Recent Questions

18 votes
NEMA 14-50 install quotes ranging $400 to $2200 in Sacramento — what's actually reasonable?
My wife's picking up a Mach-E from the dealership in Elk Grove next month, and I've been playing spreadsheet with electrician quotes for the past two weeks b...
duskbutton duskbutton_2
14
answers
12 votes
Doing Brisbane to Cairns in the EV for the first time — worth carrying a portable Type 2 as backup once we're past Rockhampton?
Normally my EV stays local, coast to inland for work and the ute does anything further or anything towing. But we're taking the whole family up to Cairns nex...
fi_mac fi_mac_2
12
answers
13 votes
BYD Atto 3 on novated lease — can a home wall connector install actually go through the running cost bundle?
Got the Atto 3 on a novated lease back in February, cheapest option that ticked the FBT exemption box, which was basically the whole reason I went this route...
bennyboy21 bennyboy21_2
17
answers
7 votes
CCS1 to NACS DC fast — my Bolt EUV owner group can't get a straight answer on which cars this actually works with
I help run a Bolt owner meetup here in the Madison area, and it's a pretty even split between people still on 2020-2022 Bolt EUVs and folks who held onto the...
duskraven duskraven_2
12
answers
9 votes
Just got the Model Y — do I actually need a J1772 adapter in 2026 or is Tesla's network enough?
Picked up my 2026 Model Y from the San Jose delivery center last week, first EV for me, wife's had a Leaf for years so I'm not totally new to this world but ...
velvetrain velvetrain_2
10
answers
12 votes
Do I need a dedicated 40A circuit for a Level 2 or can I share with the dryer?
Small 1970s ranch house, 100A panel already pretty full, so a dedicated 40A circuit for the Model 3 SR isn't a small ask for us. My electrician quoted the de...
patchgravel patchgravel_2
9
answers
13 votes
Landlord approved the install but wants "no wall damage" — what setup actually keeps that promise?
Good news, my landlord actually signed off on putting in a 240V outlet for my new EV. Bad news, the amendment he had me sign is oddly specific — "no damage t...
ribbonash ribbonash_2
20
answers
12 votes
Wall-mount charger cracked my garage drywall — should I have used a stud finder or is this a design flaw?
Installed a 40A wall-mount charger myself this spring in the garage, used heavy-duty drywall anchors rated well above the unit's weight since there wasn't a ...
orbit_snack orbit_snack_2
9
answers
8 votes
Family of 4, two Model 3s, one NEMA 14-50 in the garage — sequential charging schedule?
Both of us drive Model 3s daily, my wife's is the commuter, mine does more weekend miles, and we've only got the one NEMA 14-50 wall unit in the garage from ...
thistleknot thistleknot_2
7
answers
18 votes
My 45-lb wall charger is starting to sag from the NEMA 14-50 outlet — is this normal after 2 years?
Not the outcome I expected two years into owning this thing. I had an electrician put in a NEMA 14-50 in my garage in Needham back in 2024, dedicated circuit...
granthamj granthamj_2
13
answers
8 votes
Kicked the window cord loose 3 times this month — what's the anti-slip trick?
Running a portable EVSE out the mudroom window to the Model 3 parked in the driveway, been doing it for about 8 months without issue until the dog decided th...
cedarloop cedarloop_2
17
answers
10 votes
Ran the numbers on this month's public charging bill and it's basically what I'd have spent on fuel
Three years without a home charging option now — no carport, no driveway, whatever GPO exists in this building's basement isn't near my bay and the body corp...
petey_fx petey_fx_2
7
answers
5 votes
Genuinely didn't know you needed five different apps for public charging until this week
Three months into the MG4, first ever new car, first EV obviously. Charging at home's been easy enough at the house here in regional NSW, but I did a trip do...
margs4life margs4life_2
22
answers
7 votes
Going untethered on the Sigenstore 22kW 3-phase wall charger — what length and amperage Type 2-to-Type 2 cable is everyone actually running?
Already got the Sigenstore battery, inverter and gateway in, and now adding their 22kW AC wall charger to finish the loop. Going untethered rather than the 5...
davo9 davo9_2
12
answers
13 votes
Got a serve from a caravan park manager over granny charger use overnight — what's actually a fair fee to offer?
Took the van down to a caravan park on the coast for a few nights last week, powered site, plugged the granny charger into the 15A outlet like I always do at...
fi_mac fi_mac_2
8
answers
18 votes
Is an 11kW L2 wall connector actually worth the $2K install if I've already got 3-phase, solar and a battery?
Ordered a Geely EX5, due sometime in November. We've had the panels and the battery in for about two years now, and when we did the rewire for those the spar...
davo9 davo9_2
16
answers
15 votes
Model Y novated lease — provider assumed 18kWh/100km, my real number is 14. Does that gap ever get reconciled?
Signed a 4-year novated lease on my Model Y back in March. The running cost budget my provider set is based on an assumed 18kWh/100km, which I only really lo...
nads88 nads88_2
12
answers
6 votes
Work carpark has BYO Type 2 charging, 6 bays per level — what length actually lives in the frunk full-time without being a pain?
Building I work in has an EV bay setup I didn't expect — six BYO Type 2 charging bays per level in the basement carpark, no cable supplied, you plug in your ...
davo9 davo9_2
8
answers
12 votes
GWM Ora, granny charger working fine — is paying for anything more actually worth it?
Picked up a secondhand GWM Ora a few months back, first EV, still on the granny charger that came in the boot off the regular GPO in the carport. Works fine ...
gregolas gregolas_2
6
answers
8 votes
Chery, Jaecoo J5, MG S4 — which one has the fewest "surprise" costs in the first month?
Still in the research phase, haven't signed anything yet. Sub-$40K budget, mostly city commuting, maybe 4-5 drives a week, nothing exotic like towing or long...
hankmoody hankmoody_2
23
answers
8 votes
Just picked up my MG4 — dealer only put a Type 2-to-Type 2 cable in the boot, no granny charger. Is that actually normal?
Three months of research and I finally picked up my MG4 last weekend! First car I've ever bought brand new, so I was pretty excited. But delivery day threw m...
margs4life margs4life_2
17
answers
13 votes
Committee knocked back the shared charger proposal — is wiring a GPO to my own car space actually a legal workaround?
Been in this block eighteen months now, one of five owners with an EV (up from two last year, so it's clearly not a phase). There's a shared underground gara...
kelso_j kelso_j_2
14
answers
13 votes
Semi-rural block outside Hobart, Model Y finally ordered — do I actually need to keep a second car for towing?
Been going back and forth on this for the better part of a year and finally signed the novated lease paperwork on a Model Y last week, delivery expected Octo...
nads88 nads88_2
5
answers
9 votes
MSI EzGo vs a mystery-brand AliExpress 15A portable — is the 3x price actually worth it just to go from 10A to 15A?
Been running the granny charger that came with the car off a standard 10A GPO since I got it, works fine for what I need but it's slow — reckon I'm getting m...
gregolas gregolas_2
23
answers