Level 2 Home Chargers

[tbrockhurst]

We’re about to take delivery of an R1S & are pre-installing a home charger, but have ?’s:

Which would be the best home charge solution given:

1. It seems as if Tesla’s NACs chargers are becoming standard issue from next year for most manufacturers, Rivian included.
2. If, (as this & other forums have suggested), Rivian add a bi directional function to allow the car’s battery to power your home

Which of Rivian/Tesla/Charge Point would be the best install option to future & feature proof me for the next few years?

any advice & thoughts gratefully received.
Thank-you.

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[Glembi2]

The Tesla universal (NACS and J1772 connectors) is well regarded.

Check with your power company too as they may provide yearly credits and cover some of the installation costs if you get a charger that can be remotely controlled to not charge during peak usage times (like 1-6pm) (you can override and force charging if needed).

 

[Mathme]

Before installing, check with your electric company. When I installed a Level 2 at our house last year, the local electric company was offering $1500 towards the purchase and Professional install of a charger. The catch is they only had four approved ones on their list -- Tesla was NOT one of them.

All told, I was able to get the system installed for $1700 total -- so $200 out of pocket.

And I say buy the charger with the plug that fits the car you'll be charging most of the time.

 

[Electrified Outdoors]

We’re about to take delivery of an R1S & are pre-installing a home charger, but have ?’s:

Which would be the best home charge solution given:

1. It seems as if Tesla’s NACs chargers are becoming standard issue from next year for most manufacturers, Rivian included.
2. If, (as this & other forums have suggested), Rivian add a bi directional function to allow the car’s battery to power your home

Which of Rivian/Tesla/Charge Point would be the best install option to future & feature proof me for the next few years?

any advice & thoughts gratefully received.
Thank-you.

The Tesla Universal Wall Connector is the best option for future proofing IMO. Not only will you get both the Tesla j3400 plug, but you'll also have a built-in adapter for j1772 so you'll be able to charge any EV without the need to purchase an additional adapter.

Secondly, Teslas can power share which is the exact setup I have at my home. So if you decide to add another charger later on and don't have enough electric service capacity you can share the existing amount smartly between the two chargers avoiding costly electrical service upgrades.

Tesla UWC: https://amzn.to/3I17XR3

My site with EV charging option info and links: https://www.electrifiedoutdoors.com/ev-charging

 

[racekarl]

With respect to powering your home (V2H), I would not worry about that for now. None of the EVSEs currently on the market will allow a Rivian to power your home, and you will likely need substantial re-wiring of your your house and/or hundreds to thousands of dollars in additional equipment to support V2H in any event.

 

[beatle]

I'm also in the Tesla UWC camp, though if you care about V2H, you should wait to see what Rivian comes up with. Not sure if their wall connector will be a requirement for that feature, but it likely will be, just like Ford's V2H solution is. It's a pretty pricey thing to install, however. Budget several thousand dollars for the whole shootin' match - way more than your typical EVSE install. There are some who can really benefit from a V2H setup, but I'd really evaluate your situation to see if it's truly worth it. Remember the truck already has 1500w of AC output which will get you pretty far in an essentials-only short term emergency.

 

[tbrockhurst]

Thank-you all for your super fast & informative replies.

We’ve just returned from a Rivian showroom, where as expected, ‘they couldn’t comment on future upgrades’, despite admitting that they too had seen similar posts/social media/youtube references quoting senior figures at Rivian.
That being said it, (as well as some of your comments), maybe more sensible, (if more expensive), to install a Rivian charger, simply as one would expect them to include that bi-directional functionality within a software update, or possibly some rebate if it needs to be replaced by any potential (but unconfirmed) gen2 charger that would allow V2H.
As for installation, we’ve already factored in around 3k to install. We’d upgraded the panels to 200A & repositioned them several years ago, so the extra $’s are for the length & now price of copper cable to extend to the front of our house.
The V2H would be very useful supporting our Solar, as a temporary solution, so that we can continue to run the house in case of CA brownouts, & being able to recharge during the day from solar would be yet another benefit.
Again, thank-you all, very very much appreciated.

 

[racekarl]

There is 0% chance that you will be able to update the existing Rivian EVSE to support V2H with a software update, and I would not hang my hat on the idea that they will offer some sort of trade-in program to move to a V2H capable one, either.

I think you are underestimating the scope of changes you will need to make to support V2H, especially if you have a grid-connected solar array. I am in a very similar situation and my advice is just get the EVSE that works best for you today, and worry about V2H when it's actually possible.

 

[SwampNut]

There is 0% chance that you will be able to update the existing Rivian EVSE to support V2H with a software update, and I would not hang my hat on the idea that they will offer some sort of trade-in program to move to a V2H capable one, either.

I think you are underestimating the scope of changes you will need to make to support V2H, especially if you have a grid-connected solar array. I am in a very similar situation and my advice is just get the EVSE that works best for you today, and worry about V2H when it's actually possible.

+100, V2H requires vast retrofitting of everything.

 

[cevans]

There is 0% chance that you will be able to update the existing Rivian EVSE to support V2H with a software update, and I would not hang my hat on the idea that they will offer some sort of trade-in program to move to a V2H capable one, either.

I think you are underestimating the scope of changes you will need to make to support V2H, especially if you have a grid-connected solar array. I am in a very similar situation and my advice is just get the EVSE that works best for you today, and worry about V2H when it's actually possible.

Exactly. I'd only say get the cheapest charger you can now so that you have less sunk cost for Rivian's V2H if you decide to go that way in the future.

 

[SANZC02]

We’re about to take delivery of an R1S & are pre-installing a home charger, but have ?’s:

Which would be the best home charge solution given:

1. It seems as if Tesla’s NACs chargers are becoming standard issue from next year for most manufacturers, Rivian included.
2. If, (as this & other forums have suggested), Rivian add a bi directional function to allow the car’s battery to power your home

Which of Rivian/Tesla/Charge Point would be the best install option to future & feature proof me for the next few years?

any advice & thoughts gratefully received.
Thank-you.

I’m using this charger, can be hardwired for 48 amp max. I can charge the Rivian as well as the Tesla with the J1772 to NACS adapter that came with the Tesla.

Here is a link to a review.

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