Power draw & de-rate?

[mattrettig]

Hello all. Just finished my first week with my GT…Loving it! Wondering: For my home Level 2 charger (which is a 50A circuit) if I have a second outlet & cable installed on the same wire that already charges the wife’s MY, and if I charge my GT and her MY at the same time, will each try to draw 50 amps and overheat the circuit? You can manually “de-rate” the draw on the MY, but I don’t see a way to do it on the Lucid. How would that work? Thanks!

 

[Adnillien]

You cannot lower the charging current in the Air. The Air will ask for as much current as the EVSE (charger) will provide, up to 80A. Putting two chargers on the same 50A breaker will not work. It will draw too much current ton trip the breaker. One option is to buy a dual port EVSE that will share the current between the two cars without overloading the circuit.

 

[Tâm]

Hello all. Just finished my first week with my GT…Loving it! Wondering: For my home Level 2 charger (which is a 50A circuit) if I have a second outlet & cable installed on the same wire that already charges the wife’s MY, and if I charge my GT and her MY at the same time, will each try to draw 50 amps and overheat the circuit? You can manually “de-rate” the draw on the MY, but I don’t see a way to do it on the Lucid. How would that work? Thanks!

My guess is to configure each wall connector to charge maximally at 20A each.

 

[DeaneG]

Several home EVSEs can intelligently share power from one circuit. My neighbor just bought an Autel for $450 with the idea of doing exactly this.

 

[Taz K]

I agree with Tam. The MY will be able adjust the draw to 20 Amps. If your EVSE for the Lucid allows you to adjust the draw to 20 Amps, you should be fine. Unfortunately, the Lucid does not internally allow you decrease the draw. It's a hungry one! As long as your panel's breaker is rated at 50 Amps and you have the appropriate guage wire for the circuits, 6 copper or 4 aluminum, you could try simultaneous charging. If the draw is too high, the breaker will trip. I had 2 separate lines installed for our EVSEs, one on a 60 Amp breaker for the Lucid and a another using 30 Amp breaker from pre-existing dryer line. There are EVSEs out there that allow daisy chaining with reduced draw. IMHO, an electrician with experience installing EVSEs will be the best resource. I am not an electrician.

 

[mattrettig]

Thanks all! Does Lucid’s own branded wall mounted charger have the ability to de-rate and split? (I’m guessing no.)

 

[segbrk]

Thanks all! Does Lucid’s own branded wall mounted charger have the ability to de-rate and split? (I’m guessing no.)

De-rate yes, via physical dip switches - split no. You'd want one with two plugs so it can control both.
I wouldn't worry about missing out on the 80A LCHCS personally, even 40A (9.6kW) will get your GT from 20-80% in under 10 hours overnight.

 

[larrycpa]

Is there any benefit to using a charger, rather than plugging directly into a 80 amp 240 outlet?

 

[segbrk]

Is there any benefit to using a charger, rather than plugging directly into a 80 amp 240 outlet?

Lots of general confusion there. The charger is in the car. Anything outside the car is called EVSE ("EV Supply Equipment"), and is basically just a smart power cable. I don't think there is such a thing as an 80A 240V outlet. Anything over I believe 50A needs to be hardwired for safety - it's a code requirement. Even at lower amperages than that, hardwired is safer. You can find horror stories on this forum of 30A outlets melting and nearly starting fires. Some outlets are more durable than others, but if you're getting the work done, best to just get it hardwired. There's really no downside.

 

[larrycpa]

Lots of general confusion there. The charger is in the car. Anything outside the car is called EVSE ("EV Supply Equipment"), and is basically just a smart power cable. I don't think there is such a thing as an 80A 240V outlet. Anything over I believe 50A needs to be hardwired for safety - it's a code requirement. Even at lower amperages than that, hardwired is safer. You can find horror stories on this forum of 30A outlets melting and nearly starting fires. Some outlets are more durable than others, but if you're getting the work done, best to just get it hardwired. There's really no downside.

Thanks. I already have the outlet installed for my ChargePoint. I was just wondering if I could bypass the EVSE and move it elsewhere.

 

[BillHartman67]

You could probably use something like this:

Automatically switches between your dryer and EV so you don’t have to. Your EV instantly begins charging once your dryer cycle is done. The Smart Splitter monitors your total power usage to ensure you stay within 24 Amp NEC safe limits. Please ensure your EV or EV charger is set to 24 Amps or less to avoid tripping your breaker.

You could hook up your 20A MY to the dryer connection and the Lucid EVSE to the other.

Not sure if this is as good a solution as DeaneG wrote about with the dual plug as only one would charge at a time.

 

[BillHartman67]

Several home EVSEs can intelligently share power from one circuit. My neighbor just bought an Autel for $450 with the idea of doing exactly this.

Would you mind sharing the Model number?

This sounds like a bargain.

 

[DeaneG]

Personally I'd just go with a pair of identical EVSEs that can intelligently share power on one circuit. There are several available: Tesla UMC, Wallbox Pulsar Plus, Autel Maxicharger, etc.
Then you can place each EVSE where it is the most convenient to charge each vehicle without having to unwrap 25' of cable.

 

[DeaneG]

Would you mind sharing the Model number?

This sounds like a bargain.

He bought it on sale a month or so ago. Looks like it's back up to its normal price of $569.

Autel MaxiCharger Lite 50-Amp - EV Charging Station Review

Tom Moloughney puts the Autel MaxiCharger Lite 50-amp EV charger through his rigorous testing and offers his expert opinions in this comprehensive review.

evchargingstations.com