Blink L2 home unit charging two Leafs simultaneously

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camasleaf

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 26, 2010
Messages
662
Location
Camas, WA
Now that we have two Leafs that only draw 3.7 kW each, I am wondering if the L2 Blink unit at home can be mod to charge both at the same time (when is going to be mine, of course). Right now I charge one Leaf overnight and the second one I plug in at 5:00 am when I get up for work. There is not TOU here, but in the future it might be. In addition, I would like to charge during off pick hours.

What needs to be done?

1 - AC splitting
2 - Pilot signal splitting
3 - Diode check splitting

Issues:
4 - what happens when one car is done?
5 - when only one car is plugged in the other connector will be HOT (on the wet ground ...)

Solutions:
Add one extra relay and multiplex the control signals?

I will look into it next weekend, just out of curiosity for now.

I know, I will likely build a second EVSE, but I had to bring this up as a posibility because I was thinking a while back about the Blink "dual" DC chargers. They can draw 50kW max, but above 60% SOC they charge at about 30kW. It will be great if the other side could charge at 20Kw instead of just waiting for 20 minutes or more. (I had to wait for somebody going to high SOC :x )
 
J1772 extender/splitter

Keep in mind that each LEAF will draw 16A each or 32A combined which is slightly higher than the 30A rating of the Blink. I would not recommend it for long-term use though occasional use shouldn't present any issues.
 
drees said:
J1772 extender/splitter

Keep in mind that each LEAF will draw 16A each or 32A combined which is slightly higher than the 30A rating of the Blink. I would not recommend it for long-term use though occasional use shouldn't present any issues.
Wow . . . . who'd of ever thunk it'd be good to own an AV EVSE. Maybe that $1,100 total wasn't so bad after all.
 
my LEAF spends 2/3rds of its home time not charging. (actually probably more than that) so guessing that charging two LEAFs could be managed most of the time. now the logistics may prove to be somewhat inconvenient.

i would probably look at maybe a splitter and timers set so they dont charge at the same time if that is possible before i would run both at the same time.

what is the driving needs of both? it sounds like switching the charging to the other LEAF at 5 am is working for you at least somewhat.

other than that, in my personal world, i would simply go out to the garage and switch them. i have already played this out in my head a few times and have decided that it would not be that inconvenient to me when i consider the benefits and savings. its still WAY better than going to a gas station!!
 
drees said:
J1772 extender/splitter

Keep in mind that each LEAF will draw 16A each or 32A combined which is slightly higher than the 30A rating of the Blink. I would not recommend it for long-term use though occasional use shouldn't present any issues.
That's fine for a temporary lashup, if you happen to have two spare upgraded EVSEs lying around. If it's a permanent, at home situation, it would be much cheaper and easier to plug the two upgraded EVSEs directly into the wall, and leave the Blink out of the equation. Supposedly there's a way to configure a Blink for a lower charge rate, like 16a (see below), although I've found nothing to say HOW you reconfigure one. That could allow you to plug an upgraded EVSE into the same circuit and use the Blink as one of the EVSEs.

Blink Install Guide said:
http://www.blinknetwork.com/file/297/IM0001_L2_R_WMv1.3.pdf

Input power
IMPORTANT: Electrical power to the blink must be installed by a certified electrical contractor
who is familiar with local codes and standards that apply to the installation of structural components
and electrical equipment. Minimum size and color-coding requirements must be in accordance with
any applicable state or local code, and the National Electrical Code.

Voltage/Phase 208-240 VAC/1 phase (120 VAC to GND)
Rated Current 30 Amps (maximum); 12A, 16A and 24A available (WE-30C/K)
Circuit Rating 40 Amps; settings at 15A, 20A and 30A available

CAUTION: The blink EVSE’s factory default current setting is 30 amps. If the device is connected to
a lower current setting, a qualified blink technician must adjust the device settings and reset the unit
before use.
Your guess is as good as mine whether you can get a "qualified blink technician" to come out and reconfigure your Blink on request. ;)
 
I routinely pull 32a from Blink units with my 6.7kW setup. No problems.

The simplest and cheapest way is to simply add an additional L6-20 outlet and plug one of our upgraded units in. Use the Blink for one car, and the upgraded unit for the other. They will both be able to charge on a 40A circuit. Though, be sure you install a 20A fuse/breaker for the L6-20 if you'd like to not exceed the outlet amperage. The EVSE is internally fused, so operation on a 40 circuit is fine.

-Phil
 
hill said:
drees said:
J1772 extender/splitter

Keep in mind that each LEAF will draw 16A each or 32A combined which is slightly higher than the 30A rating of the Blink. I would not recommend it for long-term use though occasional use shouldn't present any issues.
Wow . . . . who'd of ever thunk it'd be good to own an AV EVSE. Maybe that $1,100 total wasn't so bad after all.
The AV EVSE has the same 30A rating as the Blink.

As Phil says, pulling 32A from it shouldn't be an issue, but one should be aware of the limit.
 
Man, I searched "splitting" before posting. Did not cross my mind to search for "splitters" :oops: .

Any way, I now like the idea of a separate EVSE. My Blink is on a 50A breaker. I am thinking to just put another Nema 6-50 3P outlet on the same circuit on the other side of the garage, and do the EVSE upgrade. This way I can take the upgraded unit with me if going camping or so. Just need to save some $ for the whole job, or wait until I sell the ICEs.
 
camasleaf said:
Any way, I now like the idea of a separate EVSE. My Blink is on a 50A breaker. I am thinking to just put another Nema 6-50 3P outlet on the same circuit on the other side of the garage, and do the EVSE upgrade. This way I can take the upgraded unit with me if going camping or so. Just need to save some $ for the whole job, or wait until I sell the ICEs.
Be very, very careful doing this as this is not up to code. You are better off running a separate 20A circuit for the EVSE upgrade.

Why is your Blink on a 50A breaker - do you really have 6AWG Romex or 8AWG THHN feeding it? The Blink should be protected by a 40A breaker at most - adding an additional 20 outlet to the same circuit will not pass any inspection. I also highly doubt that running a 20A outlet on a 50A circuit passes muster though I am not 100% certain on this.
 
drees said:
Why is your Blink on a 50A breaker.

My bad again, it is a 40A breaker with two #8 wire and #10 for ground. It connects to a NEMA 6-50 receptacle 3W, and the EVSE is plugged in.

drees said:
Be very, very careful doing this as this is not up to code.

Another NEMA 6-50 receptacle should be fine, I believe. Any 250V 3W over 40A should be OK per code, right? It is a receptacle circuit not an EVSE circuit. An EVSE is pluged in but I can plug anything in that outlet. I will look in the code when I get my hands on a 2011.

drees said:
You are better off running a separate 20A circuit for the EVSE upgrade.

I only have one 2P position left, I do not want to use it if I do not have to.
 
camasleaf said:
drees said:
Be very, very careful doing this as this is not up to code.
Another NEMA 6-50 receptacle should be fine, I believe. Any 250V 3W over 40A should be OK per code, right? It is a receptacle circuit not an EVSE circuit. An EVSE is pluged in but I can plug anything in that outlet. I will look in the code when I get my hands on a 2011.
While it may be "fine", I'm pretty sure it won't meet code. NEC 210.23(A)(2) for example, indicates that if you have equipment fastened in place (your main EVSE) with other receptacles, that equipment can not be rated at no more than 50% of the circuit. It is supposed to be possible to turn the Blink down to 16A from 20A, in which case it will be OK.

camasleaf said:
drees said:
You are better off running a separate 20A circuit for the EVSE upgrade.
I only have one 2P position left, I do not want to use it if I do not have to.
Just use those thin breakers which let you squeeze twice as many breakers into the same space.

Just sayin' - obviously things will likely be fine, but NEC has guidelines for a reason...
 
NEC was written with the intention to reduce fire insurance claims. It is written by the NFPA (National Fire Protection Association) which mainly consists of insurance underwriters.

There are many good things about the code, but also many silly things too. I'm not advising anyone do any installations that aren't compliant, but if done properly, you can safely add 2 (or any amount) of extra 6-50 receptacles on a circuit. They don't have be be dedicated. You cannot however, add an L6-20 unless you scale the breaker down to 20 or lower, but two 6-50's on a 40a breaker is fine.

-Phil
 
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