Well, the Ford Pro charger, which comes with the extended range battery version, is 80A. You need that if you want to use the truck as home backup power. But I suppose it can be software controlled to provide slower charging and less current. Howeverr, I’m not sure if code will allow a charger rated for 80A to be hooked up with thinner gauge wire, even if you promise to never let it go over 40.
The issue with the Lightning is that it isn’t nearly as efficient as something like a Tesla Model 3. So to get the same range you need a much bigger battery. That’s actually a feature for when you need the battery to power a job site or a home, but it makes charge times significantly longer.
Even at 30A Level 2 you are looking at 20 hours to charge the extended range truck. The 80A Pro charger will do it in 12 hours. Plugging it into a standard 120V outlet - well, they say you’ll get 2-3 miles per hour of charge. That isn’t going to work for most people.
At DC 400V superchargers, you can charge from 10% to 80% in 41 minutes. I suspect a lot of truck users will be making heavy use of superchargers, and just trickle charge at home or maybe level 2 charge. Lots of people will get a wakeup call from their power company when they try to install the 80A charger.
It probably makes sense to go for the full 80 A if you are going to use it in bidirectional mode.
I’m not quite sure what the code has to say exactly, but I believe that there must be some kind of physical current limiting setting. In the case of my Tesla charger, there is a physical rotary switch (and some DIP switches) behind two panels held in place by Torx security screws. In my case, I have it set to 24 A (30 A breaker * 80%).
I can’t seem to find the manual for the Ford Pro charger, but the Ford Connected Charge Station has a similar set of DIP switches (see 5.2.1). Probably the Pro charger has the same thing.
Of course, these settings are implemented within the charger firmware, but I suspect the important point is that the configuration is physical and you have to partly disassemble the device to change it. The electrical code is pretty sensible in my experience. It clearly takes the philosophy that while it’s impossible to prevent people from getting into trouble completely, there should be at least some degree of restricted access. Usually that just means you have to put panels over things or keep a cabinet locked.
NEC Article 625.42 specifies that you can have user-adjustable current settings for fixed-in-place EV charging equipment, and you are permitted to size the service and feeder to match the adjusted current setting. The adjustment needs to be locked behind a cover that requires a tool to open, or password protected out so that only the qualified installer can access it.
Thanks for looking up the reference. That’s pretty much exactly what I’d have expected, with the exception of a password-protected software setting being suitable.
The 2017 language is a bit ambiguous, though I’d think an electrician could convincingly argue that a charger physically set to a specific limit should count as “the load served”. It’s good that they cleared it up, though.
I love my BMW i3, but we’re about to move from the bay area to Reno which means I’ll be driving in snow, or the threat of snow.
So we’d like a car with AWD or 4WD. And with the coat of gas we don’t want it to be an ICE. So is there such a thing as a AWD EV? I know the new BMW is, but let’s try to keep it under six figures.
Every Tesla comes in an AWD option, usually for not too much more. For instance, the standard range RWD Model 3 is $47k, while the long-range AWD version is $56k. So, $9k more but the range goes from 267 mi to 334, and you get AWD. It’s a very good AWD system as well, able to instantly send power where needed.
EVs without an AWD option are more of the exception these days. It’s easy to put a motor onto both the front and rear. They can be optimized for different speeds and so you actually get more range out of it. Most of the Ford Mach-E models are AWD as well.
I should add that AWD on EVs doesn’t resemble traditional 4WD or AWD with an ICE. The distinction between the latter two is a little fuzzy, but regardless, there is some type of device (transfer case, differential, etc.) that accepts power from the engine, and splits it to the front and rear. Each of the front and rear then have their own differentials to split between left and right sides. There may be additional systems to lock left and right, or front and rear. There are often also limits to how much torque or power can be sent to the front and back.
AWD EVs do away with almost all of this. Generally, they have two wholly independent motors, one each for front and back. Each of these has a standard differential for splitting left and right. There is no real limit to how much torque and power can be sent to each, except for the natural limits of the motors. They can both be on at once, and it’s a matter of software to apply power where it’s needed. Cruising on the highway, it can easily disable one motor or the other, depending on which is more efficient. If some slip is detected on one motor, it can instantly apply power to the other. And so on.
The lack of a physical connection makes AWD EVs very responsive and superior to their ICE counterparts.
Another type of system puts an independent motor on each wheel. These are even more responsive, but overkill in most cases, and the only model I’m aware of that you can buy is a Rivian.
I’m more surprised when I see an EV that isn’t AWD these days. Other that the real low end of the market, like the Chevy Bolt (which I had and liked a lot) I would guess most are AWD.
My 2021 Kia Niro is front wheel drive only. I presume it has a single motor and a differential.
I can tell you, the thing does not handle well in the rain. If the roads are wet, I have to be careful accelerating from a stop or I’ll spin the wheels. I half assumed there’d be a recall on the tires.
Oddly enough, it handled just fine in the snow.
I voted “eventually” at the time, but we actually purchased an EV this year, replacing my wife’s aging car with a 2022 Kia Niro EV. Using it for several months now has changed my perspective and when we replace my car it almost certainly will be with another EV.
We never had significant range anxiety, primarily due to having my ICE car and my wife’s relatively short commute. She also currently gets free level 2 charging at her office and we have a 50amp 240v home charger. The ~240 mile range pretty much makes charging a non-issue, and our “attitude” towards the car mirrors an ICE engine: we drive it for roughly a week, see that it’s getting a little low, and plug it in overnight or during the work day. A very similar thought process to how we’d go about filling up with gas.
I’ve always been skeptical about manufacturer’s (ahem Mazda) who think they can build a little toy car with <= 100 miles of range and claim that it’s good enough to cover many people’s commute. Yes, that might be technically true but you’re kind of forcing people to think about the state of their cars constantly or be very careful about your charging routine and outside of car nerds I suspect most people don’t want to do that or would be anxious about it. The Kia’s range allows us a level of thoughtlessness about the car that I suspect has mainstream appeal. If EV makers were able to get potential buyers to experience that first hand I think it’d go a long way towards quicker adaptation.
Now that we’re used to it I no longer feel any need to have an “ICE car around, just in case”. Any longer drive, camping trip, etc. we’ve done in the Niro. We haven’t done any seriously long trips yet that involves fast charging but will in a rented Mach-E when we visit GA and NC next month. But I’m already comfortable with the idea and I think that’s only going to improve.
So, currently I’d like to replace my ICE with an EV. It’s old, but still works fine, so we’ll probably wait some years for the market to stabilize and not have to pay $15k over MSRP or be put on a years long waitlist. I want something a little bigger and luxurious than the Niro for myself, and those cars in particular are seriously in short supply right now. Also, I suspect 300+ miles of range will become more typical in that timeframe, and that’s just icing on the cake for me.
We did spend some money upgrading our electric panel (still 200A, but with many more spaces for circuits). We might not have gone to that expense just for the 50amp car charger, but we also put in a new circuit for an induction cooktop and will likely want the additional spaces for a heat pump at a later date.
Seems like a couple Ford dealers are offering 100% markups on their F150 Lightnings (to Ford’s dismay)! Fuck them, and especially fuck anyone who pays that. Ford has been saying they’re going to crack down. Do it.
Your BMW will probably do well in the snow… I’d try it before you take a financial hit to replace it.
I live in the frozen tundra, in a city with lots of snow and hills (and every morning I have to navigate up a steep one). I was dubious about my under-a-ton sports car’s abilities, and was about to sell it or at least invest in some snow tires.
Lo and behold, the first blizzard hit and even before the plows came through, it scampered up the hills, and braked like a champ.
Hey, does anyone know if the “instant torque” of EVs helps or hurts traction in snow?
This is my experience. My Hyundai Kona (and Leaf before that) generally has good traction, but there’s one spot near my house with a stop sign at the top of a steep hill. If it’s raining, it’s easy to spin the wheels there if I’m not careful.