Can I plug my EV directly into a 240V outlet
Can You Plug an Electric Car EV Charger Into Your Dryer Outlet?
Can You Plug an Electric Car EV Charger Into Your Dryer Outlet?
If you don't have access to a home charging station, you may have several other options for charging your EV or PHEV. Here's how to know if a dryer outlet is one of them.
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If you daily drive an EV you know the importance of being able to charge your battery rapidly. A dryer outlet offers 240 volts of power and will charge an electric vehicle faster than a regular 120-volt appliance outlet. But you will probably need to buy a special charger or adaptor to plug in to your dryer outlet.
Can you plug your electric car into a regular wall outlet?
Most of the appliance outlets youll find in the walls of your house offer 120 volts of electricity. You can certainly plug an electric vehicle into one of these outlets. But depending on its battery size, your car may take 40 or even 50 hours to charge up completely.
The U.S. Department of Transportation classifies a 120-volt system as Level 1 EV charging. Level 1 charging almost always refers to plugging your EV charger into a wall outlet, because all public chargers offer more than 120 volts. Why is this? Because a plug-in hybrid EV (PHEV) could take between five and six hours to charge completely with just 120 volts of power.
Full battery electric vehicles need much more power than PHEVs and have higher capacity batteries. That is why it might take two days to charge a BEV up from empty if you only have access to 120-volt power.
In a pinch, plugging in to a wall outlet isnt a bad way to top off your plug-in. But its a less-than-ideal way to charge an EV up from empty.
Can you plug your electric car into a dryer outlet?
Many houses have a few 240-volt outlets. These are used for electric dryers, certain electric stoves, and even welders. This is why you may find 240-volt outlets in your laundry room, kitchen, and garage. These outlets may even vary in amperage. You can likely order an adaptor from your automaker to plug your electric car into any of these outlets.
Any 200+ volt charging system is classified as Level 2. This includes commercial 208-volt EV chargers as well as your 240-volt dryer outlet. Level 2 should be able to charge most EVs up from empty in between four and 10 hours. A PHEV should take one-two hours.
Should you charge your EV from your 240-volt home outlet?
Is it a good idea to plug your electric car into a dryer outlet? Not always. Dryers are not meant to be plugged and unplugged, so swapping from your car to this appliance repeatedly may cause some damage.
Whats more, the 240-volt outlet in your garage may be a 30, 40, or even 50 amps depending on its intended use. Youll have to make certain your EV charger can handle its amperage.
According to Clean Technica, you may be able to get around the plugging/unplugging issue by plugging a heavy-duty splitter into your 240-volt outlet, so you can leave both your EV extension cord and dryer plugged in, but only operate one at a time.
Still, many EV owners prever to have a purpose-designed EV charger installed in your home. This will often charge your battery the fastest. An electrician can wire it into your houses existing 240-volt system, and you wont have to unplug your dryer every time you need to charge up your car.
If you often visit a friend who has a garage with a dryer outlet, it might be worth doing some research and purchasing the proper adaptor for your car. This could save you from being stuck with a 110-volt outlet and a frustratingly slow charge.
Types of Electrical Outlets for Electric Car Chargers
Charging an electric vehicle (EV) can seem a bit complicated at first. However, after some experience it will become very habitual. One topic that can trip a lot of prospective or first-time EV drivers are the proper electrical outlets for EV chargers.
There are in fact many different electrical outlets for EV chargers. Some are low power for Level 1 charging, while others are higher power for Level 2 charging.
Selecting the right Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE or charger) or directing an electrician to install the correct outlet takes the proper education. If the wrong charger is purchased or the wrong outlet is installed, you may find yourself unable to charge. An additional consideration is how many EVs you are planning to charge - both in the short term and long term if multiple members of your household plan to go electric.
If you need assistance or have questions on what outlet is right for you, feel free to reach out to the NeoCharge customer support team who are experts in home EV charging applications. You can also find all our frequently asked questions here.
Lets go over all the different types of electrical outlets for EV chargers so you are best prepared to set up your home EV charger. Note that the electrical content of this article is pertinent only to the U.S. and Canada.
Summary:
- Types of 120 Volt Outlets
- Types of 240 Volt Outlets
- Best Electrical Outlets for Electric Car Chargers
- Electrical Outlets Not Suited Well for Electric Car Chargers
- Final Thoughts
Types of 120 Volt Outlets
A good way of thinking about electrical outlets is to group them in their voltage classification. There are two voltages for residential applications, 120 Volts (V) and 240V. In general, the fewer the volts, the less power.
Lets begin with the low-power group, the 120V. A 120V receptacle is the typical household outlet. You use these for nearly all of your devices (TV, phone charger, blender, etc.).
There are a few 120V outlets, however, by far the most common is the NEMA 5-15. NEMA is the acronym for National Electric Manufacturers Association. The first set of digits is the outlet class (5) and the second set is the maximum current (15 amps).
The typical household outlet, the NEMA 5-15, is the shocked-face thing you have seen for your entire life. It has been by your side (literally) when you need it most.
There are a few other 120V outlets, however, they are much, much less common in residential construction.
See, its simple!
Types of 240 Volt Outlets
Next up is 240V outlets. Unfortunately, there are many different types of 240V outlets. For those of you with an electric dryer, range, welder, etc., you may have seen these before, however, for others, these outlets could look quite foreign.
The most popular 240V outlets are now the NEMA 14-30, 14-50, and 6-50. Like voltage, the more amps, the more power.
A general rule of thumb to distinguish a 120V outlet from a 240V outlet is by the size of the outlet. In most cases, a 240V outlet is larger.
It is also worth noting that gas appliances utilize 120V power, therefore, are not capable of converting to 240V.
Best Electrical Outlets for Electric Car Chargers
Level 1
So now that you know the common receptacles, what are the best types of electrical outlets for EV chargers?
For Level 1 chargers, the NEMA 6-15 outlet is the best outlet. Well, it's really your only option for 120V. Nevertheless, With a Level 1 charger, you can expect to charge an electric car at a rate of 4 miles of range per hour.
Keep in mind that a Level 1 charger comes standard with every EV. So getting started with Level 1 charging is fairly easy as you plug the charger into any available household outlet and begin to charge, albeit at a slow pace.
To put this into perspective, to charge a Tesla Model 3 from empty to full on a Level 1 charger, it will take about 35 hours. For faster charging, look to Level 2 charging with a 240V outlet.
Level 2
The best 240V (Level 2) electrical outlets for electric car chargers are the NEMA 14-30, 14-50, 10-30, 10-50, and 6-50. Depending on the amperage, a Level 2 charger can provide around 20-30 miles of range per hour. 30A circuits (e.g. NEMA 14-30 outlet) provide about 20 miles of range per hour while 50A circuits (e.g. NEMA 14-50 outlet) provides around 30 miles per hour.
Great electrical outlets for electric car chargers!
Remember--the numbering is simple, the first set of digits is the outlet class and the second set is the maximum current (amps) that can be drawn.
Now that is a lot quicker than Level 1. Overnight, a Level 2 charger can easily recharge any electric car to 100%. This is why many EV drivers choose to install a Level 2 charger over a Level 1. With Level 1 charging, an all-electric car may not fully recharge overnight, however, with Level 2 it definitely will.
Unlike the standard Level 1 charger, a Level 2 charger needs to be separately purchased. Additionally, most garages may not have a spare 240V outlet. Therefore, you will need to hire an electrician to install a new outlet and possibly upgrade your electrical panel. All of this can cost hundreds of dollars to thousands of dollars if a panel upgrade is needed. No bueno!
Fortunately, for those who have an existing 240V outlet currently occupied by an appliance or EV charger, there is a smarter and more affordable solution than to install a new circuit! The 240v Smart Splitter by NeoCharge plugs into an existing 240V outlet to create two outlets from one.
The Smart Splitter intelligently and automatically directs the power to the device in need. In other words, the Smart Splitter is like a smart power strip for high power devices. Furthermore, the Smart Splitter is compatible with all EV models, EV chargers, electric appliances, and any 240V outlet. Learn more about the Smart Splitter.
Electrical Outlets Not Suited Well for Electric Car Chargers
As aforementioned, there are not many other 120V outlets, therefore, it is hard to go wrong when needing to find an outlet for Level 1 charging. 240V, on the other hand, is a bit more complicated.
The NEMA 1-15 and 6-15 are not great electrical outlets for electric car chargers. The 1-15 outlet in particular is the old style without any ground conductor. Modern electrical wiring includes a ground wire for safety. In fact, the EV charger itself requires a ground, therefore, will not work with an outlet that does not have a ground conductor.
The NEMA 6-15 outlet is another outlet that isnt a great choice for an EV charger. This outlet is typically used for window-mounted air conditioning units, but does not provide a lot of amperage (current), meaning it wont charge the car as quickly as a higher current outlet like the 50A NEMA 14-50.
If for some reason you have any of these non-standard EV outlets, there are two options:
First option is to have your electrician replace the outlet with an EV charger-friendly receptacle. Of course, the breaker and the wire limit the maximum current, therefore, you will need to select an appropriate outlet that matches the corresponding circuit amperage.
Second option is to utilize the NeoCharge Smart Splitter. As aforementioned, the Smart Splitter can be customized to match the existing outlet in your home and provide you two outlets for charging. In many cases, this will be by far the most cost effective option.
It is highly recommended to consult with an electrician before conducting any work. Of course, with the Smart Splitter, no electrician is required since you simply plug in the device to the existing outlet.
Final Thoughts
Congratulations! If youve made it this far, youve learned a lot about what are the best and not so great electrical outlets for electric car chargers.
No matter if you use Level 1 or Level 2 charging, having a consistent and reliable place to charge an EV will make ownership much easier.
And for the individuals that do not have access to charging, there are literally thousands of public charging stations, you just may not have noticed them. Per the Law of Attraction, once you start looking for them you will begin to see them everywhere! For example, check out the EVmatch network below. EVmatch is just one of many EV public charging networks.
With a new home charging routine, youll quickly realize that charging an electric car is really easy! After a short time, charging your EV will become just like charging any other electrical device, such as your phone. Charging will be as simple as plugging in and waking up with the battery you deserve.
Charge on!
