Hard wired charger vs plug-in

It's my understanding that if you ask an electrician to install a level 2 charger (or even a plug for a level 2 charger) he will charge you a lot more money than if if you tell him you want a 220 plug for an electric dryer.

 

I have burned up plugs on chargers twice. The blade connections are the weak link in the system. I prefer hardwired, since it is a 'permanent' installation. The load on a charger is high for extended times, and this creates heightened potential for failure.

Seems like it might be okay if the plug was rated for twice the full amps of the charger... The plugs that gave me problems were drawing 80% of the rated amperage of the plugs.

 

My suggestion would be to have an electrician install a 50A, 240V circuit with a NEMA 6-50R receptacle.
There is no need to mention that it is for an EV (tell them it is for a welder for instance).

This is one of the most commonly used receptacles for Level 2 EVSE devices.
To me, the advantage of a plug-in EVSE is that it makes it easier for the user to repair / replace / upgrade.
A 50 Amp circuit gives you some degree of "future-proofing" because that capacity exceeds what the Clarity will use.

If your EVSE is a plug-in (but stationary), then there is less worry about overheated plugs. Constantly plugging & unplugging can lead to degraded connections and overheating. Also, since the Clarity only draws 30A, the 50A circuit / receptacle has some extra margin and would be less vulnerable to a failure leading to overheating.

 

I did exactly what is described above by MrFixit (and using the stationary plug in charger that came with my Fit EV)

 

There is no standard receptacle above 60A. If you have a BEV and want clipper Creek's 80A charger, you can't do that with a plug.

Unless you're planning to move soon and don't want to invest in an EVSE again after you move, just get it hard wired. No worries about plugs overheating that way.

 

I have a Mustart 32 amp charger plugged into my welder 50 amp outlet. Has worked great for two years. I already had the outlet so it was an easy decision.

 

I chose plug vs wired. When my JuiceBox recently faulted and had to be sent back for warranty repair I was quickly able to buy a replacement on Amazon and just plug it in. No electrician or wiring required.

 

If you are signing up for a separately-metered time-of-use rate with your power company, some companies require that your EVSE be hardwired instead of plugged in, presumably to prevent you from diverting that sweet, delicious discounted night-time electricity for other uses.

 

I found hardwired chargers were marginally cheaper. I still went with a plug (and was grateful for that when I moved. Made taking the charger much easier.)

 

For those that are concerned, very few mounted plug in EVSEs can comply with code based on either the 2017 or 2020 NEC.
Anything non-portable with a plug is considered "stationary" (2017) or "fastened in place" (2020). Part of the definition of both is tool free removal. Clipper Creek and Enel X (JuiceBox) offer optional mounting brackets that would allow you to comply, but ChargePoint does not.
The 2020 NEC also requires that any adjustable unit be both hardwired and "fixed in place" (tools required to remove), so units like the Grizzle and Chargepoint Flex must be hardwired.

 

Interesting. Seems counterintuitive that something designed to be non-portable requires tool free removal, sorta like an oxy moron no?

 

My electric coop would have given me a free Clipper Creek unit but electricians wanted $500 to install it. I just use an existing 220 outlet and portable Mustart EVSE and have had no problems. I charge every day and leave the cord plugged in the wall outlet all the time so it doesn't get wear and tear damage.

 

As mentioned, a hardwired unit may be desirable when it meets a requirement for separately metered TOU rates. If you have TOU rates for the entire house it will not matter what type of device is used. It may also be desirable as it would qualify for current, but soon to expire, tax incentives. It may also cost more to have a hardwired unit installed, compared to having only a 50A receptacle installed. So it could be a wash.

For a Clarity, a 50A outlet will only be operating at ~60% of rated capacity, for somewhere between 2-3 hours at a time. This should not cause a problem for a properly installed 50A receptacle. Also for a Clarity, a 40A, 60A or 80A device would be an unnecessary expenditure.

A portable device offers, well, portability. That may be an important feature to some owners.

 

If you go with a plug, definitely get a NEMA 14-50, not the 6-50. It's easy to adapt the 14-50 to 6-50 but you can't go the other way since wiring for the 6-50 would be missing the required neutral wire.

 

The tax credit will also apply to an outlet installed to charge your EV. this could be a dedicated 120V outlet to use the OEM cable, or a 240V outlet for something with faster charging speeds. There is no requirement that the device be hardwired, so a plug-in EVSE and installation costs (including electrical work) do qualify.
I recently added a second EVSE in my garage because my utility would give me $500 towards the purchase and install, plus $50/yr if they could reduce or delay charging during peak times. The only EVSE that currently qualifies is the Chargepoint Flex. I hardwired it on a 60A circuit. Total cost ~$730 ($699 + ~$30 in wire, breaker, clamps). $500 PGE rebate and $219 Tax Credit leave a net cost of $21. And then they pay me $50/yr to participate in the program.

I did have a schedule set for delayed charging (their TOU program made no sense for us but we did it anyway). We now plug in when we get home and let them potentially control the charging. They'll send a notification prior to doing so and you can override and charge if you need to.

As a note, for a couple of reasons even the hardwired install would not meet code.
1) The consumer can is required to set the amperage the unit draws and can change it (intentionally or accidentally) to a value greater than the circuit can handle
2) The unit does not properly handle a request for ventilation when charging and also does not have the labeling required regarding ventilation.

If installing with the 14-50 or 6-50 plugs, it would fail do to:
1) The inability to function with the GFCI protected outlet required by code (the manual does state that if a GFCI outlet is required, the unit should be hardwired)
2) Tool free removal is not possible.

 

My head may have just exploded.

Are you saying that you’re getting a PGE (power company) rebate and a tax credit for installing an electrical device that is not compliant with the electric code?

 

True...
The minimum device that will take full advantage of the Clarity's capability is a 32 Amp EVSE.
I have a JuiceBox 32 (which requires a 40A circuit because of the 80% derating for a continuous device).

A 40A EVSE requires a 50A circuit. A 60A EVSE requires a 75A circuit, and an 80A EVSE requires a 100A circuit.
Remember, as pointed out earlier, there is no "plug" rated beyond 60A so the 60, and 80A EVSE's would have to be hard-wired anyway.

Anything above the 32A EVSE is overkill for the Clarity (and more expense), but some do it anyway in the name of "futureproofing".

 

I agree. My earlier post had erroneously recommended the 6-50...