Ontario home charger

[defsam]

Hi,

Please let me know if there is a thread about this specifically for Ontario.

Curious with costs, procedures, and incentives with Ontario home charger install. I am looking at either a tesla home charger or a NEMA 14-50 plug on the garage.

Looking at my options, I have a single car garage but my home has 2-3 cars parked outside at points as well so I am curious at what setup is more suitable for me. I live in Oshawa (the dirty shwa) as I also recently bought a house here if that helps.

Thanks for reading through my post

 

[darkenergy]

There's definitely lots of threads with stuff like this in them.

I can't speak to current costs (pardon the pun), as we had our charger installed 7 years ago.

You'll need a dedicated circuit for a 14-50 receptacle, or 6-50 or similar. We have a 40A circuit in a 100A panel with a J1772 EVSE because it works for both our M3 and our Smart.

Definitely get a receptacle rather than hardwired. We've changed our charger a couple of times and the plug means you don't have to have / pay for an additional inspection. Plus it can make it much easier to power cycle the EVSE if it gets confused.

Longer cable (18-25 ft) is good for charging on the driveway, which we do regularly.

You have to get the ESA inspection done so budget for that. Used to be about $75.

If you are getting the Tesla charger there are manuals on their site with all the details. It's quite configurable.

hth

 

[JJHawk]

So I had my charger installed a month ago while waiting for my Model 3, in York Region.

So a few things to consider:
a) I have a double car garage and I have 2 cars, so the Model 3 will be inside
b) My elec panel is in the garage, so the run to the charger is very short
c) I wanted to future proof a bit, in that once my 4 year lease is up, I don't know what new electric vehicle may be next
d) My elec coming to the house is 100A, and I had breaker spots free on my elec panel. So no extra items needed from this front.

Therefore, in the end my specific set up was a NEMA 14-50 plug installed by an electrician, with a run of about 10 feet from the elec box. This will then allow me to use my mobile charger that comes with the car so I don't have to buy another charger, except the 14-50 adapter for it. Since I have a SR+, it only charges max 32A off AC anyway, and that is the max output of the mobile charger v2 anyway.

------

Costs are highly dependant on where your panel is, how much incoming elec service you have to your home, how much elec overhead room you have left on your panel in both capacity of elec, and capacity of spots for breakers, how long the run to the end point is, and whether it needs exterior proofing etc. You should really look up electricians and get quotes, as only they can tell you what it is going to be for your specific situation.

Tesla's own website has a bunch of contractors already, and a google web search will net you more. I got 3 different quotes, and went with the one that I thought was the best and not overtly expensive.

All the contractors wanted a description of your car, and pictures of the spot where you want the endpoint to be, as well as detailed pictures of the panel and the run to the endpoint. This will help them quote you accurately.

Good contractors will also insist on an inspection afterward, which you will have to pay 75 bucks for to get a sticker. I got one cause I don't want insurance issues later.

------

In your situation, you will definitely need to weather proof the endpoint, whether it be a plug or not. The Tesla Wall Charger v3 is already weather proof, so at least there that, but for a SR+ the extra charging speed that a wall charger can provide is wasted (if you have the elec capacity, the wall charger can charge up to 48A which is 80% on a 60A circuit, while a SR+ only does max 32A). The mobile charger v2 from what I understand is also weather proof, just don't put it in a puddle... (but you should research more on this, as in my application is indoor I didn't look into this a lot)

 

[defsam]

So I had my charger installed a month ago while waiting for my Model 3, in York Region.

So a few things to consider:
a) I have a double car garage and I have 2 cars, so the Model 3 will be inside
b) My elec panel is in the garage, so the run to the charger is very short
c) I wanted to future proof a bit, in that once my 4 year lease is up, I don't know what new electric vehicle may be next
d) My elec coming to the house is 100A, and I had breaker spots free on my elec panel. So no extra items needed from this front.

Therefore, in the end my specific set up was a NEMA 14-50 plug installed by an electrician, with a run of about 10 feet from the elec box. This will then allow me to use my mobile charger that comes with the car so I don't have to buy another charger, except the 14-50 adapter for it. Since I have a SR+, it only charges max 32A off AC anyway, and that is the max output of the mobile charger v2 anyway.

------

Costs are highly dependant on where your panel is, how much incoming elec service you have to your home, how much elec overhead room you have left on your panel in both capacity of elec, and capacity of spots for breakers, how long the run to the end point is, and whether it needs exterior proofing etc. You should really look up electricians and get quotes, as only they can tell you what it is going to be for your specific situation.

Tesla's own website has a bunch of contractors already, and a google web search will net you more. I got 3 different quotes, and went with the one that I thought was the best and not overtly expensive.

All the contractors wanted a description of your car, and pictures of the spot where you want the endpoint to be, as well as detailed pictures of the panel and the run to the endpoint. This will help them quote you accurately.

Good contractors will also insist on an inspection afterward, which you will have to pay 75 bucks for to get a sticker. I got one cause I don't want insurance issues later.

------

In your situation, you will definitely need to weather proof the endpoint, whether it be a plug or not. The Tesla Wall Charger v3 is already weather proof, so at least there that, but for a SR+ the extra charging speed that a wall charger can provide is wasted (if you have the elec capacity, the wall charger can charge up to 48A which is 80% on a 60A circuit, while a SR+ only does max 32A). The mobile charger v2 from what I understand is also weather proof, just don't put it in a puddle... (but you should research more on this, as in my application is indoor I didn't look into this a lot)

Oh I can make mine indoor, just thinking I'd throw it in there if it's possible to do an outside/inside but NEMA 14-50 with longer cable doesn't sound too bad. I am just afraid that electricians will charge me more when they hear I am charging a 50k car in there. I read some stories to where that was the case. So ESA inspection is required for insurance incase something happened huh. I'm doing basement Reno right now and I already have a NEMA 14-50 plug in there I can just run to the basement if needed.

So now I will need to negotiate and see if I can get my electrician to work on my basement and just so the plug for the garage on the side.

 

[JJHawk]

Oh I can make mine indoor, just thinking I'd throw it in there if it's possible to do an outside/inside but NEMA 14-50 with longer cable doesn't sound too bad. I am just afraid that electricians will charge me more when they hear I am charging a 50k car in there. I read some stories to where that was the case. So ESA inspection is required for insurance incase something happened huh. I'm doing basement Reno right now and I already have a NEMA 14-50 plug in there I can just run to the basement if needed.

So now I will need to negotiate and see if I can get my electrician to work on my basement and just so the plug for the garage on the side.

When I got my plug installed, the electrician asked where I wanted the plug, and suggested that I have the plug closer to the garage door. This way, if a friend came over and needed to plug in, then with the 18ft cable of the mobile charger it will still reach any cars on the driveway.

 

[defsam]

When I got my plug installed, the electrician asked where I wanted the plug, and suggested that I have the plug closer to the garage door. This way, if a friend came over and needed to plug in, then with the 18ft cable of the mobile charger it will still reach any cars on the driveway.

That's what I am thinking about. Longer cable as well. I'm also planning on making my driway wider to fit 2 side by side.

 

[Malaromane]

When I got my plug installed, the electrician asked where I wanted the plug, and suggested that I have the plug closer to the garage door. This way, if a friend came over and needed to plug in, then with the 18ft cable of the mobile charger it will still reach any cars on the driveway.

That's a good tip and something to keep in mind when you go to get your outlet or charger installed. Keep in mind that not all cars have their charge port in the same location so if you get the outlet installed so that it's convenient for your Tesla, it may be in a horrible spot should you decide in the future to replace your Tesla with some other model of EV.

 

[TechnoBabble]

I am just afraid that electricians will charge me more when they hear I am charging a 50k car in there. I read some stories to where that was the case.

This is the worst reason to hire someone other than someone that really know what they're doing for EV charger power circuits.
Hire Tesla certified, it makes any warranty claims regarding charging equipment a breeze with Tesla.
Tesla certified electricians have to send a detailed report back to Tesla after they do your installation. The report apparently includes specifics to your install including photos of enclosed wiring connections etc. I think Tesla then contacts the customer to see how things went on their end so you know there is accountability involved here and it will be done right.
Everyone thinks they're going to get ripped off because it's a Tesla but I think this is a myth. This may have been the case when Tesla really started to mass release cars and installers were quite new to it but installing EV circuits is quite common these days.

 

[defsam]

This is the worst reason to hire someone other than someone that really know what they're doing for EV charger power circuits.
Hire Tesla certified, it makes any warranty claims regarding charging equipment a breeze with Tesla.
Tesla certified electricians have to send a detailed report back to Tesla after they do your installation. The report apparently includes specifics to your install including photos of enclosed wiring connections etc. I think Tesla then contacts the customer to see how things went on their end so you know there is accountability involved here and it will be done right.
Everyone thinks they're going to get ripped off because it's a Tesla but I think this is a myth. This may have been the case when Tesla really started to mass release cars and installers were quite new to it but installing EV circuits is quite common these days.

I mean I am shopping around and so far, same jobs has different pricing. So I wasn't sure who to trust as this is my first time dealing with electricians and I don't want to be ripped off. If I hire a tesla certified guy and a fairly competent electrician comes and give me 500 less for the same job and has ESA rating, so is there a premium on being a tesla certified tech?

 

[X.l.r.8]

What size is your charger? Why a 14-50 rather than a 6-50?

 

[defsam]

What size is your charger? Why a 14-50 rather than a 6-50?

Well I got a spare NEMA 14-50 plug already installed and have a 40 amp breaker on it so i just asked the electrician to move it to the garage. We are doing basement Reno and they were installing potlights etc for basement.

 

[X.l.r.8]

That makes sense but you really want the best socket you can if you are pulling close to the maximum power. Hence while I asked what charger did you have, if you are able to pull 48A then I would look into the cost of upgrading to some better cable. A 6-50 will give you the same power with one less cable, it’s also more inline with the rest of the world using a 240v. You do not need a 120v so paying for someone to install a 14-50 over a 6-50 always leaved me scratching my head, for the same cost you could upgrade to #6 and throw a HPWC in the garage. UMC cables do not last forever and the last place you want it to stop working is when you need it the most. Removing a HPWC is throwing a breaker and removing the unit, or swapping the breaker for the 40A one and putting your socket there for when you leave. For daily use I would prefer a HPWC over a UMC.

 

[defsam]

That makes sense but you really want the best socket you can if you are pulling close to the maximum power. Hence while I asked what charger did you have, if you are able to pull 48A then I would look into the cost of upgrading to some better cable. A 6-50 will give you the same power with one less cable, it’s also more inline with the rest of the world using a 240v. You do not need a 120v so paying for someone to install a 14-50 over a 6-50 always leaved me scratching my head, for the same cost you could upgrade to #6 and throw a HPWC in the garage. UMC cables do not last forever and the last place you want it to stop working is when you need it the most. Removing a HPWC is throwing a breaker and removing the unit, or swapping the breaker for the 40A one and putting your socket there for when you leave. For daily use I would prefer a HPWC over a UMC.

Makes sense, I have not looked into a 6-50 socket. I only have 40amp breaker on my 14-50 and didnt know if I had more option as I thought it would just be a quick move anyway for the electrician to do while he is making my potlights wiring.