Charging 220v or 110

[user212_nr]

I traveled about 30 to 40 miles a day except for Saturday. Saturday probably 100 miles. Questions is what is the best alternative to charge my car. Charge my car Monday to Saturday to 90% using 110v and crank it up 100% on Sunday using the 220v or charge 90% up 3 times a week using the 220 volt?

So the proper way to charge is to use a 240v outlet, all the time. Charge to 90% or less.

Keeping your car charging all the time lowers you "depth of charge" metric.

 

[M3BlueGeorgia]

Get a 14-50 installed to future proof. You may come home late from a road trip and have to work the next day. Instead of dropping into a SuC. You just plug in and go to bed. It will make life easier when you do need that extra bit of top up to ensure 70/80/90% in the morning.

Or when you're just dropping home for a hour or two. Getting 47km (30mi) per hour is way better than 7km(5mi) per hour.

Sounds like he already has a 240v/30A dryer plug he could use. Given that, I'm not sure what issue he is asking us to help resolve?

 

[mmiketa]

Read the text, then post. 110V and 220V were real standards in the US, the better part of a century ago. These days, it's all 120V and 240V instead - but for some reason a lot of folks still call it 110V and 220V.

They really are the same thing, because of how your power fluctuates from the utility you can have 110 at your outlet because you get 120 ±10% . Nameplates on equipment still list 110V or 220V. I'm only 28, so I don't know about this old standard but I'll tell you that 110V and 120V are used synonymously and are not incorrect.

He said 110 and 220 are obsolete, not 120 and 240. They aren't the same thing despite many people getting them confused.

I mean...they really are though.

 

[Kirby64]

They really are the same thing, because of how your power fluctuates from the utility you can have 110 at your outlet because you get 120 ±10% . Nameplates on equipment still list 110V or 220V. I'm only 28, so I don't know about this old standard but I'll tell you that 110V and 120V are used synonymously and are not incorrect.



I mean...they really are though.

Yes, 120V +/-10% does mean 110V is technically within that margin. That doesn't mean it's the same thing, though. If you measure voltage at a wall outlet, it's almost always going to 120V unloaded, not 110V, unless you have some messed up wiring or are in a really far away place from the local distribution area.

110V is from the days of when Tesla (funny, no?) was originally generating power. Ultimately it hasn't really existed ever in any of our lifetimes. It's just a holdover like the same reason we use floppy disks as the 'Save' icon on computers. Here's a topic on where 110V came from: 110v vs 120v ?

 

[mmiketa]

They really are the same thing, because of how your power fluctuates from the utility you can have 110 at your outlet. Nameplates on equipment still list 110V or 220V. I'm only 28, so I don't know about this old standard but I'll tell you that 110V and 120V are used synonymously and are not incorrect.

Yes, 120V +/-10% does mean 110V is technically within that margin. That doesn't mean it's the same thing, though. If you measure voltage at a wall outlet, it's almost always going to 120V unloaded, not 110V, unless you have some messed up wiring or are in a really far away place from the local distribution area.

110V is from the days of when Tesla (funny, no?) was originally generating power. Ultimately it hasn't really existed ever in any of our lifetimes. It's just a holdover like the same reason we use floppy disks as the 'Save' icon on computers. Here's a topic on where 110V came from: 110v vs 120v ?

My point being, nowadays it is synonymous. Whatever the reasoning, which I saw making lights brighter as the reason it went from 100V to 120V, if somone says 110V today they are not wrong and everyone knows what they are talking about. Look at power tools for example, all of them will tell you they're rated 110V. The post I originally quoted, while technically correct only serves to confuse the general public more so than they might already be when trying to figure out how to charge their car.

Long story short, Saghost is not wrong but I still disagree with his comment.

 

[Kirby64]

My point being, nowadays it is synonymous. Whatever the reasoning, which I saw making lights brighter as the reason it went from 100V to 120V, if somone says 110V today they are not wrong and everyone knows what they are talking about. Look at power tools for example, all of them will tell you they're rated 110V. The post I originally quoted, while technically correct only serves to confuse the general public more so than they might already be when trying to figure out how to charge their car.

Long story short, Saghost is not wrong but I still disagree with his comment.

Sure, most power tools are rated for 110V... but pretty much all 'global' (240V compatible as well) are labeled for 100-240V though. That just means if I bring these to the Caribbean or wherever the voltage is only 110V nominal, they'll still work.

At the end of the day, the voltages aren't really what matters though. For charging a car, you care about the outlet you're using (NEMA 5-15, 5-20, 14-50, etc etc). Which outlet you use dictates what voltage and current you have available. 110 or 120 or 220 or 240, it all just changes what power you can push into the car... and ultimately doesn't change recommendations on outlet selection.

 

[derotam]

My point being, nowadays it is synonymous. Whatever the reasoning, which I saw making lights brighter as the reason it went from 100V to 120V, if somone says 110V today they are not wrong and everyone knows what they are talking about. Look at power tools for example, all of them will tell you they're rated 110V. The post I originally quoted, while technically correct only serves to confuse the general public more so than they might already be when trying to figure out how to charge their car.

Long story short, Saghost is not wrong but I still disagree with his comment.

Just because everyone knows what someone means when they say 110v doesn't make that someone not wrong.

Saghost corrected your technically incorrect statement. You can disagree but that doesn't make you less wrong.

 

[lolder]

As far is devices that use electricity are concerned 110/220 and 120/240 are the same. Some run cooler on 120/240.

 

[Resist]

110V and 220V were real standards in the US, the better part of a century ago.

Isn't it funny how people keep saying outlets today are 110v and 220v.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

The code book says to use 120 and 240 volts when making electrical calculations, so that is proper, but beyond that you guys are just being annoyingly anal like the grammar and spelling police out there.

 

[derotam]

The code book says to use 120 and 240 volts when making electrical calculations, so that is proper, but beyond that you guys are just being annoyingly anal like the grammar and spelling police out there.

In a community where some people are obsessed with numbers, or efficiency, it makes a difference... between 110 and 120 on a 15A circuit, that is a 240W difference! at 220/240 on a 50A circuit, that is a whopping 1KW! Come on man!

 

[derotam]

Isn't it funny how people keep saying outlets today are 110v and 220v.

Yep, I still say 110 and 220 way too much but I always immediately correct myself, haha.

 

[user212_nr]

Sounds like he already has a 240v/30A dryer plug he could use. Given that, I'm not sure what issue he is asking us to help resolve?

Yes, he says he has 240v. The issue to resolve is that he is afraid that charging at 110v will cause issue because of the longer time spent charging.

As I said above, proper way is to always be charging (ideally), and also to use the 240v whenever possible to avoid deep cycles. And of course < 90% generally.

I'd add that its fine to charge at 110v, if he does not have a choice - it isn't clear if the 240v and the 110v are in the same geographical location.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

In a community where some people are obsessed with numbers, or efficiency, it makes a difference... between 110 and 120 on a 15A circuit, that is a 240W difference! at 220/240 on a 50A circuit, that is a whopping 1KW! Come on man!

Oh I see why you guys are making such a big deal about it. It's in the title. Oh well as long as we know what he's talking about. Maybe if we have a bored mod he could change it.

I just bought an eGolf. I'm assuming the same charging principles would apply. I'm going to charge it at 240V 16A to 80% on a daily basis. I would do 85%, but it will only let me choose 10% increments. Sorry I'm in the wrong forum aren't I?

 

[mmiketa]

In a community where some people are obsessed with numbers, or efficiency, it makes a difference... between 110 and 120 on a 15A circuit, that is a 240W difference! at 220/240 on a 50A circuit, that is a whopping 1KW! Come on man!

The utility is going to fluctuate by 10% up and down so you can't really talk that exact unless you've got a UPS.

 

[derotam]

The utility is going to fluctuate by 10% up and down so you can't really talk that exact unless you've got a UPS.

That is 10% peak to peak, only 5% up or down, I think that is what the National Electrical Code says.

Edit: And if you are on 110V and I am on 120V on the same utility and the utility changes by 10%, there is still the same 240W difference between us.

 

[mmiketa]

That is 10% peak to peak, only 5% up or down, I think that is what the National Electrical Code says.

Edit: And if you are on 110V and I am on 120V on the same utility and the utility changes by 10%, there is still the same 240W difference between us.

My entire point in this thread was it was all semantics. I didn't see the value in calling out the OP saying its an old obsolete standard he shouldn't be referencing when it's done everywhere and means what he needs it to mean.

 

[derotam]

My entire point in this thread was it was all semantics. I didn't see the value in calling out the OP saying its an old obsolete standard he shouldn't be referencing when it's done everywhere and means what he needs it to mean.

You started the tangent in post #17. Saghost in post #6 didn't "call out" the OP, they put a comment about it in parenthesis while they were actually answering the OP's question.

 

[SomeJoe7777]

My entire point in this thread was it was all semantics. I didn't see the value in calling out the OP saying its an old obsolete standard he shouldn't be referencing when it's done everywhere and means what he needs it to mean.

No, it is not just semantics. No, it is not because of varying voltage from the utility. The nominal, rated, no-load voltage for residential power in the US is 120V per phase, period, end of story. Utilities have precise voltage regulators on their equipment and keep the grid voltage within 1% of that value. Local variations are temporary, and are caused by large reactive load shifts.

The voltage you see at the wall outlet is entirely dependent on the load on the circuit, and to some degree the load in your house, or even on your street. However, the proper voltage that it is supposed to read on an unloaded circuit is 120V, not 110V. You may plug in, get 120V, and then when the circuit is loaded to 15A the voltage will drop along the circuit's wires, resulting in 120V at the panel but only 114V at the outlet. Remove the 15A load and the outlet voltage goes back up to 120V. There are specs in the National Electric Code for how much voltage drop is permissible on a fully loaded circuit. Drops that are more than that indicate poor wiring, bad connections, etc.

Just use proper reference. 120V per phase (240V for the residential two-phase connection) is correct. Saying "110" or "220" refers to outdated standards from long ago.

 

[⚡️ELECTROMAN⚡️]

No, it is not just semantics. No, it is not because of varying voltage from the utility. The nominal, rated, no-load voltage for residential power in the US is 120V per phase, period, end of story. Utilities have precise voltage regulators on their equipment and keep the grid voltage within 1% of that value. Local variations are temporary, and are caused by large reactive load shifts.

The voltage you see at the wall outlet is entirely dependent on the load on the circuit, and to some degree the load in your house, or even on your street. However, the proper voltage that it is supposed to read on an unloaded circuit is 120V, not 110V. You may plug in, get 120V, and then when the circuit is loaded to 15A the voltage will drop along the circuit's wires, resulting in 120V at the panel but only 114V at the outlet. Remove the 15A load and the outlet voltage goes back up to 120V. There are specs in the National Electric Code for how much voltage drop is permissible on a fully loaded circuit. Drops that are more than that indicate poor wiring, bad connections, etc.

Just use proper reference. 120V per phase (240V for the residential two-phase connection) is correct. Saying "110" or "220" refers to outdated standards from long ago.

Okay, case closed. 120/240 it is. I think we all agree by now. Now back to my important question concerning VW eGolfs.