Add EV charging to garage? Cost?

[killramos]

Macro

ES can’t fit a lightning in his garage anyway

[ExtraSlow]

ES doesn't park in his garage anyway. That's for his wife.

[Tik-Tok]

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Or am I missing something here. I assume most people have / use 2 cars?

Unless you're charging two Lightnings at the same time, you don't need 200 amps for the chargers.

Enmax will be more than happy to install two seperate meters for you to get 400 amp residential service though. Of course you'll be paying two seperate bills and all the fun fees that go with it.

[killramos]

Well.

Considering it takes 8+ hours to charge a lighting at 100A, and if you have another EV… Good chance your charging needs will overlap at some point, likely for a good portion of the night / evening.

Add in some AC, a furnace, a couple fridges, bitcoin mining rig and your 200A service is looking mighty skinny…

I assume the ability to charge your EV fully overnight is a bare minimum requirement for owning one?

I can’t wait for the California style brownouts. The future!

[Tik-Tok]

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I can’t wait for the California style brownouts. The future!

That's a guarantee, and also why I want a PHEV. If you own two Lightnings though, you'll have to think ahead on charging times, but that's just assuming you need to fully charge them both at the same time after driving 500km each in a day.

[ExtraSlow]

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I can’t wait for the California style brownouts. The future!

That's the best reason for the smart meters, they can cut your service with a press of a keyboard back at the control center! Embrace the future comrade.

[suntan]

Obvious solution is to retrofit everyone with gas stoves and dryers.

[pheoxs]

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I'm going the other way around on electrical service thanks to the overhead lines; 200a in the garage with a 100a sub to the house.

I think the true cost of ExtraSlow's desired outcome here will depend on whether or not you'll require a 200a service or can keep your existing (presumably 100a) service from pole-to-garage.

That demands a load calculation, and as benyl points out, also requires knowledge of what the charging demands of your desired EV are.

If you don't have a lot of large appliances (i.e. the biggest thing you run is an electric dryer, and don't have A/C, or a hot tub), then you might be able to get away with staying on 100a service, perhaps with a compromise on rate-of-charge in your vehicle.

If all you're doing is plugging in the car overnight who cares if it takes a few hours longer to charge. Same thing as phone fast chargers. For some folks' usage patterns, they're valuable, for others, it makes no difference.

I'm curious how much this will run you as it's the same as I'll be doing soon..100A in the house and meter in the basement with one circuit out to the old garage. I want to rebuild the garage, move the meter to the garage, 200A main feeding the existing 100A in the house.

[arcticcat522]

200A service is massive out here with natural gas as easily accessible as it is. You can run everything (range, hot water,electric baseboard) on electricity and have a car charger with 200A. But I've been told the future is electric and want to stake my claim so to speak before enmax won't allow the upgrade because of loading factors.

Also, for everyone thinking of having a 200A service in the garage and feeding your house 100A. Don't run a 1.25 pipe. Use1.5 or 2". Gives you the option to have at least 125A at the house down the road if required.

[Buster]

this thread is lol

[ZenOps]

If you are digging up ground anyhow, you might just want to put in an extra line from car to house just for the idea that they will be pushing the idea of running your house off your car in the near future. IE: charge at night, but if there is a power outage or power spike - you can use your cars battery for the peak hours.

An extra generic dryer or camping style Nema is never a bad idea, will probably raise the value of the house if you ever sell.

[ExtraSlow]

Wait until residential natural gas becomes illegal....

[jwslam]

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ES doesn't park in his garage anyway. That's for his wife.

Are you sure? ES and fam are white... everyone knows whities only use garage for storage. So not sure what this installation would be for anyways

[ExtraSlow]

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Are you sure? ES and fam are white... everyone knows whities only use garage for storage. So not sure what this installation would be for anyways

How dare you assume my race....

[Buster]

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Are you sure? ES and fam are white... everyone knows whities only use garage for storage. So not sure what this installation would be for anyways

I use my garage for storage.

To store my CARS.

And I'm whiter than a ghost.

[killramos]

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i use my garage for storage.

To store my bicycles.

And i'm whiter than a ghost.

ftfy

[dirtsniffer]

Nbd, just a couple years worth of gasoline expenses required upfront just for the honor of plugging in the lightning

[BerserkerCatSplat]

Cost will realistically vary depending on service level required.

60A service to the garage can be as simple as a $100 homeowner permit, an $80 panel + whatever breakers you need and a few hundred bucks worth of wire + conduit. Add cost for a mini-trencher rental or bust out the pickaxe. I like stranded THWN/THHN, you can run it in a smaller conduit than direct-burial romex-style wire and it's a hell of a lot easier to pull.

If you want enough juice for dual fast-charging the prices get much higher as you'll need to upgrade your whole service (and rejig the distribution pathway as some recommended).

[ExtraSlow]

For arguments sake, let's assume charging 1 EV.

I checked and my house main panel is 100A and feeds a single breaker for garage which is 15A. Makes sense to me to put new "main" 200A panel in garage and fee house as if it was a sub panel.
Or maybe not 200A, whatever common size is bigger than 100. I'm not an electrician.

[prae]

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Cost will realistically vary depending on service level required.

60A service to the garage can be as simple as a $100 homeowner permit, an $80 panel + whatever breakers you need and a few hundred bucks worth of wire + conduit. Add cost for a mini-trencher rental or bust out the pickaxe. I like stranded THWN/THHN, you can run it in a smaller conduit than direct-burial romex-style wire and it's a hell of a lot easier to pull.

If you want enough juice for dual fast-charging the prices get much higher as you'll need to upgrade your whole service (and rejig the distribution pathway as some recommended).

It seems like the definition of insanity to dig yet another conduit to the garage when that's where the demarc is- but if cost is the only factor that matters (and it sounds as though that's been the case for every decision ES' home developer made), this is probably the most frugal option.