Hi all,
I'm new to the forum and new to EVs...

I just got a 2023 VW ID.4 Pro.
I mostly charge DC fast once a week at Electrify America stations since they have a promotion of 30 minutes free charging for 3 years, but I'm finding my battery dropping below 15% before the week is up, so I'm planning to give it a little extra midweek at home.

I bought this item, the Schumacher SC1455 Level 2 Portable EV Charger
I figured a portable option was better - and cheaper - than a home install, in case I need it on a road trip.
I mostly got it because it has Level 1 and Level 2 options.

For Level 2, it terminates in a 3-prong male 240V/16A with a NEMA 6-20P plug.
In my laundry room I have a 4-prong female Leviton 278-S00 4-Wire 30-Amp, 250V outlet (unused since I have a gas dryer).
I've been researching all the adapter options but frankly they're confusing since there are so many different types out there, and I'm no electrician!

Any advice would be most welcome.
Many thanks.

 

If you can find a straight through plug that matches the dryer receptacle to a NEMA 6-20R (the neutral wire will not go through), that should work fine, and safely. It would be easy enough to build a small box or short (6"ish) extension cord from Home Depot parts to do the same. One caution is the route from the dryer outlet to the car may be a problem. You want to avoid a long run, even with very large gauge wiring, keeping in mind that there is already likely to be significant runs from the circuit breaker box to the laundry room, and from the EV charger (EVSE) to the car, and you definitely do not want to run a cord under a door. That is, if the garage and laundry room share a common wall with the dryer receptacle, then a pass through in the wall about 3-4" near the receptacle may be needed for the charger plug to fit through into the laundry room.

It is also very important that the dryer and the charger not be plugged in at the same time (to insure both cannot be in use at the same time. I mounted a 30A receptacle in the garage wall just behind and slightly above the dryer 30A receptacle on the opposite side of the wall. Since my dryer is gas, that 240V receptacle is never used.

 

Thanks Alan! I'll keep looking for the type of adapter you mentioned, a female NEMA 6-20P to a male plug that matches the dryer outlet, I had a hard time finding one.

The laundry is next to the garage, but the dryer port isn't on the same wall, its on the opposite wall that faces the backyard. The trip from that outlet to the port on my car is fairly short, maybe 15' max, if I back in and put the port close to the door into the house.
And the 250v outlet isn't used by my dryer, as I'm also running a gas dryer that uses the 120v outlet. That 250v outlet's just been sitting there collecting dust and cat hair for years.

Still .... it may be worth it to have the electrician put in the exact port I need near the circuit box in the garage. He did some other routing for us a while back, it's likely all cheaper than paying for the full Electrify America home install.

Much appreciated!

 

"a female NEMA 6-20P"

Note the NEMA xxxP is a male Plug that will mate with a NEMA xxxxR female Receptacle.

A licensed electrician is likely most appropriate for your situation. You will probably want to keep the 240V receptacle in the laundry room for home resale value, and run a new circuit from your closest breaker box (likely your only box by your electric meter) to your garage. For future proofing, I would put in at least a 50A, and would consider going to as much as 100A for the wiring. The max current and the run length will determine the wire gauge (and the electrician will know what to use!). Then the 240V circuit can have any breaker size up to that limit, and be easily and cheaply changed in the future. The wall receptacle (if not hard wired to an EVSE) will match the breaker size, and the EVSE should have a matching plug (or be hard wired). Typical EVSEs today are 40A, requiring a 50A circuit (code limits continuous current to 80% of the max).

Your ID.4 gets about 3 miles per kWh of charge. For an L2 charger using 240V, an overnight charge of will give you roughly 0.7 miles per amp per hour of charging. That is, the smallest L2 EVSE at 12A will add about 85 miles of range overnight. A 40A EVSE will provide a nearly full charge from empty in about 11 hours. That is, if your typical needs are driving over 200 miles per day, a 40A EVSE (and a 50A circuit), along with 8-10 hours of overnight charging will take care of all your needs with breathing room.