Slick Charge - EVSE Charger Kit

[mirko]

So does anyone know anything about the "Slick Charge - EVSE Charger Kit" that has started showing up in the add space on this forum? It looks like some sort of implementation of OpenEVSE. I can't seem to tell what you get for $550. It has a link for ordering hardware for the OpenEVSE.

https://localmotors.com/shop/slick-charge-evse-charger/?utm_source=mnl&utm_medium=banner&utm_term=ev-charger&utm_content=lg3&utm_campaign=slickcharge-launch" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[GeekEV]

I was just looking at that. It looks like a "some-assembly-required" kit for OpenEVSE. Looks pretty nice.

 

[davewill]

They have a picture of the kit. Interestingly, they link to Chris' shop in the description:

OpenEVSE Source Code is available on the Google Code Page here.

Hardware for the OpenEVSE can be ordered from the OpenEVSE Shop here.

 

[chris1howell]

Local motors started with the 30a combo sold on the OpenEVSE store and added the J1772 cable, enclosure, AC cable, hardware and misc bits. Looks like a pretty complete kit...

 

[mirko]

Well if it's a complete kit then I might get something like this. I don't mind "some assembly required". I also like the fact that it is an open source kit. I guess that the value added to this product is it's a complete kit with instructions. It just seemed odd that there was a link for ordering hardware which made me question if the kit was complete. The only thing that I knew for sure is that it is not capable of generating 1.21 jiggawatts.

 

[DaveEV]

Local motors started with the 30a combo sold on the OpenEVSE store and added the J1772 cable, enclosure, AC cable, hardware and misc bits. Looks like a pretty complete kit...

Did you work with them on this or are they simply reselling your kits?

The kit does look good. Wonder why they bundle it with a L6-30P instead of a 6-50 or 14-50 plug so it can take full advantage of 30A charging.

Getting OT, I hear you're getting into the Tesla suspension part business...

 

[davewill]

Local motors started with the 30a combo sold on the OpenEVSE store and added the J1772 cable, enclosure, AC cable, hardware and misc bits. Looks like a pretty complete kit...

Are they buying boards from you, or building their own?

... Wonder why they bundle it with a L6-30P instead of a 6-50 or 14-50 plug so it can take full advantage of 30A charging.

I find the following claim curious:

... For example, a user can plug the charger into a 220V 30A dryer outlet and the unit will automatically adjust the charge rate for the circuit, no need to have an electrician wire a new 50A receptacle.

* emphasis added

I'm pretty sure they haven't created some fancy new auto-detect feature, and that the user will have to actually adjust the EVSE output to match the outlet.

 

[chris1howell]

Yes, they purchased the boards from the OpenEVSE store. I did not have any involvement beyond that.

 

[chris1howell]

Getting OT, I hear you're getting into the Tesla suspension part business...

Yes... I am looking to add other EV related community projects to the store. The tesla suspension mod is too good to be left on the drawing board.

I hope to add even more interesting mods and upgrades in the near future.

 

[mitch672]

Getting OT, I hear you're getting into the Tesla suspension part business...

Yes... I am looking to add other EV related community projects to the store. The tesla suspension mod is too good to be left on the drawing board.

I hope to add even more interesting mods and upgrades in the near future.

I saw that lolochampcar was thinking about turning over the Tesla door popper fob project to you as well I have one, they work very well.. Would be good to integrate it into the J-1772 trigger switch

 

[Nick02]

I helped create the kit. Local-Motors wanted to get into the EV game and wants to start branching out with smaller products that people can afford.

Well if it's a complete kit then I might get something like this. I don't mind "some assembly required"

Yes, it is complete with all properly gauged MTW wires and UL listed connectors. We have an in-house CNC waterjet and pressbrake so we do all the cutting and bending ahead of time.

Wonder why they bundle it with a L6-30P instead of a 6-50 or 14-50 plug

We got them in quantity so we got a good price on them, we wanted the L6-30P so we could use existing evse adapters. We built everything around the 30A components from Chris, the incoming cord, J plug and interior wires are 10GA.
We may build a larger amperage version once we can source a larger amperage J plug.

I'm pretty sure they haven't created some fancy new auto-detect feature, and that the user will have to actually adjust the EVSE output to match the outlet.

We did not, just using the relay checks go to 12A or 24A depending on incoming 110-220V as flashed.

 

[davewill]

I helped create the kit. Local-Motors wanted to get into the EV game and wants to start branching out with smaller products that people can afford.

Cool. Are they set up to do good tech support on these? I could see this being a good choice for folks who don't want to have to figure out where to get various parts. However those people will also need more hand holding.

 

[Nick02]

Cool. Are they set up to do good tech support on these? I could see this being a good choice for folks who don't want to have to figure out where to get various parts. However those people will also need more hand holding.

Yes, we have 24/7 email support, phone support during normal business hours and a project thread on our website accessible to everyone.

 

[Graycenphil]

I expect to get a Leaf very soon, and am trying to sort out the charger questions. I clicked on the ad, and watched the video. The unit looks good, the price seems as low as they get and I am comfortable putting it together.

Is there any reason to choose a different EVSE? Are there things that the more expensive ones will do that this one does not?

Also, when using a 120 volt outlet, is there any advantage to plugging the car in through the Slick instead of just plugging the regular cord into the wall?

Thanks.

 

[mirko]

I ordered my Slick Charge - EVSE Charger Kit today. Wooo!

 

[JimSouCal]

I ordered my Slick Charge - EVSE Charger Kit today. Wooo!

Don't have an immediate need but as feedback accumulates into favorable, I'll likely get one. I'd be curious how long it will take you to assemble? Looks like a couple of hours or so… Factor that at a cost or a reward, depending on how one views projects….

 

[Graycenphil]

I'd like to hear abut it too.

But it will all be academic - I ordered an OpenEVSE 30A Charge Station Combo Built kit and a J1772 cord from Leviton.

 

[mirko]

Ok, So I finally have my Slick Charge EVSE Kit built and in operation.

• I ordered the Slick Charge - EVSE Kit on Mon Jan 27, 2014 and immediately got and email verification of the order.
• Wednesday came and I still had not received any shipping notification. So I went to the Local Motors web site and filled out a support ticket asking if the EVSE Kit had shipped.
  

  Hello, I ordered one of the Slick Charge - EVSE Charger Kits this past Monday. I was wondering when and how it was going to be shipped so I know to look out for the package.
  
  Thank you.

• Wed, Jan 29, 2014 at 4:54 PM i received a UPS shipping notification and shortly after that a message in response to my support ticket.
  

  Hello,
  
  Sorry for the delay, your Slick Charge EVSE Charger Kit shipped yesterday. You should have received an email with the tracking information. Please let us know if you need any further assistance.

• The package was shipped via UPS ground. So it took a while to find it's way down to South Florida. I finally got the package on Wed, Feb 5, 2014
• I opened the package and found everything except any assembly instructions. Not a big deal since everything was using the OpenEVSE components, and it was fairly easy to figure out what screws/wires/etc. whet where. The next day though I did send an email back to LM asking if there were any instructions, but I never got a response.
  

  Hello,
  I finally received my Slick Charge EVSE Charger Kit yesterday. Are there any assembly instructions for it? I think that I can figure most of it out by looking at the instructions that are available on 'code.google.com/p/open-evse/'.
  
  -=mirko=-

• As I was assembling the kit I noticed that one of the cable glands was missing the rubber cable seal, and there were no spacers for the LCd. So I sent a message using the support web for on the LM site.
  

  I received my Slick EVSE kit. While putting it together I found that one of the cable glands was missing the rubber cable seal. (see photo)
  
  Missing cable seal:
  http://s1354.photobucket.com/user/mirkop62/media/LM_CableGland_zps527b0647.jpg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
  
  Also the OpenEVSE RGB LCD had .25" spacers to go between the two boards, but there were no spacers to offset it from the enclosure's lid. (shee photo) Shouldn't there be spacers there?
  
  Missing spacers photo:
  http://s1354.photobucket.com/user/mirkop62/media/5e0ef9fa-0ede-4383-8fb6-b18820e93827_zps23902a66.jpg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

• Here are the messages that followed.
  

  Thank you for contacting the Shop at Local Motors,
  
  We apologize for the confusion, and will be reworking our instructions to be more clear based on your feedback.
  
  The second cable gland does not include the rubber seal on purpose, the included J1772 cord outside insulation diameter is sufficient enough to seal and hold the connection without the need for the rubber spacer. With the rubber spacer installed the cable would not fit inside the cable gland, it is intended for the 10 Gauge input cord only.
  
  The LCD spacing is archived by the LCD module itself, we do not include spacers to separate the module from the enclosure front panel. We recommend that you gently tighten the nuts in order to not crack the LCD Module.
  
  If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call, we are available any time at 480-381-0065.

  Ok, but I didn't get any instructions. Is there a PDF that you can send me?
  
  -=mirko=-

  I apologize, I thought we had printed out the instructions and put them in the box. Here is version 1 of the instructions, I will email you the updated version as soon as it is complete.

• The instructions were attached with the last email but I never received the updated version. Not that I needed them at that point.
• The only thing that I had done incorrectly was the direction that I used with the bolts to mount the components to the metal place that was in the kit. The way that I installed the bolts prevented the plate from completely going all the way to the bottom of the enclosure.

In general I was pleased with the product that I got. It was fairly easy to assemble. It just would have been nice to have the assembly instructions from the beginning.

When I get a chance I will post pics that I took.

 

[GlennD]

Spacers are very important. I once cracked a display by over tightening it. That display pcb now serves as a template for drilling the mounting holes.

Ok, So I finally have my Slick Charge EVSE Kit built and in operation.

• I ordered the Slick Charge - EVSE Kit on Mon Jan 27, 2014 and immediately got and email verification of the order.
• Wednesday came and I still had not received any shipping notification. So I went to the Local Motors web site and filled out a support ticket asking if the EVSE Kit had shipped.
  

  Hello, I ordered one of the Slick Charge - EVSE Charger Kits this past Monday. I was wondering when and how it was going to be shipped so I know to look out for the package.
  
  Thank you.

• Wed, Jan 29, 2014 at 4:54 PM i received a UPS shipping notification and shortly after that a message in response to my support ticket.
  

  Hello,
  
  Sorry for the delay, your Slick Charge EVSE Charger Kit shipped yesterday. You should have received an email with the tracking information. Please let us know if you need any further assistance.

• The package was shipped via UPS ground. So it took a while to find it's way down to South Florida. I finally got the package on Wed, Feb 5, 2014
• I opened the package and found everything except any assembly instructions. Not a big deal since everything was using the OpenEVSE components, and it was fairly easy to figure out what screws/wires/etc. whet where. The next day though I did send an email back to LM asking if there were any instructions, but I never got a response.
  

  Hello,
  I finally received my Slick Charge EVSE Charger Kit yesterday. Are there any assembly instructions for it? I think that I can figure most of it out by looking at the instructions that are available on 'code.google.com/p/open-evse/'.
  
  -=mirko=-

• As I was assembling the kit I noticed that one of the cable glands was missing the rubber cable seal, and there were no spacers for the LCd. So I sent a message using the support web for on the LM site.
  

  I received my Slick EVSE kit. While putting it together I found that one of the cable glands was missing the rubber cable seal. (see photo)
  
  Missing cable seal:
  http://s1354.photobucket.com/user/mirkop62/media/LM_CableGland_zps527b0647.jpg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
  
  Also the OpenEVSE RGB LCD had .25" spacers to go between the two boards, but there were no spacers to offset it from the enclosure's lid. (shee photo) Shouldn't there be spacers there?
  
  Missing spacers photo:
  http://s1354.photobucket.com/user/mirkop62/media/5e0ef9fa-0ede-4383-8fb6-b18820e93827_zps23902a66.jpg.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

• Here are the messages that followed.
  

  Thank you for contacting the Shop at Local Motors,
  
  We apologize for the confusion, and will be reworking our instructions to be more clear based on your feedback.
  
  The second cable gland does not include the rubber seal on purpose, the included J1772 cord outside insulation diameter is sufficient enough to seal and hold the connection without the need for the rubber spacer. With the rubber spacer installed the cable would not fit inside the cable gland, it is intended for the 10 Gauge input cord only.
  
  The LCD spacing is archived by the LCD module itself, we do not include spacers to separate the module from the enclosure front panel. We recommend that you gently tighten the nuts in order to not crack the LCD Module.
  
  If you have any further questions, please don't hesitate to give us a call, we are available any time at 480-381-0065.

  Ok, but I didn't get any instructions. Is there a PDF that you can send me?
  
  -=mirko=-

  I apologize, I thought we had printed out the instructions and put them in the box. Here is version 1 of the instructions, I will email you the updated version as soon as it is complete.

• The instructions were attached with the last email but I never received the updated version. Not that I needed them at that point.
• The only thing that I had done incorrectly was the direction that I used with the bolts to mount the components to the metal place that was in the kit. The way that I installed the bolts prevented the plate from completely going all the way to the bottom of the enclosure.

In general I was pleased with the product that I got. It was fairly easy to assemble. It just would have been nice to have the assembly instructions from the beginning.

When I get a chance I will post pics that I took.