wall connector installed with retractable overhead charging cable

[sidewinder]

finally got around to installing the wall connector. used 2 x #6 thhn for line and 1 x #10 thhn for ground in a flex conduit. ran the charging cable overhead to other side as i have a jetski trailer next to the panels. only thing is i will have to back in the car but at least getting back out is easier. vin just came in today so good timing

to make the charging cable retractable, used a spring balancer which pulls the cable about 6.5ft up from floor so it stays out of the way when not in use. used a 6.6lb capacity balancer and it seems to be working great so far. not sure of the durability but if it fails in a year its only $13 and very easy to replace if needed.

there is kit that someone sells on etsy with 3d printed cable clamp but its $50+ with shipping. i just used zip ties to fashion a clamp on the charging cable and attached with a carbiner to the spring balancer.

 

[sidewinder]

Nice! One quibble for others that are reading this - for 48A charging/60A breaker, your ground line should have been 8 gauge by code. It won't affect operation. It would only come into play if something catastrophic happened and a dead short occurred.

Advice for EV Charging in North America

Advice for EV Charging in North America

carcharging.us

hmm...i was going by the nec chart which shows #10 for 60amp. would this be a technicality as i'm using a #6 wire i should go one step down rather than 2 steps?

Ground Wire Size Chart

This chart displays the size of a ground conductor for a circuit based on the ampere rating of the circuit protection devices.

wiresizecalculator.net

 

[Cosmacelf]

Oh wow. You appear to be correct. My original google search showed 8 gauge. I think my search that shows 8 gauge was referring to feeder grounds for panels. Whereas your 10 gauge for a 60A circuit is for equipment, which is the correct reference.

 

[thefisch]

Nice overhead install @sidewinder. I can see why you had to use the flex to bring the wiring up and around. Just in time with the car on the way.

And thanks again for sharing the idea from the Etsy listing in the other thread. I am now flip flopping between locating my charger near the panel like you but on the same side as the door and go up and over from there, or going further towards the garage door and above the torsion spring to the other side. It's another $20 in conduit and $35 more in wire to get in 10 feet closer to the door for me.

 

[Whiskeypapa]

Instead of going up and over, I used these:

Amazon.com

I used 3 of the 4 to run the charge cable on the garage floor, under the car. The speed bumps serve a dual purpose - protecting the cable, and providing a positive stop when the rear wheels contact the bump. Held the cable guards to the floor with silicone adhesive. On my to-do list is to build a stand to hold the connector. Right now it's on the top of my cardboard recycle pile.

 

[sidewinder]

Nice overhead install @sidewinder. I can see why you had to use the flex to bring the wiring up and around. Just in time with the car on the way.

And thanks again for sharing the idea from the Etsy listing in the other thread. I am now flip flopping between locating my charger near the panel like you but on the same side as the door and go up and over from there, or going further towards the garage door and above the torsion spring to the other side. It's another $20 in conduit and $35 more in wire to get in 10 feet closer to the door for me.

thanks...my goal was to try and make it simple and cost effective. alternative was to run 35+ feet of wiring and conduit to the back to place charger on the column between the two garage doors which would have been lot more work. i don't foresee any issues with this setup but if there are any issues, i still have the option to run longer wire/conduit and not have wasted too much materials (8ft wires, 5ft conduit and some fittings).

 

[sidewinder]

Instead of going up and over, I used these:

Amazon.com

I used 3 of the 4 to run the charge cable on the garage floor, under the car. The speed bumps serve a dual purpose - protecting the cable, and providing a positive stop when the rear wheels contact the bump. Held the cable guards to the floor with silicone adhesive. On my to-do list is to build a stand to hold the connector. Right now it's on the top of my cardboard recycle pile.

that looks like another option with an added benefit of stoppers but yeah placement of the connection would be an issue...with my setup you just pull it down to connect and when done it retracts up and out of the way.