Installing an EV charger outdoors

No garage is not a problem. Home chargers are routinely mounted on outside walls and carport posts, and the units built for it publish enclosure ratings that cover rain, snow, dust and hose-directed water. Published figures put the extra cost of an outdoor installation at roughly $200 to $1,000 over an equivalent indoor run.

1. The charger must be rated for it

Look for a published NEMA Type 3R rating at minimum, and preferably NEMA Type 4 or an IP65/IP67 rating. Do not assume -- some units sold for home use are indoor-only, and the rating is always published if it exists. Outdoor-rated chargers.

2. Hardwiring is usually the better outdoor choice

A hardwired unit has fewer openings to weather than a plug and receptacle. If you do go plug-in outdoors, you need a weather-rated receptacle in an in-use cover -- the bubble-style cover that closes over a plugged-in cord, not the flap-style one that only closes when nothing is plugged in.

3. Mounting and physical protection

• Under an eave if possible. Not required, but it reduces direct sun and rain exposure and extends the life of the enclosure and cable.
• Roughly 40 to 50 inches high, following the manufacturer's recommendation, so the connector never sits on wet ground.
• Holster oriented so the connector hangs downward, so water does not collect in it.
• Physical protection where a vehicle could strike it. If the charger is on a post or a wall a car pulls toward, a bollard or a wheel stop is worth it, and an inspector may require protection.
• Correct fixings for the wall type, and appropriate sealing where the conduit penetrates.

4. GFCI protection

Outdoor receptacle installations require GFCI protection. This occasionally interacts awkwardly with a charger's own internal ground-fault detection and causes nuisance tripping -- GFCI nuisance tripping covers what to do. Hardwired installations frequently avoid the issue.

5. Cold climates

Check the published operating temperature range -- the Wallbox Pulsar Plus publishes -22 F to 104 F, for example. Then think about the cable, which is what you will actually notice: several manufacturers sell cold-flexible cable versions specifically because ordinary cable goes rigid in deep cold. Cold weather charging.