AndyH
Well-known member
LEAFer said:I have seen the 80A mentioned a few times now ... and am compelled to comment.
Yes, the spec allows up to 80A. But does not require it. And notice that the UL Listing is limited to 30A for the current J1772 connector. Personally I'd be happy (in the short-term) with a EU equivalent 13A/230V = 2.99kW portable EVSE. So ... the "danger" would be the equivalent of the EU "danger" -- perceived or real. I am NOT suggesting an 80A portable (plug-in) EVSE. I am not even asking for a 50A one either. But 6.6kW would be nice. That would mean drawing 27.5A at 240V. (And willing to compromise down to a standard 30A breaker, or pulling only 30*80%=24amps=5.76kW. Hey! That's like a dryer outlet ! using NEMA10-30R or NEMA14-30R)
(BTW, the Tesla portable EVSE pictured above is limited to draw 40A from a NEMA 14-50R (RV style) receptacle and contains a GFCI.)
I'm sorry but have to split some hairs for this.
I agree 100% that the J1772 spec has an 80A upper limit. But it's more than just allowing up to 80A. It actually specifies that the car - from connector thru charger - must be sized for the full 80A. It doesn't require that the EVSE be built to supply 80A, that's apparently true.
UL listing...can you show me a UL listing for a Jan 2010 J1772 compliant EVSE? I cannot. Word I have from two companies is that their L1 and L2 devices are in UL testing now and won't be marketable until September. I have seen EVSE products in the UL list from the Oct 1996 J1772 revision - and the earlier spec had a 40A limit for AC power. Another factor for UL testing is that according to the EPRI rep that spoke at the June J1772 meeting, they were still working on the EVSE test procedure. It was to be ready by the end of July meeting. If the procedure isn't done, what's the UL basing their evaluation on?
American's may have a challenge understanding the 'EU threat' as most haven't been there. My flat in England was equipped with 13A outlets and each outlet had a switch. The slots for the three prongs had auto-closing doors. The power panel had fuses and/or circuit breakers. The plugs had fuses. The pins on the plugs were 1/2 covered with something that looked like thin shrink wrap. It was absolutely impossible to touch live pins when inserting the plug into the socket. If one used the switch, it was super double impossible!
Here's a shot from one of my old German extension cords from 1990. The wall receptacles are recessed the same way the female extension cord receptacle is.
We don't have this level of redundant safety on our 120V or 240V plugs and outlets! Again - apples and oranges because of both design and the gap between 13A and 80A.
The US NEC appears to have set the standard based on max power for the range of devices per J1772. We could lobby for split standards (to allow plugs for units that draw 40A or less, for example) but that doesn't appear to be what we have today. That's likely why there were older EVSE devices with mains plugs while the new units - rated for twice the power - require hard wiring.
I understand that we want what we want when we want it. But don't expect a commercial L2 EVSE with a plug anytime soon unless one makes their own.
Andy