> Does a typical German house have higher-rated sockets in the garage?
At least where I'm from, it's not super unusual to have a 400V socket with 16A or higher in private garages (either for tools or people preparing for an EV at some point), but you can't count on it.
> And lots of tools (and now, electric cars) can take advantage of 240.
Off topic: That's interesting to know. In Europe (UK) where 240V (well more like 230V these days) is the standard, it's not uncommon to see professional workmen using step-down boxes and 110V power tools for safety reasons.
> Please don't generalize "Europe" when you aren't sure. (Also goes for the GP.) I have three-phase power in an 80m² apartment, as that's standard in Denmark.
Now now kids, play nicely. ;-)
I think the underlying question we should really be asking here is not willy-waving over whether you have a three-phase supply or not, but rather how large your main fuse is (there's a euphemism for you !).
I'm not familiar with Denmark, but I suspect even your fancy 80m² apartment with its three-phase supply will still only have a (relatively) tiny main fuse.
TL;DR you're still not going to have a supercharger at home any time soon.
> I have heard a three phase residential connection is common in some parts of Germany, lucky bastards.
German here. Virtually all houses built after the 60s will have at least 3x63A @ 230V (L-N) / 400V (L1-L2/L2-L3/L3-L1) AC. Individual flats/apartments/studios from before the 90s will usually have a single phase 32-40A uplink, so in a 12-unit house you'll have four flats wired to L1, four to L2, and the last four to L3 to ensure even load across the phases. More recent builds that don't have gas stoves any more will have a 3x40 connection to allow for powerful electric stoves and ovens.
> 6. North American outlets are rated for ~15A * 120V. So roughly 1800W. I can just use one outlet per psu whenever it's under 1800W, right? For simplicity let's also ignore whatever load is on that particular electrical circuit.
You're going to have a bad time with this assumption; typical non-kitchen household circuits in the U.S. are 15A for the circuit. Each outlet is usually limited to 15A, but the circuit breaker serving the entire circuit is almost certainly 15A as well; one outlet at maximum load will not leave capacity for another outlet on the same circuit to be simultaneously drawing maximum amperage.
Typical residential construction would have a 15A circuit for 1-2 rooms, often with a separate circuit for lighting. Some rooms, e.g. kitchens will have 20A circuits, and some houses may have been built with 20A circuits serving more outlets / rooms.
>My understanding from technology connections is that US circuits are 230ish volts, but it’s often centre tapped out to sockets.
Indeed.
My heat pump is 3phase 230v/16A one, that's 11kW peak power, the pump itself is 5kW, though with the rest being a resistive heater. Car charging is similar as well 3phase is quite standard nowadays.
My understanding is that the US power supply is pretty similar to the one in Europe when it comes to delivery, and industrial equipment runs 3phase, 240v - something you can find at a lot (most new) homes in Europe.
Are they, though? With modern appliances, power requirements are going up and 110V is struggling to keep up. One example would be an induction hob.
I know that technically US homes can access 230V but they aren't wired for that, probably 99% are wired just for 110V except for maybe a few special lines.
> 220V users obviously have things a little easier here (~twice the capacity per circuit). This cuts the overall speedup necessary down to 4x.
Actually, in Europe, you get 220V/25A from normal wall sockets, or, for stuff like washing machines or stoves, you get up to 400V/63A.
With that – roughly 3.5kW from a normal socket, or 25kW if you use a socket for a large appliance, compared to the 1.4kW available in the US – you can easily power a fuckton more.
> Wait, in the US you use 15A at 120v? Here in Europe (Spain at least) the typical is 16A at 240v.
Yep! The typical US residential circuit is only 120v, 15A breaker (so 12A at 80% load). (And that may be only 110-120v.) 20A circuits are also fairly common, but it's not the most common; the majority of wall outlets in a US house will be 15A.
In this chart, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEMA_connector#/media/File:NEM... , the commonly used US residential sockets are NEMA 5-15 (labelled "Typical Outlet," for 15A breaker circuits), NEMA 5-20 (for, duh, 20A breaker circuits), and NEMA 1-15 ("Old Outlet," in older buildings).
> 1500W isn't that much of a problem. Oven breakers are even 20 or 32A.
We do have higher amperage circuits for appliances like ovens and clothes driers, but they're usually dedicated circuits and have different socket shapes. You can see the labels "Clothes Dryer" and "Electric Oven" in the chart linked above :-).
> I have heard a three phase residential connection is common in some parts of Germany, lucky bastards.
Czech Republic switched to 3 phase 380V in 1919. I guess the transition DC -> 110V AC -> 3 phase ~400V went quick everywhere in the world, just in US they did not do the last step.
Land lines are 400 V 3 phase in Germany, as you need those for the elecrric ovens and that is what utilities deliver. Standard plugs and wiring are 240 V. So every garage would at least have 240 V, if there is a plug, and 400 V can be installed.
> Most european houses have a single 400v outlet: right in your kitchen, for the oven (which means the oven is going to be right in front of it.) The likelihood of a child playing with it is close to nil. As for adults, the vast majority of people are taught to just flip the breaker and work on it if needed.
Not to mention you normally can not electrocute yourself with 400V.
400V is between two phases, you never accidentally touch two phases.
When you touch a conductor you are between one phase and the ground, meaning in 230V.
At least where I'm from, it's not super unusual to have a 400V socket with 16A or higher in private garages (either for tools or people preparing for an EV at some point), but you can't count on it.
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