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http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/2/AmericanFlag.jpg Some customers might decide that the savings on gas are worth the price of installing their new 240-volt outlet. (http://www.freep.com/article/20090412/BUSINESS01/904120473/1014)

http://www.cleanmpg.com/photos/data/501/plug.jpgBrent Snavely - The Free Press (http://swww.freep.com) - April 12, 2009

I could see putting one of these into my garage. --Ed.

In a world where it takes just a few minutes to fill up a tank of gas that fuels a car for hundreds of miles, future drivers of electric cars and trucks will most likely want a 240-volt outlet installed in their homes for convenience.
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Many electric cars, including the Chevrolet Volt, will be designed so they can be recharged through a standard 120-volt outlet. However, it will be much faster to recharge from a 240-volt outlet.

For example, it will take up to eight hours to fully recharge the Volt on a 120-volt outlet. But that time is reduced to just three hours with a 240-volt outlet, said Britta Gross, GM's manager of electrical infrastructure.

Most homes already have several 240-volt outlets, typically used for stoves and refrigerators and... http://www.freep.com/article/20090412/BUSINESS01/904120473/1014

They really aren't all that hard to put in either.

We had to put two in the basement for the whirlpool tub, one for the pump and one for the heater.

Many homes already have their distribution panels in their garages. Many other homes with basements have their panels there, next to the garage. Installing a 240V circuit is beyond simple, and shouldn't cost any more than $50 in materials(depending on how much cable you need to run). The article didn't say what ampere rating the circuit needed to be, but i can't imagine it being over 50, which is a common electric range circuit.

I really liked how they wanted to pass on the cost of (a 240 volt socket) installation to someone other than the consumer. Perhaps we could "borrow" the money from a future generation of tax payers to help support our current lifestyle...somewhat related, when is peak coal?

This is pretty much a non-issue. Power comes into most homes as 240v in three wires: two wires with a 240v difference between them, plus a neutral wire. So one gets 120v between the neutral and either of the other two. And 240v between the two outer wires.

Electric stoves, clothes dryers, and hot water heaters typically need 240v. Most refrigerators run on 120v, as do lights and most other things. Depending on where the electric panel is, the cost of installing a 240v circuit can vary but it's not the huge expensive deal that this article implies.

How does battery life fare when charged from 240V instead of 120V? Is there a penalty for the quicker charges?

Depending on where the electric panel is, the cost of installing a 240v circuit can vary but it's not the huge expensive deal that this article implies.

Our cost for two outlets that needed seperate curcuits: $50

However, they were put in before we put up the drywall, so installing in a finished area would be more expensive.

Good luck getting it installed in an apartment or complex. I can see your lease going up. You want to install what for a what car. Oh someone has money let's raise the rent.

Good luck getting it installed in an apartment or complex. I can see your lease going up. You want to install what for a what car. Oh someone has money let's raise the rent.

What apartment is even gonna have a 120 outlet for you to plug your car into while its sitting in the parking lot. Electric vehicles are not targeted for them. This article makes no valid points, and is just taking up web space.

Are you wiring your garage for 220V?

220, 221. Whatever it takes.

they should sell one with the car

they should sell one with the car

Yep. Add it right onto the bottom line of the car. Have the local dealer contract an electrical construction company to install the lines, and pay them for it as part of the final cost of the car.

I'd rather get the work done separately than involve a middle man. (Though it does seem like a way to make some extra profit.)

I've wired 240V circuits before. No more effort than wiring 120V circuits, really.

The only scenario where it would cost hundreds of dollars to do this is if (1) you're hiring an electrician to do it and (2) your outlet is going to be a long distance from the load panel. If you need to make a new run to a detached garage then, yeah, it's gonna cost you quite a bit. But that's not the most common situation.

And realistically, PHEVs (and BEVs) are mostly going to be sold to owners of single-unit homes. If you live in an apartment or condo building, probably not gonna happen until they are really mainstream and building owners begin to offer it.

What is this nonsense about getting someone else to pay for it? It's YOUR house you're modifying, and you're already spending $30k or more for the PHEV, so you can d8mn well afford to install a circuit. Sheesh.

If you can't afford it out of pocket, get a cash loan from the bank or dare I say, SAVE UP for it.

I say that because the plugins don't need to be plugged, they just perform better that way

I already have a 240 outlet in the garage, but an 8 hour charge time wouldn't really be a problem. I'm home that long every night.