evse upgrade vs clipper creek hcs40p

[beleafer]

Hello all. I've had my 2013 SL premium in Dallas for a little over a week. This forum was instrumental in my decision to purchase the car. That being said. As a new owner I am seeking details from anyone with experience with clipper creek. I have a dedicated 50a circuit. L14-50 to be precise. Just wondering about any first hand accounts regarding reliability and charge times. My second choice would be the evse upgrade. It seems Phil (ingineer) has quite the reputation. Has anyone used the advanced replacement option? Are there any issues getting the deposit back? Also, is that $75 service fee all I would pay or is that in addition to the $287. I know my questions are a bit noobish but that's where I am. Just seeking a little guidance.

 

[RonDawg]

I have a Clipper Creek LCS-25 and it works very well. I expect their new HCS-40 to be the same. No fancy features like LED displays and delayed start timers, just simple, rugged units. Clipper Creek has been in the EVSE business for several years.

Keep in mind that if you want to charge your Leaf at "Max" speed, you will need at least a 30 amp EVSE. The EVSE Upgrade only goes up to 20 amps. However the EVSE Upgrade is dual voltage capable; the Clipper Creek units are not.

Phil's $75 fee is for "rush service" and is in addition to the cost of upgrading your OEM EVSE. If you opt for it, he will send you a new pre-upgraded unit right away, and on top of the rush fee he will put a hold on your credit card in case he does not get your EVSE in return. Once he does, and the EVSE is in new condition, he will release the hold.

If you do not opt for rush service, you will not incur the $75 fee.

 

[Ellingson]

Purchased the HCS-40 and installed a NEMA 14-50 plug on it. I had an electrician install a 14-50 receptacle on dedicated 50A circuit and it is doing a GREAT job of charging our new Leaf.

The main reasons I didn't opt for the portable EVSE upgrade:

1) I want to keep the portable EVSE in the car at all times - for emergency. If I used only it (with the upgrade), that meant having to constantly take the cord out of the car to charge and then put it back into the car when done charging. Too much hassle.

2) I wanted to get the full 30A charging rate. The modified portable only provides 20A.

3) Since we leased our Leaf, I wasn't sure what Nissan would say at the end of the lease if we returned the car with a modified portable EVSE. Probably okay, but didn't care to bother finding out.

Now, if you wanted to do both, that sounds like a good idea. Then you can use the upgraded EVSE at RV parks or a friend's dryer outlet to get a faster charge - still not as fast as the 30A, but WAAAY faster than normal 120v!

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Hello all. I've had my 2013 SL premium in Dallas for a little over a week. This forum was instrumental in my decision to purchase the car. That being said. As a new owner I am seeking details from anyone with experience with clipper creek. I have a dedicated 50a circuit. L14-50 to be precise. Just wondering about any first hand accounts regarding reliability and charge times. My second choice would be the evse upgrade. It seems Phil (ingineer) has quite the reputation. Has anyone used the advanced replacement option? Are there any issues getting the deposit back? Also, is that $75 service fee all I would pay or is that in addition to the $287. I know my questions are a bit noobish but that's where I am. Just seeking a little guidance.

the option works as advertised. do as instructed and there will be no surprises.

keep in mind; the modded EVSE may not ever leave your garage but if it does, it will provide a lot more options over the Clipper Creek

 

[smkettner]

I would still get the CC unit for home. Then send in your brick for upgrading.

 

[beleafer]

Thanks for the input . I think I will go with clipper creek. I like that I can just unplug and transport if needed.

 

[jdunmyer]

I purchased the Schneider unit from Home Depot, it was $600.00 w/free shipping. It arrived in a few days and I've been using it for about 3 weeks now. It does have a delay (up to 8 hours) feature, and is 30-amp capable. This is the link: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Schneider-Electric-EVlink-30-Amp-Generation-2-5-Enhanced-Model-Indoor-Electric-Vehicle-Charging-Station-EV230WS/203670265" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Two things were in its favor: good reviews, and I like Square D equipment.

I have no connection with Home Depot, just a happy customer.

 

[overfedexed]

I purchased the Schneider unit from Home Depot, it was $600.00 w/free shipping. It arrived in a few days and I've been using it for about 3 weeks now. It does have a delay (up to 8 hours) feature, and is 30-amp capable. This is the link: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Schneider-Electric-EVlink-30-Amp-Generation-2-5-Enhanced-Model-Indoor-Electric-Vehicle-Charging-Station-EV230WS/203670265" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Two things were in its favor: good reviews, and I like Square D equipment.

I have no connection with Home Depot, just a happy customer.

Hello, I just bought the same unit. Have not received it yet. Could you please tell me the diameter of the cable, that connects to the car. I'm thinking about running it under my garage door and was curious.

Also, do you think that I could add a plug to the unit, without voiding the warranty?

Thanks

 

[jdunmyer]

The diameter of the Schneider output cable is .675", or a bit less than 11/16".

Mine is presently attached to a piece of plywood, bolted to a pipe that's welded to a base plate. There's a cord coming out of the top that has a plug on it that fits the receptacle for my old buzz-box welder. I can't imagine that that would cause any warranty issues. Unless the stand falls over, but breaking the thing wouldn't be covered by warranty anyway.

Mind you, the portable stand arrangement is temporary; if it's as warm as they predict this w/e, I'll get it screwed to the wall and hard-wired to power.

As an aside, I somehow came up with an old electric meter, about 1950 vintage, and have it connected ahead of the EVSE. The measured usage, according to the antique meter, seems to track with calculations.

If you elect to connect yours with a cord, you need a hunk of #8-3 SO-type cord and an appropriate plug to fit whatever receptacle you have.

 

[UBUYGAS]

Congrats on the purchase of your LEAF!

I bought a 40A EVSE for my Garage and I also upgrade my stock EVSE with http://www.evseupgrade.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and I bought 4 adapter cables so that I can plug it in almost anywhere:

http://www.polkaudio.com/forums/showthread.php?147882-Bought-a-New-Car!&p=1917523&viewfull=1#post1917523" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

1) I want to keep the portable EVSE in the car at all times - for emergency. If I used only it (with the upgrade), that meant having to constantly take the cord out of the car to charge and then put it back into the car when done charging. Too much hassle.

2) I wanted to get the full 30A charging rate. The modified portable only provides 20A.

 

[RottenMutt]

I just leased a 2013 S, bought the clipper creek hcs-40 with the 25 foot cable off of the internet as soon as i got home, so i ended up using the emergency cable for a week without issues and was able to get a full charge over night. The thing i liked best about the clipper creek was the 3 year warranty is still good if i install it! Bought 125 ft of 8-2 wire (2 insulated hot wires and a ground wire), only needed about 45 feet, 40 amp breaker, and wall box and cover. The wire was twice as much by the foot so i got the 125 foot roll and have extra now. I'm able to run the cord under the garage door and close it. The clipper creek makes a pop noise as the relay closes when it energizes the on-board charger. I did pull the cover off the back out of curiosity, there is a relay, control board and a ferrite core coil around both hot wires going to the plug to check that the current is a net sum of zero for safety (at least that is what i think it is for). It would be very simple to replace the cord if need be.

Oh, i'm in fort worth!

 

[adric22]

1) I want to keep the portable EVSE in the car at all times - for emergency. If I used only it (with the upgrade), that meant having to constantly take the cord out of the car to charge and then put it back into the car when done charging. Too much hassle.

I had the same line of thinking when I got my first Leaf over 3 years ago. And yes, it is a pain to take out the EVSE and put it away. But one of the things I discovered over the years is that I pretty much never used the 120V unit supplied with the car. It is so painstakingly slow, that it is almost useless in an emergency. You'd be better off calling a tow truck. I've used it maybe 3 or 4 times at relatives houses when I knew I was going to be there for hours on end. And yes, I managed to pick up a useful amount of range by doing that, but unless you are going to literally be there for hours, there is not much point. The other issue is, I found many occasions that I tried to use the 120V unit at some business locations that gave me permission, the outdoor outlets did not work. This is extremely common as well, as the outlets are almost always GFI and after 10 years or so being outdoors, they quit working. And if nobody ever uses them, nobody realizes they are broken.

Anyway.. I'm just saying, you really don't need to keep it in the car. I know it gives a warm fuzzy feeling of security, but you'll likely never use it.