Level 2 EV Home Charger: Electrical Wiring Knowledge Base (North America)
Canada/USA residential voltage is 120-240 volts
Condominium/Commercial/industrial buildings voltage is 120-208 volts
Consult local electrical codes for local requirements
For Condos - it is more cost effective (long term) to deploy EV CMS
(EV Charging Management Software)
Table 1: Level 2 EV-Chargers (EVSE or Electrical Vehicle Service Equipment)
| Circuit Breaker (240V double-pole) |
Applications: | Wire size, copper, AWG See ampacity table |
Charging current (80% of circuit breaker rating *) |
Power @ 208 V (Condo, Commercial voltage) |
Power @ 240 V (Residential voltage) |
| 100 amps | Cadillac Lyriq; Lucid Air | #2 (75°C rating) | 80 A | 16.6 kW | 19.2 kW |
| 60 amps | Volvo XC40; VW ID.4; IONIQ 5; KIA EV6; Tesla 3/Y LR; Chevy Bolt EUV; Mustang Mach E | #4 | 48 A | 10 kW | 11.5 kW |
| 50 amps | Audi e-tron SUV; Porsche Taycan; Toyota RAV4; Mercedes B250e Deluxe Household Electric Range; RV Campground with "50A hookup" (14-50 NEMA outlet) |
#6 | 40 A | 8.3 kW | 9.6 kW |
| 40 amps | Most public EV chargers today **; Nissan Leaf 2022; Tesla 3 Standard; Chevy Bolt; Standard Household Electric Range |
#8 | 32 A | 6.6 kW | 7.7 kW |
| 30 amps | Household Cloth Dryer | #10 | 24 A | 5.0 kW | 5.7 kW |
| 20 amps | - | #12 | 16 A | 3.3 kW | 3.8 kW |
* Continuous load such as EV charging should/must only draw up to 80% of the circuit breaker's rating to avoid overheating and circuit breaker tripping.
** Most public chargers are ≈ 6.6 kW. However, Sun Country SCH100 (ClipperCreek) can deliver 80A (19.2 kW at 240 volts) and they are typically installed at rest areas along highways.
Power ≈ Current x Voltage. For example, 32 A x 208 V ≈ 6656 W, or 6.6 kW
DC chargers have much higher power ratings than Level 2 AC chargers. DC charger power can be 25 kW, 50 kW, 75 kW, 100 kW, 150 kW, 250 kW, 350 kW. Newer EV equipped with 800V battery pack can take full advantage of the high-power chargers (>250kW). Legacy EV battery packs are 400V.
Guestimate rule of thumb: High power DC chargers can deliver 400 or 500 A at 900 V.
Range: with current technology, 1 kWh of energy can give 5 or 6 km driving distance (compact vehicle) on level road in summer.
The many electrical plugs used by 240 volts equipment are confusing.
Fortunately, EVSV manufacturers have converged on the NEMA type 14-50 plug and receptacle.
Hardwired EVSE installations. They eliminated the need for plug and receptacle.
Example of an indoor and outdoor installation.
EV road trips: these 2 apps/websites are extremely useful.
(1) PlugShare: Find the locations of charging stations, what type (DC or level 2) of chargers, plug type, power level and how many at each location.
(2) ABRP: Do pre-trip or on-trip planning.
https://abetterrouteplanner.com/
Especially useful when you arrive at your intended charging station to find out the chargers are broken. Or if the highway is closed due to incidents and you have to use a different highway.