ᐅ Future-Proof Garage Wiring: Electric Vehicles, Conductor Cross-Section

Created on: 11 Jan 2017 11:52
W
world-e
W
world-e
11 Jan 2017 11:52
Hello everyone,

What conductor cross-section would you recommend for future-proof wiring to the garage? So far, a 16A CEE socket and several 230V outlets are planned for the garage. My concern is about the required capacity and cross-section in case an electric vehicle needs to be charged there later. It’s speculative, but perhaps someone else has already considered this. The cable length between the distribution board in the house and the garage is about 15 meters (50 feet). A sub-distribution panel in the garage is not planned at this stage. The individual outlets will be protected from the main distribution board in the house. The larger conductor cross-section for the future electric vehicle charging can initially have a lower circuit breaker rating.
Thank you.
K
Knallkörper
11 Jan 2017 12:34
Perhaps the Tesla Model S could serve as a reference for the future. It has a largest battery capacity of 100 kWh. The onboard charger provides 11 kW, which corresponds to 16A three-phase current. Naturally, the charger requires about 10 hours for a full charge.

For the 16A three-phase connection, depending on the installation method and cable length, you will most likely only need a 5x1.5 mm² cable, but I would recommend installing a 5x2.5 mm² cable to be on the safe side, and it costs almost nothing extra.

On the other hand, there are of course also dual chargers, Superchargers with 120 kW, and so on. However, I would definitely not bet now that you might need these later. We are then talking about cross sections of 50 mm², which are quite difficult to install and also start to become expensive. As a maximum, I would probably install a 5x4 mm² cable to a CEE32 socket and protect it with a 32A breaker.
A
Alex85
11 Jan 2017 19:17
Have three-phase power installed. More than that is pointless anyway, as the main electrical connection typically only supplies 14.5 kW (16 hp), and with electric heating, it might be over 30 kW (40 hp). But if you request 120 kW (160 hp) or more, the utility company will probably come knocking if the application states "single-family home, one dwelling unit."
M
merlin83
11 Jan 2017 22:28
I had also considered this for our build and spoke with BMW. I was advised to install high-voltage power instead of the usual 220-volt outlets in the garage.
K
Knallkörper
11 Jan 2017 22:44
Alex85 schrieb:
The house connection usually has only 14.5kW

In our case, up to 30kW (40.2 horsepower) is standard and does not incur any additional costs.
G
Gartenfreund
12 Jan 2017 05:45
I would install a larger conduit. This provides great flexibility regarding the cable cross-section.