First time owner - EVSE Decision

[Templetong]

Hello All.
I just recently purchased a 2015 SV last week and have been lurking this forum ever since! I do have a question I cannot find the specific answer to. What kind of EVSE out of the many options out there do I need for reliable and quick L2 service at home? I would like the EVSE to be in the garage, located next to the service panel with 200A service, and fairly quick. (SV has the 6.6kW charger.)

I live in South Louisiana so I'm unsure if that makes a difference. I also own the house, so installation shouldn't be a biggie.

 

[inphoenix]

Hello All.
I just recently purchased a 2015 SV last week and have been lurking this forum ever since! I do have a question I cannot find the specific answer to. What kind of EVSE out of the many options out there do I need for reliable and quick L2 service at home? I would like the EVSE to be in the garage, located next to the service panel with 200A service, and fairly quick. (SV has the 6.6kW charger.)

I live in South Louisiana so I'm unsure if that makes a difference. I also own the house, so installation shouldn't be a biggie.

Congratulations on your purchase. I recently bought a JuiceBox 40 EVSE and have been happy with it. Many other forum users have bought a Clipper Creek unit and are pretty happy with it. They both will charge your SV at the best possible rate.

Juice Box -> http://www.emotorwerks.com/products/online-store/171-juicebox-40-40-amp-evse-with-24-foot-cable
ClipperCreek -> http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/hcs-40p-32a-240v-charging-25-cord-nema-14-50-plug/


There are several others. Some more info here-> http://www.myelectriccarforums.com/electric-vehicle-charger/

 

[csleaf]

We just picked up a JuiceBox Pro 40 as well and it has been working great for the past week. I like that it is solidly built of metal. And has room to grow above 6.6 kWh for future vehicles.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Any EVSE rated at 30 amps or higher will work fine. Note that 30 amps is above the max the Leaf can use (27.5A) so anything more powerful won't charge your car any faster. If you want reliability and a long warranty instead of more features, I suggest a 30A Clipper Creek. IF you think you will be getting an EV that charges at a higher rate, sometime in the future, then a 40A unit might be better.

 

[aarond12]

I would like to second (or third or fourth?) the Clipper Creek EVSEs. They're UL listed, built like tanks, and super reliable. For your 6.6kW charging rate, I would suggest the HCS-40 (for a hard-wired installation) or HCS-40P (for a portable installation).

http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/hcs-40-32a-240v-charging-25-cord/

http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/hcs-40p-32a-240v-charging-25-cord-nema-14-50-plug/

 

[tkdbrusco]

You should really get an electrician out beforehand to make sure that your panel has adequate amperage for a 32A unit before purchasing one. There are some instances where a 32A unit will require a full service panel upgrade, whereas a 16A unit will not. Either will be sufficient but the 32A will charge a good deal faster.

Since you have an SV, most of the wifi charger control is built into the Nissan phone app, so you would be fine with a clipper creek unit, but the jukebox and the new charge point home units have Wifi built in and offer some pretty cool functionality that might be better than the built into the car features.

Also buy a longer plug even if you don't need it now. You never know which car you'll replace your leaf with and if the charge pot is on the back, it will be nice to not have to upgrade the EVSE in the future.

 

[BakoDuck]

Home Depot sells the GE DuraStation indoor/outdoor wall mount charger for Level 2 Charging for $399. I installed this unit in my garage using an unused 220 outlet. Read the reviews on the HD website for installation pictures. This unit works fantastic for charging the Leaf. You can spend more on the CLipper Creek or Juicebox, but why.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-EV-Ch...-Mount-with-18-ft-Cord-EVDSWGH-CP01/205808537

 

[davewill]

Home Depot sells the GE DuraStation indoor/outdoor wall mount charger for Level 2 Charging for $399. I installed this unit in my garage using an unused 220 outlet. Read the reviews on the HD website for installation pictures. This unit works fantastic for charging the Leaf. You can spend more on the CLipper Creek or Juicebox, but why.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-EV-Ch...-Mount-with-18-ft-Cord-EVDSWGH-CP01/205808537

Looks like a good choice for him since it can be jumpered to run at 24a. He can run it on the circuit he has, then decide whether he needs faster charging later.

 

[tkdbrusco]

Home Depot sells the GE DuraStation indoor/outdoor wall mount charger for Level 2 Charging for $399. I installed this unit in my garage using an unused 220 outlet. Read the reviews on the HD website for installation pictures. This unit works fantastic for charging the Leaf. You can spend more on the CLipper Creek or Juicebox, but why.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-EV-Ch...-Mount-with-18-ft-Cord-EVDSWGH-CP01/205808537

It looks like the GE unit is a 30A unit. You should not be using this unit with a 220v standard dryer outlet. A dryer is only a 24A load and thus uses a different NEMA plug and usually only 10 gauge wire inside the wall. While it will work, it is not up to code for a 30A constant draw of an EVSE. You need to use a minimum of 8 gauge wire, dual 40A breakers, and a NEMA 15-50 plug, otherwise it is a fire hazard. I just went through this same thing and had to have a new plug run for my EVSE so that I wouldn't be in violation, or have my house burn down (slim chance, but not worth the risk) If you insist on using your standard dryer outlet, you should either buy a 16A EVSE, to an EVSE upgrade to your existing car charging plug, or if you want to maximize available power, I think that clipper creek makes a 20A EVSE that can be used on a dryer plug.

 

[Templetong]

So if I order the Clipper Creek found at the below link with the dryer outlet will it charge the Leaf at the 27.5A that it can handle or only put through 20A?
http://www.amazon.com/ClipperCreek-...&qid=1449537813&sr=8-2&keywords=clipper+creek

 

[davewill]

... It looks like the GE unit is a 30A unit. You should not be using this unit with a 220v standard dryer outlet. ...

Should research before posting. It can be set for a 15a, 20a, 30a, or 40a circuit.

 

[davewill]

So if I order the Clipper Creek found at the below link with the dryer outlet will it charge the Leaf at the 27.5A that it can handle or only put through 20A?
http://www.amazon.com/ClipperCreek-...&qid=1449537813&sr=8-2&keywords=clipper+creek

That one should only be attached to a 40a circuit. It would charge your LEAF at 27.5a...at least until something fries (hopefully the breaker). If you want to plug into your 30a circuit you'd have to order the HCS-30 which would limit the charging amps to 24, the most you can get from your dryer outlet.

http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/hcs-30-24-amp-ev-charging-station-25-ft-cable/

However, the GE unit above can be set for your 30a circuit, and later set for a 40a.

 

[inphoenix]

So if I order the Clipper Creek found at the below link with the dryer outlet will it charge the Leaf at the 27.5A that it can handle or only put through 20A?
http://www.amazon.com/ClipperCreek-...&qid=1449537813&sr=8-2&keywords=clipper+creek

If you want to use an EVSE with 24A dryer outlet you would want to stick with 20A setting. I'm not sure about the Clipper Creek unit but Juicebox and the GE units (and some others) have setting for different amps for these situations. It is recommended to have a dedicated outlet with right amperage (80% continuous load rule) for use with EVSEs. But your needs may be different than others.

I went with a dedicated 50A outlet and got the 40A JuiceBox even though the Leaf would use less at this time. I did this to future proof my purchase a little bit in case the next gen Leaf or the Bolt have a charger that can use the higher capacity.

 

[davewill]

If you want to use an EVSE with 24A dryer outlet you would want to stick with 20A setting. ...

It's a 30a dryer outlet and should be limited to 24a.

 

[emotorwerks]

So if I order the Clipper Creek found at the below link with the dryer outlet will it charge the Leaf at the 27.5A that it can handle or only put through 20A?
http://www.amazon.com/ClipperCreek-...&qid=1449537813&sr=8-2&keywords=clipper+creek

If you want to use an EVSE with 24A dryer outlet you would want to stick with 20A setting. I'm not sure about the Clipper Creek unit but Juicebox and the GE units (and some others) have setting for different amps for these situations. It is recommended to have a dedicated outlet with right amperage (80% continuous load rule) for use with EVSEs. But your needs may be different than others.

I went with a dedicated 50A outlet and got the 40A JuiceBox even though the Leaf would use less at this time. I did this to future proof my purchase a little bit in case the next gen Leaf or the Bolt have a charger that can use the higher capacity.

Thank you for being a JuiceBox customer, inphoenix! eMotorWerks can adjust the trimpot on the logic board and ship a JuiceBox with a 24-amp limit. If a software solution was acceptable, Templetong could get a WiFi-enabled JuiceBox and set the maximum current limit through our mobile companion app or through the web portal. We are here to help. Just let us know. Templetong, should you decide to go with a ClipperCreek solution, we can retrofit the HCS-40 model with JuiceBox controls. That would permit you the same level of control.

 

[MikeD]

1) In my humble opinion, installing an EVSE that can be set to output at multiple amps using wiring inadequate for its maximum amp setting is asking for a Murphy's Law failure of the house fire variety.

2) Also IMHO, an EVSE housed in a metal box is less safe than one housed in a sturdy plastic one if it is of the cord-and-plug variety. The possibility of someone (like a child) touching the (grounded) metal EVSE enclosure with one hand and a hot prong of the plug with the other hand while attempting to plug/unplug it is not negligible. This is why if at all possible that such a circuit have GFCI circuit breaker protection.

 

[Nubo]

You should really get an electrician out beforehand to make sure that your panel has adequate amperage for a 32A unit before purchasing one. There are some instances where a 32A unit will require a full service panel upgrade, whereas a 16A unit will not.

+1. I highly recommend consulting with an electrician and having them review your situation, including performing the load calculations. Just because there is "room in the panel" doesn't necessarily mean you can add X amps of continuous load. In our case, load calculations, by code, limited us to a 20A 240V circuit, unless we chose to upgrade the electrical lines to the home ($$).

The electrician will be knowledgeable about local codes, and should be able to help with any permits if needed.

 

[tkdbrusco]

... It looks like the GE unit is a 30A unit. You should not be using this unit with a 220v standard dryer outlet. ...

Should research before posting. It can be set for a 15a, 20a, 30a, or 40a circuit.

I went to the link and it said nothing about switchable amperage.

 

[davewill]

I went to the link and it said nothing about switchable amperage.

It was in an earlier post in this very thread, in the reviews at the link and in the installation manual linked there.

 

[BakoDuck]

... It looks like the GE unit is a 30A unit. You should not be using this unit with a 220v standard dryer outlet. ...

Should research before posting. It can be set for a 15a, 20a, 30a, or 40a circuit.

I went to the link and it said nothing about switchable amperage.

See the GE Installation Manual regarding de-rating the unit:
http://apps.geindustrial.com/publib...nstruction|DEH41711|PDF&filename=DEH41711.pdf