Home charger recommendation?

[SaratogaLefty]

You need a transfer switch to disconnect your house from the grid before feeding current into your panel. The breakers to the EVSE are fine, AC current flows both ways anyway. Hence, the breaker cannot tell that you are back-feeding current.

Is it your understanding that the "transfer switch" can be automatic? If it is manual then how would you know when to switch it back when the grid power is restored? Please forgive my ignorance.

 

[Adnillien]

Is it your understanding that the "transfer switch" can be automatic? If it is manual then how would you know when to switch it back when the grid power is restored? Please forgive my ignorance.

It can be automatic. In fact, the EVSE may require some sort of tie to the transfer switch before enabling vehicle to home.

 

[pam4_AGT]

Is it your understanding that the "transfer switch" can be automatic? If it is manual then how would you know when to switch it back when the grid power is restored? Please forgive my ignorance.

@SaratogaLefty, not to rain on your parade, this is not as easy as installing the bi-directional charger on the wall and wiring it up to main panel outside your house. When this charger is drawing power from the car and dumping it into the main panel, that panel is still connected to the outside world. That's where the transfer switch comes in - it disconnects that panel from the outside world. Otherwise your charger is trying to power up the entire neighborhood during an outage.

Based on actual experience in my house with a much smaller battery and the use case being very similar, I can tell you it's not a straightforward install. One option (I have this in my house) is to have a separate "backup panel" that powers a few circuits in the house.

 

[hydbob]

@SaratogaLefty, not to rain on your parade, this is not as easy as installing the bi-directional charger on the wall and wiring it up to main panel outside your house. When this charger is drawing power from the car and dumping it into the main panel, that panel is still connected to the outside world. That's where the transfer switch comes in - it disconnects that panel from the outside world. Otherwise your charger is trying to power up the entire neighborhood during an outage.

Based on actual experience in my house with a much smaller battery and the use case being very similar, I can tell you it's not a straightforward install. One option (I have this in my house) is to have a separate "backup panel" that powers a few circuits in the house.

Agreed with @pam4_AGT . The bidirectional charger for our case will be installer on rhe circuit which powers our guest house. It will be an emergency only type situation and we will install the transfer switch at the time the 100amp gets installed, in a month or so.

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

@SaratogaLefty, not to rain on your parade, this is not as easy as installing the bi-directional charger on the wall and wiring it up to main panel outside your house. When this charger is drawing power from the car and dumping it into the main panel, that panel is still connected to the outside world. That's where the transfer switch comes in - it disconnects that panel from the outside world. Otherwise your charger is trying to power up the entire neighborhood during an outage.

Based on actual experience in my house with a much smaller battery and the use case being very similar, I can tell you it's not a straightforward install. One option (I have this in my house) is to have a separate "backup panel" that powers a few circuits in the house.

You are spot on, which is why I am waiting to hear what Lucid is offering. We have a Kohler standby generator at the house we are leaving and the automatic transfer switch is almost as large as the circuit panel. Due to space limitations they need to release the specs soon. I would rather have an idea of what this will be before I have the wall charger installed. I have already started dividing up essential vs. nonessential loads.

Here's the rub, the car will not always be there so "essential" loads won't be covered. So do you use the car for nonessential and use generator for essentials and therefore get a much smaller genset? Can these systems work together???

 

[CLTGT]

New, related question. I have a traditional portable generator that I can wheel out into my driveway, start up and plug into a transfer switch in my garage. It is only a 30amp setup and it is only there to power things like the fridge, microwave, electronics (TV, internet, cable) and a few lights. It used to backup my reef tanks, but those are long gone now. It is a physical switch and I really do not mind that. I have used it twice in ten years. Will I be able to plug the car into that switch instead of using the generator provided I have the right 30amp adapter plug? It would be much quieter.

 

[MPawelek]

Most portable generators have their own breaker that will trip if too much load is placed on the generator so no damage would be done. As others have stated it would be a lot more cost effective to use the gasoline for the generator in your Ice automobile rather than charging your EV.

 

[CLTGT]

I do not want to charge the car using the generator, but I would like to use the car as the battery to power those items in my house instead of using the generator.

 

[MPawelek]

You would have to take the KW’s in the battery then add up in KW’s what you want to run in the house and divide the battery KW’s by the KW’s being used in the house for the hours you could use the battery. The Ford commercial on tv is pie in the sky fantasy in my opinion. Folks will be surprised how little can be run off a EV battery unless it is just a few light bulbs or refrigerator. AC or a water well pump would drain it fast. EV batteries would be for minimal living situations.

 

[dawktah LucidGT]

You would have to take the KW’s in the battery then add up in KW’s what you want to run in the house and divide the battery KW’s by the KW’s being used in the house for the hours you could use the battery. The Ford commercial on tv is pie in the sky fantasy in my opinion. Folks will be surprised how little can be run off a EV battery unless it is just a few light bulbs or refrigerator. AC or a water well pump would drain it fast. EV batteries would be for minimal living situations.View attachment 1008

Having a home genset its way more complicated than this. We have a 20kw genset and it runs the whole house, with HVAC running. Lucid is slated to be 19.2kw. I am waiting for the actual literature.

 

[MPawelek]

Yes, I understand it is more complicated. I have a 75kw set up to run my house and barn.

 

[mac26mac]

View attachment 1003View attachment 1004

These are our 2. The Chargepoint is for my Taycan and the Grizzl-E is for my wife’s Etron. The Chargepoint is a “smart” charger (app on your phone) and the Grizzl-E is a not so smart charger. Both have been flawless in over a years use.

The Grizzle is a white-box Clipper Creek (as is my Juicebox). I thought about it, but it lacks the 'smart' features that we need. The Chargepoint one is likely what we need, but I need hardwire since it will be installed outdoors.

 

[hydbob]

The Grizzle is a white-box Clipper Creek (as is my Juicebox). I thought about it, but it lacks the 'smart' features that we need. The Chargepoint one is likely what we need, but I need hardwire since it will be installed outdoors.

Could just encase a plug in a waetherbox like @Charley has

 

[Charley]

 

[copper]

After a lot of research, I finally pulled the trigger and got a Grizzl-e Smart. I'll be installing it outside and using a lock to keep it in place (I'm not super worried about theft, but figure better safe than sorry). We're up on top of the hill in the SF peninsula and can get some intense wind/rain/fog, so a really weatherproof unit is essential which the Grizzl-e excels at. Unfortunately, the Chargepoint doesn't have a lock and the Enel-X is very large and won't install cleanly on the outside of our house.

My main hesitance on the Grizzl-e Smart was that it does not have an app usable from the manufacturer, and any open-source software (SteVe for example) are poorly supported and difficult to maintain. I talked with Grizzl-e and at this point the ChargeLab app is a reliable way to connect the charger and use scheduled charging as well as track usage. [here's the setup guide]

I should have it set up in a week or so and will test it with a friend's Ioniq 5 (my AGT is still at least a month out). I'll post impressions after we test it.

 

[borski]

After a lot of research, I finally pulled the trigger and got a Grizzl-e Smart. I'll be installing it outside and using a lock to keep it in place (I'm not super worried about theft, but figure better safe than sorry). We're up on top of the hill in the SF peninsula and can get some intense wind/rain/fog, so a really weatherproof unit is essential which the Grizzl-e excels at. Unfortunately, the Chargepoint doesn't have a lock and the Enel-X is very large and won't install cleanly on the outside of our house.

My main hesitance on the Grizzl-e Smart was that it does not have an app usable from the manufacturer, and any open-source software (SteVe for example) are poorly supported and difficult to maintain. I talked with Grizzl-e and at this point the ChargeLab app is a reliable way to connect the charger and use scheduled charging as well as track usage. [here's the setup guide]

I should have it set up in a week or so and will test it with a friend's Ioniq 5 (my AGT is still at least a month out). I'll post impressions after we test it.

Why that over the Wallbox Pulsar Plus? I’ve loved mine, and it even has a useful Home Assistant integration.

 

[PhotoEye]

It is my understanding the Lucid Home Charger will be useable as a backup power source for the home. I have already contacted a local company that specializes in EV setups and they confirmed that my electrical panels will accept the needed 100 amp line. He only has a preliminary understanding of how the Lucid Home charger will work from early discussions he has had with Lucid. Once the unit is available he told me he will receive further information from the appropriate Lucid personnel.

Frankly, I don't believe we will see true bi-directionality for years (if at all). This has been a huge Lucid "promise" for years already. The charger will come at a very high price premium and with less than full capability -- just think of the full DreamDrive Pro suite. I, for one, could not wait for it and did not have a 240v outlet to accept the plug that came with my DE. So, just installed a 50amp WallBox for overnight charging, when needed. No more waiting. Time to drive!

 

[hydbob]

Frankly, I don't believe we will see true bi-directionality for years (if at all). This has been a huge Lucid "promise" for years already. The charger will come at a very high price premium and with less than full capability -- just think of the full DreamDrive Pro suite. I, for one, could not wait for it and did not have a 240v outlet to accept the plug that came with my DE. So, just installed a 50amp WallBox for overnight charging, when needed. No more waiting. Time to drive!

I think we will, just not in CA for a while is my guess. It'll be harder to deny Lucid when Ford is getting a pilot program in CA, but you know how lobbying goes...

 

[copper]

Why that over the Wallbox Pulsar Plus? I’ve loved mine, and it even has a useful Home Assistant integration.

I don’t use Alexa or google home, and the pulsar doesn’t have a security lock that I know of.

 

[Tim-in-CA]

I don’t use Alexa or google home, and the pulsar doesn’t have a security lock that I know of.

You can use the app to lock other people out from using the charger. If you are looking to PHYSICALLY secure the unit from being stolen, the you are correct, the Wallbox unit can't be locked.