Electric Vehicle Charging Stations in Ottawa-Gatineau

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by qprcanada

One issue I ran into when getting a charging station installed in my garage is that it could not be to close to the water tap so it could not be installed in area I wanted close to the door but in the end it was not an issue. The charging cord that plugs into the car is usually quite long and I have no problem charging my E-Golf in the garage or in the driveway. I purchased a Flo charger through the Hydro Ottawa program and am very happy with it.

Having a level 2 charger at home is a game changer and greatly reduces your range anxiety. I've had an electric car for over a year now and would never go back to an ICE.

Thanks. That is very useful information. I had no idea Hydro Ottawa had an EV Charger programme. I will have to look into it. Would you mind sharing a picture of your installation?

As for the water tap, it is on the opposite side (the west wall) of the garage from where I would want to install the charger (the east wall), so I don't expect that to be a problem.

Would having the cable run under the garage door be an issue for charging in the driveway?

As for Tesladom's comments about Teslas, they are out of my price range unfortunately. Not having a dealer in Ottawa is a bit of an issue as well.

[qprcanada]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Thanks. That is very useful information. I had no idea Hydro Ottawa had an EV Charger programme. I will have to look into it. Would you mind sharing a picture of your installation?

As for the water tap, it is on the opposite side (the west wall) of the garage from where I would want to install the charger (the east wall), so I don't expect that to be a problem.

Would having the cable run under the garage door be an issue for charging in the driveway?

As for Tesladom's comments about Teslas, they are out of my price range unfortunately. Not having a dealer in Ottawa is a bit of an issue as well.

I'll take a photo when I get home this evening. I usually leave my E-Golf in the driveway overnight and charge it with the garage door closed and the charging cable running underneath it so it's not a problem.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Tesladom

Tesla Model SR+ is the only one you should consider, all others are simply crap (sorry Leaf, Bolt ...)

Comes with Charger and 20 ft cord, PM me I can help you with your questions

Given Tesla's financial issues, it's quite the commitment to buy one. You may end up having no company to support you in the next 1-2 years. I love Teslas. But I wouldn't risk spending $60-120k on one till Tesla is substantially more stable.

There's also the issues they have with supportability, spares, and quality control. They need some time to sort all that out.

Best bet if you want to buy a Tesla today is buy used. With the Model 3 coming on the market, it's actually helping devalue or at least remove some of the premium driving cachet of the Model S and Model X.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by qprcanada

One issue I ran into when getting a charging station installed in my garage is that it could not be to close to the water tap so it could not be installed in area I wanted close to the door but in the end it was not an issue. The charging cord that plugs into the car is usually quite long and I have no problem charging my E-Golf in the garage or in the driveway. I purchased a Flo charger through the Hydro Ottawa program and am very happy with it.

Having a level 2 charger at home is a game changer and greatly reduces your range anxiety. I've had an electric car for over a year now and would never go back to an ICE.

Great info. Didn't know Hydro Ottawa did this. I want to put forward information to my condo board so we can perhaps finance a few common use charging spots.

[qprcanada]

https://ibb.co/1fWFWSG

Not sure why photo didn't appear in earlier post. Here is my FLO charger.

[rocketphish]

Originally Posted by qprcanada

https://ibb.co/1fWFWSG

Not sure why photo didn't appear in earlier post. Here is my FLO charger.

[AuxTown]

Thanks for the photo. I just ordered my Tesla wall charger and was happy to see that they stopped selling the shorter cord length. 24' seems to be the only option now. With that length I can reach any car in my garage....assuming we go with another Tesla in the future.

[TransitZilla]

Originally Posted by Tesladom

Tesla Model SR+ is the only one you should consider, all others are simply crap (sorry Leaf, Bolt ...)

Comes with Charger and 20 ft cord, PM me I can help you with your questions

Given your username, this certainly seems like an unbiased recommendation.

Teslas are certainly nice cars but are also the most expensive on the market; so much so that they are not eligible for the rebates.

[Tesladom]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Would having the cable run under the garage door be an issue for charging in the driveway?

As for Tesladom's comments about Teslas, they are out of my price range unfortunately. Not having a dealer in Ottawa is a bit of an issue as well.

I run mine under the garage door in summer, no problem
Why do you need a dealer? You are so old school, there's pretty much no service required on a Telsa, and in the rare event, they come to you (mobile service) . Also old Dow Honda will apparently become a Tesla Service Center.
All other electric cars are basically conversions from ICE (internal combustion engine) platforms or models. Model 3 SR+ is under $50k after rebate, much better option than Leaf or Bolt, apples and oranges

[Tesladom]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

Given your username, this certainly seems like an unbiased recommendation.

Teslas are certainly nice cars but are also the most expensive on the market; so much so that they are not eligible for the rebates.

PM'ed

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by bradnixon

Teslas are certainly nice cars but are also the most expensive on the market; so much so that they are not eligible for the rebates.

That changed.

https://www.ctvnews.ca/autos/cut-pri...bate-1.4402827

Rebate aside. I'd say Tesla's stability should certainly be factored into anybody's purchase decision.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by qprcanada

https://ibb.co/1fWFWSG

Not sure why photo didn't appear in earlier post. Here is my FLO charger.

Thanks for providing the picture. I see the installer ran the power cable along the wall rather than in the wall (I gather the Flo X5 supports both methods). Is that so it could be plugged into a NEMA 6-50 outlet?

FYI, to imbed pictures you need to provide the link to the picture itself, not the webpage that displays the picture. You can get that by right clicking on the picture and selecting "Copy Image Address." In your case that would have been "https://i.ibb.co/ccn4nmh/IMG-5930.jpg" though you would needed to scale down the size of the picture first (by either decreasing the resolution or cropping).

One other question. What size of electrical service do you have? Did they have to increase it? (I guess that is two, but they are related)

I only have a 100A service and I am thinking that I might have to increase that (or convert either my stove or dryer to gas). The other option might be to go with a 16A Type 2 charger (which would only need a 20A breaker). It would be half as fast, but that might still be good enough for overnight charging.

[roger1818]

Originally Posted by Tesladom

I run mine under the garage door in summer, no problem

Good to know. Thanks.

Why do you need a dealer?

I am 6'5" tall and don't fit in many cars, so I need to test drive it before buying it. You can't tell by the car size as I don't fit in some SUVs yet fit well in some subcompacts.

Even if I wasn't so tall, when making a major purchase like a car, I would want to try it first to make sure I like it before shelling out the big bucks.

You are so old school, there's pretty much no service required on a Telsa, and in the rare event, they come to you (mobile service) . Also old Dow Honda will apparently become a Tesla Service Center.

I said dealer, not service centre. It is about trying before buying. Driving to Montreal to find out if I like it or not is a major inconvenience. I'll buy many things online, but I am not ready to buy a car online. If that is old school, so be it.

All other electric cars are basically conversions from ICE (internal combustion engine) platforms or models. Model 3 SR+ is under $50k after rebate, much better option than Leaf or Bolt, apples and oranges

$50k might be pocket change to you, but it is a lot of money to me. I am actually looking to buy used, so the price is down around the $20k mark for a 2016/17 (let someone else take the hit on the off the lot depreciation). Still more than I would normally spend for a small car, but worth it when you take operational savings into account.

[Tesladom]

[/QUOTE]

Originally Posted by roger1818

$50k might be pocket change to you, but it is a lot of money to me. I am actually looking to buy used, so the price is down around the $20k mark for a 2016/17 (let someone else take the hit on the off the lot depreciation). Still more than I would normally spend for a small car, but worth it when you take operational savings into account.

Nissan Leafs and Bolts might depreciate, but I can assure you that Model3's will keep their value - its because of the battery technology, virtually no degradation over time (unlike 1st gen Leaf). Although it is expensive upfront, you total cost of ownership after 8 years should be equivalent to a Honda Accord
If you are 6'5", I think that's Elon's height, Bolt is really not for you, that is really cramped.
https://www.teslarati.com/tesla-mode...m-tall-people/

regardless you are welcome to come by and see mine, that's how the community works, if you buy we both get free Supercharger credits

Here's a pic of my setup, charge in driveway in summer, in garage in winter.
32AMP 240volt draw (40amp breaker)

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by roger1818

I only have a 100A service and I am thinking that I might have to increase that (or convert either my stove or dryer to gas). The other option might be to go with a 16A Type 2 charger (which would only need a 20A breaker). It would be half as fast, but that might still be good enough for overnight charging.

I get the caution. But I think if you don't drive that much, you could probably charge with just a standard outlet overnight, with appropriate caution for the right breakers or a programmable charger to limit the draw.

Let's assume you commute from Barrhaven to Gatineau. 30 km each way. A Leaf charges at 8 km/hr from a standard outlet. So 7.5 hrs to fuel up for that 60 km roundtrip commute. Orleans to Kanata is probably the most extreme commute in Ottawa. It's 40 km. So 10 hrs to charge that roundtrip.

The likelihood of your car being parked 8+ hrs overnight is reasonably high. Most people are probably parking their cars closer to 12 hrs overnight. The more I talk to EV owners, the more I realize that very few people actually need higher service and an L2 charger at home. The average commuter (especially in Ottawa) just doesn't come close to enough daily driving and limited parking to really need those charge rates. You should consider your usage and see if you really need additional service. You also have the option of getting it after you purchase the car and figure out your real world patterns.

Source here for Tesla, Leaf and Bolt: https://www.energysage.com/electric-...g-nissan-leaf/

Originally Posted by Tesladom

Nissan Leafs and Bolts might depreciate, but I can assure you that Model3's will keep their value

Not everyone has or is willing to spend $50k on a car, regardless of value retention. Something Tesla pushers don't get.

Originally Posted by Tesladom

regardless you are welcome to come by and see mine, that's how the community works, if you buy we both get free Supercharger credits

Sounds like you and him could strike a deal. You sell him your Model 3 within his budget and you can donate another $50k to Tesla getting a new car. After all, $50k doesn't seem to be that big of a deal for you.....

[qprcanada]

Originally Posted by roger1818

Thanks for providing the picture. I see the installer ran the power cable along the wall rather than in the wall (I gather the Flo X5 supports both methods). Is that so it could be plugged into a NEMA 6-50 outlet?

FYI, to imbed pictures you need to provide the link to the picture itself, not the webpage that displays the picture. You can get that by right clicking on the picture and selecting "Copy Image Address." In your case that would have been "https://i.ibb.co/ccn4nmh/IMG-5930.jpg" though you would needed to scale down the size of the picture first (by either decreasing the resolution or cropping).

One other question. What size of electrical service do you have? Did they have to increase it? (I guess that is two, but they are related)

I only have a 100A service and I am thinking that I might have to increase that (or convert either my stove or dryer to gas). The other option might be to go with a 16A Type 2 charger (which would only need a 20A breaker). It would be half as fast, but that might still be good enough for overnight charging.

I only have 100A service (10 year old home), they didn't need to make any changes to the service other than to run the electrical cable from the panel to the garage.

Thanks for the picture posting tip.

[OTownandDown]

My experience:

I have a Flo X5 as well, from Hydro Ottawa. Lamarche came in to my 'standard 2000's Ottawa townhome' and put a neat hole at the back of the garage into the laundry room/electrical panel.

100A service didn't need to be added to or adjusted.

240 cable is run across the length of the garage. Vertically from the back fo the garage to the wall, then along the wall, above 'shelf' height, then vertically back down to the charger location, which is about 2 feet from the garage door, on the 'driver's side' if you were to front in to the garage, because my garage is about 6" wider than a friggin car, so fronting in is the only reliably 'safe' option.

I keep my car outside in the driveway, and have the cable running under the garage door 100% of the time, through the last 9 months with no problem. On a sunny weekend day, i'll just leave the cable and plug outside. On a weekday I'll open the garage door to hang the plug back up.

My Volt will charge on a 12A service (120V) standard plug overnight, but sometimes not completely, so the 16A (240V) Flo service gets me a much faster and reliable charge.

Love it.

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by OTownandDown

My Volt will charge on a 12A service (120V) standard plug overnight, but sometimes not completely

Any idea why that is?

[Tesladom]

Originally Posted by Truenorth00

Not everyone has or is willing to spend $50k on a car, regardless of value retention. Something Tesla pushers don't get.

Ok then, spend $30k on a gas car, and $2500/year for gas, and $1500 for maintenance


Standard 120v outlet might be OK, you but need to remember that winter range is much lower

[Truenorth00]

Originally Posted by Tesladom

Ok then, spend $30k on a gas car, and $2500/year for gas, and $1500 for maintenance

Strawman. Not buying a Tesla does not automatically equal owning a gas car.

This is how you can tell the Tesla fanclub has gone from fandom to cult. There's now religious tests. So no EV counts unless it's a Tesla. The true religion test. It's why you think the alternative to a Tesla is a gas car. And apparently one where it costs $1500 in maintenance annually no less.....