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Retractable Charging Solution - Driveway Charging

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The point was that there are cord reels pretty readily available and cheap. Sorry I didn't quote the post I was responding too for clarity. The relevant part that I was trying to contradict was

Hose reels are pretty cheap.
Agreed about that. Mainly, I wanted to make sure some newbie coming on board (and there are a lot right now) didn't think the light gauge cable was acceptable.
 
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Sorry I've been a little MIA, but I appreciate the additional input!

Can backing in allow you a shorter extension cord?
The measurements I made were with the vehicle already backed in =/

Unfortunately I’m in a similar boat ... my car won’t fit in the garage due to a prior renovation.

What I decided to do was break down, spend the bucks, and install an outdoor Wall Connector. I felt it was the safest, waterproof way to do outdoor charging. I’m thrilled with the results; it’s made charging completely seamless and painless. This goes a very very long way towards the Wife Adoption Factor. :)
I think the outdoor wall connector would be nice, but it also inherently has the limitation of a shorter cord. I like that the MC has a 20' cord so that it is more versatile, and ultimately if something changes with our home configuration (like widening our driveway) or if I move, then I could take the MC with me. The wall connectors are a good $500+ install, which makes it hard to justify when I haven't been 'penalized' by the 110v charging speeds thus far.

If it gets *cold* where you live I would highly rethink not going 240v as your car may actually lose range (slowly) plugged into a 120v trying to keep itself in good spirits.
I live in Virginia (near Norfolk/VA Beach). It doesn't get super cold, though in the depth of winter it can hit single digits with wind chill. I believe temps typically don't get below low teens. What I've found is that even when using public chargers, they don't do much to precondition the battery. I had her hooked up to a public charger pushing 200v/30A/26mi/hr for about 5 hours and it still had limited regenerative braking when I left. I'm sure it helps some, but I don't think it outweighs the cost of a 240V/80A circuit installation. I do think I'm going to have an electrician give me a quote if I can find one that will do free quotes, but I suspect I'll have to spend a pretty penny ($1k+) before I'm all set.


@jerry33 I do like the way you've setup your system - that'd be my ideal way of doing it, but since I need more like ~23' of cord from my garage, I sadly can't run it the same way you have it.
 
If you get an outdoor 120V outlet, there's a 99.999% chance it will have to be a GFCI outlet, which is not recommended for EV charging because it can erroneously trip. A 240V outdoor outlet might not have this restriction. The code update made for electrical vehicles in 2017 made it a requirement for 240V outlets, but AFAIK, that requirement isn't enforced everywhere. (What if you don't specify what the outlet is for? What if you say it's for power tools?)
I didn't realize there was some code changes that push for 240V outlets for EVs. I wonder if they decided to do that purely for safety, or if it was really more of a suggestion from an efficiency standpoint.

Agreed. Our installer wouldn’t budge on GFCI and I can testify that it makes the Gen2 UMC lose it’s crap regularly. Gen1 and of course our old 24A Clipper creek however just plod along.
If I do go the route of installing an outdoor outlet, it'd most likely be a 240V outlet. However, my current plan is to plug a short, 12 gauge extension cord into my existing 110v inside my garage and run the extension cable out to the hose reel or whatever contraption I decide to use.
 
I think the outdoor wall connector would be nice, but it also inherently has the limitation of a shorter cord. I like that the MC has a 20' cord so that it is more versatile, and ultimately if something changes with our home configuration (like widening our driveway) or if I move, then I could take the MC with me. The wall connectors are a good $500+ install, which makes it hard to justify when I haven't been 'penalized' by the 110v charging speeds thus far.

Can't disagree about the cost equation, but wanted to point out that the Wall Connector comes with a 24' cord. There are two versions - an 8' and a 24' - but both cost exactly the same. The 24' is a no brainer in that case. It's super convenient.... and pretty easy to remove, too, if you did move. It's just a couple of screws. But for me, the convenience factor far outweighed the cost. It made charging easy and seamless - which really helped with getting my wife to accept an electric car. It's no longer scary or difficult or a pain in the neck - she's even said this is much more convenient than stopping for gas. For me, that's worth way more than $500 :)
 
I didn't realize there was some code changes that push for 240V outlets for EVs. I wonder if they decided to do that purely for safety, or if it was really more of a suggestion from an efficiency standpoint.

Not a push for 240V outlets. A push for GFCI when using 240V outlets where there was no requirement for GFCI previously. For outdoor 120V outlets, you ALWAYS had to use GFCI. I got mine done prior to be getting my model 3 and there was no explicit need for GFCI for my NEMA 14-50 outdoor outlet installation. Since the requirement is tied to outlets for EVs, I have to wonder if a non-GFCI outlet can be installed if the intended purpose is NOT an EV? Let's say you wanted it for power tools? Would an electrician do an install then?
 
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Can't disagree about the cost equation, but wanted to point out that the Wall Connector comes with a 24' cord. There are two versions - an 8' and a 24' - but both cost exactly the same. The 24' is a no brainer in that case. It's super convenient.... and pretty easy to remove, too, if you did move. It's just a couple of screws. But for me, the convenience factor far outweighed the cost. It made charging easy and seamless - which really helped with getting my wife to accept an electric car. It's no longer scary or difficult or a pain in the neck - she's even said this is much more convenient than stopping for gas. For me, that's worth way more than $500 :)
Maybe I'll remeasure then, just to double check :) I thought they only offered an 8' version. Having a 'permanent' connector in the garage would be nice. I still think its hard for me to justify the added $500, especially since its really only for the added 4' of cord length in my particular case :p The benefits are still there, I just don't really think I need them. Then again, since I could charge that fast on it, I probably wouldn't hookup the car as often, which would be more convenient.

Not a push for 240V outlets. A push for GFCI when using 240V outlets where there was no requirement for GFCI previously. For outdoor 120V outlets, you ALWAYS had to use GFCI. I got mine done prior to be getting my model 3 and there was no explicit need for GFCI for my NEMA 14-50 outdoor outlet installation. Since the requirement is tied to outlets for EVs, I have to wonder if a non-GFCI outlet can be installed if the intended purpose is NOT an EV? Let's say you wanted it for power tools? Would an electrician do an install then?
Ah, yea that makes more sense. Still, I would think if code changed ourdoor NEMA connections to require GFCI, then what would it matter what you plug into it? The amount of draw from the outlet should be irrelevant from a GFCI protection standpoint. /shrug
 
Here is a post from @artsci who did it a different way.
That is a very nice job that he did. That is probably a bit pricey for my tastes, at least at the moment, but something similar to that in the future would be pretty amazing. In the end, I may see what the local Tesla certified installer would suggest as possible options, assuming I don't decide that the 24' wall connector is the best path long term.
 
Maybe I'll remeasure then, just to double check :) I thought they only offered an 8' version. Having a 'permanent' connector in the garage would be nice. I still think its hard for me to justify the added $500, especially since its really only for the added 4' of cord length in my particular case :p The benefits are still there, I just don't really think I need them. Then again, since I could charge that fast on it, I probably wouldn't hookup the car as often, which would be more convenient.

If it makes you feel better, the tax credit for EVSE installation was just retroactively approved. Anyone installing one in 2018, 2019 or 2020 will get a 30% credit, up to $1000. Some exclusions apply - talk to your accountant - but that $500 HPWC is effectively only $350. And the credit applies to the electrician bill, too; just not permit fees.

Just good to note!
 
If it makes you feel better, the tax credit for EVSE installation was just retroactively approved. Anyone installing one in 2018, 2019 or 2020 will get a 30% credit, up to $1000. Some exclusions apply - talk to your accountant - but that $500 HPWC is effectively only $350. And the credit applies to the electrician bill, too; just not permit fees.

Just good to note!
I saw a couple of older articles from the beginning of 2018, though I haven't been able to find a federal or Virginia state tax credit for EVSE installs. Do you have a good source on that?
 
Thanks @Kevy Baby & @dmurphy ! Not sure why my fu failed me this time. I'm going to review the house bill, though that may encourage me to go ahead and get some of it done this year.

@jerry33 , what did you use to carve out your concrete to run the charging cable? I would probably need to do the same thing, or at a minimum, get a rubber footing installed on the door to prevent damaging the cord.
 
Can't disagree about the cost equation, but wanted to point out that the Wall Connector comes with a 24' cord. There are two versions - an 8' and a 24' - but both cost exactly the same. The 24' is a no brainer in that case. It's super convenient.... and pretty easy to remove, too, if you did move. It's just a couple of screws. But for me, the convenience factor far outweighed the cost. It made charging easy and seamless - which really helped with getting my wife to accept an electric car. It's no longer scary or difficult or a pain in the neck - she's even said this is much more convenient than stopping for gas. For me, that's worth way more than $500 :)
I heard about Tesla releasing a new generation of the wall connector. I just took a look, and it appears that its only offered with an 18' cord :( Wall Connector I'm not even sure if you can still buy the previous gen new from Tesla, or if I'd have to try and find one used =/
 
I heard about Tesla releasing a new generation of the wall connector. I just took a look, and it appears that its only offered with an 18' cord :( Wall Connector I'm not even sure if you can still buy the previous gen new from Tesla, or if I'd have to try and find one used =/

There’s plenty that come up for sale, new in box, right here in the For Sale forums at TMC.
That said, might make sense to jump on it now - those “new in box” ones will dwindle over time ...
 
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