Condo got budget approved for 2 chargers - electrician is installing a new 200 amp service (to expand later) - should we buy 40amp or 48amp chargers?

[Genie]

A shared WC with 20+ foot cord could easily be placed to reach 3 (or 6) parking spots so a little planning could reduce or eliminate having to actually move your car after charging.

 

[davewill]

The answer to your question lies in your ulltimate goals. If the endgame is to maximize the number of charging spots, then I'd say go with 40a (or even 32a) so that your 200a service will support more charging locations. If you only intend to install these two, or some number well below the capacity of the new 200a panel, I'd say go with the higher amperage in hopes that some users will finish faster, leaving the space open for the next user.

BTW, Many non-Tesla EVs will not charge greater than 32a no matter what you install.

 

[TunaBug]

Another vote for lower current in order to be able to expand to more stations.

What's better? Three cars plugged in all night that can recharge in 2-3 hours and then sit idle the rest of the night? Or 4-5 cars plugged in all night that take longer to charge but will still be ready when the drivers wake up?

Or a different way to think about it : I suspect that a smaller number of higher power chargers will increase pressure on the board to have some sort of sign up system to schedule people to use them. Do you want to be the board member running that schedule? And communicating violations when people forget to move?

 

[trs23]

One more vote for lower current and more stations. If you can double/triple the number of chargers do it.

 

[MP3Mike]

You should look into providers like PowerFlex: Free Destination Charging: 50x L2 80A Stations @ Caltech, Pasadena, CA

They are best suited for larger installs, but can probably be competitive with other solutions.

 

[STS-134]

None the less it is a waste of money to run 3-phase power when it is not needed.

Um. Going back to the 3-phase stuff. Commercial power is usually 3-phase; that's how it comes from the utility, anyway.

Each phase to ground/neutral is 120 VAC. From phase to phase (that is, hot to hot) one gets 208 VAC. If the phases are labeled A, B, and C, and the neutral is N, then (A->N), (B->N), and (C->N) are all 120 VAC. (A<->B), (A<->C), and (B<->C) are all 208 VAC. Finally, for a quiz about to appear, if Phase A is at 0 degrees, Phase B is at 120 degrees, and Phase C is at 240 degrees.

208 VAC counts as Level 2 and is handled by the car as such.
...
Now, say you're in a commercial establishment. All they have is 3-phase. You can still get 48A, but the voltage for Level 2 will be 208V. With 60A breakers, the power level will be 208 * 48 = 9.98 kW. With 50A breakers, you'll get 208 * 40 = 8.32 kW.

All right. If commercial power is what you've got (and it's a condo, it might be all they've got, it's the power company that decides upon the transformer, I'm pretty sure), then 208 is in your future.

When trying to explain 3 phase to people, I find it's helpful to use a visual aid, like I did here: Power Conversion System (PCS) failure

Looks like I also did mention that some large apartment buildings and condo complexes have 3 phase instead of split phase. It should also be noted that at a complex that has 3 phase, not all electrical panels need to be 3 phase, as I also mentioned in the other post. You might have phases A and B in your unit, while your neighbor has phases B and C or A and C. Both of your panels look like a split phase panel but if you were to measure the voltage from hot to hot, you'd get 208V, and your ovens, dryers, AC units, etc., all would operate at 208V instead of 240V. Which is why those types of appliances are typically designed for anything from 208-240V. Ovens will take slightly longer to heat up, dryers will keep their heating element on for a slightly higher duty cycle, etc., but it's close enough to 240V that no one really notices a difference.