Beach rental property destination charger

[chlore]

Now that it is the off season I was thinking of upgrading a beach rental property with destination charging. As it is beachfront, are there any best practices, issues or recommendations? I want to make it as easy as possible for the renter while at the same time providing a level of protection to the wand/charge station against sand/salt spray. The obvious answer is "in the garage" however the house is on stilts: open underneath for parking with a middle stair/mudroom/storage. A built in/on "charge closet" (~2'x2'x7') is my best idea so far should I go the home charger route.
Alternatively an external 14-50R RV/HotTub connection in a 2'x2'x2' may be the way to go. This way the installer never sees the words TESLA or EV and it is a BYOC for the renter... (But I really like the convience of just plugging in with my home charger.)

Has anyone tried this? If so how did the charging wand hold up (for a Tesla home charger)?
- chlore

 

[srs5694]

Most EVs don't come with 240v EVSEs, so a 240v plug (NEMA 14-50 or whatever) will be useful mainly to Tesla owners, not to owners of Chevy Bolts, Hyundai Konas, etc. Even Tesla has stopped shipping the NEMA 14-50 plug recently, so many Tesla owners would be unable to use the NEMA 14-50 outlet unless they planned ahead and bought an adapter. Nissan has started providing NEMA 14-50 EVSEs, but only with their top-of-the-line Leaf trims. For this reason, the best option (ignoring price) would be a J1772 EVSE. Every EV currently on the market can use one of these. Given the environment, I'd suggest either one with a NEMA 4 enclosure (like a Clipper Creek or JuiceBox) or a unit with a lesser enclosure, but housed in a separate NEMA 4 equipment box. (NEMA 4 is a weather-proofing rating for electrical equipment. NEMA 3R is mostly OK for outside use, and Tesla's own Wall Connector carries a NEMA 3R rating; but NEMA 4 goes a little bit further.) Using a separate NEMA 4 equipment box has the advantage that you could keep the cable and J1772 handle in the NEMA 4 enclosure. If only the main box is rated for NEMA 4, the handle could suffer corrosion over time. Some EVSEs come with holsters that offer decent weather protection, but AFAIK none are NEMA rated. (The Clipper Creek holster is pretty deep, for instance.) You might want to ask the advice of a local electrician, who's likely familiar with what the local weather does to outdoor electrical equipment.

Of course, my "ignoring price" caveat is important. It'll cost about $500 more to install a J1772 EVSE than to install a NEMA 14-50 outlet. I'm skeptical that you'd earn that price back from increased rentals in a reasonable period of time, but I could be wrong about that.

 

[Electric700]

This ChargePoint J1772 unit seems to be a good option:

ChargePoint Home Flex | ChargePoint

It appears the connector would be well protected from rain, sand, etc.

 

[srs5694]

This ChargePoint J1772 unit seems to be a good option:

ChargePoint Home Flex | ChargePoint

It appears the connector would be well protected from rain, sand, etc.

Note that one has a NEMA 3R enclosure. That may be OK, but as I wrote, NEMA 4 provides even more protection, which may be worthwhile in the seaside environment -- but check with a local electrician.

 

[chlore]

Thank you for the input. I could run the ChargePoint off the NEMA 14-50 which would allow for future flexibility, and/or reduced replacement/repair of the charger. This would also provide for the off season option of unpluging the charger and storing upstairs, depending on the mounting arrangment.

I expect having destination charging will be one of the amenities (like having an open kitchen) that many rentals will have to have just to compete at the upper mid-levels. The risk is minimal spending on something that, in a few seasons, will be a much desired (if not required) ammenity in the largest tenant demographic.

-chlore

 

[cch1]

Thank you for the input. I could run the ChargePoint off the NEMA 14-50 which would allow for future flexibility, and/or reduced replacement/repair of the charger. This would also provide for the off season option of unpluging the charger and storing upstairs, depending on the mounting arrangment.

I expect having destination charging will be one of the amenities (like having an open kitchen) that many rentals will have to have just to compete at the upper mid-levels. The risk is minimal spending on something that, in a few seasons, will be a much desired (if not required) ammenity in the largest tenant demographic.

-chlore

Agreed! I spent a week at Emerald Isle this summer, as I have for the past 40 years, and this time charging my Tesla was a concern. I managed to get by with a standard 110V feed, but only because others in my party could handle a lot of the driving. By the end of my week, there was enough juice to get to Rocky Mount.

 

[MaryAnning3]

Well for just Teslas the wall mounted connector with 30 or 40 amp capacity is very convenient and does fine outside in coastal california. For a more versatile ev charger, yes, maybe the J1772 as others mentioned.

 

[ReddykwRun]

Now that it is the off season I was thinking of upgrading a beach rental property with destination charging. As it is beachfront, are there any best practices, issues or recommendations? I want to make it as easy as possible for the renter while at the same time providing a level of protection to the wand/charge station against sand/salt spray. The obvious answer is "in the garage" however the house is on stilts: open underneath for parking with a middle stair/mudroom/storage. A built in/on "charge closet" (~2'x2'x7') is my best idea so far should I go the home charger route.
Alternatively an external 14-50R RV/HotTub connection in a 2'x2'x2' may be the way to go. This way the installer never sees the words TESLA or EV and it is a BYOC for the renter... (But I really like the convience of just plugging in with my home charger.)

Has anyone tried this? If so how did the charging wand hold up (for a Tesla home charger)?
- chlore

I also live near the beach, Gulf Of Mexico, and salt spray is very corrosive. Have you considered a Polycarbonate electrical enclosure? I agree the 14-50 plug mounted inside a poly case that is labeled as such is the easy route and advertise to your potential guest that the plug is available and to bring their own adaptor. Or go big time and mount a HPWC inside an appropriately sized enclosure and with the door open notch out a segment on the bottom of the enclosure to allow the power cords to hang down and then close the door. To seal the gap at the bottom use pipe insulation or pool noodle material wrapped around the two cords to keep the wind blown dust/salt/sand out of the enclosure. Some polycarbonate boxes have clear doors with two snaps on the side to secure the door.

Polycase

 

[McMoo]

Juicebox pro is likely better than chargepoint due to weather rating and also being slightly cheaper. I’m not seeing the hardwired 40 amp anywhere (it’s what my parents have) I’m only seeing the 40 amp with the 14-50 plug. The 32 amp hardwired is available.

Update - Hardwired available here.
https://evcharging.enelx.com/store/...wkGNEvO8vgq6st2YLlidoJXBvhtyC2CIaAsxnEALw_wcB

 

[user212_nr]

As it is beachfront, are there any best practices, issues or recommendations? I want to make it as easy as possible for the renter while at the same time providing a level of protection to the wand/charge station against sand/salt spray.

You will probably have to replace whatever you put there sooner than you otherwise would. If you are not ready for that, just put the outlet.

The charge stations are covered in plastic, they should be protected as much as they can be already. Just need to protect the charging end.

Also, if the house is on stilts, you could put the charger in the house and make a hole in the floor for the charge cable.

 

[Rocky_H]

Also, if the house is on stilts, you could put the charger in the house and make a hole in the floor for the charge cable.

I can hear the sirens of the NEC police coming to take you away.

 

[user212_nr]

I can hear the sirens of the NEC police coming to take you away.

Or maybe just need to enclose the 24' cable in PVC conduit...

In any case, the OP is probably overthinking it. Just cover the charge end and let the unit get hit with the salt mist and buy a new one when it breaks (8-10 years maybe).

 

[woodguyatl]

Now that it is the off season I was thinking of upgrading a beach rental property with destination charging. As it is beachfront, are there any best practices, issues or recommendations? I want to make it as easy as possible for the renter while at the same time providing a level of protection to the wand/charge station against sand/salt spray. The obvious answer is "in the garage" however the house is on stilts: open underneath for parking with a middle stair/mudroom/storage. A built in/on "charge closet" (~2'x2'x7') is my best idea so far should I go the home charger route.
Alternatively an external 14-50R RV/HotTub connection in a 2'x2'x2' may be the way to go. This way the installer never sees the words TESLA or EV and it is a BYOC for the renter... (But I really like the convience of just plugging in with my home charger.)

Has anyone tried this? If so how did the charging wand hold up (for a Tesla home charger)?
- chlore

I got lucky on this front. I have a high-end beach rental. Last winter a recently retired CEO rented it for 2 months and asked if I would install a Tesla HPWC if he reimbursed me for the expense. I had already run power downstairs during construction to accommodate an oven so it only cost $1000 including the equipment but it was reimbursed in any case.

I have listed it as part of the property and while I can't say that it has caused rentals, I can say that several people have mentioned in reviews as a great feature.

 

[Kevy Baby]

There's a group of 5-6 couples that takes a couple of destination trips a year and we rent houses (Palm Springs and Joshua Tree). Two of us have M3s and would definitely appreciate and + the consideration of a place with L2 charging.