Munro Live - Charger Risks: Home Charging Installation Risks and Advice

[HaroldCal]

Good video today on Munro Live about how the electrical aspects of chargers, NEMA 14-50's, etc, are maybe not up to the task of EV charging. GOod points, and hopefully Sandy using his platform to get this out there will get some real high level folks interested and discussing it. Better now than in a few years when there are many more EVs on the market.

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[Sklith]

I'm charging at home via 14-50, and I agree it's probably not good to charge at full 30A all the time so I limit it to 22A. The cables never get warm at the lower amperage I set it at.

 

[HaroldCal]

I've been charging 3 EVs at home on a shared NEMA 14-50 (using a NeoCharge smart splitter). I haven't had any issues either, but boy oh boy.. melted breakers is not something I ever want to see in person.

 

[hturnerfamily]

The problem, if any, is with CONNECTIONS, not with wires or breakers or what 'box' you use... the CONNECTION is the weak point in any electrical system, especially where CONSTANT 30amp power, or more, is flowing for MANY, MANY continuous hours thru out the night...

Upgrading panels and changing 'types' of breakers is not a necessary requirement, but CHECKING your tightness of your wire connections within your OUTLET, and your Breaker, is.

I will also add that there is little to NO difference in whether you use a 'mobile' charger with a 'pigtail/plug', or whether you hardwire a charger... the only difference is the weak point, of any wiring scheme, which is the connections.

 

[adoublee]

The problem, if any, is with CONNECTIONS, not with wires or breakers or what 'box' you use... the CONNECTION is the weak point in any electrical system, especially where CONSTANT 30amp power, or more, is flowing for MANY, MANY continuous hours thru out the night...

Upgrading panels and changing 'types' of breakers is not a necessary requirement, but CHECKING your tightness of your wire connections within your OUTLET, and your Breaker, is.

I will also add that there is little to NO difference in whether you use a 'mobile' charger with a 'pigtail/plug', or whether you hardwire a charger... the only difference is the weak point, of any wiring scheme, which is the connections.

It has always been best practice for reliability to not have any splices in wire between breaker and device connection. Continuous run of wire would save a lot of heartache I believe, though 50A outlet failure seems to be a real thing. I'm hardwired and if I ever sell my house they can keep the EVSE.

 

[hturnerfamily]

in the RVing world, with large motorhomes constantly using NEMA 14-50 Campground Outlets, with the motorhome's 'pigtail/plug' is generally never an issue, although the reported initial problem a new owner runs into is the CONNECTIONS within the breaker panel of the motorhome: the factory does their best at tightening the connections when they install it, but with it's initial use, the wiring is subject to new heating/cooling/heating/cooling scenarios where the wire tends to then loosen up within the connection to the breaker. The first thing a new owner should do, after their first time plugging in, is to check ALL the connections to the breakers.

 

[hturnerfamily]

It has always been best practice for reliability to not have any splices in wire between breaker and device connection. Continuous run of wire would save a lot of heartache I believe, though 50A outlet failure seems to be a real thing. I'm hardwired and if I ever sell my house they can keep the EVSE.

yep, that's one of the drawbacks of being hardwired, you can't then take your charger with you. I'll agree that a home-run of wiring from the breaker to the device is the best case scenario, but it's actually not as always an available option for most owners. Even those who install a subpanel from their main panel to a garage or outdoor 'EV subpanel' are using several different connection points along the way.

In the end, whether the connection is direct, or thru a junction box, or at an outlet, the TIGHTNESS of the wiring to the connection is paramount. The outlet, yes, might also be suspect if it's not manufactured to handle such a constant high amperage(heat). The closer to that 50amp rating you get to, the higher the chance that things can happen. With the Ford Mobile Charger and it's 30 to 31 amp needs is likely to never be any issue with the NEMA 14-50 off-the-shelf outlets.

 

[RickKeen]

Some of the wires look like they were Aluminum.
I would strongly suggest to stay away from Aluminum wires for ANY indoor application. Might be good for powerlines outside, but too risky indoor.

Also the stranded wires are tricky to get clamped properly. If only a couple strands are clamped under the screw, those strands are going to get hot.

 

[Lytning]

Some of the wires look like they were Aluminum.
I would strongly suggest to stay away from Aluminum wires for ANY indoor application. Might be good for powerlines outside, but too risky indoor.

Also the stranded wires are tricky to get clamped properly. If only a couple strands are clamped under the screw, those strands are going to get hot.

It looked to me like all the involved wires were aluminum. I had a NEMA 14-50 Receptacle installed. I insisted on copper wiring and the electrician fully agreed.

 

[GrokTime]

Some of the wires look like they were Aluminum.
I would strongly suggest to stay away from Aluminum wires for ANY indoor application. Might be good for powerlines outside, but too risky indoor.

Can you expand on that? I thought aluminum was fine for running to a sub panel.

 

[RickKeen]

Can you expand on that? I thought aluminum was fine for running to a sub panel.

It is still code in certain applications, but I wouldn't use it.
The Dangers of Aluminum Wiring and How to Detect Them | Penna Electric

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