Monetary Ln EV Charger TaskForce
Members (voluntary) of the taskforce: John Fields, Stan Simmons, William Petefish
Mission
To develop at least two action plans for supporting EV charging infrastructure at the new Monetary Ln building. These plans should address:
- Whom EV charging would benefit
- What equipment each plan would entail
- Costs: Purchase/Acquisition, Installation, ongoing maintenance/budgetary requirements for each
Then lobby the board and membership to adopt/approve/allow at least one of the action plans.
Action Plan Details
Move In Plan
We installed the EVlink Pedestal EVSE EV230PSR between the garage doors inside the rear of the building. This let us cheaply and quickly get the EVSE up and running at the new location with similar utility to what we had at Ladybird Ln. This benefits both members and guests that drive Electric or Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. The current EVSE allows many OEM (and some DIY) EVs to charge at up to a 30A rate. Having a 208v 50A socket near the garage doors also allows use of a portable welder to repair equipment that won't easily fit inside the warehouse. The EVSE is plugged into a 3 wire NEMA 6-50 socket leaving the "power hammer" NEMA 14-50 socket free for other uses (Welders, Power Hammer, other EV chargers, etc.)
This EVSE was donated to DMS by NRG eVgo via NTEAA.org. The EV230PSR has built in GFCI protection, and exceeds 2011 NEC GFCI specifications.
Minimal Outdoor Plan
Install our current EVSE at the rear of the building. This would benefit both members and guests that drive Electric or Plug-in Hybrid vehicles. The current EVSE would allow many OEM (and some DIY) EVs to charge at up to a 30A rate.
- The EVSE has been mounted just inside the garage doors as indicated by the number 1. This allows a car parked next to the new ramp to charge.
- Mounting the EVSE on the outside wall next to the south garage door would allow a car to be charged in one of two spaces between the transformers and the garage door.
- Mounting the EVSE in the space marked 3 would allow for charging from any one of at least three of the parking spaces in the area near the end of the ramp.
An EVSE is considered a continuous load by the National Electrical Code (NEC). A continuous load is only allowed to draw 80% of the breaker max load (30A EVSE needs a 40A breaker). NEC code requires any conduit be protected, so we could mount it along the side of the concrete ramp. I had originally thought about mounting the pedestal between the power transformers, but the utility company will not allow any installations near the transformers.
- ~$500 Hardware Costs
- Electrical permit for installation ($75?) Carrollton, TX uses the 2011 National Electrical Code
- 50A set of 220v breakers (~$20)
- core drill wall for conduit to EVSE ($0)
- 1.5" surface conduit (~$120) Install site is ~20ft from the outside wall.
- 4 AWG wire (6 AWG for ground) for 50A ~30ft circuit. ($134)
- 220V/30A EVlink Pedestal EVSE EV230PSR ($1999, donated by NRG eVgo via NTEAA.org)
- parking sign ($20-50)
- educational signage (~$50)
- mounting hardware (~$25)
BYOC Plan
(Bring Your Own Charger)
Install the Minimal Outdoor Plan and add an additional circuit for a weatherproof RV Power outlet. Many older, home built EV's don't have the newer standard J1772 connector that is on our EV Charger and they need a standard plug to charge. An outdoor 220V, 50A NEMA 14-50 outlet would also let a second EV charge since many Telsa, GM and Nissans come with a portable charger that can plug into a standard 50A outlet. The NEMA 5-20 standard 110v outlets would allow for electric bikes, scooters or old school DIY cars.
- ~$310 Hardware
- Everything from Minimal Outdoor Plan
- 70A set of 220v breakers (~$30)
- 2 AWG (4 AWG for ground) wire for 70A ~30ft circuit. ($197)
- RV Outlet Box with 50 Amp and 20 Amp GCFI Circuit Protected Receptacles ($79)
- Possibly mount on the existing EVSE ($0)
Tesla Plan
We installed the Tesla High Power Wall Connector on the side of the dock ramp and ran a temporary waterproof conduit to allow it to be plugged into the NEMA 14-50 "Power Hammer" circuit. Tesla donated the $1200 HPWC, and will reimburse up to $1500 for a 100A circuit to be run for it. These donations require that the unit be installed outdoors and that it be made available for public use. William P. is working on getting quotes for running a circuit for the HPWC.
The Tesla HPWC can provide up to 80A when wired to a 100A circuit. A Tesla High Power Wall Connector is an EVSE and is considered a continuous load by the National Electrical Code (NEC). A continuous load is only allowed to draw 80% of the breaker max load (80A EVSE needs a 100A breaker). It is currently providing 40A due to being plugged into a 50A circuit.
Self Metering Plan
Install the Minimal Outdoor Plan, and optionally the BYOC and Tesla Plans. The meter would let DMS monitor the cost of electricity used by EVs. A 200A subpanel will let us install our current 30A EVSE, a RV Power outlet and an 80A Tesla charger.
- ~$320 Hardware
- Everything from Minimal Outdoor Plan
- Optionally everything from the BYOC Plan
- Optionally everything from the Tesla Plan
- 200 Amp 4-Space 8-Circuit Meter Socket Load Center ($120)
- Set of 200A 220v breakers ($118)
- kilowatt hour meter ($30-50 ebay)
Commercial Network Plan
This would be the lowest cost plan for DMS, but would be the highest cost for EV users. We might want to use this option for putting a charging spot near the front door, as that would be the most expensive location to install an EVSE. The main benefit here would be the low cost to DMS, while at the same time giving national exposure of DMS to EV owners.
CarCharging will install and maintain EVSE stations and even reimburse for electricity costs, but they charge end users either $0.49/KWh or $2.00-2.99/hour to charge their cars.
I have talked with Brian Golomb, VP of Sales, and their minimum contract is 5 years.
File:CarCharging Presentation.pdf
File:CCGI Exclusive Services Contract - Summary of Terms - Model B.pdf
Working topics
Benefits
- Attract and retain upwardly mobile Electric Vehicle Owners who appreciate good stewardship of the environment and natural resources.
- Demonstrate to the community that we take an active role in reducing green-house gases, and reducing our dependence on foreign oil.
- Encourages EV use
- Educates people about the advantages of EV vs ICE driving.
- EV Maintenance Costs are also as much as 50% lower than gasoline-powered cars.
- EVs release 70% fewer emissions than gasoline-powered cars.
- EVs help reduce the nation’s dependence on foreign oil.
Costs
EV Charging Cost
As of Summer 2017, Dallas Makerspace is paying a commercial rate of $0.03779/kWh for electricity (~$0.063/kWh with all fees, charges and assessments), down about 20% from ~$0.079/kWh (including all fees, etc.) we were paying in 2016. To get the cost per hour, multiply the cost per kWh ($0.063) by the Kilowatts drawn by the car (208v x Amps). Many EVs, like most 2011/2012 Nissan Leafs, pull only 15A when charging and will cost less than $0.20 per hour to charge. The Tesla EVSE is on a dedicated 100A circuit and is set to the 80A charge rate, but it only gives that higher rate to the few Tesla cars that are equipped with dual chargers. The costs listed below are the maximum cost, as batteries get full, they charge at a lower rate and cost. For example, a LEAF that is empty would pull the full 6.24kW until the battery started charging up, towards the end of the charge it will be closer to a 1/2kW rate.
| Amps | Volts | KiloWatt | $/Hour | Perform Full Charge | Examples |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 15A | 120v | 1.8kW | $0.11 | ? | Bikes, Scooters, Motorcycles, older DIY |
| 15A | 208v | 3.1kW | $0.20 | $1.01 (Volt) | Volt, iMiEV, older LEAF, most Hybrid, most DIY |
| 30A | 208v | 6.2kW | $0.39 | $1.89 - $3.78 (LEAF/I8) | new LEAF, BMW i3/i8, Focus EV, some DIY |
| 40A | 208v | 8.3kW | $0.52 | $5.36 (standard Tesla) | most Tesla, RAV4 EV, high-end DIY |
| 80A | 208v | 16.6kW | $1.05 | $6.30 | Tesla Model S/X (Dual Charger) |
Hardware Costs
Hardware costs are detailed in the various plan sections above. Hardware costs for a full install at the back of the building are expected to be less than $1500.
Installation Costs
Once we decide on a plan, we will need to get some quotes for installation. If we have to cut the concrete and bury conduit, it could be prohibitively expensive to do at move in.
I hope that we can find an electrician that will pull the permit, and allow us to do most of the work and have him do the final connection and sign off.
Maintenance Costs
Industry studies in California and Colorado suggest that ongoing maintenance would be on the order of $25 to $100 per year. The listed costs were mostly related to replacing broken parts due to customers dropping charger cables.
Equipment/Vendors
- 220V/30A EVlink Pedestal EVSE EV230PSR (Installation PDF) ($1999)
This EVSE was donated to DMS by NRG eVgo via NTEAA.org. The EV230PSR has built in GFCI protection, and when installed will exceed 2011 NEC GFCI specifications.
Many older, home built EV's don't have the newer standard J1772 connector that is on our EV Charger and they need a standard plug to charge. An outdoor 220V, 50A NEMA 14-50 outlet would also let a second EV charge since many Telsa, GM and Nissans come with a portable charger that can plug into a standard 50A outlet. The NEMA 5-15 standard 110v outlets would allow for electric bikes, scooters or old school DIY cars.
Tesla donated the $1200 HPWC, and will reimburse up to $1500 for a 100A circuit to be run for it. These donations require that the unit be installed outdoors and that it be made available for public use. "Tesla is working with hotels, resorts, and other destinations to encourage the installation of High Power Wall Connectors where our customers spend time away from home. Offering charging is a great way to encourage Tesla owners to visit your business."
The Tesla Wall Connector has built in GFCI protection, and when installed will exceed 2011 NEC GFCI specifications.
CarCharging will install and maintain EVSE stations and even reimburse for electricity costs, but they charge end users either $0.49/KWh or $2.00-2.99/hour to charge their cars
- Blink (Blink went bankrupt and is now owned by CarCharging)
- Chargepoint
Chargepoint does not offer discounted EVSE stations.
eVgo REV certification doesn't cost anything up front, but they don't pay for the installation of the EVSE.
Once we have one or more EVSE stations operational, we need to register on PlugShare. It costs nothing to list on PlugShare, and we can list on it whether or not we install our own EVSE or commercial, or both.
Signage
I would like to have the EV charging parking spot(s) labeled "EV Charging Only" to encourage EV owners to visit our new home, and to discourage "ICEing" (having a charger blocked by an Internal Combustion Engine vehicle). Texas and Carrollton do not currently have any laws about EV only parking spots, so any signs would not be enforceable.
I recommend no more than one EV spot out front, with several in back, possibly near the power transformer barriers south of the dock doors.
I would like to have some signage showing how inexpensive electric driving is vs gas driving. I can get real-world numbers from the NTEAA.org group.
I would like to see a QR code and donation recommendation sign for EV charging.
I have contacted http://ntxgreenparking.com/ for a pair of free Alternative Fuel Parking signs. They responded with: "Hi Stan— Thanks for the note. We will add you to our list for the next order, which should be in early summer. Thanks again, Robert B. Kent | North Texas Commission | Director of Public Policy"
The North Texas Commission has donated two of the "Alternative Fuel Parking" signs and stands.
Metering
When we install the charging stations, we should at least spend the extra $150-$200 to install a kilowatt hour meter on the feed subpanel for the stations. A 200A subpanel will let us install our current 30A EVSE, a 50A NEMA 14-50 outlet and an 80A Tesla charger.
Do we need to meter each charging station separately?
RFID
Should the charging stations be open to the public, or should they be locked to only DMS members via RFID, etc.? I would like to try our "snack room" model of voluntary payment for charging to see how effective it will be offsetting the electrical cost.
