Dual EV - Sequential vs Simultaneous ChargingUpdated a month ago
Dual EV Uses - Sequential vs Simultaneous Charging
Beyond the auto-switching functionality of the Smart Splitter, you can also charge two EVs at half speed (typically 20 Amps each) if your EV chargers or EVs themselves have the ability to set custom current limits. Set the charger to half amperage and charge both of your EVs simultaneously at half speed. In this case, most home setups would use either the NEMA 14-50 or NEMA 6-50 Smart Splitter which can pull up to 40 amps/9.6 Kw.
Simultaneous Charging
If you would like to charge both of your vehicles at the same time, you will need to lower the total charging amperage of both vehicles to 40A or less. Typically this means setting the charging amperage of both vehicles to 20A, though you can go lower one or both as low as 16A if you experience any breaker-tripping issues. The Smart Splitter will automatically sense that the total power draw can be met by the supplying circuit and will divide the power accordingly to both EVs.
Simultaneous charging will effectively lower the charging speed by 50% for each vehicle as they are only receiving half of the power.
If you would like to ensure that one of your vehicles receives priority and charges quickly, then you may prefer to charge your cars sequentially. Both vehicles can have their charging amperages set up to 40A, and when both are plugged in the Smart Splitter will recognize the total power draw exceeds the 40A limit and shut off the Secondary outlet. The Primary outlet will receive 100% of the power until that vehicle has finished charging and stops drawing power. Then, the Smart Splitter will automatically turn the Secondary outlet back on to charge the other vehicle.
How to set my charging current
Some EVs, like Teslas, have adjustable charging functionality built directly into the car. These vehicles can have their charge current adjusted through the car's dashboard or through the companion app.
Other EVs are designed to charge at 32A and don't have the ability to adjust the amperage themselves. If this is the case and you would like to be able to charge two cars simultaneously, you will need to purchase an EVSE with adjustable amperage.