So many to choose from, so little knowledge, help.

[Glyn Judson]

Dear folks, This is my first post even before becoming a RAV4 EV owner but I'm trying to do my homework's best I can before the fact and not at the last minute by panic buying. I have an appointment next Monday to have a local electric company visit the house to discuss how to get 200+ volts to the corner of our home and next to our driveway. My questions are two-fold, 1. What should I be asking for with the electrician regarding hard wiring vs a weather protected outlet and anything I haven't thought of and 2. What is the charging station of choice? There are many listed on eBay both new and used but it's all a blur to me. Leviton, Siemens and others brand names I don't recognize are listed. Is 30 amp sufficient as compared to 40 amp? My daily driving consists of in town errands with weekly trips 22 miles away and back again from Santa Monica to Sylmar and back. There are two or three charging stations at the end of that 22 mile destination that I suppose I could use if needed but am thinking that I'll mostly rely upon charging at home. To backtrack a bit, I'm impressed with the Siemens 30 amp model, is that a bad choice? Thanks in advance for any and all help and direction. Glyn Judson

 

[smkettner]

I recommend a hardwired Clipper Creek LCS 30. This requires a 30 amp circuit and provides 24 amps to the vehicle. Plenty of power.
To charge at max rate you need HCS 50. This requires 50 amp circuit and provides 40 amps to the vehicle.
Just 2 hots and a ground is required. Neutral is not needed.

All have installation instructions you can download and hand to the electrician.

 

[Schenkzoola]

While the 30A unit is adequate, I would recommend running 50A service for 40A charging current for two reasons. 1: If you have a particularly busy day, an hour or two charge at 40A provides a very meaningful range. 2: If you get a second EV in the future, a 50A service is kind of the minimum useful service for an overnight charge on two vehicles.

I’m using two JuiceBox Pro 40 charging stations at my home on a single 50A service with a Rav4 EV and a Tesla Model 3. The JuiceBox Pro 40 and some others have the ability to share a single service by charging each car at half current when both are charging. Once one is finished, the other goes to full current.

I would also recommend getting an internet connected unit if you are interested in collecting data.

 

[hokiematt]

Ask your electrician to install an outdoor 14-50 (RV-style 50 amp) outlet. Most home improvement stores carry this for around $30, with the outlet already mounted in a weatherproof housing, one just needs to run appropriately sized and fused wire to it. The 50 amp circuit will let you take full advantage of the 40 amp charger in your Rav.

I've got several Juicebox 40 Pros, and they've been flawless over years of operation. In my opinion, they appear to be the most weatherproof of all the residential EVSE's available. Check eBay: EV Motorwerks has been offering factory refurbished units for about $400 sporadically over the last few months. (I have no affiliation, just a happy end customer).

 

[asavage]

I like my OpenEVSE, which if fully utilized requires a 50A breaker and charges at 40A, beginning at around 2am for my departure at 5:30am. The OpenEVSE can be configured to accommodate a lesser capacity circuit, but you're likely to find that the majority of the cost of installing a 240v (not 200v) dedicated circuit is not going to be in the cost of the breaker or wire, it's going to be the labor, and on the theory that the RAV4EV may not be your last EV, and you might want to charge at faster rate (on your RAV4EV) or for a longer range (on your next EV), you may well consider the minor extra cost for an uprated circuit as something of future-proofing, or a lean in that direction.

Our Tesla gets the indoor parking; my RAV4EV is in the driveway, so I probably have a similar situation to you. I went the weather-resistant RV 14-50 receptacle route, because sometimes you just want to unplug things. In my case, I also own equipment that can use a 14-50 receptacle, so that's a bonus.

Some more info and some pictures of my install -- which are always helpful, if you haven't done it before -- are in this post.