Summary of EVSE options

[LTLFTcomposite]

There is no room in the panel. So breaker would have to be replaced for Schneider...

I wasn't suggesting to add a breaker, but rather to change the 30A breaker you have to a 40A. As the other poster pointed out the wire needs to be #8, but you don't have the circuit wired yet so no problem there just use #8.

 

[JJnHAWAII]

I ordered the EVSE upgrade with the quick 220, together it works great! In the future I will install a permanent charger, but for now this works and its portable. Sending back my evse today to get my deposit back.

220v charging is so much better than 110 ...

 

[suwaneedad]

Received Schneider from HD.com. LEAF arrives next week (allegedly). What price ranges have folks paid for an electrician to install their EVSE in their garage? I have sufficient capacity at my panel, so just need someone licensed to put the 40A circuit in place and install the EVSE to the wall/wire it up.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Why are people spending almost $1000 on a 16A EVSE? Regardless that is a high price even for a 6.6kw unit. One does not need a 40A circuit for a 16A load just a hole in their pockets for the money to drop on the floor :shock:

 

[mitch672]

One does not need a 40A circuit for a 16A load

Yes, you do, if you are installing a Schnieder EVSE, it supports up to 7.2KW charger, and to meet code REQUIRES a 40A breaker to supply up to the 30A required (%80 rule). This is a CODE requirement, not a FUNCTIONAL requirement. Sure a 20A breaker would work fine on the Schnieder with the current generation Leaf, until you try to get it to pass an electrical inspection or plug in a 6.6KW EV into it, where it would instantly trip the breaker. Stop telling people they can use undersized breakers for a smaller load, it all is dependent on the EVSE specifications, not the actual load.

 

[smkettner]

Why are people spending almost $1000 on a 16A EVSE?

Because it suits their needs best. All have different features that appeal to different circumstances.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Why are people spending almost $1000 on a 16A EVSE? Regardless that is a high price even for a 6.6kw unit. One does not need a 40A circuit for a 16A load just a hole in their pockets for the money to drop on the floor :shock:

I got the Schneider, installed now working great and yes it is on a 40A breaker with #8 wire, just as others have reported.

Yeah, with the materials and such it was a little over $1k all told, but since I leased I didn't want to do the L1 modification route, even though I'm sure it would have worked fine and saved a few hundred bucks now, I'm 90% certain they would have dinged me on it at the end of the lease.

After driving the car around for the week and seeing the stream of EVs in the pipeline I view the EVSE as an investment in the house, not so much in the Leaf.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Why are people spending almost $1000 on a 16A EVSE?

Because it suits their needs best. All have different features that appeal to different circumstances.

Features? There are no features on the Leviton. All the EVSE units in this price range are basic charge cords. The only possible difference is output, price and build quality. If I were flushing money on a wall mounted EVSE I would get a Leviton over a AV just because I don't believe in AVs business practices. These do the same thing but the AV has twice the output at a lower cost and is made of cheaper materials. One could convert their EVSE for $300 and mount it to the wall and get the same charging to the LEAF at a fraction at the cost and use it on the go if needed. What "feature" is missing for that extra $700. I think this is mostly based on fear or perception not real practicality or features. I have said this before the LEAF was even released and eventually many people are going to wonder why they spent so much for a metal box with a J1772 cord. I'm already hearing this in fact. If you own a LEAF and think spending more on a 6.6kw EVSE is future proofing that is also nonsense since by the time one likely gets an EV with a charger over 3.3kw it will likely be 7.2kw or more and EVSE units will cost even less. History repeats, this is not the first go around on this EVSE nonsense but I suspect most will be kicking themselves for over spending. Yes, some may need a second unit and the economics of that make sense in some cases however I bet there will be plenty of head scratching in the next 1-2 years. If spending that money makes one feel good then so be it but there is no "feature" I can see for that money unless these units massage the battery pack for longer life :lol: I'll leave my batteries "tense" thanks.

 

[davewill]

... What "feature" is missing for that extra $700. ...

As you have been told repeatedly, the feature that is missing is having a permanent solution on the garage wall AND a portable one in the trunk...and with the Nissan price increase, a second upgrade now costs nearly $1000...as much as a 30a unit that is designed to mount on the wall.

 

[smkettner]

EVDRIVER, do you really use the Nissan unit every day at home and coil it up and take it with you every day?

That is the feature I dislike. Although I did live on L1 for about 5 months and did not carry it in the car much. So if you are comfortable with that I am glad it works for you. But I for one do not see that as a permanent solution.

 

[Herm]

You probably will need a new EVSE in 10-15 years anyways, the thing will wear out eventually. By then you will need a 14kw EVSE.

 

[EVDRIVER]

EVDRIVER, do you really use the Nissan unit every day at home and coil it up and take it with you every day?

That is the feature I dislike. Although I did live on L1 for about 5 months and did not carry it in the car much. So if you are comfortable with that I am glad it works for you. But I for one do not see that as a permanent solution.

No. I mention the exception when using TWO units, in this case it may makes sense to buy a wall mount unit in addition to a portable, that is the exception because the wall unit can cost less than a new Panasonic unit. If one only needs portable use occasionally then a converted unit makes more sense, hang it on the wall and then take it when needed. If you have a POS Blink a modified unit is good for a back up as well. There are plenty of people that spent $2K plus and more to upgrade their service to have 3.8kw charging even though they had an extra dryer outlet and could have spent $300 and been done. This is my point and I talk to people all the time that don't know this until AV has gouged them, etc.

I have four EV charging locations in my garage and until this year I never used an EVSE, even when I had an AVCON inlet. I do like the J1772 and the Panasonic EVSE because it is a good design and a smart move for most Americans that would do quite a bit of damage with a standard cord. The safety measures of the EVSE are really smart and I'm glad the days of stupid cords are gone, they don't last and they are not safe. Be glad you never had to use an AVCON :shock:

 

[keydiver]

Do you mean like these:

I just took these pictures today, so I could post them to find out what they fit. :?:
Friends keep telling me about a restaurant in Jupiter that has EV charging stations, so I went to check it out. My guess is that the owner of the restaurant must have a Tesla. :?: :?: Is there any way to adapt them to J1722? Not that it really matters, as I found that the Jupiter Town Hall has two very nice charge stations. Both are free, with 2 parking spaces per charger. Very nice just in case of emergency, but hopefully I will never need them. I mainly wanted my wife to see them so she felt like she has a backup plan.

 

[davewill]

... Is there any way to adapt them to J1722? Not that it really matters, as I found that the Jupiter Town Hall has two very nice charge stations. Both are free, with 2 parking spaces per charger. Very nice just in case of emergency, but hopefully I will never need them. I mainly wanted my wife to see them so she felt like she has a backup plan.

Indeed there is. The electrical connections are are the same, it's only the connector that is different...unfortunately the connectors you'd need to make an adapter are expensive...Not worth doing unless you needed to use one of these on a regular basis. By the same token, the owner of the station could upgrade it to J1772...it might be worth a friendly inquiry.

 

[EVDRIVER]

... Is there any way to adapt them to J1722? Not that it really matters, as I found that the Jupiter Town Hall has two very nice charge stations. Both are free, with 2 parking spaces per charger. Very nice just in case of emergency, but hopefully I will never need them. I mainly wanted my wife to see them so she felt like she has a backup plan.

Indeed there is. The electrical connections are are the same, it's only the connector that is different...unfortunately the connectors you'd need to make an adapter are expensive...Not worth doing unless you needed to use one of these on a regular basis. By the same token, the owner of the station could upgrade it to J1772...it might be worth a friendly inquiry.

Change the cord. People have done this.

 

[keydiver]

But what do these fit?

 

[planet4ever]

Mostly RAV4 EV, I think. See Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAV4EV

Ray

 

[arnolddeleon]

Mostly RAV4 EV, I think. See Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RAV4EV

Ray

Most RAV4-EV take the small paddle inductive (SPI). I don't believe there were ever any official AVCON RAV4-EVs. Early models had the Yazaki conductive connector.

Some RAV4-EV owners have portablized their chargers and can use an AVCON (with an appropriate adapter).

111,500+ miles RAV4-EV
5400+ miles LEAF

arnold

 

[EVDRIVER]

But what do these fit?

Ranger EV, some old Think models

 

[arnolddeleon]

But what do these fit?

Ranger EV, some old Think models

Our first EV was a 2000 or 2001 model of the Th!nk City that we rented 3 months. We called it the toy car because it had plastic body panels. Hertz rented them out and you get an AVCON charging dock that was connected to a electric range plug (NEMA 14-50 if memory serves me). Top speed was about 56 mph. I don't think there there were any public charging stations that had AVCON when I had that car.

arnold