EVSE Upgrade

[Ingineer]

Ok, now I get it Phil. The portable EVSE not supposed to be used outside.

Only when on 240v! If you are connecting to 120v, you can use it outdoors (as long as you connect it to a GFCI protected outlet) Note the exceptions in the electrical code for 120v at or below 20A.

Even though 240v is comprised of two 120v hots, and it's widely used across the globe, the NEC would have us believe it's deadly. If you are standing in a wet puddle, and you touch a bare wire, regardless whether it's from a 240v outlet or a 120v outlet, it's still only 120v above ground, so that's what will flow through your body. It's very difficult to create a voltage differential through your torso of more than 120v, regardless of whether you are messing with 240v or not. Yes, you might get 240v through a finger, but it'd be difficult to get it across your chest.

-Phil

 

[mhigley]

Ok, now I get it Phil. The portable EVSE not supposed to be used outside.

Only when on 240v! If you are connecting to 120v, you can use it outdoors (as long as you connect it to a GFCI protected outlet) Note the exceptions in the electrical code for 120v at or below 20A.

Sorry Phil, I should have said 240v.

120v is everywhere and available for free public use at most of the lakes I frequent. It would just be cooler to L2 charge there instead of L1.

 

[Ingineer]

Sorry Phil, I should have said 240v.

120v is everywhere and available for free public use at most of the lakes I frequent. It would just be cooler to L2 charge there instead of L1.

Of course I can't suggest you should attempt such a thing, but many of my customers charge L2 using two 120v outlets and the Quick220 device. There is a homebrew version as well.

-Phil

 

[mhigley]

120v is everywhere and available for free public use at most of the lakes I frequent. It would just be cooler to L2 charge there instead of L1. Of course I can't suggest you should attempt such a thing, but many of my customers charge L2 using two 120v outlets and the Quick220 device. There is a homebrew version as well.

Thanks Phil. I try to stay away from homebrew. If there's a way to screw it up, I'll find it Your upgrade to my cord saved me hundreds of dollars. I think I'll stop there for now.

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question but...............Just out of curiosity, what would happen if I plugged my upgraded cord with a NEMA 14 from evse adapters into this plug at the RV park?

 

[TonyWilliams]

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question but...............Just out of curiosity, what would happen if I plugged my upgraded cord with a NEMA 14 from evse adapters into this plug at the RV park?

You need the NEMA L6-20R to NEMA 14-50P adapter. It will work fine.

http://www.EVSEadapters.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[Ingineer]

I'm sorry if this is a stupid question but...............Just out of curiosity, what would happen if I plugged my upgraded cord with a NEMA 14 from evse adapters into this plug at the RV park?

You'll be charging at level II. It'll add almost a mile of range for each 5 minutes you charge.

-Phil

 

[TEG]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fEjDY2N3l4M[/youtube]

Interesting bit at 2:12...

 

[DaveCox]

I purchased one of these upgrades. It is great. Like the others, this is the only charger that I need.

Dave

 

[muus]

I have a design for a powerful next-gen portable EVSE with loads of features that I came up with back in 2011. I had prototyped it only to find out that there was no business case for it (yet), so it sits on a shelf. It has interchangeable plugs with a detection mechanism so the EVSE will correctly limit current when used on smaller outlets. Unfortunately to add this feature to the upgrade, it would have been too expensive, because it would have required a lot of custom molds. As the EV market grows, there will be a point at which it makes sense to put this design into production. It blows away everything else! (but I can't give away all the secrets yet!)

-Phil

Isn't this exactly how the Tesla Mobile Connector works? They sell adaptors for most (all) common plugs which tells the mobile connector what is the maximum current available.

http://www.teslamotors.com/roadster/charging/universal-mobile-connector

 

[Volusiano]

I assume that even though the 2013 SV and SL come with a 6.6 kw charger, the (new?) L1 EVSE that comes with it can still only be upgraded to L2 16A at the most, and not at 32A, correct?

Is the new L1 EVSE for the 2013 MY as robust as the Panasonice EVSE that came with 2011 and 2012 MY?

 

[davewill]

I assume that even though the 2013 SV and SL come with a 6.6 kw charger, the (new?) L1 EVSE that comes with it can still only be upgraded to L2 16A at the most, and not at 32A, correct?

Is the new L1 EVSE for the 2013 MY as robust as the Panasonic EVSE that came with 2011 and 2012 MY?

Reports are that it's not. The pictures I saw look like the one that came with the Rav4, which Phil upgraded, but only to 240v 12a.

 

[Ingineer]

I assume that even though the 2013 SV and SL come with a 6.6 kw charger, the (new?) L1 EVSE that comes with it can still only be upgraded to L2 16A at the most, and not at 32A, correct?

Is the new L1 EVSE for the 2013 MY as robust as the Panasonice EVSE that came with 2011 and 2012 MY?

First off, the RAV4 EVSE and the new Nissan EVSE are totally different, and not even made by the same people. We are still doing research, but there is a chance we will be able to offer a 20A upgrade for the 2013 EVSE's. This means 4.8kW into your 2013 Leaf. Not the full capacity, but still quite good! (about 140% faster than the original. This means going from 6:45 from turtle to 4:55, or shaving off almost 2 hours for a full charge! (Possibly even more, as the new charger design seems to be more efficient, but more testing is needed to quantify.)

We might have some other interesting improvements as well.

-Phil

 

[mwalsh]

Don't get distracted, Phil. LEAFSCAN first!