LEVEL 2 charger recommandation please.
- Thread starter gotd77
- Start date
Help Support My Nissan Leaf Forum:
gotd77 said:
I bought the AeroVironment unit that Nissan pushes. I have only had my Leaf a couple of weeks and this is the only charging station I have experience with, so I really can't compare it to the others available. It's a nice unit, seems well made, and works well. I bought the plug in unit. I thought that if I was going to run a 220V line in my garage, I might find it useful to have a 220 outlet I could use for other things in the future. The unit I bought has a 20' cable so I can plug it in parked either direction in the garage, or parked outside the garage. The only negative thing I can say is that it is quite expensive.
davewill
Well-known member
Do you care more about price or charging speed? Are you the DIY type?
Deleted member 14724
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gotd77 said:
I've been very happy with the OpenEVSE build by GlennD, who often posts in the private/for sale topic. Excellent price, and more features than the expensive units you can buy from manufacturers. Plus, you have the ability to fix any failed components in the future, rather than having to replace the entire unit. But, if you really want to buy one from a manufacturer, I've heard great things about Clipper Creek.
TimLee
Well-known member
TWO threads with the same topic only one and one half hours apart :shock:gotd77 said:
Really bad etiquette.
Try evseupgrade.
Lowest cost best option for 2015 S without charge package that can only do 16 amp charging.
You definitely need L2 charging as you have learned.
Plus L1 charging can have huge risks that most people fail to understand.
See the other threads on fire.
no i am totally no DIY type... however, i am with power company lower bill program 11pm - 7 am. i am trying to full charge with in that time.
that's it.. all i need this car for commute to work. with my 110v charger still be charging when i get up in the morning so i struggle going to work.
bottom line is i don't want to spend too much money and i do not want to super fast charge either. just with in 6-8 hr full charge for least expensive way to buy charger would be great.
thank you
that's it.. all i need this car for commute to work. with my 110v charger still be charging when i get up in the morning so i struggle going to work.
bottom line is i don't want to spend too much money and i do not want to super fast charge either. just with in 6-8 hr full charge for least expensive way to buy charger would be great.
thank you
davewill said:
no i am totally no DIY type... however, i am with power company lower bill program 11pm - 7 am. i am trying to full charge with in that time.
that's it.. all i need this car for commute to work. with my 110v charger still be charging when i get up in the morning so i struggle going to work.
bottom line is i don't want to spend too much money and i do not want to super fast charge either. just with in 6-8 hr full charge for least expensive way to buy charger would be great.
thank you
smkettner
Well-known member
Clipper Creek LCS-20 or 25
Also have the AV unit. It's been charging my LEAF every day for the last 4 years, plus the Volt we bought for the wife for the last year, without any issues.
rogersleaf
Well-known member
First need to look at what amperage of 240 volt supply your home can support and what local building codes will allow. Assuming you need to install a 240 volt supply, suggest not going cheap on the wiring and getting as close to a 40 amp supply as the home will support. If money is a primary factor and charging speed is secondary, then suggest having a regular 240 volt outlet installed and using an EVSE with a plug-in cord. Then, an excellent and cost effective choice is sending your factory charge cord to evseupgrade.com to be modified for L2. This makes the cord usable both at home and away from home, and on both L1 or L2.gotd77 said:
Best to consider your installation needs as well. Have you had an electrician come out? Do you have enough space in your panel for a Level 2 without an upgrade to service? Are you going to need to run a new line a far distance? Are you re-purposing a dryer outlet, etc... I have the Bosch Level 2 charger and it works very well and is reasonably priced. However, since I was re-using a line from the electric dryer (don't need it since I have gas). I could have saved a big installation headache by buying a charger that only pulled 24 Amps instead of 30Amps.
Thanks! Yes i already install dedicated 240v line with 40A capable. All i need to know is what is inexpensive and reliable chargers out there. Like i said i only charge discounted rate time whih is 11pm-7am with 110v there is no no way full charge with in that time frame. Im looking at clipper creep brand or juice box now... Schneider one is no longer on sale in home depot so... It is expensive investment!! I already spend lots of money for dedicated 240v install at home...rogersleaf said:
aarond12
Well-known member
Love the unintentional typo. Clipper Creep. :lol:gotd77 said:
I have to say, I've had great luck with my LCS-25 and some others have on this site as well. It won't charge at the full 6.6kW though. The LCS-20 is on sale currently for $395. That's pretty cheap.
The HCS-40 is $590 and will charge at the full 6.6kW speed. (It will actually go to 7.7kW but the LEAF won't.)
aarond12 said:
oh man...i was in hurry..made type sorry
yeah...i hear good things about LCS-20. My decision almost to towards to LCS-20. With Juice box, they told me if i don't know 50A cord with hard wire then price drop to around $320. i like that price plus pretty long cord (25ft) so... however, i don't know if they are reliable or not. also they do not have customer service so...and only 1year warrenty. If home depot go on sale for Shcneider then i might go with that too..
davewill
Well-known member
BTW, you never told us which car you have. It would be good to know the charging rate it's capable of. If you've already got a 40a circuit installed, I would be inclined to install a 30a EVSE (highest a 40a circuit will support), not a 20a. That way it will work for you even if you buy a Tesla later. As far as choosing between the the Juicebox and Clipper Creek. I would break it down like this:
Clipper Creek makes the most solid EVSEs, hands down, and they've been in the business the longest. Nobody else in the industry right now even comes close to their reputation. They aren't the cheapest, but their recent pricing is pretty good. Buy CC if you want it to be high quality, UL listed, have a good warranty, and be backed by a good company.
The company making the Juicebox is pretty darned new, and the appeal for their equipment comes from price, support and open source. You'll get a higher functioning product cheaper. They are active on the forum, and it isn't hard to get their ear if you have questions or problems. Their design and code is open and you can hack these units or repair them yourself if you need to. They're working on being UL listed, but I don't think they've succeeded, yet.
Since you're not a DIY kind of guy, I would steer you toward Clipper Creek. If the added cost isn't a problem you should seriously consider buying the 30a instead of the 20a, but the 20a WILL fill your needs as you've described them.
Clipper Creek makes the most solid EVSEs, hands down, and they've been in the business the longest. Nobody else in the industry right now even comes close to their reputation. They aren't the cheapest, but their recent pricing is pretty good. Buy CC if you want it to be high quality, UL listed, have a good warranty, and be backed by a good company.
The company making the Juicebox is pretty darned new, and the appeal for their equipment comes from price, support and open source. You'll get a higher functioning product cheaper. They are active on the forum, and it isn't hard to get their ear if you have questions or problems. Their design and code is open and you can hack these units or repair them yourself if you need to. They're working on being UL listed, but I don't think they've succeeded, yet.
Since you're not a DIY kind of guy, I would steer you toward Clipper Creek. If the added cost isn't a problem you should seriously consider buying the 30a instead of the 20a, but the 20a WILL fill your needs as you've described them.
ElectricMonkey
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I got my EVSE upgrade unit this weekend, and it seems to work pretty well. It's charges remarkably fast. I don't really see any reason to go with a more expensive option. I'm not sure you get anything meaningful for the extra money.
Wennfred
Well-known member
Bosch Power Max, this is what I use, over a year now with no issues, they have 3 types from 450.00 to 800.00
I keep my EVSE Upgrade in the trunk for when I charge at a friends house at 240 Volts.
Here is one on EBay for 300.00 with 11 bids
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOSCH-POWERMAX-LEVEL-2-CHARGING-STATION-/161482663751?pt=Electric_Vehicle_Parts&hash=item25991de747&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Fred
I keep my EVSE Upgrade in the trunk for when I charge at a friends house at 240 Volts.
Here is one on EBay for 300.00 with 11 bids
http://www.ebay.com/itm/BOSCH-POWERMAX-LEVEL-2-CHARGING-STATION-/161482663751?pt=Electric_Vehicle_Parts&hash=item25991de747&vxp=mtr" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Fred
NeilBlanchard
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I installed a JuiceBox Premium today, with 6/3 and a 50A 240V breaker. It indicates that our '15 Leaf S is charging at ~7kW. Did Nissan change the spec on their charger up to 7.2kW? We have used a nearby public Level 30A charger and we go from ~12 miles to ~91-92 in ~2 hours.
The only bit that I have not gotten working yet is the wireless module pairing with my network - it requires a WPS button on the wireless router, and our Verizon FIOS router doesn't have one of those. Any hints on getting this to work?
The only bit that I have not gotten working yet is the wireless module pairing with my network - it requires a WPS button on the wireless router, and our Verizon FIOS router doesn't have one of those. Any hints on getting this to work?
NeilBlanchard said:I installed a JuiceBox Premium today, with 6/3 and a 50A 240V breaker. It indicates that our '15 Leaf S is charging at ~7kW. Did Nissan change the spec on their charger up to 7.2kW? We have used a nearby public Level 30A charger and we go from ~12 miles to ~91-92 in ~2 hours.
The only bit that I have not gotten working yet is the wireless module pairing with my network - it requires a WPS button on the wireless router, and our Verizon FIOS router doesn't have one of those. Any hints on getting this to work?
I have a 15 S as well and I've noticed that it charges very fast. We are using the Bosch Power Max 30A charger and have it on 8/3 wire and a 240v line. I try to use the crappy end timer in the S model to predict a morning charge stoppage at 80% or so but, its incredibly difficult. I feel like it is charging faster than 6.6kwh, but I don't see how it can be? Maybe it has something to do with outside temp. I hear they charge faster or slower depending on battery temp.
I have both the original Blink device installed free when the Leaf was delivered. Also I have a 220vac outlet fed by a 60A breaker sited next to it. In winter I use the Blink kluge so I can turn on the heat in the car by my iPhone Ap. Other months I used the 220V outlet, with the EVSE upgrade I purchased from one of us here on the forum. I don't see much difference, but assume the rate of charge is higher with the 60A outlet. Anyone have thoughts on this? Also my portable 10kW genset (modified with a phantom ground plug, per this forum) charges at about the same rate. The genset hardly notices the load, BTW. Any comments or thoughts on this? Appreciate you reading this.
