Any Downside to Not Plugging In At Home Every Night?

[SaratogaLefty]

I am fortunate because I have numerous EA Charging stations within 10 minutes of my home. I understand it is a good idea to not remove the cable from the outlet once it has been plugged in to avoid loosening the connection. So is there any problem with just keeping the supplied cable/connector in the car and using EA station once a week to "top off" to 80%. For most of my driving a once a week "top off" will be sufficient. I realize there will be some range losses overnight if not connected but other than that is there a real negative impact of not keeping the car connected nightly? Once I get the Lucid Home Charging Station I will most likely keep it connected but in the interim I'm inclined to leave the cable/connector in the car.

 

[pam4_AGT]

Once I get the Lucid Home Charging Station I will most likely keep it connected but in the interim I'm inclined to leave the cable/connector in the car.

You really do not need Lucid's home charging station unless you really want that Vehicle-to-home (V2H) feature - and installing that will be a whole another PITA. There are charging stations you can buy on Amazon in the $250-600 range that will get the job done.

 

[Dortreo]

Plus some power companies will give significant rebates for popular models like ChargePoint. Makes the delta between those and the Lucid even greater.

 

[pam4_AGT]

Plus some power companies will give significant rebates for popular models like ChargePoint. Makes the delta between those and the Lucid even greater.

Also, don't forget the federal tax rebate. I think that applies to the charging station too (?)

 

[Sandvinsd]

You really do not need Lucid's home charging station unless you really want that Vehicle-to-home (V2H) feature - and installing that will be a whole another PITA. There are charging stations you can buy on Amazon in the $250-600 range that will get the job done.

Agree. If you are not wanting to use the bidirectional charging capabilities of the Lucid home charger, getting a 3rd party charger installed will be cheaper. Would recommend a ChargePoint, Grizzl-e or a Juicebox. We have a ChargePoint for our Leaf and it works great. Also, it is better for the battery to charge at a level 2 speed rather than the fast DC charging at an EA.

 

[hmp10]

So is there any problem with just keeping the supplied cable/connector in the car and using EA station once a week to "top off" to 80%.

The problem is that fast DC charging such as you get at an EA station is more taxing on the battery than the slower charging you'd get on a home 240-volt setup. You'll prolong battery life by home charging except for long road trips. Home charging also means you leave home every morning with the battery topped up to whatever limit you choose (typically 80% for best battery life), so you have plenty of range should an emergency arise.

Also, I'm confused by all this talk about third party chargers. If you don't need the V2H charging that the Lucid Wall Connector provides, all you need for home charging is a NEMA 14-50 240-volt outlet (a typical dryer outlet) of at least 50 amp capacity. The car comes with its own charger that you simply plug into the NEMA outlet.

it's just so easy to plug and unplug in the garage each day than worry about getting to a public charger when it might not be convenient, or that might or may not be working, or that might have a line waiting, or when the weather might be nasty just when you need to charge (as most public chargers are exposed to the elements).

 

[MPawelek]

The vast majority of EV owners will just charge at home with Type 2 set ups at night. All the talk about solar panels, storage batteries and selling electricity back to their provider at this point will be for a tiny fraction of EV owners.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

Also, if you’re not putting too many miles on the vehicle per day, you could always just plug-in to a standard one 20 V outlet in the garage. Typically you get about 3 Miles of range per hour of charge

 

[pam4_AGT]

Also, I'm confused by all this talk about third party chargers. If you don't need the V2H charging that the Lucid Wall Connector provides, all you need for home charging is a NEMA 14-50 240-volt outlet (a typical dryer outlet) of at least 50 amp capacity. The car comes with its own charger that you simply plug into the NEMA outlet.

@hmp10, you are correct and I'm myself guilty of using the term "charger". The wall-box that you get to buy on Amazon ($250-600) such as Chargepoint, Juicebox, Grizzle, etc. are only needed if:

1. You plan on leaving the charging cable that you get with your Lucid inside the trunk (always) as a backup. It's probably not a good idea to connect/remove this plug from the NEMA 14-50/30 socket every single day.
2. You need additional features (not available yet in the car GUI) such as scheduling the time of day for charging.
3. More expensive boxes will have fancy features like WiFi and an app on your phone for configuring (schedule, charge current in amps, etc.)

 

[SaratogaLefty]

You really do not need Lucid's home charging station unless you really want that Vehicle-to-home (V2H) feature - and installing that will be a whole another PITA. There are charging stations you can buy on Amazon in the $250-600 range that will get the job done.

I definitely do want the capability to have the power backup for my home so I will be purchasing the Lucid Home Charging Station. I already have an electrician lined up to do the installation and he has reviewed my electrical setup and has had some contact with Lucid. Based on his limited information at this point he is relatively confident he can get it done when it becomes available.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

The problem is that fast DC charging such as you get at an EA station is more taxing on the battery than the slower charging you'd get on a home 240-volt setup. You'll prolong battery life by home charging except for long road trips. Home charging also means you leave home every morning with the battery topped up to whatever limit you choose (typically 80% for best battery life), so you have plenty of range should an emergency arise.

Also, I'm confused by all this talk about third party chargers. If you don't need the V2H charging that the Lucid Wall Connector provides, all you need for home charging is a NEMA 14-50 240-volt outlet (a typical dryer outlet) of at least 50 amp capacity. The car comes with its own charger that you simply plug into the NEMA outlet.

it's just so easy to plug and unplug in the garage each day than worry about getting to a public charger when it might not be convenient, or that might or may not be working, or that might have a line waiting, or when the weather might be nasty just when you need to charge (as most public chargers are exposed to the elements).

I already have the 14-50 outlet with a 40 amp capacity that I used for my Panamera E-Hybrid. I know I can just use the supplied cable/connector in the interim until the Home Station becomes available but when I travel I will want to have it in the car and others here have commented its not good to plug/unplug on a regular basis.

 

[pam4_AGT]

I already have the 14-50 outlet with a 40 amp capacity that I used for my Panamera E-Hybrid. I know I can just use the supplied cable/connector in the interim until the Home Station becomes available but when I travel I will want to have it in the car and others here have commented its not good to plug/unplug on a regular basis.

Does the Panamera E-Hybrid use the same connector (J1772)? Aren't you all set in that case?

 

[SaratogaLefty]

Does the Panamera E-Hybrid use the same connector (J1772)? Aren't you all set in that case?

Yes the connector is the same and I am all set. I'm just nervous about connecting/disconnecting the plug repeatedly when I travel based on some of the comments posted here.

 

[pam4_AGT]

Regarding Bi-Directional power setups. The required transfer switch might be the least of your problems. Your power company has a lot to say about the installation. They don’t want power accidentally going back out onto the grid and killing their workmen. I installed PowerWalls in Arizona. APS is my power company. Was required to add a separate meter for the battery and 4 very large shutoff boxes. Two with fuses and two with breakers. The city required APS to sign off on the design before they would approve it. Please check with your power company before getting all excited about bi-directional power.

@SaratogaLefty , I hope you read this message on another thread here. This is related to what you want to do in your house.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

@SaratogaLefty , I hope you read this message on another thread here. This is related to what you want to do in your house.

Yes I did see that post. I'm not sure what the restrictions are in Arizona but the local EV Expert electrician here has reviewed my electrical setup and told me the Lucid Home Charging Station for a V2H home power backup should not be an overwhelming installation. I have numerous friends who have the Tesla Battery backups installed for home power backup and they haven't had any unusual requirements for installation so I'm not sure why the Lucid option should be more complicated??

 

[pam4_AGT]

Yes I did see that post. I'm not sure what the restrictions are in Arizona but the local EV Expert electrician here has reviewed my electrical setup and told me the Lucid Home Charging Station for a V2H home power backup should not be an overwhelming installation. I have numerous friends who have the Tesla Battery backups installed for home power backup and they haven't had any unusual requirements for installation so I'm not sure why the Lucid option should be more complicated??

Those friends are your best reference - ask them. Most likely they are part of a solar install? If yes, the "transfer switch" that everyone keeps mentioning is part of the solar inverter (I have that setup at my home).

 

[hmp10]

I already have the 14-50 outlet with a 40 amp capacity that I used for my Panamera E-Hybrid. I know I can just use the supplied cable/connector in the interim until the Home Station becomes available but when I travel I will want to have it in the car and others here have commented its not good to plug/unplug on a regular basis.

I wonder what the problem is with plugging and unplugging on a regular basis? People plug and unplug the J1772 end of the cable every day.

Even if plugging and unplugging frequently might pose a problem, just how often do you take a trip for which you'd need to have your charging cable along, as I assume you'd do most trip charging at a DC charging station? They're probably easier to find than a NEMA 14-50 plug.

 

[pam4_AGT]

I'm just nervous about connecting/disconnecting the plug repeatedly

@SaratogaLefty , when people advice against plugging-in and removing everyday, they are not talking about the J1772 connector that connects to your car. They are talking about the hefty NEMA 14-50/30 plug that you connect to the wall socket.

 

[Steveinarizona]

@SaratogaLefty , when people advice against plugging-in and removing everyday, they are not talking about the J1772 connector that connects to your car. They are talking about the hefty NEMA 14-50/30 plug that you connect to the wall socket.

Correct. I had a plug in unit installed but only so I could reuse my clipper creek unit or replace it with another without needing a electrician to come to the house. Mine just stays plugged in all the time.

 

[SaratogaLefty]

@SaratogaLefty , when people advice against plugging-in and removing everyday, they are not talking about the J1772 connector that connects to your car. They are talking about the hefty NEMA 14-50/30 plug that you connect to the wall socket.

I was referring to the plug into the 14-50 not the J1772. People have written here that it is not a good idea to plug and unplug from the 14-50.