I really want to get a used Leaf or other EV to replace my current commuter car. The problem is my house has no driveway or garage to park the vehicle to charge.
I am hoping to come up with a way to charge my EV while parked at the sidewalk next to my house. While I have read other thread trying to get 240V power to the sidewalk, and then mounting or plugging in a EVSE there, I am thinking of mounting a EVSE on the inside of the wooden fence on my property and then running a long J1772 cord and connector through a conduit under the sidewalk.
See the attached picture of my sidewalk situation. The wooden fence is on top of a 3.5 foot concrete retaining wall. The sidewalk butts up to the retaining wall. From the edge of the sidewalk next to the retaining wall to the dogwood tree in the middle of the parking strip is 12 feet. The tree is 4 feet from the street.
My plan was to mount a outdoor EVSE at the inside bottom of the fence, run a 1" rigid conduit down and under the sidewalk and come up at the base of the dogwood tree in the parking strip. The J1772 cord could hang in the tree, perhaps in some sort of box to protect it from the elements and casual observers. I could either get a J1772 cord that would have enough extra length to reach to the curb, or I leave the J1772 socket at the tree and plug in an extension to that socket to reach the car.
I don't want to place the EVSE at the sidewalk due to fear of vandalism. I also like the fact the J1772 cord is not powered with 240V unless it is plugged into the car, which make me think putting it in the city's right of way is no worse than an extension cord.
To get to the dogwood tree, I calculate 3.5 feet down, plus 2 feet down to keep conduit deep enough for code, 12 feet over to tree, 2 feet up to ground level, then perhaps 3 feet up the tree for easy reach. Total 24.5 feet. I see some EVSE's come with 25 foot cords, but I would need to remove the cord, thread through conduit, and reattach.
So here are my questions.
Does this sound feasible or the right way to go?
What EVSE should I get that is outdoor ready and is easy to remove/replace the cord? Being able to monitor and turn on/off via smart phone would be nice.
Should I take a 25 foot cord to the tree and get an extension to reach the car, or should I order a cord long enough to reach the street where the car will be? Where would I order such a cord?
What drawbacks are there to such a long charging cord?
There is a lot of digging involved in this project, plus potentially cutting the sidewalk and repairing it in one weekend. Any advice appreciated.
Thanks in advance for all feedback.
http://www.sputicus.com/misc/sidewalk_for_EVSE.jpg
I am hoping to come up with a way to charge my EV while parked at the sidewalk next to my house. While I have read other thread trying to get 240V power to the sidewalk, and then mounting or plugging in a EVSE there, I am thinking of mounting a EVSE on the inside of the wooden fence on my property and then running a long J1772 cord and connector through a conduit under the sidewalk.
See the attached picture of my sidewalk situation. The wooden fence is on top of a 3.5 foot concrete retaining wall. The sidewalk butts up to the retaining wall. From the edge of the sidewalk next to the retaining wall to the dogwood tree in the middle of the parking strip is 12 feet. The tree is 4 feet from the street.
My plan was to mount a outdoor EVSE at the inside bottom of the fence, run a 1" rigid conduit down and under the sidewalk and come up at the base of the dogwood tree in the parking strip. The J1772 cord could hang in the tree, perhaps in some sort of box to protect it from the elements and casual observers. I could either get a J1772 cord that would have enough extra length to reach to the curb, or I leave the J1772 socket at the tree and plug in an extension to that socket to reach the car.
I don't want to place the EVSE at the sidewalk due to fear of vandalism. I also like the fact the J1772 cord is not powered with 240V unless it is plugged into the car, which make me think putting it in the city's right of way is no worse than an extension cord.
To get to the dogwood tree, I calculate 3.5 feet down, plus 2 feet down to keep conduit deep enough for code, 12 feet over to tree, 2 feet up to ground level, then perhaps 3 feet up the tree for easy reach. Total 24.5 feet. I see some EVSE's come with 25 foot cords, but I would need to remove the cord, thread through conduit, and reattach.
So here are my questions.
Does this sound feasible or the right way to go?
What EVSE should I get that is outdoor ready and is easy to remove/replace the cord? Being able to monitor and turn on/off via smart phone would be nice.
Should I take a 25 foot cord to the tree and get an extension to reach the car, or should I order a cord long enough to reach the street where the car will be? Where would I order such a cord?
What drawbacks are there to such a long charging cord?
There is a lot of digging involved in this project, plus potentially cutting the sidewalk and repairing it in one weekend. Any advice appreciated.
Thanks in advance for all feedback.
http://www.sputicus.com/misc/sidewalk_for_EVSE.jpg