[Rivian MD]

Just got an email to configure my R1T which will be my first EV and I will need to have my garage wired for charging.
Looking for info on what charger to get and recommendations for installers in Baltimore

Thanks in advance for the help

 

[Dr Medjools]

There are many chargers you could buy. I got the Rivian one financed with the truck. Rivian sent it nicely to me before the truck arrived so the installer could connect it up. Rivian's installer company - Qmerit - found an installer nearby that did a superb job. The city inspector was amazed at the quality. Installed with a little over $1000 with local smog authority rebate. I think the Rivian charger was $500? Works perfectly and well installed in an outside location near the garage.

 

[EVRider]

First, I would determine if you want to hard wire the charger or plug it into the wall. If you hardwire it you'll get a little more energy.
As far as brands, I use a Chargepoint brand charger. it's pretty good, highly rated, has an app, and the app is useful when I'm out in public and need to use a public Chargepoint charger.

 

[Tomgriff]

I've had a Wallbox 40a with a NEMA 14-50 plug (a type of 220v outlet) for several years to charge two EVs. It has worked well. We typically plug in each car 2-3 times per week for 3-5 hours. If you want some very detailed information of a variety of home chargers you can check out the State of Charge channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdX0BJNon1c6GfOdeS3pyDw. If you want a higher amperage charger you will likely want to hard wire it rather than use a plug. This is obvious, but one of those things that would suck if not considered - make sure the cord will reach where you plan to park. You may want to consider future cars as well. I have ours located so that the cord can reach the normal parking spot for both cars so I don't have to move them to swap between the two.

 

[archiboy]

We did our first EV in 2015 (Tesla). Once I drove my wife's EV I had to get one too. Our R1T is our third. Not boasting... my point: a feature of the Tesla wall chargers is they talk to each other via a low voltage connection. They can work together to share a single circuit. Turns out to be a really important feature when time of use charges can double the cost of energy. There are a couple Tesla to J1772 adapters available on the market. I'm guessing other chargers can also co-exist. But something to keep in mind when future proofing. Another concept to wrap your head around is the 80% code rule. A 50 amp circuit can deliver 40 amps of continuous power (charging an EV is the definition of continuous electrical load). So if you have a dryer circuit you convert to charging the EV that's typically gonna deliver 24 amps @ 220v. Still way better than a regular wall outlet (15amps * 80% = 12 amps @ 110v). So the dryer outlet is delivering 4x the energy of a wall outlet.

Welcome to owning an EV! It's different than ICE. It'll (likely) take a couple weeks to embrace the differences. But if you are like most folks that hang out here - you may never want to drive an ICE vehicle again.

 

[Julianvs]

I would really think carefully about the location of the charger, where the charge port is on the Rivian and future EVs that you might buy and make sure that you have a good location that can be reached for those configurations

 

[thebishman]

Another user and strong advocate of the Chargepoint Flex. A great app and easily configurable to the Amps you have available to use for an EVSE. Mine is running off of a 40 A circuit, so that means the Chargepoint has to be set to 32 A, as you can only run the EVSE at 80% continuous of the breaker amperage.
Make sure your electrician only uses high quality and the appropriate gauge wire from sub panel to the EVSE. If you choose to use the Chargepoint in a plugged in mode to a NEMA 14-50 socket, (as opposed to the hardwired method in which case you can hook it up to either a 50A or 60A circuit; it’s a max of a 40A circuit in ‘plug-in’ mode), then buy a professional quality Hubbell socket for your electrician to install. Do not use a cheap ‘contractor’ style socket!
Lastly always install a smoke/fire alarm in your garage regardless of what type of vehicle you used.

 

[racekarl]

If you choose to use the Chargepoint in a plugged in mode to a NEMA 14-50 socket, (as opposed to the hardwired method in which case you can hook it up to either a 50A or 60A circuit; it’s a max of a 40A circuit in ‘plug-in’ mode), then buy a professional quality Hubbell socket for your electrician to install. Do not use a cheap ‘contractor’ style socket!
Lastly always install a smoke/fire alarm in your garage regardless of what type of vehicle you used.

A few counterpoints: the version(s) of the NEC applicable in most of the country strongly favor hardwiring your EVSE since you may end up with nuisance trips of the GFCI breaker required for a receptacle. It's probably not worth the extra expense of a receptacle at this point.

Similarly, opinions are mixed on the value of installing a smoke or fire detector in a garage - dust and moisture may lead to nuisance alarms. Some jurisdictions favor/require a heat detector in a garage rather than a smoke detector.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

If you choose to use the Chargepoint in a plugged in mode to a NEMA 14-50 socket, (as opposed to the hardwired method in which case you can hook it up to either a 50A or 60A circuit

NEMA 14-50 outlet should never be on a breaker larger than 50A.

 

[lefkonj]

Before you listen to any of us, get an electrician out to look at your panel and where the charger would be installed. Figure out if you have room in the panel to do a 40-50-60amp circuit. Once you know that you can then easily choose between the various chargers out there. I personally have a JuiceBox hooked to a NEMA 14-50 which has been perfect for charging my R1S and my I4. If you plan on getting a second EV there are options for dual charging as well.

Depending on where the panel is in relation to the garage the install could be $500 or like mine $2,000. I personally had to have the wire pulled all the way across the house from the panel to the garage and a few 10A breakers had to moved to my sub-panel.

 

[Will0077]

Any charger that is UL listed should work well. There are a ton of options depending on which features you do or don't want as people have explained here. Make sure to check with your local utility or government first- many localities offer huge rebates for installing a home charger and they might have specific requirements you have to follow for the rebate. For example my local utility provided a $1000 rebate but only if you hardwired it, was UL listed, and installed with a permit. So find out what is required in your area for a rebate and that might answer many questions for you.

 

[Bif]

Just got an email to configure my R1T which will be my first EV and I will need to have my garage wired for charging.
Looking for info on what charger to get and recommendations for installers in Baltimore

Thanks in advance for the help

I got the Rivian home charger and had it wired to a 60 amp 240 volt line. It routinely delivers 11kwh/hr. Has a nice long cord. Works perfectly, just like my R1T.

 

[thebishman]

NEMA 14-50 outlet should never be on a breaker larger than 50A.

Reread my post

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

Reread my post

Yeah, I see now you were referring to hardwired when you mentioned 60A circuit.

But there is another error in your post. "plug-in" can be done with a 50A circuit, although EVSE should be configured to 40A maximum draw.

Another user and strong advocate of the Chargepoint Flex. A great app and easily configurable to the Amps you have available to use for an EVSE. Mine is running off of a 40 A circuit, so that means the Chargepoint has to be set to 32 A, as you can only run the EVSE at 80% continuous of the breaker amperage.
Make sure your electrician only uses high quality and the appropriate gauge wire from sub panel to the EVSE. If you choose to use the Chargepoint in a plugged in mode to a NEMA 14-50 socket, (as opposed to the hardwired method in which case you can hook it up to either a 50A or 60A circuit; it’s a max of a 40A circuit in ‘plug-in’ mode), then buy a professional quality Hubbell socket for your electrician to install. Do not use a cheap ‘contractor’ style socket!
Lastly always install a smoke/fire alarm in your garage regardless of what type of vehicle you used.

 

[Bif]

Reread my post

Yeah, I see now you were referring to hardwired when you mentioned 60A circuit.

But there is another error in your post. "plug-in" can be done with a 50A circuit, although EVSE should be configured to 40A maximum draw.

I had a 60 amp circuit installed so that my contractor would use high amp rated wires and hardware. ( The entire circuit is thru metal conduit.) Indeed the truck will draw 48 amps max.

 

[ScottyGuts]

You should watch this video. Hardwiring helps avoid the issue with a receptacle meltdown and fire.

I had two 60amps circuits installed and hardwired my Autel home chargers.

Autel Home Smart Electric Vehicle... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BDLQMR51?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

 

[RivianTiger]

Looks like I'm the 17th post to your question. You're probably about to get a 17th different answer.
My experience/EV resume...
I've been driving EVs for 13 years. I have a generic level 2 charger from Schlumberger. It is connected to a 30 amp circuit and it charges my vehicles overnight. It has been used to charge a Nissan Leaf, a home built EV, a Tesla and now my Rivian.

I bought a generic level 2 charger... My thought is I'm not going to have the same EV forever and I don't want to pay over and over again to have different overpriced manufacturer chargers installed.

I don't need fast charging at home. I don't often charge from low percentage because I keep my vehicle charged to 80% for my daily driving.

I would agree with others that whatever you do you want to have somebody qualified to the installation. You being the homeowner, can pull the electrical permit, do the work or have the work done and have it inspected by your local city/county inspectors.

Best wishes on your journey into the EV world and I hope you enjoy the process as much as I have.