ClipperCreek LCS-25, 5KW, $995, Made in USA

[Devin]

ClipperCreek just announced the LCS-25, which can supposedly be installed in 1-2 hours and will provide 5KW charging with 240v/25A. I couldn't find any posts about it so here it is!

Article: http://green.autoblog.com/2011/06/16/clippercreek-introduces-995-lcs-25-residential-charging-station/

Brochure/Manual: http://www.clippercreek.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=85&Itemid=212

Purchasing: http://stores.intuitwebsites.com/ClipperCreekInc/StoreFront.bok

 

[TLeaf]

If we didn't already have the Blink unit installed, I'd probably be taking a serious look at this one.. The Clipper Creek unit we had for a few weeks (before the Blink swap-out) worked perfectly and to now find something miniaturized and more cost-effective from the same folks seems to be a pretty good deal.

 

[Juiced]

Just installed the Clipper Creek LCS-25 unit. Works great and is 1/3 the size of any other EVSE that I am aware of.

 

[downeykp]

Why would that be better than Phil's modified Evse for +/- $700? It looks pretty similar.

 

[mgoleta]

Why would that be better than Phil's modified Evse for +/- $700? It looks pretty similar.

Good Question. It is not currently listed in the UL database (6-25-2011.) It claims meet NEMA-4 which is for an enclosure for indoor or outdoor use with ocasional water exposure such as a hosedown or water splashing. The Nissan OEM L1 EVSE says it is a type 3 enclosure which is for indoor/outdoor use but does not include water exposure or by hosedown or splashing. Does anyone know if Phil's mod meets NEMA 4 or 3 or ?

 

[tps]

Why would that be better than Phil's modified Evse for +/- $700? It looks pretty similar.

It would be worse from the standpoint that it does not work at 120VAC. It might be better in that it would allow full level 2 charging at 208VAC by allowing the slightly more than 16A required. I'm not sure if anyone's actually measured the charging current at 208VAC, but I'm thinking that the LEAF would draw a bit more than 17A...

I've been thinking about 208VAC through Phil's modified EVSE, and whether using a booster transformer on the input might be appropriate to get maybe 10% faster charging from a 208VAC source...
http://www.antekinc.com/details.php?p=632

 

[TomT]

I'm not sure if the Leaf charger limits current or power level when charging at 208/240. I'm thinking it is current which means it would make no difference in current consumption with either EVSE at 208, it would simply charge a little slower... Thus, advantage Phil, particularly if you can use your existing Panasonic and just have him modify it. That would save you quite a bit over the Clipper Creek and give the same performance.

It would be worse from the standpoint that it does not work at 120VAC. It might be better in that it would allow full level 2 charging at 208VAC by allowing the slightly more than 16A required. I'm not sure if anyone's actually measured the charging current at 208VAC, but I'm thinking that the LEAF would draw a bit more than 17A...

 

[tps]

I'm not sure if the Leaf charger limits current or power level when charging at 208/240.

Why do you think the LEAF would not draw whatever current was necessary to achieve 3.3 kW charging rate at 208V, just as it does as 240V. The charger is essentially a switching power supply. My guess is that it would. But I'd like to have someone verify it, which is the tricky part. Mwalsh has likely used his upgraded EVSE on 208V at on the shop floor at his work, but in this case, the EVSE would limit him to 16A. We need someone with an EVSE with a higher limit than 16A which is also connected to 208V to measure the current and report back.

If the EVSE limits by current, the the booster transformer would always be the right way to charge from a 208V supply. But I suspect the LEAFs onboard charger limits by power, so allowing 18A would be the simpler way. With the upgraded EVSE, there are probably reasons why Phil stopped at 16A, so the booster transformer might be the right way to get the last 10% improvement in charging time at 208V with an upgraded EVSE. This small speed-up is probably unimportant in most cases, such as mwalsh's, but it could be important if one was sitting at an RV park waiting for the LEAF to charge from a 208V/50A connection.

 

[TomT]

If I remember EVSE design correctly, the pilot signal from the EVSE tells the charger the maximum current it is allowed to draw. Thus, if the charger is told 16 amps, 16 amps is the maximum you will get, be it 208 or 240... Phil or someone else more intimately involved in such things can elaborate or correct as necessary on this...

I'm not sure if the Leaf charger limits current or power level when charging at 208/240.

Why do you think the LEAF would not draw whatever current was necessary to achieve 3.3 kW charging rate at 208V, just as it does as 240V.

 

[tps]

If I remember EVSE design correctly, the pilot signal from the EVSE tells the charger the maximum current it is allowed to draw. Thus, if the charger is told 16 amps, 16 amps is the maximum you will get, be it 208 or 240...

You remeber correctly. The Clipper Creek LCS-25 is set to offer 20A, so the LEAF would likely draw just under 18A to achieve its normal L2 charging rate at 208V. But it would be nice to have someone run the experiment, measure the current at 208V with an EVSE which offers 20A or more, to see if this is true.

 

[Stanton]

I really think the answer is BOTH: it's good to have a (modified) 110/220 charger with you at all times, which means you still need a home (wall mounted) charger. However, I still can't get excited about $1000 EVSE's when we have Phil's modification; as soon as someone (Leviton?) can really break the price barrier ($500?!), I'll bite.

 

[tps]

It would be nice to know if the LCS-25 would be easy to modify for portable operation by replacing the power input "whip" with a short cable and plug... I might tend to buy one if this is so, since Phil is having problems getting new Panasonic units to modify.

I want to get an L2 charger so I can rent the Hertz LEAF for a couple days and bring it to my house. But I'll need L2 charging at home, since the clock will be ticking. I don't want to pay for lots of rental time while the LEAF sits in the driveway on L1 charge.