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LTLFTcomposite said:
My thought is that it is common for houses to have 200A service, but having more than 40A dedicated to EV charging would violate the load panel calculation.
Is there some specific rule related to EVSEs that this would violate? How is it different than any other continuous load when doing a load calculation? I'm in the same boat as well (200A service, have the Schneider EV2430WS, want to add another EVSE eventually). I think it should be possible, at least in my case because I have more than 40A to spare, but I'm planning on having an electrician come out to do a real load calculation when I get ready to add another EVSE since I don't know all the load calculation rules (obviously).
 
I assume the pilot signal is only read by the car at the time of initial connection and does not renegotiate dynamically. So you'd have to decide whether you wanted 16+16 or 32+0 (or lower amounts as suggested) before connecting either of the plugs.

This would be an easy upgrade for anyone getting a second EV who already had an EV with the 40A circuit installed. Just swap the units, no rewiring needed.
 
mikeEmike said:
Is there some specific rule related to EVSEs that this would violate? How is it different than any other continuous load when doing a load calculation? I'm in the same boat as well (200A service, have the Schneider EV2430WS, want to add another EVSE eventually). I think it should be possible, at least in my case because I have more than 40A to spare, but I'm planning on having an electrician come out to do a real load calculation when I get ready to add another EVSE since I don't know all the load calculation rules (obviously).
I don't think so, especially if the "double" EVSE is one unit, with a sticker stating <=32a as the max current. There would be no reason to treat it differently than one with a single cord and plug on it.
LTLFTcomposite said:
I assume the pilot signal is only read by the car at the time of initial connection and does not renegotiate dynamically. So you'd have to decide whether you wanted 16+16 or 32+0 (or lower amounts as suggested) before connecting either of the plugs.

This would be an easy upgrade for anyone getting a second EV who already had an EV with the 40A circuit installed. Just swap the units, no rewiring needed.
The cars do adjust dynamically. It's part of the spec (and Ingineer has reported testing it in the past).
 
mikeEmike said:
Is there some specific rule related to EVSEs that this would violate? How is it different than any other continuous load when doing a load calculation? I'm in the same boat as well (200A service, have the Schneider EV2430WS, want to add another EVSE eventually). I think it should be possible, at least in my case because I have more than 40A to spare, but I'm planning on having an electrician come out to do a real load calculation when I get ready to add another EVSE since I don't know all the load calculation rules (obviously).
I overgeneralized in that statement, my calculation came out to 201 amps with the 40A EVSE circuit, and I'm thinking for a lot of people with 200A service they too would be over the limit with a second 40A circuit. Not to mention I had to wafer up a couple other circuits to free up a slot, and now I'm maxed out on wafers with no more slots. I can get a 20-20 double pole wafer, but I don't think they make a 40-40 wafer.
 
davewill said:
]The cars do adjust dynamically. It's part of the spec (and Ingineer has reported testing it in the past).
There you go, no switch would be needed then. So for a given input capacity X amps (most commonly 32A on a 40A breaker):

First cord connected - supplied with X amps
Second cord connected - first cord reduced to X/2 amps, second cord supplied with X/2 amps
Current draw on either cord reduces below some threshold (when charging finishes) - cord that finished reduced to some minimal amount Y (for climate control/TMS) and other cord increases to X - Y
Either cord is disconnected - remaining connected cord's supply is increased to X amps
 
LTLFTcomposite said:
mikeEmike said:
Is there some specific rule related to EVSEs that this would violate? How is it different than any other continuous load when doing a load calculation? I'm in the same boat as well (200A service, have the Schneider EV2430WS, want to add another EVSE eventually). I think it should be possible, at least in my case because I have more than 40A to spare, but I'm planning on having an electrician come out to do a real load calculation when I get ready to add another EVSE since I don't know all the load calculation rules (obviously).
I overgeneralized in that statement, my calculation came out to 201 amps with the 40A EVSE circuit, and I'm thinking for a lot of people with 200A service they too would be over the limit with a second 40A circuit. Not to mention I had to wafer up a couple other circuits to free up a slot, and now I'm maxed out on wafers with no more slots. I can get a 20-20 double pole wafer, but I don't think they make a 40-40 wafer.
Thanks for clarifying. The electrician I have used in the past isn't familiar with EVSEs, so if there was something specific, I wanted to be sure either he or I caught it.

Maybe you can use a subpanel for the EVSEs to get yourself some more space?
 
One of the reasons I came up with the upgrade is to avoid these panel sizing issues. Many homes have 100A (or less) panels, and adding a 40A circuit for the Nissan-recommended AV EVSE puts most over limit. In more than one case, we had customers report estimates approaching $20,000 to upgrade the electrical system in old homes to be code compliant with the new EVSE installation. In many cases the homes in question already have an existing dryer outlet, which typically allows at least 24A of EVSE loading, so this avoids the need to modernize the entire system at great expense just to get level 2 charging.

As EV's get more common, this problem will only get worse. In theory, I could offer a "ganged" connection between 2 upgraded units to allow safe sharing of a single 30A (or less) circuit.

-Phil
 
Ingineer said:
In more than one case, we had customers report estimates approaching $20,000 to upgrade the electrical system in old homes to be code compliant with the new EVSE installation.

Ouch!!! My father had his circa 1940, 1500 sq ft home re-wired for half that price, to include a whole new drop, exterior main panel, interior sub panel, and dedicated circuit for central HVAC which the house lacked.
 
RonDawg said:
Ouch!!! My father had his circa 1940, 1500 sq ft home re-wired for half that price, to include a whole new drop, exterior main panel, interior sub panel, and dedicated circuit for central HVAC which the house lacked
It can all get stupid fast in some of the old Victorians around here. Many still have knob-and-tube!

-Phil
 
I came across this thread on the RAV4EV forum. It looks like the older model Schneider EVSE (EV2430WS) can potentially have issues with overheating when maxed out...not an issue for LEAFs with the 3.3kW charger but it could be for those who have the 6.6.kW charger and the Schneider EV2430WS. Note that the EV2430WS was not covered by the recall that Schneider had on the later EVSEs, but Schneider still took care of this customer's problem.

http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=522&start=15" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
I just received notification that there is a recall on Schneider EV2430 and EV230 EVSEs with the first 5 digits of the serial number between 12331 and 13117 using the TE Connectivity J1772 plug. Under certain conditions the handle can overheat.
 
DanBaldwin said:
I just received notification that there is a recall on Schneider EV2430 and EV230 EVSEs with the first 5 digits of the serial number between 12331 and 13117 using the TE Connectivity J1772 plug. Under certain conditions the handle can overheat.

Mine is a first gen EV2430WS but appears that the serial number may be well under the range you're mentioning ... assuming this is where the unit's SN is placed (mine would be 11245 ?) if so this appears to be for the second gen that started with changing the 'holder' for the J1772 'nozzle'? (mine has the simple hose reel type holder) ... my unit has been great coming up on 2 years since it was installed and a little over 1 1/2 years of use.

WP_000043.jpg
 
The MFG dates for the recall are August 13 2012 to March 17th 2013, so your EVSE is not part of the recall. My EVSE is included in the recall by date and serial number, but it doesn't have the TE Connectivity J1772 plug, so it should be okay too.
 
I just installed the Schneider EVlink in my garage. Ordered from Home Depot, on sale for $699, free shipping. I received it in 11 days even though they originally said it as back-ordered. I measured the standby power and found it to be quite low (< 2W): http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=14173&p=328588#p328588

It was easy to install and works great.

I was considering the Bosch for a while but there's lot's of reasons I like the EVlink more:

1. Assembled in US.
2. Small, attractive enclosure.
3. Separate cable holder.
4. Bosch delivery problems and misinformation.
5. Called Bosch in May, left message and they never called me back.
 
DanBaldwin said:
I just received notification that there is a recall on Schneider EV2430 and EV230 EVSEs with the first 5 digits of the serial number between 12331 and 13117 using the TE Connectivity J1772 plug. Under certain conditions the handle can overheat.

Does anyone have any more details since this post?

I have an EVLINK EV230WS. More and more frequently when I connect to charge I
get the blue 3 beep blink sequence on the dash of a faulty connection. I have jiggled,
tried to connect it at different angles and reset the power and no luck.

The connectivity plug does have melted plastic smell at the handle.

And my first 5 digits of the serial number DO fall between 12331 and 13117, but I have
some addition numbers after. This was a Home Depot purchased one from 2013 and
initially had no problems but in the last year the problem has gotten so bad I can no longer
charge. I did register the unit at purchases online but have not received any recall notice.

--continuation--

I found the recall notice online and have opened a case

http://www.scribd.com/doc/134793434/Recall-Notice" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
So I got my Schneider unit(EVLink 230WS) installed yesterday.

I tried charging as soon as the installation was finished. I started with 10 miles left in range. After just a little over 2.5 hours, it was up to 108 miles.

I know I probably shouldn't be complaining about getting a full charge in under 3 hours, but I thought a level 2 charge is supposed to take around 4 hours. Or are the MY15's supposed to juice up faster because of the lizard chemistry? I am just concerned that the unexpected ultra-short charging time that I will be doing at home on a regular basis may not be good for the battery in the long run.
 
If you have a Leaf the charge starts out at 27.5A if you have an S with the charge package or a SV, SL. At about 80% it starts tapering the charge. By the time it is full it is barely charging. It does this to protect the battery.

If you have a basic S then the max charge is 16A. It will only take what it wants regardless of what is available.

Many people over buy the EVSE thinking it will help. The truth is that even if you had the J1772 max of 80A the car will still only take what it needs.
 
If you read the very beginnings of this thread, you'd find some of the earliest units shipped had some programming problems, and Schneider's response was to send an engineer out to people's houses, across several states, to fix the problem, sometimes hiring local electricians just to switch off the breaker. It was pretty impressive. That level of support assured me that an EV Link would be a good choice. To reinforce that, here's a story for you:

Two weeks ago, I came home and plugged in. I've never had any issues before, even going from the '12 to the '15 SV w/6.6. My unit wasn't part of the above mentioned recall either. But this time, as soon as it started charging, I hear a very loud noise, reminded me of Miles Davis actually, and I thought, uh oh! At first I thought it was the car, having read a couple threads about loud hums when charging and it being my first LEAF from Smyrna. Always waiting for some build quality issue. But as I was going round to the drivers side to pop the hood, I passed the EV Link and realized that was the source.

Touching the outer casing made the noise alter in tone and pitch, so I shut it off, shut off the breaker, take off the cover, no heat issue, no burning smell. Put it back together and plug in again and nothing, same low level hum it always has, and it never repeated, still fine after two more weeks of use.

But at the time, it worried me a little, so I sent off an email to Schneider's contact page, describing the above, and asking how concerned I should be, if it indicates some kind of imminent component failure, and should I be thinking about replacing it soon. Probably out of warranty after two years.

I get a reply next day saying my message was forwarded to the EVSE group. Day after that, I get this:

Thanks for contacting us in regards to the EV station!  The buzzing you heard is the contactor inside the station.  This contactor may have a little bit of debris built up inside, but as you have seen, just a slight bump of it clears that away.  This is not a sign of any pending component failure, but just to be sure I'd like to offer to send a replacement unit.  There are some other updates to the unit (a change from a 5ma ground fault detection to 20ma) that will make it more robust, especially since your update to the 2015 Leaf!
Let me know if this is ok and a good shipping address and I'll have it delivered next week!
 
Best Regards,
Craig
 
 


----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Craig Wallace | Schneider Electric | North America Operations | Senior Technical Support Engineer

Needless to say, this is indeed OK, and yesterday I receive a brand new EVSE. :shock: :shock: :D

I was expecting reassurance that it was no big deal. The bit about the debris would have sufficed. What I got was mind blowing, way, way beyond the call of duty customer service.

So,moral of the story? If you're considering buying a Schneider EVSE, you can be more than reasonably assured that service support will not be a problem.


P.S. I sent him a thank you note, and got this in reply:

Thank you for the very kind note!  Schneider Electric is dedicated to providing phenomenal customer service and it helps that this mantra flows down from our senior management to empower employees like myself to ensure this experience for every customer!
 
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