Brighter Tomorrow Electric Company

Why do I need a Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charger?

A Level 2 Electric Vehicle Charger enables approximately ten times faster charging for your vehicle over a 120V cord. For example, to achieve an 80% charge from empty, a Level 1 charger could take 40-50 hours, while a Level 2 charger could take 4-10 hours.

What is involved in installing a Level 2 Electric Vehicle or “EV” Charger?

A licensed electrician should install your EV charger. Proper installation protects your home, your vehicle, and your family. Here are the steps in the process:

1. Electrician will survey your home to determine if there is sufficient electrical capacity available to install a charger. If there is not adequate capacity, you may need a service upgrade or subpanel. Capacity consists of two components:
   • Space¹: Generally, Level 2 EV Chargers will require 2 full circuit breaker slots, as the EV Charger requires a “Double Pole” breaker. If only space is limited, a subpanel may be appropriate to create more space.
   • Load: Load demands can range from 20 amps – 50 amps, and some chargers are configurable to support a range of circuit sizes. If load is severely limited, a service upgrade may be needed; in some cases, load calculations may permit the charger to be operable at a lower setting, such as 20 amps without a service upgrade if the customer hasn’t budgeted for a service upgrade.
2. Electrician and customer will sign a contract.
3. Electrician will obtain materials. Customer may supply EV Charger, if desired.
4. Electrician will return to run a new circuit from a panel (or subpanel).
5. Electrician will direct wire the EV Charger or install an outlet for the EV Charger.
6. Electrician will activate the EV Charger, if required, and explain how to obtain savings from the utility company, if available.

Thoughts on EV Charger Wiring

EV Chargers are continuous loads, often consuming 20-50 amps for 8 hours or more. Most of us don’t run our ovens or cooktops for 8 hours at a time, but this is similar to the electrical load that an EV Charger consumes. A low-quality, older, electrical panel may “heat up” due to the demand. Poor quality outlets may fail prematurely.

Brighter Tomorrow Electric Company is always focused on installing quality components correctly so that your family is safe. The National Electric Code is a “minimum” and you will hopefully appreciate our commitment to education and honest conversations with customers by browsing our website to understand how we will approach your project. We only install for you the same components we would install in our own home.

Considerations

1. Wire Material. Aluminum versus copper. Though aluminum wire is cheaper and lighter, copper conducts more electricity at the same size, and is less prone to damage during installation.
2. Wiring method–Romex, Metal Clad (or “MC”), EMT (a thin type of metal tubing) and conduit.
   • Romex wire can be chewed by rodents, or easily damaged by later home renovations. It is often used in residential settings due to its perceived ease of installation and cost.
   • Metal Clad (or MC) is often used in commercial and industrial settings, and protects wires from damage by rodents and from some inadvertent damage. Most metal clad assemblies are built from copper conductors, but aluminum conductors are available.
   • EMT or conduit protect the THHN electrical wires inside the tubing/conduit. The wires can easily be upgraded later if different sizes are needed (assuming the electrical contractor installed EMT/conduit in a sufficient diameter), without fishing wires through drywall, or cutting into walls and ceilings.
3. EV Charger Connection method – plugged into receptacle or hardwired. If using a receptacle, insist upon a high-quality receptacle.

1. Unfortunately, I have seen that some contractors install tandem breakers in panels that are not legally listed to accept them so that they can quickly, and cheaply, create more space in a panel. It is my assumption that they either failed to evaluate the panel fully (and don’t want to request a change order from the customer), or don’t understand the risk. Brighter Tomorrow Electric Company takes these types of details very seriously, and will never install a breaker that is not authorized by the manufacturer or recognized testing laboratory to “make it work (illegally).” When engaging an electrician, the customer should ask these types of questions:
   – “How do you know what type of breaker is listed to fit in my panel and how many circuits will this panel legally accept?”
   – “Will you use a torque calibrated tool to install the wires into the breaker and EV Charger or receptacle?”
   – “Will you have this work inspected?”. ↩︎