The Best Way to Charge Your New Electric Car at Your House 

Always good to see Brian Cooley at his best at explaining and making things easier to understand.

The moment I see a sensible headline for the video from CNET, it would be Brian Cooley. Never disappoints.

Amazing to see Brian back in action. Been watching his videos for 10+ years. I'm a fan. Great guy and great educator. Breaks down complicated stuff for laymen like me. I was confused about electrical charging for EVs at home. Now I have a basic understanding. Thank you Mr. Cooley!

The Tesla Mobile Charger supports level 2 with adapter plugs. It's pretty sweet, unfortunately it's no longer included with teslas.

Great video! One additional point, many utility companies have rebate/incentives to help offset the cost of installing Level2. It’s worth looking into.

2:30 I think this aspect is sadly overlooked in the discussion of EV's. With a L1 cord you can literally charge an EV anywhere there is a plug. No need to go out of your way to find a gas station, just plug in to any plug and as long as you have time you can charge. I once had to stop and plug in at a sandwich shop to get a couple extra miles to get to work. If I had run out of gas in an ICE car I would have been hoofing it to the closest gas station and back.

Legit only subscribed still because I love watching videos of this guy by far some of the best content on cnet

I wish they all include a Level 1 adapter with every car, but they don't. Great video!

brian makes it so easy to understand the high tech! and btw, i love my level 2 charging! wake up and ready to go!

Honestly I’m fine with just the 120V outlet located in my garage. I only used a Supercharger once for fun. It’s not bad bc I can get back 12% juice when I sleep and everything is close by

This was excellent. Thank you very much sir. Long live Cooley!

Great video. I'm one of those folks who only needs the level 1 at home so far. That said, many car companies will install a level 2 for you with purchase of an EV for free or a huge discount.

Really informative piece! You did an amazing job explaining all of what you need to know when charging at home! 6:40 You can actually install a DC charger at home, with a charger like our dcbel r16 🏡🔌⚡🚘 Thank you for sharing!

One other home option that I have been using for nine years is a level two cable/connector 240 VAC without the need for an EVSE. The 240 V AC receptacle in the garage is the same type that is used for a clothes dryer. When I go on longer trips, I just have to remember to put this cable in the car in case I need it.

Finally, someone PERFECTLY explains this. Fantastic video and host.

My Tesla wall connector install was $1000 and I had to wait weeks for the electrician to come so I suggest you install it before you get the car. I did have a 240 socket with a 60 amp breaker I could use but if you only was 120 it's going to be super slow charging. The Tesla mobile connector was able to do 30 miles per hour and the wall connector can do 50 miles per hour so it was worth the upgrade. Plus I don't have to get the cable out of the truck each time, I just unroll some wire and plug it in, very handy. Also, some connectors have to be hard wired like my Tesla and some can just plug into a 240 socket. If you plan on installing a 240v NEMA 1450 I recommend using the expensive HUBBELL HBL9450A if you are going 50 amps or more. Those $15 ones at home depot won't cut it.

This is truly an excellent overview using technically correct but understandable terminology. THANKS!

Excellent video. Very informative.

Probably the best video to explain level 1 and 2 charging at home.

VERY useful for new car buyers. I already have a 220v outlet in my washroom next to the garage from a previous outer. Did not know they were sooooo expensive.

Brian Cooley please never stop making car videos, love the way how u explain things, and ur honest opinion, thanks 😊

I finally understand how this charging works! Thank you

@CNET Very informative! Can you please do a video about bidirectional charging and what vehicles have the capacity to do so. Thanks!

Brian Cooley is the best! CNET should feel lucky to have him.

Very good explanation of the types of chargers. Thank you.

I'm shocked he didn't mention that you can plug the EV directly into a 240v outlet for level 2 charging without needing a charge station.

Very informative, and easy to understand. Thank you!

Thank you, thank you, thank you for this 🙂. Great video, clarifies things a lot for someone like me looking to dive in to the EV world soon.

Great video with everything factually correct. Thanks for the in depth discussion! I think the decision to lead with confusing semantics discussion might scare some people away. Might have been nice to mention that many of the level 2 stations can be installed outdoors (are there any that can't?). I get that question a lot from riders in my car.

*My Kia EV6 would charge up to a 300 Mile range on the dash board meter when I first drove it away from the dealer. After the 6th charge at 800 miles the highest charge I could get is 250 miles maximum. Is it common to loose 1/6th of my driving range after only one month of charging?*

Our LYRIQ came with a Level 1/2 adapter, the Level 2 appears to just be a standard NEMA 14-50 plug, so basically a 50amp RV outlet. It'll cost me about $75 to install one of those.

Amazing information! How does it work with a house with Solar energy?

Well done. Straightforward.

What about if your present circuit breaker box is full? Cost to run another 100 amps to your home is?? What about city dwellers ie street parking? How to charge EVs who's owners live in Townhomes ? What about neighborhoods that are 50 years old or older ? Can more than 1/2 of the homes have another 100 amps run to there house?

I get 8 miles per hour with the level 1 device that came with my car so even a short 8 hour charge puts back 64 miles, far more than I use on any typical day. Good advice since most people really do not require level 2 but install it anyway because they think they need to.

So is it more beneficial to wire a home in DC than AC? We barely use AC anyway

What is the cost going to be if your 200 amp electrical box is full and you need to add 30 amps at 240 volt AC? That's going to be significantly higher?

Wonderfully informative video. Thanks.

guys how much is level 3 charger ?? and what are the best vendors who make it ??? thank you

Very good video, easy to understand.

yup quebec give 600$ to buy one so the tesla one here cost 635 soat the the charger level 2 adapter cost 35$ plus installation fee from electrician

Which equipment is best for apartment residents?

This guy's videos are great

Be sure to install a level 2 charger so your friends can save the most money when they visit and ask if they can plug in. Good video.... Thank You...........................

Can you make a video regarding bidirectional charging between an EV and a home?

If you drive more than a few miles a week, the 120v connector that comes with the car will not be enough. You'll want at least a NEMA 14-50 connector or just go all the way and get a wall charger setup. I was originally going to just have a 14-50 connector installed, but it was going to cost the same as having an electrician install the wall charger. I paid $500 for the charger and about $1200 for the install. This is south of Atlanta for reference. I also submitted the GA Power rebate of $250 for installing an EV charger, but have yet to see that money after a month.

nice review! well done!

This was an informative video thank you

Was looking for this guide for a while. Thanks!

May not need the charge device. Just install the 240 outlet and use the other charger that comes with the car. may be sufficient. Install cost of 240 line has risen substantially in some areas.

Consider DCC-12 or DCC-9 for your condo if your capacity is limited! Electric Vehicle Energy Management System.

My 2018 Leaf came with a Nissan 120/240 charging cable, and it was OK for months at 120v. We then installed a 240v NEMA 14-50 outlet, the same as a kitchen's electric range. No need for a third party EVSE because the cable from Nissan does the job!

I was told you need at least 250 amp breaker service. If you have less It may cost you $4,000 or $5,000 USD to upgrade your service extra cost

Excelente vídeo! Simples e objetivo! 👍⚡

Had a quote for the line install in my garage. Not $1500, try $4K. My issue is a bit unique in the fact that I have no more room on any panels in my home or on the custom panel on the side of my house, so I'd either have to add a sub panel or replace a panel with a larger one. SIGH!!!!! Great explanation video btw.

Nice overview. Sounds like he says "FC" but he defines it as "service equipment" - actually it says FC on the chapter marker too. Wonder what "FC actually stands for?

Excellent Information.

Great video!

Wasn't expecting that Depeche Mode cameo.

Could you please do a security video? Is it safe to charge when charger is wet? during rain? what to do and not to do.

If you know what you're doing, and have done any electrical work before, you can install the necessary 240 volt outlet yourself. You will have to be able to use a conduit bender, or snake a heavy romex cable to run the line from your breaker panel to the outlet location, and install and wire a new circuit breaker into the panel. You have to be careful here, once you remove the panel cover there is live and deadly current flowing about in the heavy bus bars in the panel! However running the cable from the breaker to the outlet is safe IF you have the new breaker in the OFF position! If you are 'chicken', you can throw the main breaker and kill power to your breaker panel while you install the new breaker, but that will leave your entire house dark for the duration. The outlet you will install will be a three or four prong heavy type typically used to plug in a dryer or electric range, usually rated between 40 and 60 amps. Some oi these outlets are call "crows foot" due to the spacing of the prongs. If you do your own wiring, you might not need to pull a permit, but you DO need to do the wiring per local code.

Great Primer!!

Most average normal homes run about 1000 kw hours per month. Not per day. Add even 10 kw/hours per day times 30 time @ .14$ per KW hour and calculate your electric bill on top of your normal usage.

super explanation!

Excellent video.

great info

Prospective EV buyer here. I’d fall into the 30ish miles a day category. Would using a level 1 charger every night cause unnecessary strain on the battery leading to faster degradation? I rent currently rent and won’t be able to add a level 2. Thanks!

Brian Cooley is fantastic. Need to see more of him! I hope he's wearing sunscreen for all these videos!

How long do you anticipate that "standard" connector will be the standard connector? Or do you anticipate it will go the way of all the different USB charging connectors - like USB-A, USB-B, USB-C, USB-mini and USB-micro?

Thanx for the info however, DC fast chargers are NOT level three. They are DC Chargers. AC interface, ie level 1 or level 2 provide AC power for the internal DC charge converter in the vehicle. DC chargers are frequently and wrongly referred to as Level 3 chargers, which they are not.

CNET, we see you.... we see that R1T in the into!

T.T what about apartments?

Almost all of my charging is done in my garage with a Tesla wall unit at 44 miles per hour. This means that the longest trip I typically take to visit my parents 90 minutes away I pull the car into the garage mid afternoon. By the end of dinner, I'm recharged. I see that the Ford EV charger recharges at 28 miles per hour. Remember that when recharging an EV you're not standing over the car, its quietly recharging while you go about your business. My electrician charged $750 to pull 100' of the 60 amp wire from my breaker panel.

It is a charger.. the one inside the car is a voltage converter. same thing with laptops and smarphones

CCSIs quickly replacing J1772 plugs.

Since CNET has viewers from all over the world you might want to think outside of USA when talking about charging standards and setup. The most common charging connector in Europe is CCS Type 2, even Tesla uses that connector in Europe.

Is this charger only for Ford and EV recharging? Or is it a hybrid, and can also refuel at gas station? Suggestion: Ford cars are too big in design.

why can't they make a drivers seat that generates enough static electricity to power your car, all the driver needs to do is move about quickly ion his seat as he drives

You say the terminals of the J-1772 corresponds to Black, White and Green. That would only give you 120 volts. You need Line 1 and Line 2 for 240 volts Black => L1 (Line 1 - Connected to one end of Secondary). Red => L2 (Line 2 - Connected to other end of Secondary). White => N (Neutral Conductor or Grounded Current Carrying Conductor , Center Common of Secondary). Green => Equipment Grounding Conductor. L1 to N => 120 volts L2 to N => 120 volts L1 to L2 => 240 volts. The Neutral is connected to the center tap of the secondary windings of the Utility Transformer. Either Line to Neutral gives you 120 volts. From end to end of Secondary gives you 240 volts, the two 120 volts add to give 240 volts. At the first electrical panel the Neutral Bus Bar, Equipment Grounding Bus Bar and the Ground Rod System are all bonded together (Connected together). At the first electrical panel the only difference between Neutral and Equipment Grounding Conductor is the Neutral (Grounded Conductor) Conducts electrical current, the Equipment Grounding Conductor is there just for saftey. There is not electrical current flowing through it unless there is an electrical fault. The second or any other electrical panels have the Neutral and the Equipment Grounding Conductor (green or bare) seperated. They do not want current flowing through both the Neutral and Equipment Grounding Conductor back to the first panel, remember the Equipment Grounding Conductor does not have current flowing through it (for saftey). With 3 Phase Power L1-L2-L3 (208 volt) the Voltage and Current of one Line are 120 degrees apart from another Line. The graph of each legs sinewave is 120 degrees apart from another. The most used winding is called a "Y", where there are 3 legs and a center common. Any Line to Center Neutral is 120 volts. L1 to L2 => 208 volts, L2 to L3 => 208 volts, L3 to L1 => 208 volts Since any of the Lines to Common => 120 volts. If you drew out the "Y" with the 3 legs of 120 units (volts) and meeting at the center 120 degrees apart. Then measured or calculate end of one leg to end of another leg you would get 208 units.

That electric bill going sky rocket

Ty

Good deal

Nobody calls chargers FC, FC usually stands for Fuel Cell used in Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles

We should have all the same Chargers around the World

Give this guy his own channel

Looks like a Soup dispenser

Most countries in the world operate on a 220v-240v system. Would such countries need the level 2 charger at home?

I wonder if i can use my magsafe charger for my EV ...

Does charging consistently at level 1 preserve the battery better than charging at level 2?

What about the people who live in apartments or buildings?

Kia Ev6 does not come with any charger

Never mind what it costs to install. Lets look at the charging electrical costs. IN my area now, it's $.14 per KW hour. In many areas it is higher.. I saw one add that a car can charge at 150 kw. Most people have no idea what a KW or a KW hour charge is. 14 cents per kw hour sounds cheap. Multiply it by 150 and it's not. Multiply it by 30 day application and in my case I'd spend less than 1/3 the electrical cost on gasoline. Not an anti electric car person here, just doing simple math.

Cooley is my co-pilot

Gotta love Technology!!

Great video. I paid $450 to have a 240v outlet installed because I lucked out in that my breaker box was close to where I needed the 240v outlet to be installed. No wires/conduit to run. I know not everyone will have this option. So in order to cut down on installation cost, try to have the 240v outlet be as close to the breaker as possible.

Why didn’t he touch on the extra cost to home electric bill?

nice.

Imagine if we're allowed to use Tesla's invention of the power stick that plugs into the Earth, you would just go to the local park lol

Rivian!!!!!! Review Rivian please!

Tesla not even on the list in your article? Higher amperage, J1772 option available, able to chain them together on the same circuit. Great information in the article, but I think you left one of the best off the list.