10/23/2020
Hi Friends of Electric Bear,
Wanted to share a little Electric Vehicle Charging and Pre-Planning PSA on how to protect your family and home from overloaded Service Panels and subsequent Electrical Fires.
Thru discussions, with past customers and people I know. Many of you are looking into the wonders of owning Electric Vehicles which come with the added benefit of being charged after a long commute in the express lane while you sleep.
The downside of this convenience is that many of you may not have the capacity on your service panel or electrical service to charge your new CO2 reducing ride.
Unfortunately there are some unscrupulous "Low-Ballers" out there who will give you a deal on installing your charging system or wall connector without doing a load calculation or even pay attention to obvious "Red Flags" like the panel in the photo I've shared in the photo.
The panel is a job I would have passed on for the following reasons:
1. Even though there are two spaces to land the 60Amp Breaker, the panel is overloaded, and it's an older panel.
2. Based on my experience there are several electrical code violations hiding behind the Dead Front. Several will be due to the use of the double mini-breakers on a single pole replacing the two pole common trip breaker protecting a shared neutral.
3. Two AC systems, and Solar require full time load demand calculation on the electrical service. Add on another 48Amps full load calc for the EV and your already over the half way mark of full 200 Amp load on your panel. Most inspectors won't sign off on the project after you hit 80% unless there is a separate assessment done or an electrical monitoring system that shows use average to support the demand use calculation.
4. Many homeowners aren't aware of this, and will instead go with a "guy" who shows up, says yes there are two spaces available, and I will happily install your charger and an additional 48amp load on an overloaded and outdated panel. (my opinion)
Pre-Planning and Things to consider before you buy an Electric Vehicle:
1. Have a Brand Certified Electrician (Tesla, Audi, Porsche Chevy, etc..) come out and do a free site assessment on your electrical system (each company has a list). Please remember to use the person after you get your new EV.
2. They should do a full load calculation on your electrical service and be able to determine if you have the electrical capacity to charge your future vehicle.
3. If you have Solar, consider having an additional PGE assessment completed as well. PGE will look at your historical electrical use and tell you wether the EV charging load can be supported or not.
4. If you live in a location where your home was built prior to 2000, you will likely have a 100, or 125Amp panel. If its a Zinsco, or Federal Pacific. Plan on the cost to change the panel out for a modern one. If your panel is a challenger, or GE I would still suggest making the upgrade. Especially if your considering solar
5. If you live in a Condo and your main service breaker/meter is geographically separated from your section of the home. You may have a sub-panel up stairs. If it's in a closet some municipalities are requiring relocation of the Sub-Panel. Added cost you'll want to learn about up front.
Lastly: I am not sharing this for financial gain, or promotion of my business.
I'm just tired of going to customers houses and meeting with people who are super stoked about buying their first EV; only to find out they can't charge at home because they lack the capacity on their service, or need to drop an additional $1.5k - $5k to solve the charging problem.
Finally, losing your family, or home to a preventable electrical fire situation like the one in the attached link is "ridiculous" for something that could have easily been prevented.
Have a great weekend, and be safe out there.
Link: https://insideevs.com/news/316869/another-ev-charging-might-have-caused-house-fire-video/1.
