Aerovironment EVSE install information

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I have an existing, relatively recent 220V electric dryer connection in my garage, perfectly located (installed before I bought the house.) It's two 20amp breakers ganged together, and the wires are in great shape. Is this (in theory) suitable, or does it sound like I need to replace it (with a single dual-pole 40amp breaker, for instance)?
 
daveowenville said:
I have an existing, relatively recent 220V electric dryer connection in my garage, perfectly located (installed before I bought the house.) It's two 20amp breakers ganged together, and the wires are in great shape. Is this (in theory) suitable, or does it sound like I need to replace it (with a single dual-pole 40amp breaker, for instance)?
Will not be approved for Aerovironment install.
I believe it would be fine with a 16a Leviton unit and give plenty of power for the 3.3Kw LEAF charger.
What size wire? #12 is 20a max, #10 is 30a, #8 is needed for 40a. 20a seems small for a dryer.
 
AV should be able to install on a 20-amp breaker-circuit, and set their "max-current" for 15 (or 16) amps instead of 30 (or 32).

However, you might want to consider the www.ev-chargeamerica.com L2 EVSE now on sale for $649.
 
FYI..... Just talked to AV about possibly buying a unit (alone) and having my electrician do the other work and got this other piece of info. If you purchase the charging unit stand alone ($721.12 +shipping+tax) you will only get a 3 year parts/service warranty, and will have to ship the unit TO THEM for any repairs. If you have AV do the installation, the e-year warranty covers ON SITE service. To me, for a new piece of electronics, that warranty info is important. How important we have yet to see, as not a single unit is installed to a consumer yet.
 
With the amount of $ you save getting a licensed electrician do the electrical work you can buy a brand new AV charger if the one you have malfunctions or breaks! AV is at the bottom of my list in regards to the home chargers. I do not like companies who price gouge! It is unfortunate that Nissan chose AV as their home charger "partners". AV is dishonest and manipulating their pricing!
 
mwalsh said:
JPC2822 said:
I called AV and they agreed that the price of their contracted electrician seems high. I asked about purchasing just the charging system. AV stated that I could do this although it would not have the warranty on installation or something.

Wait a minute, that's a 180 degree swing from what many of us have been told by AV in preceding weeks. Those who inquired until now have been told in no uncertain terms that AV will not sell an EVSE to anyone but their authorized contractor. So if that is true, then things are starting to turn for the better!

(UPDATE)
... turn for the better? Maybe. Just today (Monday the 27th), if you inquire by phone, for the first time AV's people are responding, "in two months" (plus all the necessary waivers) if you wish to buy their EVSE w/out one of their installers putting it in. IOW, no 2010 tax credit for you. Now the Feds may ultimately bring the credit back for subsequent tax years ... but who knows.

.
 
hill said:
mwalsh said:
JPC2822 said:
I called AV and they agreed that the price of their contracted electrician seems high. I asked about purchasing just the charging system. AV stated that I could do this although it would not have the warranty on installation or something.

Wait a minute, that's a 180 degree swing from what many of us have been told by AV in preceding weeks. Those who inquired until now have been told in no uncertain terms that AV will not sell an EVSE to anyone but their authorized contractor. So if that is true, then things are starting to turn for the better!

(UPDATE)
... turn for the better? Maybe. Just today (Monday the 27th), if you inquire by phone, for the first time AV's people are responding, "in two months" (plus all the necessary waivers) if you wish to buy their EVSE w/out one of their installers putting it in. IOW, no 2010 tax credit for you. Now the Feds may ultimately bring the credit back for subsequent tax years ... but who knows.

.


What do you mean no tax credit? Two months from now would be Nov 27 ish, all you need is a receipt by Dec 31 to get the credit. If you buy that over priced unit that is. Where is the tax issue.
 
I got my updated second quote from AV today (after calling several times to remind them).

To review my situation, I have a quote of $2,636 from AV to add a breaker to my panel, run 60 feet of conduit and wire and connect the EVSE. This compared well to independent quotes that I got from two local electricians to just add the breaker and run the conduit and wiring, including the cost of an EVSE priced equal to AV's unit. But my issue is that my 100 A panel is full, and verbal discussion from AV led in the direction of them adding a sub panel at no extra charge. After bugging them to update the scope of work on my quote to include this, here is the revised scope of work that I got today (no change in the price of the quote).

Pull permit. Install (1) 40 Ampere 240 Volt circuit breaker in existing utility panel. Install 60 feet or less of feeder from utility panel to wall mounted Charging Dock. Feeder (Conduit or Romex cable) will be mounted to existing surfaces or run through crawl space or attic. Charging Dock will be installed at customer preferred location (per assessment) and will be fully tested and certified with proprietary service tool. Customer will be trained on operation and troubleshooting and inspector will be called for verification. Please note: The existing utility panel is fully loaded. At the time of assessment it was discussed while obtaining a permit if main panel or sub panel load exceeds the calculations for the existing plus the additional load of the Charging Dock a new quote will be sent for a utility panel upgrade.

The only mention of a sub panel is incidental at the end. They have not added a sub panel as part of the scope of work, as I was told they would. But the real kicker is the "if" towards the end. I take this to mean that if I accept this quote, they will attempt to add a breaker to my panel. If it doesn't pass inspection due to exceeding load calculations, they will re-quote me again for a panel upgrade.

This does not appear to me to be a legitimate quote. They and their contracted electricians are supposed to be the experts. They should know up front what will and won't pass inspection and quote me on an installation that will pass. I'm not going to accept such an indefinite quote. If they want my business, they will need to determine what my costs will be in advance. At this point, I see the "if" statement as a hedge against their costs if their assessment turns out to be poorly done and they need to upgrade my service.

I have a very good quote from an independent electrician for a panel upgrade at just over $2,000, so if I need an upgrade, I'll go with him. Who knows what AV will want to charge me. It will certainly be at least $3,000. In that case, the calculation swings back in the direction of the independent electrician doing the whole job.

I may be in the market for a different brand of EVSE after all. :roll:

Thoughts anyone?

Thanks
 
If I get the AV unit- which I highly doubt I will- I will have another licensed electrician do the work- NOT the AV contracted electrician! I am waiting to see what the Leviton home charger will cost.
 
JPC2822 said:
If I get the AV unit- which I highly doubt I will- I will have another licensed electrician do the work- NOT the AV contracted electrician! I am waiting to see what the Leviton home charger will cost.


Good idea.
 
evnow said:
Q:what's different about the Nissan LEAF charging dock?[/color]
A:the Nissan LEAF charging dock is made by AeroVironment (AV) http://www.avinc.com, a technology company that has been on the leading edge of electric vehicle charging technology since the 1980s. AV played a key role in developing the prototype of the first mass market EV, has a line of testing equipment used widely by EV manufacturers to test their technologies, and has been supporting industrial electric vehicles with charging systems for ten years. AV's home charging system is based on years of experience and proven technical expertise, making it an ideal solution for your home and your Nissan LEAF.

Am I missing something, or did you not answer your own question. The FAQ (which I presume you wrote) asks what is different about the dock. The answer is about the company. Can you answer the actual question?

Better yet, how about a clearer question:

Q: What is in AVs home charging station besides a high-voltage relay, a standards-compliant power cord, two switches and LEDs?
 
planet4ever said:
OrientExpress said:
I have to agree that $1200 ~ $1300 is outrageous. If you take a standard labor rate of $120, that means that the installer needs 10 hours to install a charger.
Far be it from me to defend what I agree is an outrageous charge, but in fairness we should admit that it may require three trips - assessment, installation, city inspection.

They charge $100 for assessment (something done for free by any electrician)
Inspection is a separate $300 charge.

So, no, there is no mitigation of the outrageousness.

By the way, my electrician charged me $175 to run the new circuit in my garage. Drywall guy charged $50 to patch the wall.

And by the way, the $1,200 install won't include patching your wall. Only running the wire outside the wall. Classic.
 
Gonewild said:
Well I am sorry you are having these problems. I am glad that I am getting my charger, what brand I am not sure. But the tax man is paying.

Who is paying the tax man?
 
storeman86 said:
I just got my quote back from AV for a garage installed wall mounted charger. I was informed AV charges a fixed price for the easy installs then goes up from there. My was an easy install. I have a 50Amp 220v plug already installed when the house was built just for the EV charger station. So I am being charged $1,199.90 to install 2 bolts and plug in the unit, plus $150 for a permit not need because it's plugged in therefore it's an appliance by my city building Dept. Permits were previously made for the plug when the house was built. Then $49.95 for shipping, $721.12 for the wall unit and $70.31 for California sales tax.

:D Seems to me the 32A 220v plug-in Leviton unit is going to be a much better deal. I'm just waiting for Leviton to publish there plug-in price.

Leviton is currently stating that their plug adaptor will require a Leviton certified installer. I would suspend judgement until you find out the tax for that detail.
 
LEAFer said:
EVDRIVER said:
smkettner said:
I honestly believe a 50a appliance cord from Home Depot could be attached to the wall unit and it could just be plugged in.
Anyway that is my plan.

Yes, it can.
Which, of course, will give AV an excuse to void the warranty. So the choice is Leviton (and others) or AV (with possibly no warranty). Up to the user to decide which of these units to buy based on design/attractivness, portability, durability, price, etc.

AV is a military contractor, not a consumer company. Exactly what kind of support do you think they are going to be capable of providing under a warranty, anyway? Try calling their customer support line. Makes Comcast seem like Zappos.
 
Yea we all need a certified installer to put a few mount screws in the wall and plug it into an outlet :roll: :lol:

It will be click and buy or I will get on just fine with L1 :cool:
 
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