Did you know that only about 40% of the oil used in American cars is produced in the US, while virtually 100% of our electricity is produced here? Apparently owning an electric car is more patriotic than a petrol-only vehicle! Of course there's more to it than that, but I wanted to open with a little bit of trolling I've been thinking about lately as I drive my new plug-in hybrid around, getting looks of scorn from people in traditional SUVs, silently gloating every time the price of gas edges up a few cents.

Most of the EVs and plug-in hybrids sold domestically come with a grid-charger (meaning one you can plug into a standard 110-120v socket in your garage) and they all use the J1772 connector paddle. Most of them though don't come with a great way to keep it off the floor so you don't run over it when you pull in, so I built my own wall mount for ~$5.

Step 1: What You'll Need

The materials are pretty cheap. From the hardware store, you'll need about 4 dry-wall screws (anywhere from 1½"-2½" is fine), a 1½" diameter schedule 40 PVC pipe cap (flat end), a wall hook and some PVC cement. From the craft store you'll need some 3mil EVA. You'll also need a drill driver, level, compass, blade, pencil and ruler. A drill press will make things a little cleaner but isn't strictly necessary.

Step 2: Mark and Drill It

You'll need to drill 3 holes and just to be safe (you don't end up missing the stud) you'll want to make sure they're on the same line. Find one diameter of the flat-end using the compass (if you don't remember how to do this from Geometry class, see the video which I'll try to remember to edit and add later.) Using the straight edge, extend that diameter down one side of the outside of the cap. Mark two hole targets on the flat of the cap (I made mine on a circumference concentric to the flat of the cap by bisecting the diameter from earlier with the compass and measuring out from the center, but that's not really necessary. It's just pretty.) Then, on the extension of the diameter down the side of the cap mark another hole target 2cm from the open edge of the cap.

Drill each of the targets out using a ⅛" bit, then use the hole on the side of the cap as a pilot hole to drill out a full ½" hole.

Step 3: Pads

Cut a 1"x3" piece of the craft foam, and then cut that in half so you have (2) 1"x1½" foam pads. Using the PVC cement glue them to the inside walls of the cap to either side of the diameter so the 1½" dimension follows the circumference and the 1" dimension spans the flat end to the opening. (If you've glued pad over the hole on the side of the cap then you read the directions wrong or I didn't write them very well.)

Step 4: Screw It

Decide about where you want to mount it. Sensibly, it would be close to where the car's socket ends up when you park. Also, you should probably make sure it's on the same wall as the socket from which you'll be powering the grid-charger. Distance from the floor isn't as important, but waist level or the same height as the electrical outlets in your garage is probably good. For me, the outlet powering the grid charger and my car's charging port are at about the same height, which is fortunately a pretty comfortable height for a person as tall as I to plug in from.

Locate the stud using a stud finder, or a pin, or by knocking on the wall like you're testing a melon and listening for the higher pitch. Mark out a line down the center of the stud about twice the combined length of the wall hook and the diameter of the cap. Mount the hook with at the top of the line and the cap at the bottom so that the drill holes all line up with the center of the stud.

Step 5: Stick It In

Loop your cable as many times as you need to for it to be neat and hang it from the wall hook. (The hook is mounted above the cap to reduce stress on the plug paddle connection.) Insert the plug into the cap as shown so the latch grabs the hole at the top and you're done.

Congratulations on purchasing your patriotic new vehicle and helping to keep your city smelling a little less dirty!