Level 1 OpenEVSE; for leaving at work

[asimba2]

My wife has a 60-mile commute and her office has agreed to give her the keys to their utility room where she can access a 110V outlet for plugging in the Leaf. Awesome. What I need is a cheap Level 1 EVSE that I can leave in the locked utility room so all she has to do is unlock the door and plug in the car. Right now, she doesn't drive the Leaf because the hassle of digging the EVSE out of the trunk and getting everything plugged in.

I was already planning to build an OpenEVSE Level 2 for our house. Question is, can I build a simple version ($6 Home Depot enclosure, no screens, etc.) with the less expensive 12 amp J1772 cord and handle and use a 110V plug on the end?

 

[GlennD]

The OpenEVSE will work as a naked board with no display at all. you need a 15A leviton j1772 cable ($99 at Amazon), An AC cord of at least 14G, a GFCI coil, a DIY board with dual relays, and a fuseholder with fuses. The board, GFCI coil, and fuses are from The OpenEVSE store. A case and glands are available from Home Depot.

The board will work just fine without a display but at least an indicator is nice. A I2C RGB Led is available for $12.

My wife has a 60-mile commute and her office has agreed to give her the keys to their utility room where she can access a 110V outlet for plugging in the Leaf. Awesome. What I need is a cheap Level 1 EVSE that I can leave in the locked utility room so all she has to do is unlock the door and plug in the car. Right now, she doesn't drive the Leaf because the hassle of digging the EVSE out of the trunk and getting everything plugged in.

I was already planning to build an OpenEVSE Level 2 for our house. Question is, can I build a simple version ($6 Home Depot enclosure, no screens, etc.) with the less expensive 12 amp J1772 cord and handle and use a 110V plug on the end?

 

[davewill]

This might be a dumb question, but why not leave the existing EVSE at work, at least during the week? The chances of needing it are pretty low. The only times I used mine, I pretty much knew in advance I'd need it...and with more public charging now available, I can't think I'd EVER use it, except maybe at a destination like a hotel or a relative's house (where I'd know in advance I was going).

If you do build another OpenEVSE I'd go ahead and build a 120/240v one to keep in the car, and leave the Nissan one at her work. It doesn't really cost much more than building a 120v one.

 

[eHelmholtz]

You mean like this one that is housed in a 4x4x2 junction box? I would suggest using a single DPST instead of 2 relays to keep it small:

 

[GlennD]

I do not know if you are aware of Chris's current offerings. He has a small unit with integrated 30A relays. I put one in Pchilds Nissan EVSE with room to spare.

You mean like this one that is housed in a 4x4x2 junction box? I would suggest using a single DPST instead of 2 relays to keep it small:

 

[Ingineer]

Yes, I'd just continue on your plan to build your L2 OpenEVSE for home, then take the Nissan OEM unit and use that at work. It's likely going to be more reliable for daily use than anything you can build. Something to consider: Running something you've built yourself on your property at home is one thing, but installing a home-built electrical device on someone else's commercial property is another thing entirely.

Another option if you must have a 3rd EVSE is to get a AV Turbocord, or for the same price, we also are running a special on the newer (2013) Upgraded Nissan/Panasonic EVSE's that are more powerful than the TurboCord and can be used as L1 on 120v or as L2 on almost any 240v outlet with full adjustability. (we have many 240v adapters available)

-Phil

 

[asimba2]

Something to consider: Running something you've built yourself on your property at home is one thing, but installing a home-built electrical device on someone else's commercial property is another thing entirely.

I appreciate the replies and I agree that I should use the Panasonic at my wife's place of business. I hadn't thought it from the liability standpoint.

I was of the opinion that driving around with no EVSE would be a bad idea, but the more I think about it, there is enough Level 2 charging around my area that finding a 110V outlet would probably be more difficult, not to mention the horrifically slow L1 charging time. So I think you've sold me on that issue too.

So now all I need is a 240v openevse for home and I should be set. Thanks for the good ideas!

 

[QueenBee]

Something to consider: Running something you've built yourself on your property at home is one thing, but installing a home-built electrical device on someone else's commercial property is another thing entirely.

I appreciate the replies and I agree that I should use the Panasonic at my wife's place of business. I hadn't thought it from the liability standpoint.

I was of the opinion that driving around with no EVSE would be a bad idea, but the more I think about it, there is enough Level 2 charging around my area that finding a 110V outlet would probably be more difficult, not to mention the horrifically slow L1 charging time. So I think you've sold me on that issue too.

So now all I need is a 240v openevse for home and I should be set. Thanks for the good ideas!

If you change your mind you can get a second panasonic L1 EVSE for around $300 on ebay.