Help an indecisive person decide on an EVSE

So here's the situation... My first LEAF was parked in the garage, and I had a 30A Schneider Electric EVSE installed on the interior garage wall for that car. The LEAF lease ended and I replaced it with a Tesla Roadster. Instead of uninstalling the Schneider EVSE, I instead had a new circuit and 14-50 outlet installed right next to it for the Tesla cord, so I'd have the J1772 EVSE in case my wife upgraded from her Prius C to a Volt or other plug-in in the near future. So to re-cap, in the garage there is a 30A J1772 EVSE and there's a 14-50 outlet for the Roadster, both on separate breakers/circuits.

Recently I picked up a used 2013 LEAF SL to use as a daily driver, and now it parks in the driveway since the Roadster and my wife's car occupy the garage. I'd like to install an EVSE outside on the corner of the house, so I can charge the LEAF while it's parked in the driveway. Some thoughts on various options:

1. I tried using the 120V Nissan cord running under the garage door but between the 13 hour charge times and the giant spiders coming into the garage, that option is a no-go.
2. I'd prefer not to do the EVSE Upgrade, since I like to keep the L1 cord in the car for emergencies only. So this option would tie up a few hundred bucks in a cord that will just sit in the car anyway.
3. Since this will be an outdoor installation, I'd like to focus only on outdoor rated EVSEs. Some seem to claim this rating despite having plugs instead of hard-wire. I've not found a conclusive statement on this in the NEC, and I also tend to favor the hard-wire options to deter theft.
4. Since the installation location will be somewhat visible from the street, I'd like an EVSE that's not the size of a Buick, and that doesn't light up like a disco ball. Simple and discreet would be ideal.
5. My geeky brain tells me to get another 30A EVSE for this location, but I'm afraid this is probably a waste of money.

Based on those points, I feel like the smart choice would be to get a Clipper Creek LCS-25 which delivers 20A for $469. If I'm in a pinch and need a faster charge I can move the Prius C and use the lonely 30A EVSE in the garage. Would it be stupid to even go another step down to the LCS-20 (15A) and save yet another $100? I have little to no inclination to "future proof" this EVSE since most likely my next car won't primarily use the J1772 standard anyway (Tesla S or 3).

Curious what other opinions there may be on this topic...

Look at Clipper Creek's basic charging stations. Well built, simple, inexpensive. Not that the last seems to be an issue in this case...

Go with the Clipper Creek. 20 or 15, it won't matter because either will get you fully charged overnight and you have alternate options for "emergencies."

I would install an open source either built by me, or from somone on this forum, on the inside wall next to the garage door. I would then cut a small hole and install or build a small access door about 3 ft or so from the ground, with door only able to unlock from the inside. Then when needed, I could unlock the access door, feed the J1772 through the opening and plug it in. You could even cut some foam rubber blocks to seal the opening when the cable is outside. If the door is hinged from the top it would also provide some weather resistance.

If you get one with a higher amp rating it could also be used on the Tesla if you ever wanted to plug it in while it is parked on the driveway outside of the garage.

I'm just saying ....

I'm starting to think it might make sense to just sell the Schneider 30A EVSE, and go for a Clipper Creek HCS-40 (32A) for the outside location. Then I'll have max charging capacity for the LEAF where it's normally parked, and I can just worry about what new EVSE to add inside the garage if and when my wife switches to EV.

If she switches to a Volt then the 30A in there would be overkill anyway, and if she holds out until the Tesla 3 then we'd likely need something different anyway (HPC, UMC, etc.).

As an engineer the Open Source stuff has my curiosity, but part of the reason I got into EVs was to have less to worry about tinkering with or fixing. I just want something I know I can plug in and not worry about it falling apart or bursting into flames (not questioning your abilities Graffi, lol).

I've got the LCS25 with an outdoor install and I really like it. I also wanted something that was small so that's why I picked it. It's mounted low on the wall and hidden behind a big flower pot. Originally I was thinking of putting it inside a flower pot with fake flowers on top but my wife didn't like the idea of moving that pot that would fit it.

Even though I can charge faster on the SV I find that it's fast enough for not only overnight but the occasional quick stop at home that needs a top up.

Your other option may be to use a J1772 extension. Since you'd have to drill through the wall to get an EVSE outside anyway you could get an extension and put the cord through the wall then wire up the end inside the garage. That way you can charge outside on 30 amp and all you'll have is a cord outside. If your wife switches to a volt you can use the 30 amp inside on it when you want to charge quick but for most times the 120v will work fine. If you want 240 on the volt available all the time then you can EVSE upgrade your leaf J1772 and keep the volt unit in the leaf as she won't need to keep a unit in the volt.

The JuiceBox is small, completely unlighted, and very plain-looking:



It also delivers a lot of power for a relatively low price. Personally, I was put off by the absence of indicators, but if that's what you want, this is the one.

(They also used to have a larger version shaped like a battery, with a display; but if they're still selling that, it's not obvious.)

Jimmyz80: May I assume you have 400a service to allow you to provide ~130a of 240v power capacity for your EVSEs?

Just a thought. You could build a weatherproof enclosure and put the Schneider inside of it. Depends on your carpentry skills...

MikeD said:

Jimmyz80: May I assume you have 400a service to allow you to provide ~130a of 240v power capacity for your EVSEs?

Click to expand...

Nope it's 200A service, and I forgot to mention that this is one reason I was thinking it my be best to stick with a LCS-25 outside and remove the Schneider in the interim. I can also dial the Roadster down to a lower amperage if necessary, since I don't care how slow or fast that car charges. I never even get the battery below 50% SOC on heavy driving days, so the idea of needing a quick top-off on that car just doesn't exist for me.

After looking, I see the Schneider unit is Indoor only, and also hardwire only. Why not consider making a wood cabinet for it an mounting it inside the cabinet. That would keep it dry and out of the weather.

i built a cabinet for an outdoor rated unit, just to keep it looking nice. I also wanted to keep the plug in feature, which has to be removed and replaced with hardwire connection when used "outdoors", per the instructions (this is how they all work if you read the instructions).

Follow the link to see pics.

http://charles-dusty.tripod.com/electric_vehicle/

Charles

CharlesinGA said:

After looking, I see the Schneider unit is Indoor only, and also hardwire only. Why not consider making a wood cabinet for it an mounting it inside the cabinet. That would keep it dry and out of the weather.

i built a cabinet for an outdoor rated unit, just to keep it looking nice. I also wanted to keep the plug in feature, which has to be removed and replaced with hardwire connection when used "outdoors", per the instructions (this is how they all work if you read the instructions).

Follow the link to see pics.

http://charles-dusty.tripod.com/electric_vehicle/

Charles

Click to expand...

Someone else had suggested this earlier in the thread. I like the idea, but I'd rather just save the hassle and buy an actual outdoor rated unit.

Chris of OpenEVSE has water resistant cases and kits on his website. If you go with a display and button you can set the current in the menu. With a basic kit the current is set at programming from 10A to 80A.

200A service is good for 160A at 80% so you can support normal house draws and two 30A EVSE's easily.

http://store.openevse.com/

Well I picked up an LCS-25, so that puts the dilemma to rest. One question about electrical code though... The LCS-25 delivers 20A continuous and required a 25A breaker. Would it be acceptable to have my electrician run wiring capable of 40A (8 AWG for example) and install a 40A breaker? Then if I ever upgrade to a 30A EVSE, it's just a swap out and doesn't need any work done to the wiring or breaker.

Logically in my mind this seems safe, but I don't know the details of how electrical code applies in this case.

Install a 30 amp breaker (more common and will still be safe) and upgrade it when you install a larger EVSE. The LCS-25 only draws 20 amps, so you don't want a breaker sized fully twice that.

LeftieBiker said:

Install a 30 amp breaker (more common and will still be safe) and upgrade it when you install a larger EVSE. The LCS-25 only draws 20 amps, so you don't want a breaker sized fully twice that.

Click to expand...

I can't think of a reason you would not want a larger breaker/wire, other than incremental increase in cost, or if the panel does not have a spare 50A to supply. The margin of safety would be increased with a 50A circuit (not that running a 20A draw on a 30A circuit is unsafe) and it will be "future-proofed" for some time (will not have to pay to re-run wire and upgrade breaker in near future).

I would go with the slightly larger HCS series that now come in lower power similar to the LCS models.
Although I charge daily at work using an LCS-25 and it works just fine.

LeftieBiker said:

Install a 30 amp breaker (more common and will still be safe) and upgrade it when you install a larger EVSE. The LCS-25 only draws 20 amps, so you don't want a breaker sized fully twice that.

Click to expand...

The required breaker for the LCS-25 is 25A so double sizing everything would mean a 50A breaker. 40A would be the required breaker for a 30-32A EVSE, which is fairly standard and is why I was suggesting that size. My panel actually has a 40A breaker for the 30A EVSE in the garage that I'll likely be removing for the foreseeable future (until the wife upgrades to an EV). So i'm thinking of just having the electrician re-use that breaker for the new outdoor wiring, and size the wiring to support a matching 40A (32A continuous).

BTW: If anyone is interested in the Schneider 30A EVSE, give me a shout.

smkettner said:

I would go with the slightly larger HCS series that now come in lower power similar to the LCS models.
Although I charge daily at work using an LCS-25 and it works just fine.

Click to expand...

Scroll back about three posts - already bought the LCS-25.

How about a 12amp, 16amp, 24amps and 40 amp J1772 all-in-one portable charging cable based on the Tesla UMC:

Only 8 pounds, super flexible, and includes carrying bag and two plugs:

- NEMA 5-15 household 120 volt plug for 12 amps
- NEMA 14-50 plug for "50 amp" RV park or 240 volt garage for 40 amps

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





When you attach the following respective plug, JESLA will automatically provide up to the following amperage:

............................................VOLTS / AMPS.......kW
NEMA 5-15 .......Standard Outlet.. 120 V / 12 A...... 1.4 kW
NEMA 5-20 ...... Motel air conditioner 120/16A....... 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
NEMA 6-50 .......Welding Equip.... 240 V / 40 A...... 9.6 kW
NEMA 14-50......RVs and Camps.. 240 V / 40 A...... 9.6 kW