Which EVSE to buy??

[bizzle]

I love digging up old threads.

I have been able to avoid having to charge at home (free 30 amp chargers near work), but a situation couple of days ago made me think that perhaps it would be wise to purchase a faster home charger than the 120V one provided with the car. Being the tightwad I am, saw Commercial Blink Level 2 Chargers on ebay for relatively cheeeep price.

Quick read on the interwebs say that there are cable melting/overheating issues at higher amperage that may/may not have been resolved. Makes me wonder how that's UL compliant... and also wondering if these units have to be networked to even function or to access the full UI.

What are your general impressions on Blink chargers?

I bought two from Glenn last year. I only use one of them. I'm to the east of you past Alpine (in the desert) but my wife and I come into San Diego frequently. I could sell you the spare for around what I paid for it (I think couple hundred bucks) or you could ask him to make you one if he's still doing it. I searched a while for an OpenEVSE turnkey vs. kit and all of that. I found another guy in AZ but he's making a business out of it whereas Glenn was just helping fellow EV owners out in his retirement so the AZ guy was about double the price and Glenn's are basically the cost of materials.

 

[GlennD]

I love digging up old threads.

I have been able to avoid having to charge at home (free 30 amp chargers near work), but a situation couple of days ago made me think that perhaps it would be wise to purchase a faster home charger than the 120V one provided with the car. Being the tightwad I am, saw Commercial Blink Level 2 Chargers on ebay for relatively cheeeep price.

Quick read on the interwebs say that there are cable melting/overheating issues at higher amperage that may/may not have been resolved. Makes me wonder how that's UL compliant... and also wondering if these units have to be networked to even function or to access the full UI.

What are your general impressions on Blink chargers?

I bought two from Glenn last year. I only use one of them. I'm to the east of you past Alpine (in the desert) but my wife and I come into San Diego frequently. I could sell you the spare for around what I paid for it (I think couple hundred bucks) or you could ask him to make you one if he's still doing it. I searched a while for an OpenEVSE turnkey vs. kit and all of that. I found another guy in AZ but he's making a business out of it whereas Glenn was just helping fellow EV owners out in his retirement so the AZ guy was about double the price and Glenn's are basically the cost of materials.

That is a 16A @240V unit. It will fully charge a basic ES or slowly charge an upgraded unit. The beauty of the J1772 spec is that the car's charger adapts to the current the EVSE is offering as long as it is less than the car wants. If you charge overnight the 16A EVSE will serve you well and the price is right.

I have a 40A EVSE that I used on my B. It charges my eGolf at 30A just fine. At that level the EVSE is loafing but it tells the car 40A is available and the car's charger takes what it needs(30A) and it ignores the rest.

I just may down grade the cable to gain 5 feet since the eGolf's port is away from the EVSE. I have a spare 25 foot cable. The twenty feet Quick Charge Power cable just makes it and 30A is currently good enough.

 

[daeofcal]

Thanks for all your input guys. I ended up snagging a secondhand Bosch 30 amp station from eBay, which had its warranty voided the moment it was transferred to me. I stuck a NEMA 14-30P cable to the unit as the power source to further assure the warranty's destruction. So as soon as I verified that it was working as intended, I took it apart to check out the innards for possible modifications. There is a lot of empty space inside the station that seems rather wasteful. Maybe there is a heating issue that I'm not aware of which requires the extra space, but there is nothing inside resembling a heat sink or radiator, so maybe the shape and size is purely for aesthetics. The thought of re-casing it into a smaller portable project box has crossed my mind as well.

Anyways, I had initially wanted to dremel in a cheapo display unit for power consumption, but the charger has an ethernet port and a 4-pin header on the mainboard. I have seen these stations with credit card readers tacked on eBay so there's a possibility of networking capability already baked in. It would be nice to see if I can get any meaningful signal off of it like you would with a network device. Hopefully I don't brick it in the process. :lol:

 

[miimura]

Thanks for all your input guys. I ended up snagging a secondhand Bosch 30 amp station from eBay, which had its warranty voided the moment it was transferred to me. I stuck a NEMA 14-30P cable to the unit as the power source to further assure the warranty's destruction. So as soon as I verified that it was working as intended, I took it apart to check out the innards for possible modifications. There is a lot of empty space inside the station that seems rather wasteful. Maybe there is a heating issue that I'm not aware of which requires the extra space, but there is nothing inside resembling a heat sink or radiator, so maybe the shape and size is purely for aesthetics. The thought of re-casing it into a smaller portable project box has crossed my mind as well.

Anyways, I had initially wanted to dremel in a cheapo display unit for power consumption, but the charger has an ethernet port and a 4-pin header on the mainboard. I have seen these stations with credit card readers tacked on eBay so there's a possibility of networking capability already baked in. It would be nice to see if I can get any meaningful signal off of it like you would with a network device. Hopefully I don't brick it in the process. :lol:

Running a 30 amp station on a 14-30 socket is not safe. You must have wire, breaker, and plug that is sized 125% of the continuous charging load. That means that the 30 amp station should have a 40 amp breaker (rounded up to the next available size) and wire sized appropriately for that breaker size. The installation manual backs up this information by specifically calling for a 40 amp non-GFI circuit breaker. If you want to use a plug on this unit, only a 14-50 or 6-50 plug would be appropriate and safe.

 

[GlennD]

As EVSE is considered a continuous load by the NEC. As such the circuit has to be derated to 80%. Thus a 30A circuit is good for 24A, A 40A circuit is 32A, and a 50A circuit is 40A.

You can say that it will charge the car in less than 3 hours but the NEC is what it is.

 

[daeofcal]

Running a 30 amp station on a 14-30 socket is not safe. You must have wire, breaker, and plug that is sized 125% of the continuous charging load. That means that the 30 amp station should have a 40 amp breaker (rounded up to the next available size) and wire sized appropriately for that breaker size. The installation manual backs up this information by specifically calling for a 40 amp non-GFI circuit breaker. If you want to use a plug on this unit, only a 14-50 or 6-50 plug would be appropriate and safe.

Unless the eGolf draws max amp despite having it set to 13 amps, this is a non-issue?

Wiring upstream of the receptacle is 8 gauge and 40 amps on non-GFI. I have no intention of placing a 14-50R on that setup. Years from now, some idiot (me) will think that its rated for 50 amps. Yes, I'm aware that the thinnest line is between the wall and the charging station. Yes, I read the installation manual. I think I like my chances with 13 amps on 10 gauge copper wire.

The fact that eMotorWerks sells https://emotorwerks.com/store-juice...box-adapters-input-cables/category_pathway-39 for their 40 amp stations must keep you up at night. Yes, I'm aware that current can be adjusted on Juiceboxes. :roll:

Please don't be condescending and I'll check my sarcasm.

 

[miimura]

Running a 30 amp station on a 14-30 socket is not safe. You must have wire, breaker, and plug that is sized 125% of the continuous charging load. That means that the 30 amp station should have a 40 amp breaker (rounded up to the next available size) and wire sized appropriately for that breaker size. The installation manual backs up this information by specifically calling for a 40 amp non-GFI circuit breaker. If you want to use a plug on this unit, only a 14-50 or 6-50 plug would be appropriate and safe.

Unless the eGolf draws max amp despite having it set to 13 amps, this is a non-issue?

Wiring upstream of the receptacle is 8 gauge and 40 amps on non-GFI. I have no intention of placing a 14-50R on that setup. Years from now, some idiot (me) will think that its rated for 50 amps. Yes, I'm aware that the thinnest line is between the wall and the charging station. Yes, I read the installation manual. I think I like my chances with 13 amps on 10 gauge copper wire.

The fact that eMotorWerks sells https://emotorwerks.com/store-juice...box-adapters-input-cables/category_pathway-39 for their 40 amp stations must keep you up at night. Yes, I'm aware that current can be adjusted on Juiceboxes. :roll:

Please don't be condescending and I'll check my sarcasm.

I don't think I'm being condescending. If I was, I apologize. I worded my post the way I did because you did not seem to know the code requirements for safely installing an EVSE. Most 30 and 32amp EVSE are not provided with a plug because of the lack of a specific 40 amp socket that exactly matches the proper breaker. The code allows you to use a 40 amp breaker on a 14-50 or 6-50 socket.

You never mentioned that you were turning down the current to 13 amps in the car. There are any number of ways to safely operate an EVSE that is not code compliant. I frequently see people saying things like "oh I know I shouldn't put this 32amp EVSE on a 20 amp circuit, but my car only draws 16 amps, so I'm OK". The problem is that only he knows it's a 20 amp circuit and somebody, even a family member, may plug in another car that can draw more current and cause problems. The EVSE is primarily a safety device, so I just want to educate people about how to do it properly.

You are right. Those Juicebox adapters are also a bad idea and I don't think they should be sold to the general public without individual warning labels about what current to set the Juicebox to when they are used.

 

[GlennD]

In general the JuiceBox relay is over-rated. They get away with it because that just because the JuiceBox says it is good for 50A most EV's' draw less than 30A so the rest is ignored. A basic eGolf would draw 16A and an enhanced car like my eGolf would draw 30A. They use a relay that is 80A rared. At that current it is a room heater. At half current it is fine. Either the Chinese are very optimistic or they have much smaller amps. I find the same thing in the eBay power supplies. At half the ratings they are fine.

 

[2wheeladventurer]

So, is there consensus on which EVSE unit to buy... or is there a list of the top 3?

I live in CA. I have a 2015 SE (base model) and I'm planning on getting the electrical outlet done professionally and so am looking for a relatively affordable, but reliable unit that is compatible (J1772 Compliant?) and enables me to 'program'/set the charging time for my generation/model eGolf.

(Apologies in advance for being a bit lazy with my request. I'm sure the answer lies somewhere in this thread, but after 15 minutes of browsing I couldn't find it and so am resorting to a plea for help).

Thanks in advance for any help.

 

[JoulesThief]

So, is there consensus on which EVSE unit to buy... or is there a list of the top 3?

I live in CA. I have a 2015 SE (base model) and I'm planning on getting the electrical outlet done professionally and so am looking for a relatively affordable, but reliable unit that is compatible (J1772 Compliant?) and enables me to 'program'/set the charging time for my generation/model eGolf.

(Apologies in advance for being a bit lazy with my request. I'm sure the answer lies somewhere in this thread, but after 15 minutes of browsing I couldn't find it and so am resorting to a plea for help).

Thanks in advance for any help.

2015 has an LE model, with the 7.2 KWH charger on board. You can set the charging through VW car-net on a 2015 via your smart phone. On the 2015's, e motor-werks Pro-40 works also with programming. The EVSE will run 6 to $700, plus your electrician pulling permits, pulling wire and doing the install. I have a brand new never used Clipper Creek 40, if you are interested, still in the box. PM me if interested.

 

[2wheeladventurer]

My 'bad'... I meant "LE" model.

Car-Net has proven useless to me and am not interested in paying the annual fee plus want to move to a shorter charge time and avoid other tradeoffs associated with Level 3 charging.

I am looking to get a (Level 2?) 240v charging unit that allows me to program/set the time when the charging starts (and ends?) to take advantage of 11-7 PG+E rates in CA.

 

[miimura]

If you want the EVSE to handle the charge timing instead of the car, then your only choices compatible with the USA model e-Golf are the ChargePoint Home and the JuiceBox Pro. As long as you buy the 32 amp version instead of the 16 amp ChargePoint home, either solution will charge the e-Golf LE at its maximum rate. The ChargePoint allows you to get by with a 40A breaker while the JuiceBox requires a 50A breaker and wiring but provides more future proofing for a future EV that may charge at more than 32 amps.

 

[2wheeladventurer]

miimura... Thank you very much for the information!! Exactly what I was looking for!

If you want the EVSE to handle the charge timing instead of the car, then your only choices compatible with the USA model e-Golf are the ChargePoint Home and the JuiceBox Pro. As long as you buy the 32 amp version instead of the 16 amp ChargePoint home, either solution will charge the e-Golf LE at its maximum rate. The ChargePoint allows you to get by with a 40A breaker while the JuiceBox requires a 50A breaker and wiring but provides more future proofing for a future EV that may charge at more than 32 amps.

 

[johnnylingo]

FYI I have the ChargePoint 32a and have been happy with it. The best feature by far is automatic programming of timer. You just tell it during setup your PG&E rate plan and it takes care of everything for you. I didn't even have to set the timezone or Daylight savings settings.

Part of me wishes I got the JuiceBox for future-proofing, but it's gonna be several years in my opinion before 32a chargers are inadequate. Larger batteries ironically make faster charging less important, and even the Bolt, with it's massive 60 kWh battery only has a 7.2 kW (240V x 32a) charger. Likely because a zero to 95% charge can still be done in under 8 hours and fully take advantage of off-peak rates.

 

[BarryMW]

I own two Juicebox Pros.
Not only does the 10kW capacity future proof. But mine share current.
I have a 50Amp breaker feeding the pair with 40Amps of usable current.
The pair then negotiate to not exceed this 40Amp limit.

Works great.

Barry