Looking for a small portable DCFC

[BIGneutrino]

I see that having this on board as being all about interstate travel. There are already acceptable solutions for charging at various opportunity charging locations using upgraded EVSE. However, for those who have ventured far beyond their regional infrastructure, this offers the ability to really make time as compared to 208/240v campground charging option. Some may have previously charged at truck stops along major the interstate highways at 208v, too. With the proper EVSE and plug adaptors, there can be charging at 208v ShorePower Technologies stations at the truck stops. Many of these truck stops now offer 480 volt power for hybrid-refrigerated trailers, as well as the ubiquitous 120/208v receptacles. Utilizing the Andromeda unit at these 480v spots provides an awesome potential to drive cross country in a Nissan LEAF.

 

[TimLee]

i may be wrong but i think his comment refers to the Nissan DCFC and its size and not the portable one.

but would not be the first time i misunderstood a post. oh well, life goes on

**edit** ok, I now see the link for the Andromeda so would have to assume that is what he is talking about. how heavy is that thing?

The Andromeda flyer makes it sound like it is just the single enclosure with cables that they show in the back of a 2013 LEAF.
I think everything is inside the ventilated metal box.
They don't provide any details on weight though.
A box this size stuffed with 50kW of 480V to Chademo 120amp DC equipment might be kind of heavy.
But they don't say.

 

[TimLee]

I see that having this on board as being all about interstate travel. There are already acceptable solutions for charging at various opportunity charging locations using upgraded EVSE. However, for those who have ventured far beyond their regional infrastructure, this offers the ability to really make time as compared to 208/240v campground charging option. Some may have previously charged at truck stops along major the interstate highways at 208v, too. With the proper EVSE and plug adaptors, there can be charging at 208v ShorePower Technologies stations at the truck stops. Many of these truck stops now offer 480 volt power for hybrid-refrigerated trailers, as well as the ubiquitous 120/208v receptacles. Utilizing the Andromeda unit at these 480v spots provides an awesome potential to drive cross country in a Nissan LEAF.

Would make a lot of sense for the unit to be available for rental at the truck stops.
Could have it in a weather proof box on a dolly to rent it and use it at any of the 480V power outlets.
Will be an interesting change in the future.
Truck stops with the new CNG and/or LNG trucks stopping every 300 to 350 miles to refuel on natural gas, and people in electric vehicles stopping to recharge.
An interesting combination of vehicle sizes / technologies / cultures.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i may be wrong but i think his comment refers to the Nissan DCFC and its size and not the portable one.

but would not be the first time i misunderstood a post. oh well, life goes on

**edit** ok, I now see the link for the Andromeda so would have to assume that is what he is talking about. how heavy is that thing?

The Andromeda flyer makes it sound like it is just the single enclosure with cables that they show in the back of a 2013 LEAF.
I think everything is inside the ventilated metal box.
They don't provide any details on weight though.
A box this size stuffed with 50kW of 480V to Chademo 120amp DC equipment might be kind of heavy.
But they don't say.

ya, Tony is right. I am sure the entire unit is contained in the box shown. I only responded to the email link on your reply to me and did not see the posts above. (clicked on wrong link i guess...) but my comment was based on a near identical comment by someone when referring to the Nissan quick chargers not realizing the transformer next to the pedestal was required.

but I still find this station to be somewhat of a non issue. I could possibly see it as being cool for an EV gathering where a lot of charging quickly might be needed but other than commercial applications like a truck mounted roadside service its got to be way too heavy and expensive. But that is not how its being presented. (at least to me) Why emphasize it can be put in a LEAF when that is not its intention?

Then again, this is how innovation starts. What might be $15,000 today could be $1500 4 years down the line and ready for mainstream users like us

**edit** any guesses to how much it might weigh? I sent the link to my electrical contractor bud and he is guessing 150-180 lbs. OUCHIE!

he did make a good point though. He thinks if it were lighter than say 100 lbs they would have put it on the flyer

 

[TonyWilliams]

They don't provide any details on weight though.
A box this size stuffed with 50kW of 480V to Chademo 120amp DC equipment might be kind of heavy.
But they don't say.

Less than 200 pounds.

 

[TonyWilliams]

... I could possibly see it as being cool for an EV gathering where a lot of charging quickly might be needed but other than commercial applications like a truck mounted roadside service its got to be way too heavy and expensive. But that is not how its being presented. (at least to me) Why emphasize it can be put in a LEAF when that is not its intention?

It is intended to specifically be mounted in a LEAF as shown. You can charge from one LEAF to another for car recovery.

 

[91040]

As Tony said, it is intended to be installed as shown. Andromeda's concept is that it can be used to rescue another CHAdeMO capable car, charge your own or be a portable charging location, when connected to a power source.

The guts are the same as their other versions. The Mobile weighs ~250lbs in a stainless steel case and lists for $25k. I assume this case is much lighter but expect the price to be similar. Likely the price could drop if there are many orders.

I was told it is manufactured in Orange County, CA.

 

[vsaphill]

Andromeda Power Introduces Onboard Fast Charger

ORCA Inceptive is an on-board fast-charging station, designed in Italy and fully manufactured in the USA. This on-board charger is provided with two CHAdeMO plugs and it is capable to transfer energy between the batteries of two EVs.
ORCA Inceptive is for the roadside assistance markets as well autonomous zero setup time fast charging stations useful for events. It also allows temporary rental solutions for retail shops wishing to avoid the expensive cost of fix installations.

ORCA Inceptive is a “DC Level 3 Charger” for CHAdeMO™ equipped Electrical Vehicles (EV), that delivers up to 50 kWatts output power. Its compact form factor (34" x 13" x 22") enables it to be easily installed in the trunk of an EV (shown in the trunk of a Nissan Leaf).

http://www.prlog.org/12210745-andromeda-power-introduces-onboard-fast-charger.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;



Looks like this is in a 2013, so the unit fits farther forward than it would in a 2011-12 due to the hump. Also, it sticks up above the seat level when they are folded down.

Well it works as we charged Leaf to Leaf @ 110amps Today, it will charge from a 2013 or 2014 Leaf to any CHAdeMO equipped car

 

[klaus]

Sorry to revive this thread from the dead, but I came across the EVSE Adapters portable DCFC, and searched to see if it had been posted about yet.

This is what the site says:

Small enough to easily fit in your car, light enough to carry using its built-in handle. Outputs up to 20 amps. The standard configuration features cable with NEMA 14-50 plug. If you want a different type of plug, let us know and we can customize it. You can plug in to any outlet using our Tesla adapters. You can even plug in to a J1772 charging station using a J1772 adapter (not included). The photo here shows a Mitsubishi iMiev charging at a public J1772 charging station using our portable quick charger. For full current operation, a 40 amp or greater outlet is required - but you can still charge at lesser current outlets or charging stations by setting a lower output current using the touch-screen interface. Includes 3-year warranty provided by EVSEadapters

Link: EVSEAdapters Portable DCFC

 

[JimSouCal]

Looks exactly like this Chinese one... See thread.

http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=22532

Interesting that it seems to be modified to take advantage of using a Level 2 public statino as a source of the 240V, bypassing the onboard charger and sending DC straight to the traction battery... Ok, points for being clever...

Sorry to revive this thread from the dead, but I came across the EVSE Adapters portable DCFC, and searched to see if it had been posted about yet.

This is what the site says:

Small enough to easily fit in your car, light enough to carry using its built-in handle. Outputs up to 20 amps. The standard configuration features cable with NEMA 14-50 plug. If you want a different type of plug, let us know and we can customize it. You can plug in to any outlet using our Tesla adapters. You can even plug in to a J1772 charging station using a J1772 adapter (not included). The photo here shows a Mitsubishi iMiev charging at a public J1772 charging station using our portable quick charger. For full current operation, a 40 amp or greater outlet is required - but you can still charge at lesser current outlets or charging stations by setting a lower output current using the touch-screen interface. Includes 3-year warranty provided by EVSEadapters

Link: EVSEAdapters Portable DCFC

 

[klaus]

You're right, it does look the same - at first in that thread I only saw the picture on the last page that looks completely different. I wonder if EVSEAdapters has modified it at all, or if they simply import and back with their warranty to alleviate the 'random chinese quick charger' stigma

 

[JimSouCal]

'random chinese quick charger' stigma

China makes some good stuff and some not so good stuff. I am old enough to remember cheap Japanese stuff (and it was...). Problem with the voltages and energy at hand, is when this stuff fails, it has the chance to do it in a big way... But I do like the idea of being able to charge at speed with my aging out 2011 LEAF with QC port.

 

[GlennD]

...I would be happy to drop $10k on a 10kW charger. It would fit my needs nicely.

Trade your LEAF for a Toyota RAV4 EV and a ClipperCreek CS-100 with a NEMA 14-50 Plug

No matter what the EVSE can supply the charging current is limited by the internal car charger. In the RAV4 EV that is 40A. an 80A EVSE is money wasted.

Some people think going to a larger EVSE will make the car charge taster. The current is limited by the car not the EVSE. In the case of an enhanced leaf it will charge at 27.5A from a 30A EVSE or the spec max 80A EVSE. It will take what it needs and it will ignore the rest.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Interesting that it seems to be modified to take advantage of using a Level 2 public statino as a source of the 240V, bypassing the onboard charger and sending DC straight to the traction battery... Ok, points for being clever...

That means that your limited to 208v * 30a = 6.2kW.

I absolutely guarantee that the way they are tricking the EVSE to operate allows this charger to pull too much power, overheating the circuit or popping the breaker.

 

[JimSouCal]

Interesting that it seems to be modified to take advantage of using a Level 2 public statino as a source of the 240V, bypassing the onboard charger and sending DC straight to the traction battery... Ok, points for being clever...

That means that your limited to 208v * 30a = 6.2kW.

I absolutely guarantee that the way they are tricking the EVSE to operate allows this charger to pull too much power, overheating the circuit or popping the breaker.

I hear you...

Jury rigged systems are often problematic at best, and dangerous often... That said, I still wonder if it's being sold and who is buying one. Field reports mean a lot.

I mean, after all, those of us who bought the first LEAFs live on the edge (kidding, sorta... )