Charging at Home (Xcel EV Program)

[colo1s]

Hi there,

We recently moved to the US/Colorado and have some very dumb questions about electricity here. I ordered an R1S and now thinking what charging options I have at home.

I have an outlet in the garage with a green light, others don‘t have that. Is that anything special? I’m thinking if I should use the regular outlet to charge the car. We’re not driving a lot during the week, so even after longer trips during the weekend, it wouldn’t matter if the car takes a day or two to recharge. Is there anything I need to check before plugging in the car charger? Worst case, how long would it take on regular outlet to fully charge from almost empty?

There’s the EV program from Xcel where they install the L2 charger for free, but they say there are additional wiring costs. Anyone has experience with that and ballpark what that may cost? We’re renting the place and there’s an additional $200 fee for removing the charger when we move out. Wondering if it’s worth it.

Thanks!

Sponsored

 

[VSG]

I have an outlet in the garage with a green light, others don‘t have that. Is that anything special? I’m thinking if I should use the regular outlet to charge the car. We’re not driving a lot during the week, so even after longer trips during the weekend, it wouldn’t matter if the car takes a day or two to recharge. Is there anything I need to check before plugging in the car charger? Worst case, how long would it take on regular outlet to fully charge from almost empty?

The green light is probably because it's a GFCI outlet, which is required by code for outlets in the garage. If so, it should also have two buttons on it, test and reset? A picture would help.

I think it's quite possible to use nothing but the wall outlet to keep your vehicle charged. You gain about 2 miles of range for every hour you're plugged in this way. That means about 25 miles overnight. If you commute less than 200 miles a week, this should be more than enough.

You never really want to charge 0%-100%, you want to keep it plugged in and "topped up". Rivian recommends keeping the battery at 70% for every day use. I keep mine at 75%, then top off to 100% only if I am leaving on a long trip. But if you arrive home at 10% and want to bring it back up to say 70% that's maybe 90 hours on a wall outlet.

There’s the EV program from Xcel where they install the L2 charger for free, but they say there are additional wiring costs. Anyone has experience with that and ballpark what that may cost? We’re renting the place and there’s an additional $200 fee for removing the charger when we move out. Wondering if it’s worth it.

Wiring costs are totally dependent on how far away from the electrical panel, whether they have to run the cable through or inside walls, etc. But even a simple installation can cost $1500 for some reason that I can't fathom.

I would recommend seeing if you can live with just using your Rivian portable charger and plugging it into the wall outlet. You may find this is quite sufficient for your needs, and of course if you need some extra charging you can always charge outside your house. But if after living with this a while you find you are having difficulty keeping your car charged, then you always have the option to install the charger.

 

[colo1s]

That’s great, thanks a lot! The panel is in the basement, so they’d definitely need to go through walls etc. I’ll try the portable charger then. We don’t have a lot of EV chargers around here, let’s see how that goes.

 

[DeanB1452]

If your washer/dryer is in the garage, you can use the 240v plug on your portable charger to plug into that to get you up to 14mi/h charging rate. There are adapters for the plug so you can keep both plugged in, but only one runs at a time.

 

[colo1s]

Unfortunately not. Washer and dryer are also in the basement. Thanks though!

 

[stefprez]

I probably wouldn't bother with getting a Level 2 charger installed in a rental unless the property owner is willing to put up for the cost of it. Doesn't hurt to ask. It's a value add to the property in my mind.

It really depends on your average miles driven per day on whether or not the Level 1 charging via the portable charger will be sufficient for your needs. Just remember, especially with a Level 1 charger, ABC. Always Be Charging. If you're consistent with plugging it in right when you get home each time, you'll probably find that you can keep things topped up assuming you're not driving really far each day. And if you do drive a lot, the occasional quick stop at a DC Fast Charger will get you topped back up. Also take a look to see if there are any Level 2 chargers near any places you drive to frequently and spend a few hours at, like your workplace. If so, plugging in there will help you stay topped up!

 

[colo1s]

Well, another thing to consider is TOU, I won't be charging 1-7pm in the peak times. I'll give it a try and see how it goes. I was very excited about an L2 charger (especially the good looking Rivian one), but I suppose it's too high cost for now. But I will talk to the owner either way.

 

[stefprez]

Well, another thing to consider is TOU, I won't be charging 1-7pm in the peak times. I'll give it a try and see how it goes. I was very excited about an L2 charger (especially the good looking Rivian one), but I suppose it's too high cost for now. But I will talk to the owner either way.

TOU is great to keep in mind in general, but for the Level 1 charger, I would probably still charge during the peak hours window if needed. If you don't need to, of course go ahead and make that your no charging time. But a Level 1 charger is going to be about the same power draw as a toaster or blow dryer. I realize it's a constant draw, but it's not going to be the same level as an air conditioning unit, for example. With a Level 2 charger, where it's much easier to top up completely overnight, it's a no brainer to schedule outside of peak TOU hours. For example, the peak time rate per kWh is probably about the same or a bit cheaper than most DC Fast Chargers still, so it's still worthwhile from what I've seen to be charging at home.

 

[colo1s]

While reading the owners manual yesterday I realized the "portable home charger" also works with 240V, so I'm thinking to get a 240v extension cord from the dryer in the basement up into the garage to charge quicker after a long weekend on the road and then switch back to 110V for the rest of the week

Sponsored