NEMA 14-50 Charging

[nedfunnell]

First, thanks for a wonderful explanation. As much as I'd like to future proof, the 80A may be an overkill for me at this time. Ideally I wanted to get the 40A JuiceBox but someone pointed out about them not being UL rated. Any thoughts on that?

I am expecting the vehicle in next 2 weeks or so I think it's time to get ready.

No problem!

I agree that 80A is overkill. Even though EVs are going to be getting bigger batteries, they probably won't lose much efficiency, meaning that, generally, you'll be able to put as many miles into your battery in an hour in 2020 as you do today. Perhaps some non-Tesla EVs could make use of more than 40A then. They'll still accept 40A, and that's around 35 miles/hr charge. For home charging, 35 mi/hr is pretty good. That fills a 200mi car in ~6 hours. It'd be great to get 70 mi/hr charge rate, 35 mi/hr is still very useful. I'd even argue that automakers won't push past 10kW L2 charging on-board as standard equipment, since the expense wouldn't justify it. Faster charging is more likely to be needed out and about than at home, so why pack the extra cost into the MSRP when most consumers will be happy with 35 mi/hr home charging?

Some disagree with this (vehemently) and want all EVs to carry high-power on-board chargers instead of an L3 network. I don't see it happening since it'd drive up EV prices significantly. You never know, though!

Back to your situation: for myself, I wouldn't worry about the UL certification too much. Some have postulated that if there were a problem, an insurance company might deny a fire claim if there was a non-UL-certified device in use. I'm not an insurance expert, so I can really say, but that seems unlikely to me. I know that EMW is working on UL certification; their device is in testing now (has been for a while, not sure if they just didn't pay to fast track it, or what) and they expect certification before the end of the year. Seems to me that the product is solid. They have a lot of them out in the field without rampant issues. The UL cert is in the pipeline, so I wouldn't let that hold me back.

 

[inphoenix]

Thank you, kind Sir. Juice Box 40 it is !!

 

[TonyWilliams]

There are lots of options in the EVSE business. If you want a plug-in unit, I recommend that it be both 40 amp capable, PORTABLE, and able to handle 100-264 volts.

The JESLA 40 amp (9.6kW) J premium portable charging cable works at up to full power on every known J1772 equipped vehicle in the world.

JESLA was designed specifically with the unique 40 amp Tesla onboard charger that is in a Mercedes B-Class ED, Toyota RAV4 EV, and of course Tesla cars, but it also works equally fantastic with cars like the BMW i3, Fiat 500e, Chevy Volt, Kia Soul EV or Nissan LEAF with 30 amp or less onboard chargers.

JESLA is ultra flexible, light weight (only 8 pounds total!), and portable, PLUS it adjusts from 100 to 264 volts and 12 to 40 amps, automatically. You don't have to know anything about electricity and no installation required;

Just Plug-N-Charge(tm)!!!

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/JESLA-is-THE-40-amp-J1772-portable-charging-solution-JESLA.htm

JELSA ships with interchangeable NEMA 14-50 and NEMA 5-15 plugs, a padlock, plus a carrying bag. Additionally, you may want to buy the correct plug for your dryer (handy for visiting friends or relatives at their house) or for motel air conditioners:

...........................................VOLTS / AMPS.....kW
NEMA 5-15* ......Standard Outlet.. 120 V / 12 A...... 1.4 kW
NEMA 5-20 ...... Motel A/C .......... 120 V / 16A....... 1.9 kW
NEMA 10-30......Older Dryers........ 240 V / 24 A...... 5.8 kW
NEMA 14-30......Newer Dryers...... 240 V / 24 A...... 5.8 kW (out of stock)
NEMA 14-50*.....RV Parks ........... 240 V / 40 A...... 9.6 kW

*included plugs

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/searchquick-submit.sc?keywords=adapter

Works with the following vehicles:

Nissan LEAF, Nissan eNV-2000, VW eGolf, Chevy Volt, Chevy Spark EV, Toyota Prius Plug-In, Kia Soul EV, Tesla Model S, 3, and X (with Tesla supplied adapter), Toyota Rav4 EV, Mercedes B Class ED, BMW i3 and i8, Ford Focus Electric, Ford C-Max Energy, Ford Fusion Energy, Fiat 500e, ZERO motorcycle (2015 and newer with J1772), Brammo motorcycle, Smart Electric Drive, Honda Fit EV, Ford C-Max Energi, Karma Fisker, Mitsubishi iMiev, Cadillac ELR, Fiat 500e, Porshe Cayenne S-E, Porsche Panamera S-E, Honda Accord Plug-In.

**********

Be sure to get a 50 amp circuit installed at your charging location with a NEMA 14-50R receptacle. We sell the receptacle here for just $5.99 (cheaper than Home Depot or Lowes):

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/14-50R-Outlet-14-50R.htm

 

[philip]

Be sure to get a 50 amp circuit installed at your charging location with a NEMA 14-50R receptacle.

Any love for NEMA 6-50R? Is the neutral required?

 

[nedfunnell]

JESLA

For 2x the price... :?

 

[smkettner]

Be sure to get a 50 amp circuit installed at your charging location with a NEMA 14-50R receptacle.

Any love for NEMA 6-50R? Is the neutral required?

6-50 is fine. 14-50 is far more common such as at an RV park.

 

[fooljoe]

Any love for NEMA 6-50R? Is the neutral required?

The neutral's not required - the idea of using the 14-50 instead is just that it's far more common out "in the wild." If you're going to install a new circuit and never use it for anything else except your charging station, then the 6-50 is fine (or just hardwire the unit.) But if you think you ever might want to take your EVSE with you to charge on the road, and/or would like the flexibility to use your new circuit for other applications besides just charging, then go with 14-50. You can always make a simple adapter to go back and forth for charging purposes anyway.

 

[smkettner]

Remove the neutral pin and the 14-50 also fits the 14-30 dryer outlets. Need 24 amp max evse to make that feasable such as ClipperCreek HCS-30.

 

[srl99]

Strongly suggest you get a UL listed EVSE. (Sorry, Jesla, Sorry, eMotorWerks). They don't cost any more (probably less than an EVSE that "has had some work done") and passed SAFETY testing.

moderator edit: removed "nicknames" for other EVSEs.

 

[emotorwerks]

If you want to be as future proof as an affordable EVSE can get, look at the JuiceBox- 15kW (60A) for $607.

It seems this product is not available anymore. Now, their top end EVSE is (40A, 10kW) http://emotorwerks.com/products/online-store/1605-juicebox-green-40-emissions-optimized-40-amp-evse-with-24-foot-cable/category_pathway-23. Do you know of any other EVSE which would be a good fit for future proofing (Bolt or Leaf Gen2).

Correct, the 60A JuiceBox had to be hardwired, and it was only sold as a kit. The highest-rated pre-assembled JuiceBox eMotorWerks sold was good for 50-amps, but it was later discontinued. As the volume of shipments picked up, it was necessary to optimize the supply chain. This led us to the current JuiceBox version, which is rated for 40A. There is a 30-amp version as well.