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[totalnewbie]

Hey guys, I want to use the onboard charger (1.3kw) plus the external one used by Otten (3.3kw) to charge a 2021 DS I am going to buy. Can't work out if my home network is sufficient or not. Apparently it needs a constant 16 amp current for the Otten device. The fusebox in my house says the following: 240v 50/60Hz 40A. There are two interruptors so I am pretty sure there are 2 circuits. On our electricity bill it says our maximum contracted power is 2.2KW. I know nothing about electricity, so I am not sure if having only 2.2Kw immediately means we cannot charge at the 4.6kw I would like, or if the amount of amps available and having 2 circuits would change the situation. Thanks!

[Crissa]

That sounds insufficient.

The Otten is twice the size of the Zero on-board.  So it needs 24a at 240v continuous.  Continuous loads can't exceed 80% of a circuit.  So you need a single 30a circuit.

But you said you're not supposed to pull more than 2.2 but your Otten pulls 3... which is like two space-heaters.

-Crissa

[Olle]

Normally on a 220V system you can use 2,2kW on a 10A breaker circuit. If your breaker is 40A you can use 8,8kW.
I have never heard of “maximum contracted power”, but maybe it is a restriction due to a weak local grid. Anyway your breaker should not trip if it’s 40A.

[DonTom]

Hey guys, I want to use the onboard charger (1.3kw) plus the external one used by Otten (3.3kw) to charge a 2021 DS I am going to buy. Can't work out if my home network is sufficient or not. Apparently it needs a constant 16 amp current for the Otten device. The fusebox in my house says the following: 240v 50/60Hz 40A. There are two interruptors so I am pretty sure there are 2 circuits. On our electricity bill it says our maximum contracted power is 2.2KW. I know nothing about electricity, so I am not sure if having only 2.2Kw immediately means we cannot charge at the 4.6kw I would like, or if the amount of amps available and having 2 circuits would change the situation. Thanks!

240 VAC at 40 amps=9,600 watts.  Minus 20% for safety, you're good for 7,680 watts you're good for continuously.

3.3 plus 1.3=4.7 KW output. Figure an input draw of just over 5KW.

You're good to go. Your 16 amp rating must be for 120 VAC, which will be 8 amps with Zero chargers at 240 VAC. Think in watts instead of amps with Zeros to avoid such confusion.

"On our electricity bill it says our maximum contracted power is 2.2KW. "  that makes no sense. I think you're reading something incorrectly there.

-Don-  Cold Springs Valley, NV

[victor6.7y]

Depending on the circuit breaker when you use to much it will flip off. Here in the Netherlands if you "blow" the fuse you will know you used too much and flip it back on.

I'm not sure but can't you set the current limmit of the Otten charger?
Than you have control over the amount of power you will be drawing from your main lines.

[Shadow]

Are you adding a 240Vac circuit for connecting the vehicle chargers? That 3.3kW unit will draw and output half current on 120Vac if I remember correctly.

First disclosure I am not an electrician, if I were I wouldn't be hired for more gigs because in my own home when I have guests over I say:

"If you touch the shiny thing you will die!"

Important to note the 80% Don refers to is the National Electric Code (for North America) guideline about wire ampacity so you protect the wiring from overheating due to excessive loads. When the breakers will or will not trip is not exactly known, they are safety devices and not meant as a tool to let you know when you should reduce load on the circuit 

What can you do on 40A? Why does Google suggest I'm interested in brassieres when I type in 40A? I digress...

If you're following the NEC guidelines you should be able to have double the combined Amps worth of circuits as what the panel is rated to via the main service breaker. However no single breaker should exceed the ampacity of the feed wiring and (with few exceptions notably resistive loads are allowed 125% and welding equipment can go 200% of ampacity rating) as a general rule you stick to 80% ampacity of the load wiring . So, you could total up to 80A of breakers ("Over-Current Protection Devices" OCPD) on a panel that is fed 40A service. I did not find any of the information suggested by Google about brassieres helpful in providing this answer, so there's also that. We live in a strange world now.

[DonTom]

First disclosure I am not an electrician,

But IMO, you would make a damn good one!

-Don-  Reno, NV

[NetPro]

Let's not forget the current load to the circuit by all the appliances and lights being used at the house prior to motorcycle purchase.
That  is overhead that needs to be taken in consideration.
If you can see your electric meter you could get an idea of your current consumption.

[MrBlc]

Hey guys, I want to use the onboard charger (1.3kw) plus the external one used by Otten (3.3kw) to charge a 2021 DS I am going to buy. Can't work out if my home network is sufficient or not. Apparently it needs a constant 16 amp current for the Otten device. The fusebox in my house says the following: 240v 50/60Hz 40A. There are two interruptors so I am pretty sure there are 2 circuits. On our electricity bill it says our maximum contracted power is 2.2KW. I know nothing about electricity, so I am not sure if having only 2.2Kw immediately means we cannot charge at the 4.6kw I would like, or if the amount of amps available and having 2 circuits would change the situation. Thanks!

Hi totalnewbie. As a certified electrician, I'm missing information here.. Let's see if i understand you correctly..
- Your main fuse is 40 Amps
-- But you're not saying anything about the number of phases.. I'm guessing 2, of which one is neutral, so in essence one phase at 230 VAC/50Hz. Unless you're in GB, which would make this 240VAC/50Hz.
- You're not informing anything related to the underlying fuses other than it looks like there are 2 of them.
-- If that is the case, i'm guessing these are 16A, or if there are high power uses, one at 20 and one at 16A.
- You're not informing us of the setup in the area where you want to charge. This is essential in order to be able to reply wether or not it's possible with your current setup. What is the size of the fuse covering the area where the chargers will be used and what else is connected to the same circuit?
- Your power company has restricted you to a plan that maxes out at 2.2 kW.
-- This tells me you have other forms of heating / water heating as 2.2 only covers lights and electronics..
-- I'm also guessing you use gas for stove and similar..

If those assumptions are correct, your fuses will not hold, plus the chargers will push you into a more expensive deal with the power company and would be something worth looking into before it's happening as it will undoubtedly affect your power bill.
Do feel free to pm if you don't want to advertise the setup here on the forum, but as is, more information is required to be able to reply correctly.