Specific EV Questions

[Pib]

1 hour ago, Yodarapper said:

Hi All,

 

Like already discussed, will be waiting to install a wall charger for a couple of months. We are going to try to brave it without one for the first few months and then if we really need it will look at installing one.

 

Someone on here recommended this from Lazada:
Charger

 

Just want confirmation that is going to be safe to use and will be slightly quicker that the one provided by BYD?

Also, what amps can I set it to safely? I have 2 normal sockets in my driveway which I will plug it into so please let me know....Should I start small at 8....or can I safely use 16A?
 

Thanks

Yes...it would work.

 

As to what you can "safely" start with current-wise requires you to know if there are any other electrical equipment on the same circuit and how much that equipment is pulling amp-wise.  Like maybe lights, outlets in the house that maybe your TV or similar equipment is hooked to....maybe a  microwave....may be an A/C....maybe who knows what.     Then add on what the charger will draw when in use.  Determine if you will then exceed the safe current draw for that circuit.

 

What if that circuit is not a standalone circuit and it just a branch of a circuit that is also powering other equipment/sockets in your home.   What if that circuit (and lets say it's a 16A circuit)  is almost always pulling 5A and maybe even a higher current (say 10A total) when certain in-frequently used equipment is turned on.  Well, if you plug in your EV charger set to 16A you are now up to 21A (or maybe 26A) being pulled exceeding the 16A circuit safe limit.   

 

Well, you might think that the 16A circuit breaker will trip "immediately" whenever exceeding 16A but that is not the way a circuit breaker work.   That 16A circuit breaker will only trip once the current exceeds 16A for a certain length of time depending on how high the current actually is.  Circuit breakers have a "trip curve" which is typically a B or C curve in homes which determine when the breaker will trip after the 16A is exceeded...and as mentioned it depends on "how long" and "how high the current is"....both come into play as to when the breaker will trip.

 

Seems here in Thailand circuit breakers with a C-curve are used.  Just look at the front of the circuit breaker....if it says B16, B20, etc., it's B-curve circuit breaker, if it says C16, C20, etc., it's a C-curve circuit breaker.  A B-curve breaker has a faster trip curve than a C-curve breaker, but even that B-curve breaker does not trip immediately unless really high current is drawn.   

 

A C-16A circuit breaker (which you probably have) would take well over 1000 (one thousand) seconds to trip with 21A going thru it.  If would not trip "immediately" (i.e., less than 1 second overload) until at least 80A and a max of  160A.   See below weblink and snapshot for more info on circuit breakers, tripping curves, etc.   

 

The only way to "really" know how many amps a circuit is carrying is to measure it with an ammeter.  Maybe you have such an ammeter already on your main circuit box.  Maybe you have clamp-on ammeter?    

 

 

https://www.electricaltechnology.org/2021/07/tripping-curves-circuit-breaker.html