I tried charging an EV at home and it was a shock I wasn't expecting

[pm2000]

reading all these articles about how difficult it is to charge an EV at home is silly. The details of how hard it is for a 220 - 240 v service shows a complete level of ignorance regarding what a basic home includes. Do these authors know that every home already has several 220 - 240 volt appliances such as a stove, dryer, water heaters, and air conditioners. In most cases you need an electrician to add another outlet. Whether a permit is needed or not is just another regular day for them.

Imagine if a slew of articles cropped up dismaying how difficult life if using a 120 volt hot plate vs a regular electric range. Quit playing into the petro lovers and lets move forward.

Lastly, most EV's come with a 220- 240 charger. Some even allow both voltage settings like the Ford Mustangs.

 

[vadertime]

Everybody who follows EVs and does a smidge of research knows there are 3 levels of charging: Level 1, 120v household outlet. Level 2, which is 240 volts. Finally, level 3 which is DC supercharging, unlike the first 2 which are AC charging. Also, DC supercharging is not available for home installation. It is available in commercial, municipal areas as well as rest stops.

 

[john_velasco]

The level onr charger that's comes with the Ioniq 6 is terrible the default setting is very low amps. If you change the setting you will get closer to 60 miles over night which is much more like what you'd need for a daily commute. I love my Ioniq 6. There are some really great deals on level 2 chargers all the time.

I realized this after my testing once I experienced another EV, the Kia EV9, constantly tripping the outlet. I suspect that the Ioniq 6 would've charge faster at a higher current.

 

[john_velasco]

What did you expect? Treat the domestic plug in as an emergency only. 120V is barely adequate to charge an iPhone.
A dedicated home charger will fill your battery overnight and should be factored in when you buy the car unless you are lucky enough to have one at home already.

I agree about getting a Level 2 charger installed, but for those who don't want the extra cost (plus permit in some instances), they might lean on Level 1 charging instead. If it charges enough to get you through your normal commute, then why not stick with it if it means less out of pocket cost?

 

[RandySK]

The level onr charger that's comes with the Ioniq 6 is terrible the default setting is very low amps. If you change the setting you will get closer to 60 miles over night which is much more like what you'd need for a daily commute. I love my Ioniq 6. There are some really great deals on level 2 chargers all the time.

Exactly. I have an Ioniq 6 and that 120v outlet cable was uselesss. I had a ChargePoint level 2 charger installed and I get about 11% charge per hour. It's not the 1% per minute you can get at a high power Volta charger, but it's fine for home. You can definitely get a full charge overnight, regardless of what level you were at.

 

[Dekenba]

Manufacturers make it very clear that the cable plus domestic plug route is for emergency use only, it's not suitable for long term usage.

One big advantage of home charging - even though it's slower - is the very cheap rates available for overnight charging. I pay around 5p/kWh, so my 64kWh Kona charges to 100% from empty for around £5. I only use super chargers when I'm away from home, but the 320 mile range makes that very rare.

I'd never rely upon 120v charging, it's fine for emergency, but a deal breaker as your "normal" use.

 

[john_velasco]

This should not have been a shock. Level 1 charging can work if you have a short commute and if your charge every night to replace the miles you drove that day. Otherwise, you need a Level 2 charger. I have a Bolt EUV. GM gave me a $1,000 credit toward having a Level 2 charger installed (or more accurately, the outlet for it) in my garage. The credit fully covered the cost. I live in an old house and the best we could do was a 20 amp dedicated circuit. So I bought a 16 amp Level 2 charger and I have no complaints about charging overnight.

Good to know it covered the cost. Was there an additional cost for a permit?

 

[john_velasco]

Good to know. I think for the new

Level 1 is not shocking that it's slow. It should only be used for when you really really need to add a few miles.. Whether it be an emergency or just a small commute
If you're going to buy an EV, you should really invest in a level 2 charger as well. Also, check local incentives. My city was offering a rebate at the time and I ended up paying $0 for the charger and installation. They covered the permit cost as well. Some car companies also cover installation as well and I could have also went with GMs offer if I had to

This would be the next step. I'd be curious what the buying experience is like at dealerships. For example, do they educate shoppers on small details like charging speeds.

 

[john_velasco]

If you can charge at home you should and it should always be done with a Level 2 EVSE. If you can afford to buy the car you can afford to put in a proper EVSE. It's not expensive. My electrician charged me $750 to run a 60A 240V line and hook up my 11KW Tesla EVSE. That's the same as the optional paint colors for a Tesla.
Unless you have no means of charging at home you should never use Superchargers as your primary means of charging, those are for road trips. It's bad for the battery and it's a huge waste of time. It's not just the time it takes to charge, it's the time it takes to get to and from the Supercharger. Plugging in at home is the biggest benefit of owning an EV because it only takes 10 seconds of your time, there is no weekly gas station trip. Going to a Supercharger for your weekly charge is worse because there are fewer of them so they are not as likely to be conveniently located as your local gas station.

I agree about charging at home the majority of time. You also make a good point about traveling to/from a supercharger, that's extra waste that drivers could be saving (unless in dire circumstances)