Charging at my cabin.

[Gelder]

I need a solution for charging at my cabin. I need to cover about 100’ from my cabin to parking area. I was thinking of installing a 220 outlet on cabin exterior and then buying an extension cord. I don’t need fast charging and don’t use the truck on the weekends when I’m there so really just need to pick up ~50+ miles of range in the winter while it’s parked. Would a 110 be adequate? Is a 220 a better solution? What do information do I need? What do I need to tell my electrician? Is this solution too easy / crude? Thanks for any help!

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[COdogman]

I use the portable charger that came with my truck to charge each night and I get about 2 miles/ hour added back in. So you technically could accomplish that. If you use the extension cord I would definitely go with a heavy duty version, which won’t be cheap but it would probably suffice if you have a way to keep the portable charger and plug connection out of the wet weather.

 

[Gelder]

I use the portable charger that came with my truck to charge each night and I get about 2 miles/ hour added back in. So you technically could accomplish that. If you use the extension cord I would definitely go with a heavy duty version, which won’t be cheap but it would probably suffice if you have a way to keep the portable charger and plug connection out of the wet weather.

Thank you. Do you use standard 110 or have a 220 (washing machine outlet)

 

[c4denc3]

Thank you. Do you use standard 110 or have a 220 (washing machine outlet)

When I was in the mountains, I used a regular 110 outlet and got the 2mph that @COdogman got. I used an extension cord as well. Nothing fancy.

 

[COdogman]

Thank you. Do you use standard 110 or have a 220 (washing machine outlet)

Just the 110 that was installed for the garage door opener (I live in a rented condo).

 

[VSG]

On a 120V 15A circuit (Level 1) you will get about 2 miles of range per hour of charging. But if your car is parked out in the cold, it will probably be spending energy keeping the batteries from freezing so depending on your environment much of that energy could be going into just maintaining the vehicle.

I wouldn't use an extension cord. I would bury a cable and put an outlet on a post next to where you park and use the Rivian Portable Charger to plug in.

On a 240V 40A circuit you will get maybe 10-12 miles in an hour. Definitely worth it. I don't know how big a circuit you can install in your cabin. The Portable Charger can't use more than a 40A circuit. Tell your electrician you want a 40A NEMA 14-50 outlet mounted in a weatherproof box on a post 100' from your cabin, and go from there depending on what they say.

The next step up would be to mount a charger (EVSE) on the post so you wouldn't need the Portable Charger. Then you could go up to a 50A or even a 60A circuit depending on the charger you buy. But the extra wiring + cost of charger will be considerably more.

 

[HaveBlue]

Yes do whatever you can to get a 240V 14-50 outlet. The future proofing is worth it. You could then use a long extension but that's quite a run. https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0881MBBT...NHRONNUS0&ref_=list_c_wl_lv_ov_lig_dp_it&th=1


Installing a 20A 120V outlet is no cheaper than installing a 20A 240V outlet as it's the same 12# wire. In the winter I think you'll be hard pressed to add miles off an outlet like this but a 12# extension cord is certainly cheaper.

I'm lucky my cabin's meter is right next to the driveway.

 

[Dark-Fx]

Correct way to do it is to trench a cable wired directly to the panel. Otherwise, a 50A rated 100' 14-50 extension is probably fine, but be aware those outlets aren't always rated for a ton of insertion cycles.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

On a 120v plug you could actually still lose range in the cold due to battery heating. You would need a beefy extension cord as you will get quite a bit of voltage drop over 100ft. Running a 120v extension cord is certainly the cheapest option.

If you can swing it though I would install a charger on a pedestal. Trench in the wire and you will have reliable charging whenever your at the cabin. Even in sub freezing temps.

You could do a 14-50 plug instead but if you do make sure it's an industrial outlet like a Hubbell or similar. Plugging and unplugging wears out contacts on the cheaper receptacles. Then you run the risk of things melting. That's why I always like hard wired.

 

[pc500]

I need a solution for charging at my cabin. I need to cover about 100’ from my cabin to parking area. I was thinking of installing a 220 outlet on cabin exterior and then buying an extension cord. I don’t need fast charging and don’t use the truck on the weekends when I’m there so really just need to pick up ~50+ miles of range in the winter while it’s parked. Would a 110 be adequate? Is a 220 a better solution? What do information do I need? What do I need to tell my electrician? Is this solution too easy / crude? Thanks for any help!

220, but don't burry an extension cord unless you want a fire or electrician hazard.

Run conduit, and pull 220 on a plug in the distance. Plug in a portable charger. Do 14-50 if budget allows, otherwise do whatever makes sense.

 

[Riviot]

Have the electrician trench and bury conduit from the panel, install a 40 or 48 amp EVSE onto a pedestal, and hardwire that sucker. You'll regret a 14-50 plug, or even a 50 amp breaker, trust me. Max out to 60 amp breaker if you can!

 

[Count Orlok]

The Count suggests converting to three phase electricity.

 

[Indy avocado]

I need a solution for charging at my cabin. I need to cover about 100’ from my cabin to parking area. I was thinking of installing a 220 outlet on cabin exterior and then buying an extension cord. I don’t need fast charging and don’t use the truck on the weekends when I’m there so really just need to pick up ~50+ miles of range in the winter while it’s parked. Would a 110 be adequate? Is a 220 a better solution? What do information do I need? What do I need to tell my electrician? Is this solution too easy / crude? Thanks for any help!

If you're confident in installing a 220 outlet, you might as well run all the way to the parking area.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Southwire/5013981183

Run some cable (I'm not an electrician, so see what the codes are in your area) to a typical campground style enclosure

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Eaton-503020-Amp-GFCI-Receptacles-Overhead-Temporary-Power-Panel/50088190

Now you're prepared to charge EVs and/or host someone with a camper!

 

[BrentInCO]

On a 120v plug you could actually still lose range in the cold due to battery heating. You would need a beefy extension cord as you will get quite a bit of voltage drop over 100ft. Running a 120v extension cord is certainly the cheapest option.

If you can swing it though I would install a charger on a pedestal. Trench in the wire and you will have reliable charging whenever your at the cabin. Even in sub freezing temps.

You could do a 14-50 plug instead but if you do make sure it's an industrial outlet like a Hubbell or similar. Plugging and unplugging wears out contacts on the cheaper receptacles. Then you run the risk of things melting. That's why I always like hard wired.

This 100%!
When I read the OP wanting to use an extension cord, the voltage drop is the first thing / downside I thought of. The closer you are to the source of the energy (the outlet / plug in), the higher the voltage. At the end of the 100’ extension cord, there would be hardly any energy left, perhaps would charge at 1/2 mile per hour, if anything at all. My Tesla would normally charge 3-4 mph off a 110v portable charging cord, but I was once in a bind and had to use an extension cord (gauge of the wire is unknown), and it wasn’t even charging at 1 mph.

 

[blturner]

A 120v outlet has 3 conductors. 220 has 4. So only 25% more expensive for double the speed. The cable cost will dominate your costs. A proper electrician may balk at putting a 50amp outlet on a 40 amp circuit. Buried is better than an extension. An extension cord may have problems in the rain. In fact the portable charger manual says not to use extension cords or use it in the rain. You also need to check if you have enough amps available in the cabin itself. I had to use the dryer circuit in my cabin because it only has 60 amp service. Can’t dry clothes and charge at the same time. Also can’t charge full speed while all the AC units are running. Learn to set the time and amp limits on the truck. The truck will start out charging slow then ramp up and pop the breaker several minutes later if you don’t set it right.

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