Unagi

Just got my Q5e a few weeks ago. Love it so far! My electrician has questions. I have searched the forum and do not have any conclusive answers.

I may not be at my house for more than a few years, but charging on 110 is killing me. It just takes too long. I don't have power in my garage so I am asking my electrician to put in a 14-50 NEMA outdoor plug on house near my driveway. I want to try to use the supplied Audi charger and only get a new one(clipper or juicebox) at a last resort. Here is the rub....the code says you must put in a GFCI breaker and the Audi charger says you don't need/shouldnt use one because it has it's own internal breaker and using one with a GFCI will cause problems. Any advice? What do others do?

TIA

rdgrimes

Follow your electrician's advice and local code. Its true that the supplied Audi EVSE has all the needed protections. The only "risk" here is that the breaker might trip erroneously. If that happens you can deal with it then. But there's no reason to expect issues.
That said, springing for a proper networked EVSE like Juicebox or Chargepoint will give you another layer of control and data, and you can put the Audi EVSE away for travel.

Unagi

I'm trying to get away with not hardwiring the EVSE if I can help it...

mdshw5@gmail.com

I would go figure out the code requirements to be sure, but you should try to put your outlet in a protected location a minimum distance above ground level so that you do not require a GFCI breaker. The GFCI circuitry built into the EVSE will trip the GFCI breaker whenever it runs it’s on self test diagnostic. This is absolutely something you want to avoid.

EDIT: I just checked the 2020 NEC which does state that all 50amp or smaller receptacles require GCFI in outdoor or garage applications. Hardwiring would eliminate this issue but I do not believe that’s an option for the Audi supplied EVSE. If your state has only adopted the 2017 code still you would be able to have a non GFCI 220V 50amp outlet in a garage or protected crawl space (which is my situation).

Sandroad

Your most reliable and best bet is to go with your last resort and get a hardwired aftermarket EVSE. That won't cost as much as it might seem, since avoiding the cost of the GFCI breaker and outlet will lower the final cost of the hardwired unit. I used to recommend Chargepoint, which is what I have, but they have not got with the program and realized that other, high quality EVSEs with good apps are hundreds of dollars less. The 32A Clipper Creek is also well reviewed for quality and app and I'm sure there are many others now. One thing to watch for is that some units are lowering their cost/price by shortening the cord, Get one with at least 25' of cord.

Unagi

Thanks for all the feedback. Here is my current plan: Since I may not stay in this house more than 3 years, I am going to have a NEMA 14-50 240V plug installed in the interior room right inside of where I want the charger on the outside of the house. There used to be a dryer vent so I know the hole is there. If the cable is long enough, I can run the plug cable through the hole and plug in inside( there by not needing a GFCI outlet. Jukebox seems to have a 2 or 3 foot cable, not sure about clipper. I think the charge point one is short. The only issue is to cover up the hole to the outside.

glc888

Get a plug in ChargePoint or similar, have the electrician install an outdoor box that has a lockable cover. Plug it in and lock the plug in so it cannot be tampered with. Take ithe charging equipment with you when you move.

rdgrimes

FWIW, pretty sure that any length in the power plug cable is subtracted from the charger plug cable. So, longer power cord means shorter charger cable. Something to do with regulations on the total allowed cord length. Its why some of them have really short power cords.
That said, you could just put the charger inside and run the charge cable out through that hole.

Unagi

the whole point is to get around Hardwire and non hardwire outdoor GFCI requirement.

Yosh01

Why go do such extremes to avoid a GFCI breaker? I have one in a panel in a detached garage and it has perhaps tripped 3-4 times in a year. No big deal to reset.