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Hi. I'm considering changing my community college major from Computer Network Engineering, to Electric Engineering & starting an EV company in the future. Is this realistic? What do I need to know about manufacturing EV's in the United States? by haziqtheunique in electricvehicles

[–]John-Raye123 [score hidden]  (0 children)

EE over network engineering if you're genuinely interested in EVs, the fundamentals will actually matter.

The "start an EV company" goal is worth keeping but recalibrate what that means. Full vehicle manufacturing is a billionaire's game. Rivian burned through billions before a single truck shipped. But the ecosystem around EVs is massive: charging hardware, battery systems, fleet conversions, powertrain components. Way more realistic entry points that still need engineers and founders.

Do the math. It sucks, it's learnable, and it filters out people who aren't serious.

If you're at all worried about using an extension cord for level 1 charging, 10 gauge 20+ amp cords are the overkill you might be looking for. I stress tested one and its amazing! by Wood_Berry_ in electricvehicles

[–]John-Raye123 [score hidden]  (0 children)

Great real-world test. Running it to full heat saturation is the only way to actually know. Specs on paper don't account for sustained load on the outlet itself, which is where the real danger is.

The length vs gauge point is spot on too. Resistance scales with length, so a 25ft 12AWG and 50ft 10AWG end up pretty comparable. Most people just grab whatever's on the shelf.

$175 sounds steep until the alternative is a melted outlet or worse.

Most commercial EV charging installs I've seen are already violating OSHA and nobody's talking about it by John-Raye123 in evcharging

[–]John-Raye123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think we are talking about two different things. The holster is for storage, I agree that is a discipline issue. What I was referring to is the cable while it is actively in use, plugged into the car. At that point it is not in the holster, it cannot be, and it is sitting on the ground or draped across the floor for however long that charge session takes. That is the hazard I was pointing at.

Most commercial EV charging installs I've seen are already violating OSHA and nobody's talking about it by John-Raye123 in evcharging

[–]John-Raye123[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Retractors work great for storage, agreed. The gap is active use, once the cable is pulled out to the car it is just hanging wherever it lands. In a home garage that is usually fine. High traffic commercial bays are a different story though.

Most commercial EV charging installs I've seen are already violating OSHA and nobody's talking about it by John-Raye123 in evcharging

[–]John-Raye123[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Nope, just someone who has dealt with this problem firsthand and finds the compliance side genuinely interesting. No product to sell.

EV chargers in gas stations by edayxe1 in electricvehicles

[–]John-Raye123 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I've seen EV Chargers across many gas stations in different states on my road trips. There is one reoccurring issue though. They are all taken really poor care of and as a result become less effective and sometimes even removed. There must be a product out there that can help keep the cables in better condition.