On 11 Mar 2024 at 20:33, Lawrence Winiarski via EV wrote: > Correct me if I'm wrong, but I think at least some of the non-us > households ONLY have 240 volts (i.e they don't bring 480 into the > panel and have split transformers like we have but rather they > groundone leg as a neutral)
I don't know about other places, but France doesn't have an equivalent of the US split phase system. It's 400 / 230 volt 3-phase. Older and/or larger houses often have 3-phase installed, especially if they were once farms or businesses. Newer houses usually just get one phase and neutral. You can request 3-phase from the utility, and charge your EV at up to 22kW, if the onboard charger allows. (32a * 230v * 3ph) But the cost will be higher. Circuit breakers are always double-pole, so they open both hot and neutral. > That means our 240 has a slight advantage in that each leg is only 120v above > ground, while I think some countries have a 240 with a hot and neutralleg. Yep, hot and neutral. For a 3-phase installation, 3 hots and a neutral. As I understand it, the neutral isn't grounded ahead of the house. Maybe that's why a lightning arrestor is usually fitted to the main panel. But the neutral IS grounded at the main house service entrance, so the potential to ground is 230v. Hence a 500ma main RCD, and smaller 30ma RCDs on each panel bus. David Roden, EVDL moderator & general lackey To reach me, don't reply to this message; I won't get it. Use my offlist address here : http://evdl.org/help/index.html#supt = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Listen to the mustn'ts, child; listen to the don'ts. Listen to the shouldn'ts, the impossibles, the won'ts. Listen to the never haves, then listen close to me: Anything can happen, child. Anything can be. -- Shel Silverstein = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = _______________________________________________ Address messages to ev@lists.evdl.org No other addresses in TO and CC fields HELP: http://www.evdl.org/help/