How AudiWorld Members are Handling Home Charging
When it comes to juicing up your e-tron, it’s hard to think about anything more convenient then charging at home.
One of the things about getting an electric car is that you’ve got to figure out a way to charge it. Now, when I’ve had to charge my electric press vehicles, I’d let them run down below 20 percent, then just leave them on the charger at the grocery store. By the time I’d be done with my weekly shopping, about 45 minutes or so, I’d be back up to around 80 percent, and that worked perfectly for me. But there’s nothing more convenient than charging at home, and this thread shows what AudiWorld members are doing with their setups.
Somewhat unsurprisingly, the Audi charging system was a popular choice, and I liked how coldrain85 mounted it horizontally, so it would line up perfectly with the studs in the wall. The JuiceBox — which is an amazing name for an EV charger — was another popular choice, and as SDakota pointed out, there’s an option for a 25-foot long cord. So no matter which side of the car your port is on, access won’t be a problem. ChargePoint also offers a home system, which is compact and elegant looking, and that’s the one member 727200 went with.
All these options were plugged into a 240v outlets, which provides flexibility over hardwiring, as you can just take the charger with you if you move. Even more interesting than looking at the setups, however, were the posts about what to expect when it came to heat. Since coldrain85 is new to home chargers, he inquired about the temp of the cord and such with this question:
I charged the car last night for the first time since I bought it. I set the charger at 50% overnight. It was pulling 4.3kW and didn’t get warm at all. Today I turned it up to 100% for a few hours. It was pulling 8.6kW, and both the box and wall plug got warm. The box got quite warm. A fan in the car also switched on after a couple of hours of charging at 100%, and ran until a couple of minutes after I stopped charging.
Is it normal for the OEM charging box to generate that much heat? If so, I will set the charging rate to 50% and start looking for a third party charger. When it comes to electricity, heat makes me nervous.
But fortunately, it sounds like that’s normal, as ThomasW pointed out:
I have not used the Audi EVSE in years since I have a Juice box. Sometimes, I check the temperature at the plug, the outlet, and the breaker to make sure that everything is still working well. I have seen temperature at the outlet of 90 with ambient temperature in the 60s. During higher temperature, such as 90s, I have seen as much as 108 degrees. These components are usually rated for up to 180 degrees. So things can get warm. I use an infrared thermometer that can measure temperature from a distance.
There’s load of other great advice on this thread too, including a reminder from 727200 to check with your local utility company about potential rebates, as it helped them save $500 on their ChargePoint. So if you’re curious about how to handle your home charging setup, give this thread a read. And if you’ve already figured it out? Post a pic!
Photos: AudiWorld