We just got our electric bill after charging our Lightning and it went way up. We’re in Ohio, and apparently, commercial properties here are billed based on kV or ‘load’ in addition to kWh, unlike residential properties. Our kWh usage was around 8 before but jumped to 25. Anyone else run into this?
Might be worth lowering the rate on your EVSE.
Dallas said:
Might be worth lowering the rate on your EVSE.
Can the Ford 80 amp charger be turned down?
Dallas said:
Might be worth lowering the rate on your EVSE.
Can the Ford 80 amp charger be turned down?
Yes, there’s a rotary switch inside. You can set it to different max amp outputs — you’ll have to remove the cover to access it.
Dallas said:
Might be worth lowering the rate on your EVSE.
Can the Ford 80 amp charger be turned down?
Pretty sure you can — check the manual, though.
Dallas said:
Might be worth lowering the rate on your EVSE.
Can the Ford 80 amp charger be turned down?
Yep, you can adjust the max amperage.
Dallas said:
Might be worth lowering the rate on your EVSE.
Can the Ford 80 amp charger be turned down?
There’s a rotary switch inside that sets the max amperage — usually between 20A and 80A. The FordPass app also lets you adjust the charge rate without messing with the hardware. Check the manual for exact settings.
@Eli
Pretty sure there aren’t any adapter plugs for the Charge Station Pro — it only works with CCS.
Dallas said:
Might be worth lowering the rate on your EVSE.
Can the Ford 80 amp charger be turned down?
Mine’s set to 5 for 48A.
Dallas said:
Might be worth lowering the rate on your EVSE.
Can the Ford 80 amp charger be turned down?
You can estimate what charging rate you actually need based on your daily miles. Divide miles by charging hours to get miles per hour, then divide by 2 to get kW, and multiply by 4.2 to get approximate amps. For example, if you drive 75 miles a day and charge for 8 hours, you’d need at least 20A.
You can set the limit with FordPass or the hardware rotary switch — just be careful with the switch if you’re not sure what you’re doing.
Consider an Emporia charger — they’re not too expensive and can be controlled through an app to limit the charge rate or schedule charging times.
Tan said:
Consider an Emporia charger — they’re not too expensive and can be controlled through an app to limit the charge rate or schedule charging times.
Emporia also offers dynamic load management if you pair it with their Vue system. It automatically adjusts the charge rate based on your home’s power usage.
Commercial properties get charged for reactive power — basically, energy that’s borrowed but not consumed. It’s meant to make billing fairer, but it can feel like a ripoff.
Zuri said:
Commercial properties get charged for reactive power — basically, energy that’s borrowed but not consumed. It’s meant to make billing fairer, but it can feel like a ripoff.
Sounds like you’re talking about power factor, not kV. Power factor measures how efficiently you’re using electricity — a low power factor can trigger penalties from utilities. I think what OP’s seeing is demand charges, where the utility charges extra based on your highest power draw in a 15-minute window.
@Venice
I’m dealing with that in Vermont — they bump me to a higher rate if I use more than 2500 kWh two months in a row. I lowered my Emporia charger from 10 kW to 6 kW, and it saved me $40 a month. As long as I charge overnight, 6 kW is plenty to top off the battery.
Check if your utility offers a different commercial rate without demand charges.
Interesting… we use cosmetic treatment machines with lasers at work — maybe that’s why our bill jumped too.
Sounds like a demand charge. Lower the EVSE amperage and it should help.
This is an easy fix if you get a charger with Dynamic Load Management. It monitors your whole panel and automatically adjusts charging speed so you never exceed a set limit. Wallbox, Emporia, and Tesla Wall Connector offer this — Ford’s chargers don’t.
Could be a power factor issue from your building’s wiring. Has anyone measured the power factor of the Lightning’s onboard charger?