[Yoshi]

We will be buying two EVs in the next couple years (hopefully one will be an R1T) and plan to do most of our charging at home. We don't have a garage and live in Maine so we get all the kinds of weather. Those of you with experience with outdoor chargers have any thoughts or recommendations for a newbie?
I'm thinking one of these Bollard types where the power line can be disconnected at both ends instead of the type where the cord is permanently attached and coiled up on the charger would be ideal for our region. For instance yesterday we got around 18 inches on snow and winds gusting to 50 mph. I can just picture a 20 foot charging cord flying around banging into things on a day like we had yesterday.
Any insights appreciated, thanks.

.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

We will be buying two EVs in the next couple years (hopefully one will be an R1T) and plan to do most of our charging at home. We don't have a garage and live in Maine so we get all the kinds of weather. Those of you with experience with outdoor chargers have any thoughts or recommendations for a newbie?
I'm thinking one of these Bollard types where the power line can be disconnected at both ends instead of the type where the cord is permanently attached and coiled up on the charger would be ideal for our region. For instance yesterday we got around 18 inches on snow and winds gusting to 50 mph. I can just picture a 20 foot charging cord flying around banging into things on a day like we had yesterday.
Any insights appreciated, thanks.

Either one will do. The ones that coil up are a neater setup and has some protection against theft. Someone who's brave enough or with enough know how can certainly still steal the unit, but it's much harder than disconnecting it on a 2 way charger. (There's an adapter assumption here without any hands on knowledge of charger locking mechanics on the EV's you'll be driving)

The bollard you showed also concerns me a bit with water/snow intrusion. I see the cap, but personally I went with an outdoor 14-50 enclosure. (Sportsman 50 Amp Temporary RV Power Outlet with Padlock Compatible Box 805482 - The Home Depot) In addition to being code compliant, it supports locking should you need it. As for the cable, I haven't had any major issues with the cable itself but the brick does flap around a bit. If you're expecting high winds and it's your regular use, you can use some PVC conduit clamps to secure them, especially if you'll be mounting it on a wooden post/and or the side of a wall.

If you do end up going with a wooden post, you can buy vinyl post covers designed for mailbox posts that will slide right over for better looks as well.

 

[dlwyatt]

I've got an L2 wall charger on the outside of my home, no trouble with the cord blowing around from what I've seen here in Ontario. If plugging a mobile connector into an outlet, could maybe see the box catching the wind and maybe even getting pulled out of the outlet in high winds, but I almost never use that so 🤷‍♂️

 

[FanFLelectric]

For fast recharging we put a 50 amp RV receptacle on a post next to our solar panel "farm", then put an RV plug on the cord from the Siemens 240 volt charger purchased at Home Depot. The charger hangs on the post when needed, it is taken inside and stored between uses. The RV receptacle has a cover to keep the rain out.
Most Rivian charging can be done while in the garage, it will be plugged into a 115 volt receptacle for normal overnight charging. All one needs for charging in the yard is a heavy duty extension cord from your home. An upgrade to that would be an underground power supply to a heavy duty exterior receptacle. Code will require that circuit to have GFI protection.

 

[trevtremaine]

I've had a Tesla charger mounted outside for 6 years now. No real concerns up until this year when the rubber sheathing near the handle began to shrink to the point it now needs replacement. The grommet is also loose, so water intrusion and shock risk is a concern.Units are designed to be all-weather capable.

 

[sciencegeek]

cnet just had a review of chargers, including outdoors ones. Your mileage may vary:

Best EV Charger for 2022

Owning a Level 2 charger is sort of like owning your own backyard track to go with a new go-kart.

www.cnet.com

[p.s.: righteous aficionados will tell you that the L2 AC thingies are not chargers because the charger for L2 is on board of the vehicle ... apparently "charging unit" or "charging cable" are the approved terms haha]

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

[p.s.: righteous aficionados will tell you that the L2 AC thingies are not chargers because the charger for L2 is on board of the vehicle ... apparently "charging unit" or "charging cable" are the approved terms haha]

 

[N8213]

I’ve got a grizzle basic charger mounted in the garage. It is rated for outdoor installation as well. Given the weight of the cord and plug I would not have any issue without being mounted outside.

 

[Jhawk]

We will be buying two EVs in the next couple years (hopefully one will be an R1T) and plan to do most of our charging at home. We don't have a garage and live in Maine so we get all the kinds of weather. Those of you with experience with outdoor chargers have any thoughts or recommendations for a newbie?
I'm thinking one of these Bollard types where the power line can be disconnected at both ends instead of the type where the cord is permanently attached and coiled up on the charger would be ideal for our region. For instance yesterday we got around 18 inches on snow and winds gusting to 50 mph. I can just picture a 20 foot charging cord flying around banging into things on a day like we had yesterday.
Any insights appreciated, thanks.



View attachment 4506
View attachment 4505



.

FWIW, for the last five years (~70k miles) we have exclusively charged our Tesla Model S with the portable charge cable that came with the car. We installed a NEMA 14-50 outlet in our garage at home, our vacation home, and even one at my wife’s parents’ home. They are very easy to install and economical. Based on my experience I would install an outdoor rated NEMA 14-50 outlet and use a portable charge cable you can simply unplug and toss in the trunk. If they are good enough for RV parks they are good enough for me

 

[sciencegeek]

Based on my experience I would install an outdoor rated NEMA 14-50 outlet and use a portable charge cable you can simply unplug and toss in the trunk. If they are good enough for RV parks they are good enough for me

Ah this reminds me: a friend of mine owns a cabin in the Sierra Nevada that has an outdoor Nema 14-50 with a lock on it, and I donated a Mustart charging cable (oh excuse me, "EVSE"). The Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (arg, who thought of that arg) lives in the house. Admittedly it's a little more hassle than a wall-mounted UNIT but it's just not that bad if you only have to roll it out once a week. I'm not sure I'd charge in the pouring rain but most days it's fine.

 

[Gp;demHVAC]

I install air conditioners for a living. What I did was put a 50 amp raintight RV receptacle next to my A/C unit, and actually power it from the same 30 amp fused disconnect as my heat pump. The heat pump only draws a max of 16 amps on a very hot day. My charger is only 16 amps at 240 volts, and my car is a Ford C-Max, with a 7.5 KW battery, so basically after 10 minutes, the charge rate will be below 10 amps for my car. And I can avoid charging at the same time as I use my A/C unit.

I bought a 16 amp 240 volt charger at AliExpress .com for about $200 - $300 a few years ago. It has worked fine. You can search their website for 32 amp EV charger, and there are several suppliers in the $250 price range, with adjustable between 8 and 32 amps. So it makes it easy to travel if you want to. I would suggest getting a 30 amp dryer cord to 50 amp flush mount receptacle adapter, so if you happen to need to get a small range extension while visiting family, it will be easy to plug into a dryer receptacle at their home. You can buy a dryer cord and flush mount 50 amp range receptacle at Home Depot or Lowes. When using the 50 amp RV cord or plugging into a friend's stove receptacle, you can use the full 32 amps. If a dryer cord adapter, then set it for a max of 24 amps. 80% of the full load rating of the receptacle. I cut off the European cord end of my EV charger and installed a 50 amp plug, to use with my RV 50 amp plug, even though I will never see more than 15 amps going through that cord.

 

[CommodoreAmiga]

I install air conditioners for a living. What I did was put a 50 amp raintight RV receptacle next to my A/C unit, and actually power it from the same 30 amp fused disconnect as my heat pump. The heat pump only draws a max of 16 amps on a very hot day. My charger is only 16 amps at 240 volts, and my car is a Ford C-Max, with a 7.5 KW battery, so basically after 10 minutes, the charge rate will be below 10 amps for my car. And I can avoid charging at the same time as I use my A/C unit.

I guess do what you want, but this is a violation of NEC.

 

[Yellow Buddy]

I install air conditioners for a living. What I did was put a 50 amp raintight RV receptacle next to my A/C unit, and actually power it from the same 30 amp fused disconnect as my heat pump. The heat pump only draws a max of 16 amps on a very hot day. My charger is only 16 amps at 240 volts, and my car is a Ford C-Max, with a 7.5 KW battery, so basically after 10 minutes, the charge rate will be below 10 amps for my car. And I can avoid charging at the same time as I use my A/C unit.

I bought a 16 amp 240 volt charger at AliExpress .com for about $200 - $300 a few years ago. It has worked fine. You can search their website for 32 amp EV charger, and there are several suppliers in the $250 price range, with adjustable between 8 and 32 amps. So it makes it easy to travel if you want to. I would suggest getting a 30 amp dryer cord to 50 amp flush mount receptacle adapter, so if you happen to need to get a small range extension while visiting family, it will be easy to plug into a dryer receptacle at their home. You can buy a dryer cord and flush mount 50 amp range receptacle at Home Depot or Lowes. When using the 50 amp RV cord or plugging into a friend's stove receptacle, you can use the full 32 amps. If a dryer cord adapter, then set it for a max of 24 amps. 80% of the full load rating of the receptacle. I cut off the European cord end of my EV charger and installed a 50 amp plug, to use with my RV 50 amp plug, even though I will never see more than 15 amps going through that cord.

I try to avoid plugging in my friends or families place unless they also own an EV. EV owners generally understand you need to top off

Non EV owners? It can be quite an awkward conversation to show up with an extension cord…