I just got a used GE WattStation EVSE for $200. I finally got around to installing it, using 10 Gauge cable. This will let me use it on a 30A circuit, which charges at 24A, 240V. (Although the Prius Plug-in draws WAY less). When I read the manual, I can set up the WattStation for a circuit up to 40A, although I’d have to run 8 Ga cable for that. If I run a 40A circuit, the WattStation will charge at 30A, 240V. What kind of cars will take 24A and 30A? Not any Prius I know of.
The 3.5 kW rate we see with Prius Prime is the common base for level-2 charging. That's a max of 16 amps (80% of a 20-amp line). Double that is what Toyota and others have focused on. It's a decent rate for multi-charger households and future-proofing. A simple way to look at it is 8 hours from a 40-amp line will deliver 200 miles.
the GenII RAV4, the BMW i3, & all Teslas, as well as the Bolt & 2019 Volt, & our Pacifica minivan does, off the top of my head. With just a little bit of searching, I see there's a Hyundai plug-in and this applies to The Outlander plug-in as well, they have 50 KW quick charging.So there's likely more. We sold our aerovironment evse & opted for this bad boy ...... ...... which will go all the way up to 80 amps 19+kW - but i programmed it to go no higher than 72 amps, & I used a run of 6 gauge wire - even though we almost never charged abive 50 amps, with the Tesla's that we unloaded over a year ago. Some guy in Canada took advantage of huge tax credits so that he could turn around and sell them for only $300!!! BTW ... congratulations on the good price with the Watt Station! You are now pretty much assured that you are future-proof, should you get a plug-in with more substantial capability charging. .
yes - and there's a strategy that makes it worthwhile to NOT charge at that high rate of charge (over 20 amps) here in SoCal Edison billing. For example if we use 1,000 kwh of electricity in a month - we have to pay fees & taxes based on those usages, even though our solar will generate over 1,500 kWh/month!! Sure, our generation offsets the actual kilowatts, but we still are charged the tax! That's why we don't charge off peak, but instead charge at a lower power rate during our solar generation's peak, if at all possible. .
Thanks very much! It’s all installed and done now. I ran 10 Ga cable and used a 30A breaker. It has jumpers which let me configure it for 12, 16, 24 or 30 Amps. I configured it for 16 Amps but with the 30A breaker and 10 Ga cable, I can move the jumper to 24A if I want. If I ever buy a car that pulls 30A, I can replace the Romex with 8Ga and install a 40A breaker... but not planning any car purchases. It was a fun enough install.
There she is! Not the fanciest photo, but I think it looks and works great! The oval black piece is removable, and I could wrap it in vinyl for a very nice look... but I’ve got plenty of higher garage beautification priorities.
