Need ideas for classy & secure outdoor wall charger install

[KHult]

I have a Model X 75D on the way and will be charging it outside, in the front yard driveway. I'm looking for ideas for a good looking, unobtrusive, and mildly secure way to mount the wall charger outside.

The best looking I've found so far is this nice one at the Wausau, WI Courtyard Marriott Hotel.

I really like this one and think something nearly identical in black or bronze powder coat (I suppose to match the cap of the one in the picture) would look great in the front yard. This will be on the border of the lawn/planter in the garden and I want it to look understated and classy.

I'm trying to get a hold of the construction company in Wausau that did the install (at least according to a news article I found about it - apparently it was newsworthy since it was the first destination install in North Central Wisconsin). With any luck it's not a bespoke piece and I can have one shipped out.

But it probably is and it's not going to be that easy. ClipperCreek makes a parking lot pedestal for $660 that would work but looks slightly more industrial.

I'm a handy guy and thinking about the ease of buying an aluminum 4 x 4 post and a cap and piecing it all together and setting it in concrete with conduit coming up the middle. Shouldn't be difficult, right? Certainly cheaper than $660 to cobble it together.

The other issue is security. I live in a safe neighborhood but there's always the risk of theft no matter where I put it - front yard or back. I have security cameras on the yard and am considering different options to prevent the wall connector from walking away. Looking at the installation manual, my options might include Loctite vs security Torx screws to affix the wall connector to the mounting bracket. I don't want to hide the wall connector in a bulky box with a padlock if I can avoid it.

Does anyone else have a good looking post-mounted HPWC / wall connector that they'd like to show off to give me great ideas for my front yard?

Thanks
Kjell

 

[RobW2428]

This original post is from 6 months ago. Did you end up with a solution? Do you have any pics of it?

I'd love to see some pics of other post ideas too. Looking to put one in within the next week or so. I did find a few......

 

[mrElbe]

In the pictures above, the first one happens to be my installation. That 2nd one looks ugly with the power feed cable at the side. I drilled through the post to use the back entrance to the charger.

 

[RobW2428]

In the pictures above, the first one happens to be my installation. That 2nd one looks ugly with the power feed cable at the side. I drilled through the post to use the back entrance to the charger.

Very cool. It looks terrific, for sure. Is that a solar-powered light on the top? Please let me know (message me if you'd like) any other tips.

Thanks.

 

[TexasEV]

I wouldn't call it unobtrusive, but take a look at the photos on Plugshare of the destination charging at Kate Shepard House B&B in Mobile, Alabama.

 

[RobW2428]

I wouldn't call it unobtrusive, but take a look at the photos on Plugshare of the destination charging at Kate Shepard House B&B in Mobile, Alabama.

Probably a little more going on there than we need, but very cool for sure. Thanks

 

[mrElbe]

Very cool. It looks terrific, for sure. Is that a solar-powered light on the top? Please let me know (message me if you'd like) any other tips.

Thanks.

Yes, that is a solar powered post light from Home Depot.

 

[KHult]

As it turns out, my employer offers free charging, so for now I've skipped the wall charger and put in a NEMA outlet instead; if I need to charge at home I just use the portable charger, which almost never happens.

I absolutely love the treated redwood at the vineyard, but like mrElbe mentioned, that power coming in the side just kills me - it could have been so much nicer coming in through the back like the top one. Hanging the cables on the back seems to allow the post to be shorter maybe which would have been crucial in my install.

I took a look at the Kate Shepard House B&B and while I like the security of it, that's a pretty massive structure and exactly what I want to avoid in my front yard garden.

If I do ever upgrade from NEMA to a dedicated wall charger, I think I'll use that second (treated redwood) as my model. Dark wood to blend in and short so you barely notice it. And you definitely won't see my power coming in the side...

Thanks for the ideas guys.

 

[Labelman]

I have a Model X 75D on the way and will be charging it outside, in the front yard driveway. I'm looking for ideas for a good looking, unobtrusive, and mildly secure way to mount the wall charger outside.

The best looking I've found so far is this nice one at the Wausau, WI Courtyard Marriott Hotel.


View attachment 177060



I really like this one and think something nearly identical in black or bronze powder coat (I suppose to match the cap of the one in the picture) would look great in the front yard. This will be on the border of the lawn/planter in the garden and I want it to look understated and classy.

I'm trying to get a hold of the construction company in Wausau that did the install (at least according to a news article I found about it - apparently it was newsworthy since it was the first destination install in North Central Wisconsin). With any luck it's not a bespoke piece and I can have one shipped out.

But it probably is and it's not going to be that easy. ClipperCreek makes a parking lot pedestal for $660 that would work but looks slightly more industrial.

View attachment 177069


I'm a handy guy and thinking about the ease of buying an aluminum 4 x 4 post and a cap and piecing it all together and setting it in concrete with conduit coming up the middle. Shouldn't be difficult, right? Certainly cheaper than $660 to cobble it together.

The other issue is security. I live in a safe neighborhood but there's always the risk of theft no matter where I put it - front yard or back. I have security cameras on the yard and am considering different options to prevent the wall connector from walking away. Looking at the installation manual, my options might include Loctite vs security Torx screws to affix the wall connector to the mounting bracket. I don't want to hide the wall connector in a bulky box with a padlock if I can avoid it.

Does anyone else have a good looking post-mounted HPWC / wall connector that they'd like to show off to give me great ideas for my front yard?

Thanks
Kjell

 

[Labelman]

Did anyone figure out a way to 'lock' the charger? Otherwise someone could just pull up and charge with your charger. At home not likely but at an industrial park like ours it would be an issue. Also, what about retractable reels for the cord?

 

[iTech]

Did anyone figure out a way to 'lock' the charger? Otherwise someone could just pull up and charge with your charger. At home not likely but at an industrial park like ours it would be an issue. Also, what about retractable reels for the cord?

You could write some code and tap into the serial port of the HPWC to disable charging unless some criteria is met (e.g. time of day, VIN, etc.)

 

[Rocky_H]

The other issue is security. I live in a safe neighborhood but there's always the risk of theft no matter where I put it

There are thousands of these out in the open, unsecured, all over the country. Why would you possibly think that would be an issue? That's one of the points of a hardwired wall connector over a plugged in mobile connector. The mounted wall connectors don't get taken.

 

[Frisco-Dad]

I took a look at the Kate Shepard House B&B and while I like the security of it, that's a pretty massive structure and exactly what I want to avoid in my front yard garden.

I can't find the Kate Shepard house on plugshare, but it is still listed on the Tesla destination charger page. I'm curious what the pictures look like. Can someone post?