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Cybertruck charging

Discussion in 'Cybertruck' started by Chetanh, Jan 6, 2021.

  1. Chetanh

    Chetanh Member

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    So i have a reservation on the Cyber truck and we are finishing our basement. What kind of power should I run to prepare? The cost of running it now will be a lot less than if the basement is finished.

    What should i run:

    2/3/4 or 8 gauge wire?
    Size of circuit breaker (in amps)?
    receptacle at the end (NEMA 14-50)?
     
  2. brkaus

    brkaus Well-Known Member

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    It all depends on how much power you have in your house and how much you want to spend.

    At minimum, I would run 4ga (assuming romex) to allow up to 60a if eventually needed. Either leave it unterminated / unconnected or put a 14-50 and 50a breaker.

    If you want to go all out put a 100a sub-panel in the garage.
     
  3. Randy Spencer

    Randy Spencer Active Member

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    My electrician ran 6ga wire for my 14-50 to a 50amp, but perhaps the shorter 20 foot distance is the reason for the thinner cable.

    If you leave it unterminated and use it to hook to a Wall Connector directly you can save 1/3rd of the money by running two not three conductors plus ground. Perhaps the best bet is just to run conduit and pull a string thru it so that later you can pull WHATEVER you decide. I just helped a friend do that in his new house, It was super easy to just tie the romex to the string and then tug it thru and hook it up to a breaker that we also bought and wire it into the Wall Connector.
     
    • Informative x 1
  4. nwdiver

    nwdiver Well-Known Member

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    I really like the idea of a 100A (#3 THHN) 'RV Box'. Gives you a TON of flexibility.

    Screen Shot 2021-01-06 at 8.24.04 PM.png
     
    • Like x 4
  5. Feathermerchan

    Feathermerchan Active Member

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    Randy - You put Romex in conduit?
    nwdiver - I like the box. Do you have a link?
     
  6. nwdiver

    nwdiver Well-Known Member

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    • Helpful x 1
  7. Feathermerchan

    Feathermerchan Active Member

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  8. JohnSnowNW

    JohnSnowNW Active Member

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    Yeah, 100A to the garage. However, if you can do 200A and separate meter to the garage, that's even better. Not specifically for the Cybertruck, but for future proofing BEVs in general.
     
    • Informative x 1
  9. nwdiver

    nwdiver Well-Known Member

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    At my friends house we tapped a 200A line directly off his main bus. Kind of a special circumstance since the run was ~200' so we were going to run 4/0 Aluminum triplex anyway... tapping off the main bus eliminated the need for installing another breaker. I still can't get >60A charging at his house because he has #6 feeding his service and the utility insists that's 'adequate' :(
     
  10. Chetanh

    Chetanh Member

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    ya i think 4ga wire with nothing on either side enclosed should do fine. Thanks guys
     
  11. SSedan

    SSedan Active Member

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    I would do thicker wire, in the scope of building a house the cost of a little thicker wire is nothing.

    The CT has the potential to be very hungry if used as a truck, you wont regret having capacity to feed it whatever it can take, plus EVs are only becoming more common amd eventually the garage will likly house more than one.

    The "conventional wisdom" about sizing the charging solution for daily needs to short sighted.
    What happens when you buy a fishing boat and want to travel to two different lakes on the weekend, will a minimum connection recover Saturday night so you have no worries towing again Sunday?
     
    • Like x 1
  12. themorey

    themorey Member

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    I would also consider the potential for v2h with the CT powering your home. Not sure if it will happen but you should plan for as much amperage as possible across that cable.
     
  13. Feathermerchan

    Feathermerchan Active Member

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    SSedan - That's what Superchargers are for.
     
  14. Randy Spencer

    Randy Spencer Active Member

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    Ha! Yeah, I'm an idiot! I guess I could have saved even more money if I had thought about it. But it was pretty cheap, $66 for 50 feet and we didn't have to deal with undoing three spools of wire as I pulled it thru. Please don't tell me it would have only been $12 in wire, actually I know it would have been more as I did my solar in spools of wire and that wasn't cheap.
     
  15. SSedan

    SSedan Active Member

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    @Feathermerchan So you would argue against overkill even at time of construction?

    I think one detail folks are overlooking is that miles added per hour is going to be lower in the CT than everything else given the same supply.
    A 60amp wall connector is rated at 44mph for a 3 but only 30 for an X the CT is sure to consume more than the X even without towing or the like.

    I would spend an extra $100 on thicker wire now, vs. paying for supercharging and have to supercharge on busy weekends
     
    • Like x 1
  16. outdoors

    outdoors Always roaming

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    I really don't feel like pulling into a supercharger if I don't have to. For me it would be a 75 mile addition to go to that point to charge for one of my frequent trips after mapping it out. Not a big deal, but who knows where charging is going at home. I would just imagine more in the future if more people are considering electric cars and other electric devices to replace combustion engines. So I would go with the thicker wire.

    When I put my garage service in I had one Tesla. Now it will be 3 plus the Airstream. Glad I planned ahead. Just have to plug the truck in outside.

    @nwdiver That RV box is where the spiders always hang out. Nightmares.:D
     
  17. nwdiver

    nwdiver Well-Known Member

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    That's why I use my HPWC for daily charging. The RV box is mostly for guests that don't have a Tesla ;)
     
  18. alexgr

    alexgr Member

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    #18 alexgr, Jan 8, 2021
    Last edited: Jan 8, 2021
    2 or 3 gauge, 60 A breaker, NEMA 14-50

    That said, I am not sure that there will be enough space for CT in my garage, so I start thinking how I charge it on my driveway....
    You are a lucky man if you are going to have enough space in your basement for a CT!

    I am not concerned on the charging speed based on my M3 experience. At 30m/hour it is very adequate, usually charging for 3-4 hours 2-3 times a week. This should leave enough time for CT charging. Even if the charging rate is only 15 miles/hour, it will be enough to add 200+ miles overnight enough for several days of typical driving.

    My main question is about the waterproofing level of the standard charging cable/port. Would I be able to leave it plugged in and charging during a stormy night? Did anyone have experience charging outside in heavy rain?
     
  19. Randy Spencer

    Randy Spencer Active Member

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    I only charge outside and it's very safe. The Wall Connector is weathertight and mounts just fine on a post outside (although I just run my cable under the door of the garage). There are sensors to be sure ground is cleanly connected and the voltages are tested before they are connected to the car. There is a latch that refuses to allow the cable to disconnected before the power is turned off.
     
  20. alexgr

    alexgr Member

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    Thanks. My main worry is that heavy rain can flood the charging port during charging.
     

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