Charging multiple cars? Lucid or 3rd party EVSE?

[Matias]

Ok, I will admit I am a total n00b when it comes to the details of charging. I've had a Tesla hardwired plug at home for years and haven't really had to research anything in detail.

I am looking to take my GT in the next week or two, and we will have a Rivian coming in the early part of the new year. As I start trying to figure out what is the best solution for our home it's totally overwhelming! Obviously Lucid wants to sell me their home wall station, but the sales reps are not super educated or helpful.

Pointers to guides or services that could help plan our situation would be much appreciated. Ideally I would love to find an installer who is knowledgeable about both the vehicle side and the EVSE side as a 'one stop shop' for coming up with a plan. Thanks in advance!

 

[MoniputerLM]

 

[Bobby]

I have a JuiceBox that happily charges my Lucid or my wife's I-Pace. I've had it since 2019 with zero issues.

 

[DeaneG]

I swapped my hardwired Tesla HPWC for Lucid's LHCS. A swap doesn't take much effort by an electrician.

Any J1772 charging station should work fine on your Lucid and Rivian. Lucid's, Rivian's, Chargepoint Home Flex (some have had issues, maybe a software bug on Lucid's side), Juicebox, Tesla's new J1772 HPWC, etc depending on details of maximum charging current and conduit entry location.

What size circuit breaker is feeding your Tesla charger, assuming you plan to replace it with a J1772 charging station? And does the existing conduit enter the charger from the top, bottom, or backside?

IMO the main reason to use Lucid's charging station is if you are connecting to a circuit with a 100-amp circuit breaker for maximum charging speed, or you are willing to wait a bit and want Vehicle-to-Home battery backup from the Air.

 

[Tâm]

...Tesla hardwired plug at home for years and haven't really had to research anything in detail...

The advantage of a Lucid wall connector is:

1) 80A capable if installed in 100A circuit.
2) Bi-directional capable: It's for future proof, but right now, it's only one-directional.

If you have an older Tesla wall connector like gen1 or gen2, you can take the advantage for 80A capable if installed in a 100A circuit. You only need to get an 80A capable Tesla to J1772 adapter to fit your Lucid.

Newer Tesla wall connector gen3 is only 48A capable if installed in 60A circuit or higher.

There's a slight inconvenience: Lucid doesn't have scheduled charging, so you need to do it at your desired time manually.

 

[WildRide47]

View attachment 7625

My Wallbox works great.

 

[Negan1000]

Measure the distance from your charger location to the the charge ports on your cars. Be sure that you select a charger with a cable long enough for your use. I just had the Lucid Home charger installed on 12/14. I picked it for the future bi-directional charging and the 24' cable. You might get quotes from some electricians, they should make a load calculation to determine the largest circuit that your panel will accommodate. Also there is a step up in installation costs if you go with 100A circuit breaker (80A operation). The installation is lower if the conduit is 3/4"

 

[Slam08]

You only need one charger even if you have two EVs.

You have many options and many people will tell you different things. I don’t know your situation. But I would recommend buying one of these for about $150 and just plugging your cars in, one at a time.

I honestly think that adapter is all you will need at first. My advice would be to live with it for a little bit. If you find it a problem to keep track of which vehicle to charge then you have many options to fix that

Lectron [Only for J1772 EVs Tesla to J1772 Charging Adapter, Max 48 Amp & 250V - Compatible with Tesla High Powered Connectors, Destination Chargers, and Mobile Connectors (Black) https://a.co/d/ebg7f9H

I had a 14-50 outlet installed and plugged in a dual EV charger. I enjoy the convenience of just plugging the cars and not tracking the charge on my wife Tesla. She just plugs it in when she needs to and so do I. We can charge simultaneously if needed, but at lower rate.

 

[DeaneG]

We went with two separate chargers for two EVs for maximum convenience as we're hoping to never own an ICE vehicle again.

Depending on the location of the charging ports on your two vehicles, a dual-corded charging station might work well. It would not for us unless I chose to back the Air into the garage each time, and I wanted greater convenience.

 

[Slam08]

We went with two separate chargers for two EVs for maximum convenience as we're hoping to never own an ICE vehicle again.

Depending on the location of the charging ports on your two vehicles, a dual-corded charging station might work well. It would not for us unless I chose to back the Air into the garage each time, and I wanted greater convenience.

Yes. Maximum convenience is two separate circuits each with a hardwired charger I would guess.

A step down would be two chargers on the same circuit or some other load sharing solution.

Another step down would be a dual EV charger for simultaneous charging or a nema 14-50 switch for charging one then the other.

And then you have the single charger solution. That is enough for most. I could live with it. My fried does and it’s not a big deal.

 

[Slam08]

Now what am I going to do in 10 years when the kids all have EVs too? Lol.

 

[Sandvinsd]

We did two circuits for the two EVs. Using the ChargePoint works for most of the time as we charge the Leaf overnight daily and the Lucid can be charged on weekends during super off-peak hours. With that said, there are times when we need to charge both vehicles overnight, so having the second EVSE works better. We now have the ChargePoint and the Lucid Home charger.

 

[Matias]

Thanks all this was a super helpful starting point!

What size circuit breaker is feeding your Tesla charger, assuming you plan to replace it with a J1772 charging station? And does the existing conduit enter the charger from the top, bottom, or backside?

My current conduit enters the side. The breaker box that feeds it says it's rated for 126.8 amps, but it has a warning not to install any 'branch loads' greater than 90 amps. I don't know if that means I'd be able to go high power with a swap to the Lucid charger, or if I need to re-wire to get the full potential.

How did you get a Lucid CHCS already? The web store tells me I can pre-order for deliver next year?

I do think my first easy step is just getting an adaptor for my existing Tesla charger!

 

[Slam08]

Thanks all this was a super helpful starting point!

My current conduit enters the side. The breaker box that feeds it says it's rated for 126.8 amps, but it has a warning not to install any 'branch loads' greater than 90 amps. I don't know if that means I'd be able to go high power with a swap to the Lucid charger, or if I need to re-wire to get the full potential.

How did you get a Lucid CHCS already? The web store tells me I can pre-order for deliver next year?

I do think my first easy step is just getting an adaptor for my existing Tesla charger!

I’m not an electrician but if you are rated for 90A at 240V that is plenty. You could install two chargers on that circuit without a problem.

Feel free to DM

 

[DeaneG]

Thanks all this was a super helpful starting point!

My current conduit enters the side. The breaker box that feeds it says it's rated for 126.8 amps, but it has a warning not to install any 'branch loads' greater than 90 amps. I don't know if that means I'd be able to go high power with a swap to the Lucid charger, or if I need to re-wire to get the full potential.

How did you get a Lucid CHCS already? The web store tells me I can pre-order for deliver next year?

I do think my first easy step is just getting an adaptor for my existing Tesla charger!

You can use a Tesla->J1772 adapter, but they're expensive. Unless you plan to buy a Tesla soon, personally I'd spend the money to swap out the Tesla charger for a J1772 unit instead of buying the adapter. A J1772 charger will work fine charging a Tesla using Tesla's J1772->Tesla adapter, which comes with every car.

Conduit enters most charging stations from the bottom, so if you do have any electrical work done, best to plan to do the same with the new charging station.

 

[Slam08]

You can use a Tesla->J1772 adapter, but they're expensive. Unless you plan to buy a Tesla soon, personally I'd spend the money to swap out the Tesla charger for a J1772 unit instead of buying the adapter. A J1772 charger will work fine charging a Tesla using Tesla's J1772->Tesla adapter, which comes with every car.

Conduit enters most charging stations from the bottom, so if you do have any electrical work done, best to plan to do the same with the new charging station.

Is the expense of changing out the charger worth it? The adapter is $200 that is much less. I don’t see the advantage with the extra money the OP is spending. How much faster will it charge?

 

[DeaneG]

Is the expense of changing out the charger worth it? The adapter is $200 that is much less. I don’t see the advantage with the extra money the OP is spending. How much faster will it charge?

Just a hassle using an adapter every day. But either choice will work fine. I view it as a small long term investment to make the car and our next EVs a pleasure to use.

 

[Slam08]

You just leave the adaptor on. You don’t have to take it on and off.

Will there be a difference in charging?

 

[DeaneG]

You just leave the adaptor on. You don’t have to take it on and off.

Will there be a difference in charging?

Some adapters want to be removed and tree plugged

You just leave the adaptor on. You don’t have to take it on and off.

Will there be a difference in charging?

No difference if you re-use the same circuit breaker and wiring, and buy the correct adpater.

 

[Matias]

LOL, I ordered one of these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09DCTJCTV/

I will def swap for a dedicated J1772 charger... but that will take time, and this adaptor will come in 2 days Amazon prime.

As for the ~$150 considering the cost of the GT I'm calling it a rounding error!