AE Turbocard 240 Volt Portable Charger -- Ripoff?

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solarchargeddriver

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 29, 2010
Messages
49
Location
Colorado
I am thinking buying a AeroVironment TurboCord 240 Volt Plug-in EV Charger. I really need a 240V charger.

I've been trickle charging my 2014 LEAF for 11 months now, hit turtle mode 3 times in past 6 months, and had my LEAF come to a complete halt last night 300 meters from home. This was with my two daughters in the back seat, and just 50 meters farther on from where I have to take a left turn across three lanes of oncoming traffic that travels 60 mph. Glad it didn't cut out during that left turn!

The LEAF is my ONLY car, as my wife and I separated 6 months into my 2-year LEAF lease, and took our Subaru Forrester with her, leaving me with the LEAF (which I'd generally rather have for 90% of my driving, but the other 10%, well the LEAF just doesn't cut it -- I've stopped going to the Colorado mountains from Denver because I can't make it, thanks to lack of sufficient charging infrastructure).

Anyway, I'm thinking of finally springing $600 for the TurboCard, and possibly paying another $300 to $400 to have a 240V outlet installed in my garage.

Alternatively, I'm thinking of taking the door knob off to the door that leads from the house to the garage, snaking the TurboCard cord through, and plugging it into my dryer outlet.

I don't want to spend the $400 to do a 240volt outlet in my garage, because I'm 80% sure I'm going to sell our house within the next six months. I've also read that $600 is a ripoff for a charging unit (TurboCard) that people good with their hands/smart engineering types (I am far from this) can customize the 120V LEAF charger into a 240V charger for $30.

I know there's a company that customizes the LEAF 120V charger for $300, but I don't want to give up the 120V charger, which I've used quite a bit to plug in at friends/relatives houses, etc. that do not have an easily accessible 240V outlet.

Wondering what others out there think about $600 for the TurboCard (I definitely like the portability of it, and I don't want a 240V charger that's locked down into my garage). Do I have any other realistic choices (other than to continue to push my luck by trickle charging all of the time)?

Thank you.

--Christof D-H, Aurora, Colo.

BTW, I blog more about this at http://solarchargeddriving.com/editors-blog/on-evs-a-phevs/1204-a-nissan-leaf-runs-completely-out-of-charge.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
You do understand that at 120 volts the TurboCord is no faster than the EVSE included with the car, right? If you are willing to install or provide access to a 240 volt outlet for faster charging, your cheapest option is the EVSE upgrade, plus the ~$25 plug adapter for 120 volts, which would allow you to still charge at your friend's house. The main issue with that is the turnaround time while your OEM unit is away being upgraded. Can you bench the car for 2-5 days?
 
That's a tough call if you are only going to be at the house for another 6 months. I wonder if you can find some kind of "extension cord" that works with the dryer outlet? But, yeah, regardless of what you do you will need a 240V outlet to get any faster charging. I suppose one alternative would be using something called a "quick 220" if you have several 120V outlets around and hopefully at least 2 of them would be on different legs of the 240V system.

Oh, and as LeftieBiker pointed out, if you upgrade your EVSE to 240V, it will still work on 120V too. It becomes auto-sensing.
 
THank you for your replies. I guess I don't quite understand what LeftieBiker is saying.

If I buy this product --

http://www.amazon.com/AeroVironment...ger+240v&pebp=1421711773217&peasin=B00KZ3201O

and plug it into my dryer outlet, it will charge 3 times faster than right now with the standard trickle charging unit that came with my 2014 LEAF, right?

Also, with the LEAF being my only car, I can't afford any down time (possibly 1 day) really, so I don't know if EVSE upgrade will work for me.
 
A NEMA 6-20R (AeroVironment TurboCord) is not the same as NEMA 10-30 (dryer socket). You can't plugin directly to the dryer socket unless you buy an adapter.

Since the AeroVironment TurboCord "only" requires 16A on a 20A circuit and if you have a 120v socket that has a 12 gauge wire (20A), any good electrician can convert it to a 240v socket . Of course every outlet on the same branch will become 240v.
 
Basically if the EVSE plugs in to a standard 120vac plug it will charge at about 12 amps or 1500 watts. So the stock evse, a turbocord or even an EVSE Upgrade will charge about the same. With the upgrade unit you could push it up a bit on 120 but you would have to have a good dedicated 120vac outlet.

If I were in your shoes I would get an evseupgrade unit with the 120v adapter plug so you could use it on 240vac (dryer outlet) or use the adapter and plug it in to a standard 120vac outlet and it would work like the stock one you have now. With the upgrade you also have the option to get the upgrade unit right away and then send in your existing one once you get the new one, I believe that cost about $40 more, but still far less that the turbocord.
 
If I buy this product --

http://www.amazon.com/AeroVironment-TurboCord-Volt-Plug--Charger/dp/B00KZ3201O/ref=sr_1_fkmr1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1421711752&sr=8-1-fkmr1&keywords=aerovironment+portable+ev+charger+240v&pebp=1421711773217&peasin=B00KZ3201O" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

and plug it into my dryer outlet, it will charge 3 times faster than right now with the standard trickle charging unit that came with my 2014 LEAF, right?

Yes, but it isn't much of a bargain. Clipper Creek sells a similar 20 amp unit (that one is 16 amps) for $100 or so less. It also has a 3 year warranty. In either case a dryer plug would have to be installed on the input cable that comes with the units.
 
EVSE Upgrade is the best. You get an advance exchange if you like so you are not without a cord.

I would get a Clipper Creek long before an AV Turbo.
LCS-20 or LCS-25 and just add a cord... or if you have a 14-30 outlet the LCS-25P will plug right in. Need an adapter if you have a 10-30 (3-wire) outlet.
All under $600
 
TonyWilliams said:
I recommend the EVSEupgrade path, where they send you a unit to use while yours gets modified.

It will charge at the LEAF's maximum rate (16 amps for 2011-2012).

This is a 6 month old Leaf, which will charge at 27 amps. Unless it's an S with no Charge Package...
 
If you are going to spend the money to get 240v charging to speed up your recharge, why use less than the car will charge. Go ahead and get something that will use the full 6.6kw charging rate, which is the 27.5amps. Why short yourself and slow down the recharge. It will be much more efficient also. There is a big difference between the 16a and 27.5a.

There is a member on this forum that builds them for fun from a DYI kit. He can set it up with the plug you need and the length of cord to fit your needs.
 
With all this talk of the benefit of 240V charging, I assume you are either in a situation where you will be charging at home mid-day, or you are not able to get your car charged to 100% over night using 120V. If one or both of those statements is true, then you will indeed benefit from more powerful charging.

If getting the most additional range out of mid-day charging is the objective, then it makes sense to make the most of your available power and on-board charger.

As mentioned above, if your car is an S trim level without the charge package, then 240V/16A is as much power as the car can handle and either the Turbocord, EVSEUpgrade, or one of the less expensive Clipper Creek units are good candidates. The EVSEUpgrade and the Clipper Creek units could be considered to be more easily adapted to a variety of outlets.

If your car is any other trim level, the car is capable of taking advantage of up to roughly 28amps at 240 volts, however, if a Dryer outlet is the most robust power source available, you will still be limited to 24 amps as that is the most you can draw on a continuous basis from a 30A circuit. There are several 24A EVSEs available, but choices are more limited than they are in the 30-32A category.

The best of all worlds may be to look into one of the EVSEs that are based on open architecture such as the OpenEVSE or the JuiceBox. There are models of these units that will work with either 120 or 240V and can be configured to only offer as much charge as your circuit can safely handle, allowing you to tailor it to the specifics of nearly any situation
 
solarchargeddriver said:
...
I don't want to spend the $400 to do a 240volt outlet in my garage, because I'm 80% sure I'm going to sell our house within the next six months. I've also read that $600 is a ripoff for a charging unit (TurboCard) that people good with their hands/smart engineering types (I am far from this) can customize the 120V LEAF charger into a 240V charger for $30.

I know there's a company that customizes the LEAF 120V charger for $300, but I don't want to give up the 120V charger, which I've used quite a bit to plug in at friends/relatives houses, etc. that do not have an easily accessible 240V outlet.

...
The $30 do it yourself mod of the 120V EVSE is a really bad dangerous idea, even if the OP was a do it yourself person.

After reading the blog, is clear OP has 2014 SV, and problem was not being able to charge at brother's house from dryer outlet.

You can still use evseupgrade at 120V with correct adapter.
And with the correct outlet and codes it will go up to 25 amps, so it could be used at 24 amps from brother's dryer outlet with the correct adapter.

That is lowest cost.
But stringing it through removed garage door is a bad idea.
Better to be in out of floor not causing trip hazard.

So OPEN EVSE build by GlennD might be a better option.
 
I ended up getting the EVSE.com upgrade rather than a AV Turbocard, but now I'm wondering what I was thinking:

1. I have turn my 2014 LEAF SV back in in 12 months (March 2016). At that point I will have to exchange my upgraded charging unit for a standard 120 v. charger so i can turn the car back in with the correct unit. This means even though I saved money with the EVSE upgrade (with my own shipping costs + 120 v adaptor + Dryer outlet adaptor my total costs = $360) as compared to a new AV Turbocard ($650), I'll essentially lose that money after one year, as I will be forced to swap out my 240 v unit for a 120 v -- which will go back to Boulder Nissan. Poof $360 down the drain. If I had bought the AV Turbocard, it would stay with me, and, even though, up front, it cost more, over time, it would cost me less because I could keep it.

I don't see any good way around this seeming inevitable loss of money at this point, unless I'm missing something (I don't see how swapping out a 240 v for a 120 v with someone on e-bay is going to help me avoid a loss).
 
solarchargeddriver said:
I don't see any good way around this seeming inevitable loss of money at this point, unless I'm missing something (I don't see how swapping out a 240 v for a 120 v with someone on e-bay is going to help me avoid a loss).
Trade it for half or more than you paid extra.
 
You've no reason to feel bad about your decision. If a swap doesn't work out you can buy a stock 120V EVSE for around $300 and return the car with that, then you get to keep your upgraded EVSE for $660 all in. That's basically the same as the Turbocord and the upgraded EVSE is a far superior product that will work with whatever EV/PHEV you move on to next (I use one with my Rav4-EV) and its full adjustability means it can handle any charging situation you might throw at it.

Also, I've heard of some who return their car when the lease is up without any EVSE and don't experience any problems, so you could just try that and see what happens before you do anything else.
 
Thank you for the replies. I'll figure out a plan as I get close to end of lease in a year. I didn't think about buying a new stock 120v charger and leaving that with the car when I turn in. That's a good idea.

If I stick with leasing a 2nd LEAF from the same dealer, I wonder if it would be a good (or bad) idea to ask if I could keep my upgraded charging unit and take stock from new LEAF and put it in the old one I'm turning in.

I guess it would draw attention to the fact that I modified the original stock charger, and I could get in trouble for that. Don't know. Has anyone done that before -- take upgraded EVSE.com 240v unit with them to a new LEAF, take out stock 120V from new LEAF and put it in the LEAF being returned, with permission from a dealer?
 
Well charging at your max is not always possible. My new Mercedes B Class can charge at 40A but my panel can not support that. My car is happy at 32A. As long as your car and the Leaf certainly supports the J1772 standard then you charge the max the EVSE reports or less. A Leaf with enhanced charging draws 27.5A so anything above that is good. In my case charging a Leaf with a 32A EVSE the current above 27.5A is ignored
 
fooljoe said:
You've no reason to feel bad about your decision. If a swap doesn't work out you can buy a stock 120V EVSE for around $300 and return the car with that, then you get to keep your upgraded EVSE for $660 all in. That's basically the same as the Turbocord and the upgraded EVSE is a far superior product that will work with whatever EV/PHEV you move on to next (I use one with my Rav4-EV) and its full adjustability means it can handle any charging situation you might throw at it.

Also, I've heard of some who return their car when the lease is up without any EVSE and don't experience any problems, so you could just try that and see what happens before you do anything else.

I'm not impressed with Turbocord, but I really like my 2013 or newer EVSEupgrade (20 amp max), with 1 amp increment programming. I carry that in addition to a JESLA (40 amp max portable) and of course, a 40 foot JLong.

I turned in both LEAF's without the EVSE. All of my current EV's have a 40 amp onboard charger (Toyota RAV4 EV and MErcedes B-Class ED).
 
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