Pros/Cons of buying a CT (mostly fiscally related)

[Tinker71]

$1500

Sponsored

 

[Dirt Worker]

So with the CT being my first EV how much is it going to cost to get my home charging station setup?

If your home already has a 200amp service panel this is a cost breakdown. An upgrade can raise the price by as much as $2500

Tesla wall charger $500
220v (240v) 50amp breaker $50 "220-221. Whatever it takes"
6 gauge wire $50-$200
Conduit and connections $100-$250
Installation $500-$1500

A 120v system should work fine for a daily commute but is a tad less efficient. The issue will be debated long after my body assumes room temperature.

 

[Crissa]

I spent about $100 on my charging solution. Cable, new outlet, new switch.

-Crissa

 

[ajdelange]

So with the CT being my first EV how much is it going to cost to get my home charging station setup?

From nothing (use an existing outlet) to a couple hundred (install an NEMA 14-50R close to a panel) to a couple K (install a wall mounted EVSE at some distance from the panel) to several K (EVSE in an older house that requires service upgrage) to several hundred K (build a garage for your electic cars with solar panels and Powerwalls - see recent WSJ article) depending on what you want to do.

 

[Ogre]

If your home already has a 200amp service panel this is a cost breakdown. An upgrade can raise the price by as much as $2500

Tesla wall charger $500
220v (240v) 50amp breaker $50 "220-221. Whatever it takes"
6 gauge wire $50-$200
Conduit and connections $100-$250
Installation $500-$1500

This is a nice base guesstimate.

As soon as you start talking about anything more than a couple dozen feet from the panel, the cost of wire and running the wire can go up quick. Trenching? Add $500 or more.

I picked up a second hand wall charger for $250.

One other thing to consider. You can use a standard dryer outlet with the mobile charger and cut a lot of these costs significantly.

 

[Crissa]

$500 for a trench?

C'mon.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Centurion-287-Stainless-Steel-Sturdy-D-Grip-Round-Point-Shovel/51715832

-Crissa

 

[rr6013]

So with the CT being my first EV how much is it going to cost to get my home charging station setup?

Best scenario start with your mains, IF it is newer(by code) and oversized with a generous 100amp overhead it is cheaper. You’ll be able to tie-in to that panel to energize your Tesla charging setup. A competent electrical contractor labor, two day install and $1600 later you should have that Tesla setup you bought working. YCMV depending on where you live. Materials will be a junction box, breakers and conduit at minimum $160.

Worst case scenario your existing mains panel is full of breakers in-use already, no overhead left in the mains by combining circuits, etc… the mains will need be upsized, replaced with a new larger panel. This requires application to REC, UnobtainiumPower&Light and inspection. The transformer, transformer distribution and piwer company service to you, your neighbors sharing your transformer may all need re-engineered, separate transformers or new O.H. service brought to the property to accommodate added demand. IF this cost isn’t passed-on to you, the months of paperwork, field work and changes will. Costs depend on the power company and the new service agreement that they may require you to sign.

While worst case sounds horrible, its the power company upgrading its system incrementally for the EV future demand. You could come away with merely the inconvenience of time or first adopter arrows in the back paying for a lot of this new service. I’ve seen it go mostly as the former with a new rate structure in a new service agreement.

 

[ajdelange]

Best scenario start with your mains, IF it is newer(by code) and oversized with a generous 100amp overhead it is cheaper.

100A would be undersized in most places. I'm not sure I've ever been in a house with 100A service but I guess there are still some out there. [Edit: I take that back. I'm sure the house I grew up in had 100A, or smaller, service].

It's going to be a hard sell installing an EVSE on 100A service but I guess it can be done.

One thing I meant to mention for people with a clothes dryer close to where they want to charge is the "Dryer Buddy". This clever device has one plug (goes into the dryer outlet) and two receptacles. You plug the dryer into one and the EVSE into the other. The car charges as it normally does unless someone switches the dryer on in which case the EVSE outlet is disabled and stays disabled until the dryer load goes off at which time the car resumes charging. This would let you charge from a 100A service if you have an electric dryer on it. I don't think this would pass muster WRT NEC and they are darn expensive at over $350 but it is clever.

 

[Ogre]

$500 for a trench?

Done a *lot* of trenching here for irrigation and electric. I need a 20+ foot long trench, 12+" deep in hard clay that passes for soil here. I consolidate projects like that and do them when I can rent a mini-ex. So yeah — $500. YMMV

 

[ajdelange]

At my stage of life I rent the machine and a crew! I'd consider $500 a bargain.

 

[Ryan95738]

Curious… what are the alternatives? Don’t think there are any EV pickups on the market yet.

You have a point!

 

[Ogre]

There are alternatives to the CT that are currently less (for all wheel drive)

There is only one alternative which is less, that's the Ford F150 Lightning and it's only less because of the government subsidy which may well change by the time the CT is launched.

And while the subsidy makes the Ford cost less, value is still on Teslas side.

 

[ajdelange]

Curious… what are the alternatives? Don’t think there are any EV pickups on the market yet.

The real alternative is the Rivian at this point in time (deliveries start next month) with Ford to be following in the not too distant future. Bollinger perhaps next year. But none of these are cheaper.

 

[Dirt Worker]

$500 for a trench?

C'mon.

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Centurion-287-Stainless-Steel-Sturdy-D-Grip-Round-Point-Shovel/51715832

-Crissa

That's a pretty fair estimate. Try and find a licensed digger who will call for underground utility locating, dig the trench, wait for line install and bury for $500. I could write a full dissertation on this subject but I have already taken up too much of anyones time.

 

[Crissa]

Done a *lot* of trenching here for irrigation and electric. I need a 20+ foot long trench, 12+" deep in hard clay that passes for soil here. I consolidate projects like that and do them when I can rent a mini-ex. So yeah — $500. YMMV

You haven't seen my spouse with a shovel. She's amazing.

We also have a power clay shovel and a breaking driver, and we've trenched umm... Geez, 20'x2'x2' like ten times so far on our 30° slope hill... Made from clay, of course. And we have sooo many roots we can't cut 'cause, well, they're structural to our forested mountain.

I sometimes wish I could hire someone, but most contractors look at our hill and say 'no' before even naming a price. They can't bring their backhoe: they're out.

-Crissa

Sponsored