Planning to upgrade the power service in my garage for faster charge of my 2023 XC60 T8 Recharge. Electrician is asking what charger we plan to use. I have no idea what is needed. Dealer recommends the ChargePoint Home Flex for Volvo that is a whopping $750. What do I really need? I would at least like an app to tell me when the car is fully charged and maybe some timing control for lower power rates based on time of day.

 

One thing to keep in mind is that charging speed is limited by the vehicle as much as the wall unit, and for T8 Recharge Volvos their max charge speed is essentially the same as the max speed of the charge connector that was included with the car. A higher speed wall box will most likely not increase your charge speed at all. The key is to have a 220-240V outlet available to use with the supplied Volvo charger. The extended range T8 should then charge in about 5-6 hours, which is about as good as it gets regardless of wall box. Even a commercial fast charger won't go any faster because the charger itself is in the car - the box only supplies power and does some safety checks.

Also - the Volvo Cars app will tell you charge status, provide an estimated completion time, and send a notification when the charge is complete.

 

Thanks Philip. What do you use for a charger? Also, I have not been able to sync the car with my Samsung Zfold phone on the app, after doing everything suggested by Volvo support including a factory reset. So that's out for me.

 

I agree that you should just use the charging cable that comes with the vehicle. Have the electrician run a 240V line and install a NEMA 6-20P outlet, which is what the charging cable requires.

 

What you said above is one of the more misunderstood bits of T8 knowledge. Most folk understand the charger is the device on the wall and it's just not true. It's in the car as you stated. I have the AV (aerviornment) power source, and have used it for several years now starting when I had my Honda Clarity PHEV. It works just as great today as it did new. You'll see it on the wall at many Volvo stores but check prices at places such as Home Depot (online) before buying from a Volvo dealer. I don't remember exactly what mine was other than it was considerably less expensive that way. You will need an electrician to install the breaker and drop a cord to the female receiver plug so the electrician can apply for the local permit. You'll need it in most jurisdictions for (if/when) you sell you house. I just sold mine last November and moved to where I'm at now. Just having the breaker and female receiver plug for the device installed in the garage, made the difference on the buyer choosing my house over another one same plan in our neighborhood. I did unplug the device and brought it with me as the buyer had her own.

It charges my T8 in between 2-2.5 hours but mine is a 2021 w/o the extended range battery. I'm still getting 20-21 miles though using 'Pure' and that gets most of my daily use unless I leave town. Sometimes tho when the temps drop below 40 degrees, even less.
Happy miles

 

Scooter32, I just use the Volvo charging connector (technically called EVSE for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) that came with the car. I was originally thinking about a more sophisticated wall box, but once I realized that the T8 Recharge wouldn't be able to accept the higher charge rate I just decided to save the money and stick with the included device. As others have said, you will need to get an electrician to install a 240V breaker and outlet to match the Volvo EVSE.

I'm sorry to hear about your issues with pairing the app. I also have a Samsung phone and have had no issues. Have you been successful in testing pairing to any other phone? I suspect the issue lies with the car and/or procedure rather than your specific device. Perhaps you could describe the procedure you're following and some of us on the forum might be able to suggest something to help get it working? The app is actually quite useful in my experience.

 

Should we run a 30 Amp line or 50? I believe the car only needs 30, but do other EVs take more? Thinking about the future in case we get a different brand. If we run a 50 Amp line now, the electricians are saying the outlet will still be 30 amp and can easily be changed out for 50 Amp later if needed.

 

This is what I did. The line itself is rated 50A but the outlet and breaker are rated lower (I think only 15A is required, but could be wrong). So later you could change the outlet and breaker together in order to upgrade.

 

You all have been great, just bought a few weeks ago my 2023 xc60 recharge and all my charging questions were answered here. Thanks

 

Just have electrician run a 220 line to an outlet like this one. I did and now I get a full charge in 4-5 hours from empty

let me add that with the 110 prior to the install of rhe 220 it would take 13 hours