On 3 Aug 2016 at 13:51, Jim Walls via EV wrote: > 44KW at 240V is about 185 amps (likely more because of conversion losses and > voltage drop). That makes for very large wire.
Sure, but requiring 480v service limits where you can locate chargers. And in some cases it would require installing a new 3-phase service. Llet's say you have a 250 foot run from the panel to your proposed charger site. For a that distance at 240v and 185a, you'd want 3/0 to keep voltage drop <= 5%. I see 3/0 THWN on Ebay for less than $2.50 per foot. So at 250' your wire cost for 3 conductors would be $1875. If you were using 480v, your current would be halved, to about 95a. This could be done with much smaller wire, #2 THWN. I'm seeing that at around $1 per foot. Total cost for your 250' run would then be $750. So the difference on a 250' run is $1125. At 500' it would be $2250. To be fair, you might also have to pay more for larger diameter conduit for the 3/0, but I haven't figured that into the equation. Still, how much does it cost to have a 480v 3-phase service installed? For that matter, is 3- phase 480v even available where you want to locate the charger? I'm no expert, but it seems to me that if you want to see more high power charging stations in more locations as soon as possible, developing chargers that can operate with existing power drops is a practical way to make it happen. David Roden - Akron, Ohio, USA EVDL Administrator = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = EVDL Information: http://www.evdl.org/help/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Note: mail sent to "evpost" and "etpost" addresses will not reach me. To send a private message, please obtain my email address from the webpage http://www.evdl.org/help/ . = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ UNSUBSCRIBE: http://www.evdl.org/help/index.html#usub http://lists.evdl.org/listinfo.cgi/ev-evdl.org Read EVAngel's EV News at http://evdl.org/evln/ Please discuss EV drag racing at NEDRA (http://groups.yahoo.com/group/NEDRA)
