Best level2 option for already installed 30A or less circuit

[raetzsch]

Looked for a specific topic on non-40A options and didn't see a dedicated thread....

Picked up our orphaned 2011 SL-QC last weekend in Houston. Trickle charging and able to get to 90% or better before heading out in the morning so far. But when the south Louisiana summer hits we'll be running it down more with the a/c and will need to go to level 2. In addition Louisiana will give me a credit for 50% of the cost of the charging station.

I am looking for the best option for my situation. I already have an unused 10awg circuit in the carport. So I could (1) do the charger upgrade, (2) get the Legrande or Leviton, or (3) spend a little more, rip out the 10awg and run 8awg. (no room for both in the box...about a 60-75 foot cable run) (4) any other options i'm missing?

What do you guys think is the best option? Does the the evseupgrade that is running at 16.5A charge as well as the Legrand/Leviton? Has anyone had any issues with the Legrand? (looks aren't normally all that important to us, but imo the Leviton is hideous)

I'm not all that worried about future proofing. Unless we can get 350 miles+ on a charge we won't be getting a 2nd...we either need 50-80 miles or 400.

 

[mitch672]

evseupgrade.com is your lowest cost option, change the outlet to an L6-20R, change the breaker to a 2-pole 20A, and you are done. No muss, no fuss, probable total cost including circuit breaker and outlet, under $350

The 2011/2012 Leaf is limited by the onboard 3.3KW charger, it will never need a 30A EVSE, you can spend $700-$1,000 for a larger EVSE (and most will require a 40A circuit/8AWG wiring, costing you even more money), or you can be done with the evseupgrade, for 1/3 the total cost.

 

[planet4ever]

Even the 12A evseupgrade charges more than twice as fast as what you have, and the charger is nearly as efficient with it as with any other EVSE. Most of us were very surprised by how little power the air conditioner pulls. I can't imagine it could possibly cause you to use twice as much energy in the summer as the winter. I'm using more energy this winter than last summer, because of the heater, despite our generally warm Mediterranean climate.

Ray

 

[smkettner]

If you want a wall mounted unit you are looking at Leviton 160, Legrand, or Clipper Creek.
Regardless I would still upgrade the Nissan unit to at least 12a 240v.

Leviton and Legrand available at Homedepot.com. CC you will need to contact direct.

I waited until I set up my wall unit to send in the Nissan cord for upgrade.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

One advantage of getting something other than the included EVSE installed is you can leave the original unit in the car, upgraded or not, to have along in case the need arises. Besides what else are you going to do with that designer bag it came in?

 

[Volt3939]

While I agree that the EVSEUpgrade is the best for Leaf owners, there is another option for a 16 amp EVSE: Talk a Volt owner into selling you the Voltec 16 amp level two unit.

Personally, the coil cord would not work for me, so I bought a Nissan branded AV 32 amp unit from the classified on this site. It was a little bit more than the Voltec's $490 price,(plus the 40 amp installation costs) but has a straight cord that won't get tripped on as much. Plus my BEV will charge at 20 amps, so I did want to go at least to that level.

I don't think there is an limit on how many Voltec units SPX will sell to Volt owners, so even someone that has one already should be able to get you one. These sort of transactions are better done locally, IMO, so you may want to look up EV events in your area to meet up with the local Volt owners...

 

[smkettner]

I thought I read Voltec and SPX have an issue with Leaf timer set with just an end time.

 

[jkirkebo]

One option is the Clipper Creek LCS-25:

http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/ClipperCreekInc/-strse-6/Level-2-EVSE,-Level/Detail.bok

It's a 20A unit, so it'll deliver 4.8kW if you upgrade to a car with a larger charger later. Also their service is top notch if you have any problems.

 

[EVDRIVER]

While I agree that the EVSEUpgrade is the best for Leaf owners, there is another option for a 16 amp EVSE: Talk a Volt owner into selling you the Voltec 16 amp level two unit.

Personally, the coil cord would not work for me, so I bought a Nissan branded AV 32 amp unit from the classified on this site. It was a little bit more than the Voltec's $490 price,(plus the 40 amp installation costs) but has a straight cord that won't get tripped on as much. Plus my BEV will charge at 20 amps, so I did want to go at least to that level.

I don't think there is an limit on how many Voltec units SPX will sell to Volt owners, so even someone that has one already should be able to get you one. These sort of transactions are better done locally, IMO, so you may want to look up EV events in your area to meet up with the local Volt owners...

The Volt, (Leer) and Legrand units are very low quality, don't bother with them.

 

[tps]

The Leviton Evr-Green 160 is probably the best option. You can get it from Amazon for $1K; make sure to select free shipping. It's in a very sturdy metal box unlike most of the other EVSE options. Given the Nissan price increase, buying a second Panasonic unit and having it modified has become a less attractive option. It's still worth it to have your original Panasonic EVSE modified and have a couple adapter cords... Makes a great backup.

Either the Leviton or the modified Panasonic require a 20A outlet. I think you have to change the breaker to 20A if you switch the outlet out to 20A, but there's no need to change the wire A local electrcian charged me $170 to install an 6-20R outlet for the Leviton unit. This included wire, breaker, outlet and his time. No permit or inspection was required (he checked).

 

[Stanton]

The Leviton Evr-Green 160 is probably the best option. You can get it from Amazon for $1K; make sure to select free shipping.

I have to disagree: you can buy a "future-proof" (30A) EVSE for the same price (from multiple sources). Initially I had my eye on the Leviton 160 as well, but was stunned when they brought it out at $1k; I ended up going with the modified Nissan L2 and haven't regretted it. I think one of two things will happen with the Leviton 160:

1) They will come to their senses (after surveying the competition) and lower the price on their own
2) They will eventually discontinue this unit when the Leaf upgrades their charger (from 3-6 kW) and the market disappears

In either case, I believe this unit could be had for a (possibly substantial) discount with a bit of patience.

 

[EVDRIVER]

The Leviton Evr-Green 160 is probably the best option. You can get it from Amazon for $1K; make sure to select free shipping.

I have to disagree: you can buy a "future-proof" (30A) EVSE for the same price (from multiple sources). Initially I had my eye on the Leviton 160 as well, but was stunned when they brought it out at $1k; I ended up going with the modified Nissan L2 and haven't regretted it. I think one of two things will happen with the Leviton 160:

1) They will come to their senses (after surveying the competition) and lower the price on their own
2) They will eventually discontinue this unit when the Leaf upgrades their charger (from 3-6 kW) and the market disappears

In either case, I believe this unit could be had for a (possibly substantial) discount with a bit of patience.

Future proofing for a commodity electronic product is a myth. He is already partially future proofed by having larger wire. If one spends as little as possible on a new unit it makes far more sense. An upgraded unit costs under $300 which is a savings of at least $500-700 on a higher capacity EVSE. In a few years IF one needs more capacity that higher capacity unit will cost the same as the difference between upgrading ones unit and spending more, likely less based on the history of electronic parts and the growing market. The bonus here is one gets a higher power portable unit for free even if they buy a wall unit later. This is a fact of consumer electronics and a reality of this market which will come shortly. I suggest upgrading the stock unit and then deciding what to buy next and save some money. One can always buy a higher capacity unit any time later after some charging experience. Many people I know got rid of their AV units after getting an evseupgrade. If you want an AV unit send me a PM, I know someone selling one at a discount.

 

[tps]

The Leviton Evr-Green 160 is probably the best option. You can get it from Amazon for $1K; make sure to select free shipping.

I have to disagree: you can buy a "future-proof" (30A) EVSE for the same price (from multiple sources).

But these EVSEs cannit be properly used on the 30A circuit which the OP specified. So far as future-proof, I asked myself how often, given my normal travel requirements, I'd need to charge overnight faster than 3.3kW, even with a new car with a bigger battery, and the answer was: almost never. The Leviton not only avoided the permit/inspection process, it save me a costly sub-panel upgrade.

Sometimes just comparing the specs doesn't really tell the whole story. I originally thought like you, that Leviton had to be out of their mind. Now that I have the Leviton unit installed I feel their unit fills an important market position which others miss.

BTW - Leviton is partnered with Toyota. In the way that there is a Nissan branded version of the AV unit, there is a Toyota branded version of the Leviiton which is to be sold with the plug-in Prius. Same unit, just a different paint scheme and printing on the front panel. I woudn't count Leviton out just yet.

Toyota branded Leviton EVSE: http://toyota.leviton.com/product-info" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Normal Leviton EVSE: http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ProductDetail.jsp?partnumber=EVB22-3PM&section=37741&minisite=10251" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[fooljoe]

But these EVSEs will not run on the 30A circuit which the OP specified.

Correction: they *will* run on the 30A circuit just fine unless someone with a higher capacity charger plugs in and trips the breaker (which I really doubt you'd have to worry about). But of course you would be running afoul of code/etc.

Anyway, getting back to the original question, I vote for getting the upgrade: it's by far the cheapest option with a proven track record. The upgraded EVSE on a 30A (dryer) outlet via L6-20R to 10-30P adapter is the setup I've been using in my garage for 6 months now without a hitch. Yes, it charges as well as any other unit. EVSEs are basically just extension cords with switches inside. They do nothing to modify the power present in your house, so there's no "charging better", with the possible exception of units designed for the Volt that may have timer issues or the Blink that seems to malfunction due to internet connectivity issues.

The only issue is whether you'll miss carrying the EVSE in your car, because you certainly won't want to unplug it and take it with you every time you leave the house. However, consider that you may feel like you need to keep it with you at first due to early-ownership range anxiety, but in reality you'll probably almost never use it. If you do decide you need one in your car, it would probably be cheaper to get a wall unit than a new upgraded unit. Also you'll want to look into whether the upgrade will qualify for that 50% incentive you mentioned, as that could change the equation. I don't see why it wouldn't, but you never know. I would've claimed mine for the federal 30% tax credit, but due to the $7500 EV credit I can't get that anyway (yet another reason I'm glad I went for the upgrade instead of a ridiculous $2200 AV install).

Even if you do decide on a wall unit, I'd recommend getting the upgrade anyway. There just aren't really any good options out there yet, IMO. Even though you could run a 32A unit just fine I guess it's good to do it kosher, but the only options for 16A-24A are way overpriced right now, with the possible exception of the circuit-selectable SPX if the timer issues are resolved or don't concern you. It just seems wrong to pay more for a lower-power unit. Use the upgrade now while you wait for a better deal and after you find one you'll probably be glad to have the upgraded EVSE to carry with you.

Lastly, if anyone's still reading: The Open EVSE is another option that I haven't seen mentioned yet in this thread. If I didn't have two upgraded EVSEs already I'd be all over this. Requires a little DIY but even cheaper than the upgrade.