You can install our site as a web app on your iOS device by utilizing the Add to Home Screen feature in Safari. Please see this thread for more details on this.
Note: This feature may not be available in some browsers.
It is connected to the house through the second floor. So you can think there is a room on top of the gate that connects the small garage and the house. Sorry for the confusion.Your main breaker panel is in a separate building that's not connected to the house?
Thank you. Yes, I’m wondering in this case, what is the best way to run wire from small garage to the two car garage for installing EVSE. Should it be underground through the lawn next to it or go though the roof? Or is there any alternative? I have normal outlets in the two car garage, can I convert them to higher current and change the switch in breaker box? Thank you.Presumably, your question is about how expensive it will be to run the needed wiring to have an EVSE in the two car garage?
Or the alternative is to install the EVSE in the one car garage at lower cost, then park the EV in the one car garage or next to it for charging.
Thank you very muchFYI: You'll need a 60amp circuit to charge at 48amp for the continuous derate.
I think the electrician is going to prefer going through the lawn. If you trench it yourself (just rent the tool), or source a handyman, you can save the 150/hr labor for the work. I would do it this way to also save on labor for pulling the massive cable through multiple stories and buildings, as well as the cost of copper.
But either way the electrician will make the call. If you run it outside you'll probably need an external junction box for disconnecting the circuit plus all sorts of hoops to jump through for doing it properly to code. The electrician may not want to deal with that.
Thanks for your suggestions.You may want to ask electricians about cost of various options.
If you know someone with a less expensive EV, you may want to borrow it to leave it parked in the driveway while hiding the Tesla when you have electricians visit.
Normal outlets are presumably only 15A, suitable for at most 12A charging if there is nothing else on the circuit. Converting them to higher amperage would require larger wire (and separating them from other things on the circuit if that exists).
Thank you very much, could you please help me understand what you mean by "You'll need a 60amp circuit to charge at 48amp for the continuous derate". So I need a 60amp outlet to charge the model 3?FYI: You'll need a 60amp circuit to charge at 48amp for the continuous derate.
I think the electrician is going to prefer going through the lawn. If you trench it yourself (just rent the tool), or source a handyman, you can save the 150/hr labor for the work. I would do it this way to also save on labor for pulling the massive cable through multiple stories and buildings, as well as the cost of copper.
But either way the electrician will make the call. If you run it outside you'll probably need an external junction box for disconnecting the circuit plus all sorts of hoops to jump through for doing it properly to code. The electrician may not want to deal with that.
Thank you very much, could you please help me understand what you mean by 60A/48A?There are many methods depending on your structure and aesthetic goals. For example:
Or for 60A/48A:
- You could bury 6/2 UF cable right in the dirt (50A circuit / 40A charge).
- You could drag 6/2 NM cable (Romex) thru the upstairs floorspace or go all the way up to the attic and back.
Tips:
- You could run 3/4" conduit (rigid or "smurf" flex) with #6 or #4 AWG wires in the dirt, floorspace, attic, or along the outside of the walls.
As for converting your existing outlet, you can simply double the power by replacing the 120V breaker with a 240V version but this is only practical if you have a single circuit going directly from the panel to a single outlet in the garage that is not needed for anything else. In other words, forget it. But you certainly can charge at 120V with your existing garage outlets and for many people this is adequate.
- The conduit option provides the best performance and protection with no increase in material cost, but it's a lot more work to deal with 3/4" conduit and fittings and then pull a bunch of wire thru it so the labor costs should be much higher than simple "Romex" cable.
- Save money with a 2-conductor circuit "/2" if you're feeding a wall charger or 6-50 outlet. You'll need 3 conductors "/3" for a 14-50 outlet.
- Use a wall charger instead of a portable one for the best bang/buck.
Thank you Dave. Yes, I think running conduit on the outside wall underside of the second story can also be a good method.So much depends on how hard it is to run the cable through that second story area. What, if anything, is directly in between the two garages? A suggestion I haven't seen here would be running conduit on an outside wall or maybe on the underside of the second story, or perhaps there's a shade structure there it could be run across (or maybe you'd like to add one )?
Another question is whether there are any existing subpanels that might have room and be closer to that garage.
Thank you very much, could you please help me understand what you mean by 60A/48A?
For continuous loads like EV charging, you can use up to 80% of the circuit's capacity.Thank you very much, could you please help me understand what you mean by "You'll need a 60amp circuit to charge at 48amp for the continuous derate". So I need a 60amp outlet to charge the model 3?
Charging amperage | Circuit capacity | Notes |
48A | 60A | Hardwired |
40A | 50A | Hardwired or NEMA 14-50 or 6-50 outlet |
32A | 40A | Hardwired or NEMA 14-50 or 6-50 outlet |
24A | 30A | Hardwired or NEMA 14-30 outlet |
16A | 20A | Hardwired or NEMA 6-20 outlet (or 5-20 outlet for 120V) |
Other people have answered this but whenever you have a circuit designed for a continuous load, like charging, it needs to be beefed up to handle the extra heat. Most electronics aren't taking the full load from a circuit at all times, so all the wiring is designed for that in mind. This is why when you charge from a 120v outlet the car takes 12 amps instead of the 15 amps that it is rated for.Thank you very much, could you please help me understand what you mean by "You'll need a 60amp circuit to charge at 48amp for the continuous derate". So I need a 60amp outlet to charge the model 3?