smkettner
Well-known member
Well if you plan to get a city permit then submit a plan to see what is expected to get approval.
You don't want to do it twice.
You don't want to do it twice.
JouleThief said:Thanks for the reply joulethief. Can you clarify the upgrades that are needed? On your link, you describe that in order to future proof your evse and utilize the 32 amp, it is necessary to upgrade the input and output wires. I am assuming since my battery is 6.6 kw, I will need to do these upgrades?
Well unfortunately I think the upgrade would be rather costly if you decided to do it. First you would need to get a J1772 cable with 8-3AWG wire and also the pilot signal comm wire. This isn't a standard cable you can buy at your local home depot, my guess is you could probably have a 20' cable made for maybe $200. Then you'd need to source a J1772 connector rated to handle 32A. I believe there are currently only 2 versions, a 30A (which comes standard on the Power Xpress) or a 70A. Last I checked the cheapest J1772 connector I could find was $200 and it was only rated to 30A. Then you would need to assemble this hardware or pay someone to do it for you. All said and done I'd expect this to run you $400-$600. It's safe to say NO ONE has actually done this yet, so you would be doing some trail blazing here. You could also call SPX and ask for their help and recommendations but I wouldn't count on much support from them.
The good news is I don't think it's really necessary in you're case. As I mentioned, a 6.6kWh charger on a 240V line will only draw 27.5A (6.6kWh = 6600W / 240V = 27.5A). So if I were you, I would get the Power Xpress, set it to 32A, and not worry about it since your car won't pull more than 27.5A anyway. This will just allow the Power Xpress to deliver the max charge your car can take. And if you're planning to plug into dryer outlets, they will have a 30A breaker anyway so if for any reason you ever did pull more than 30A, the breaker would simply trip. If you ever find it to become an issue, just dial the Power Xpress back to 24A, which wouldn't be much slower than 27.5 anyway (5.76kWh).
ss0808 said:Thanks for all the great info on installing the outlet. My power xpress arrives 1/9/12. My bro in law and I are all set to do this project on my own but I am getting cold feet. I think I will get some more quotes from licensed electricians. Any recs for a good and reasonably priced electrician in orange county?
amtoro said:I called SPX about this issue. I do not have the car yet but I wanted to know what they say about it and what would my options be in case I experience the same problem with the end timer.
This is actually the second time I call. I did it about a month ago and did not receive a straight answer from the girl with technical support; this time I asked them if they had heard about the issue before and they said I was the first one (even if I called about it a month ago and talked to a different technician/engineer) and that they document every call.
Basically, the guy said that the Power Express is built on the same standard as everyone else's and that it should work; he even blamed the LEAF for not knowing how to request power using the end timer...
Can you (everyone who has had the problem) call SPX at 877 805 3873, option 2, and cordially request an explanation? they say that I must try with my vehicle when it arrives and use the L1 unit, verify that the car charges with the end timer and then attempt with the PowerExpress and document the results. They say that if it does not work, they would assume the unit is defective and send me a new one.
Also, when calling, ask if they are aware of the issue and if someone has called them before. I called today, Oct 31st at 16:12 EDT.
Lets bombard them with requests until they accept that the EVSE does not communicate well with the LEAF and they fix it. :roll:
leaf4me said:Did SPX ever fix this issue? If so, what was required to get the fix? (I received my Leaf two weeks ago. I have the SPX Power Xpress, and it has this issue.)
amtoro said:leaf4me said:I guess I will post an ad in the Volt forum and try to sell it there; SPX only listens to Chevy customers. :evil:
smkettner said:SPX must be trying to prevent the Volt from repetedly charging to 100% each night when vehicle has not been used.
Of course this should be resolved at the vehicle not the evse.
garygid said:If one leaves a Volt plugged in to a "normal" (non-stingy) EVSE, it will do a top-up charge over and over?
How often will the Volt automatically top up, ... every day, every hour, ...?
Sounds ... strange.
Wouldn't Leaf do the same if the timer was set to charger 100% from 12a to 6a every day?garygid said:If one leaves a Volt plugged in to a "normal" (non-stingy) EVSE, it will do a top-up charge over and over?
How often will the Volt automatically top up, ... every day, every hour, ...?
Sounds ... strange.
garygid said:I believe ... that this "defect/feature" comes from an unnecessarily-strict (or even incorrect) interpretation of the J1772 handshake sequence.
Some EVSEs are "stingy", and are programmed to supply power to the car ONLY ONCE for each J1772 plug-in sequence.
However, this strictness is not required by the J1772 Standard. Reading (and then implementing) only the typical-use handshake sequence could lead one to designing a simple, but "stingy" EVSE.
However, following the J1772's specified State-Transition Chart (somewhat more difficult to understand) leads one to an EVSE design that will provide multiple Power On/Off sequences during one Plug-In session.
After plug-in, the LEAF asks for power briefly (when the End-Only Timer is being used). It does this to determine the Voltage and Max-Amps that it will have to use LATER, when charging. The LEAF needs this information to calculate WHEN to "Start Charging" to meet the End-Time specified.
When the LEAF asks later for power to be turned ON (again), these "stingy" EVSEs refuse to comply with the request.
Many EVSEs (properly, I believe) supply power again, but the "stingy" EVSE does not.
Yeah, the LEAF "samples" the voltage no matter what kind of timer is active. The problem must be more subtle...maybe the SPX doesn't turn on the power quick enough for the LEAF to successfully sample it?amtoro said:Thank you for the detailed explanation, garygid.
Curiously, the SPX does not have a problem with the remote requests during the same plugged-in session; I can have the car charged to 80% as normal (it usually reaches that SOC at 4:30 am), but if I assume I will need a 100% charge that day, I can send the remote request to restart the charge and top-up when I get up if I have about 90 minutes before leaving in the morning.
davewill said:Yeah, the LEAF "samples" the voltage no matter what kind of timer is active. The problem must be more subtle...maybe the SPX doesn't turn on the power quick enough for the LEAF to successfully sample it?amtoro said:Thank you for the detailed explanation, garygid.
Curiously, the SPX does not have a problem with the remote requests during the same plugged-in session; I can have the car charged to 80% as normal (it usually reaches that SOC at 4:30 am), but if I assume I will need a 100% charge that day, I can send the remote request to restart the charge and top-up when I get up if I have about 90 minutes before leaving in the morning.
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