I don't have 240V service in the house currently, and it'd be a significant cost to set one up, according to my electrician. The pole already has 240V service and the electric company is willing to tie into it at no charge. I still have to pay my electrician but it's a much simpler (and shorter) job.
     
    #3 PerryD, Apr 13, 2022
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  4. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    Got it. Sound like a good plan. Yeah, a separate meter might come in handy if you want to rent out the charger to other EV owners.
     
    #4 Salamander_King, Apr 13, 2022
  5. bisco

    bisco cookie crumbler

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    will the evse be safe?
     
    #5 bisco, Apr 13, 2022
  6. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    wouldn't it be easier to set it up as a public charge point so you don't have to bear the cost and place your equipment at risk. The city/township can claim that it's part of their new green initiative and maintain low charging fees; ekk out a small profit. Win win all the way around; politicians love taking credit for this kind of crap.
     
    #6 BiomedO1, Apr 13, 2022
  7. PerryD

    PerryD Junior Member

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    We're pretty private people and would not take well to folks plugging in at the end of our drive :^)

    The own's doing great with EV, we have eight chargers scattered around town right now, and there are more on the way. About half are set to free service.
     
    #7 PerryD, Apr 14, 2022
  8. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    Sorry, didn't realize it was at the end of your drive.
    Public lamp post out here are located on the sidewalk; usually on the property line - between houses. Usually, half the distance between drive ways. ;)
     
    #8 BiomedO1, Apr 14, 2022
  9. PerryD

    PerryD Junior Member

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    An update, the quotes from local electricians to install at the pole were absurd, $2k+ to mount a socket on a board. The meter socket is about $600 of that price.

    I opted to instead pull a 20A line from the house panel and mount the plug on the side of the house. It's still ~$800. I'm buying a Lectron 16A charger to plug into it. This doesn't future-proof the install, but I don't intend to buy another EV for the next few years, and price is a factor.
     
    #9 PerryD, May 12, 2022
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  10. Salamander_King

    Salamander_King Senior Member

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    I can sympathize with you. A quote I got from an electrician years ago to put a 240V outlet in our garage was ~$10K. Needless to say, I have not installed an L2 charger for my PP. But, I do have an L2 charger already. It was on special discount and with the local utility rebate, was 50% off. Tried using it once with an extension cord and adaptor to our dryer plug. It works... but the setup is too cumbersome to be used as a permanent solution.
     
    #10 Salamander_King, May 12, 2022
  11. BiomedO1

    BiomedO1 Senior Member

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    I'm not sure your aware; but your OEM charger is 110-240VAC auto-switch compatible. You just need to create a NEMA 6-20p to 5-20s adapter pigtail. I'm assuming your electrician is installing a NEMA 6-20 socket w/outdoor weatherproof outlet cover.

    But if you insist on buying a secondary charge plug. https://www.napaonline.com/en/search?text=schumacher%20ev%20charger&referer=v2 These are ship to store or your home - good till the EOM.
     
    #11 BiomedO1, May 12, 2022
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  12. jerrymildred

    jerrymildred Senior Member

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    That's insane!!! Meter sockets cost under $100 unless you're getting something huge and industrial.

    Good thinking. ;) But you said in an edit to the OP that your house doesn't have 240V. (Which I thought was very strange, btw. o_O)
     
    #12 jerrymildred, Jun 1, 2022
  13. Dennis_MA

    Dennis_MA Active Member

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    In my case, I was able to get a 240V outlet installed in my garage for $1,000. I purchased a JuiceBox Charger for $500. My state rebate for my first Prime of $1,500 covered everything.
     
    #13 Dennis_MA, Jun 1, 2022
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