IEVS: Portable Electric Car EV Charger Comparison: Which One’s The Best?
- Thread starter GRA
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So neither IEVS nor you understand that charging stations are not chargers?
I'm sure GRA knows the difference, he just lifted the title of this thread from the title of the article 
My main complaint about the article is the very limited number of EVSEs compared and IMO they left out many much more flexible(and cheaper) models that work just as good as the ones they compared.
Take for instance the whole dual voltage thing, most all the cheap Chinese 16a models work equally as well on 120v as they do on 240v(or 208v as far as that's concerned ) but they only reviewed the rather expensive Turbo Cord, where you have to pay quite a bit extra for the privilege of being able to use it on 120v :roll:
IMO basically any EVSE should be able to work on 120v as well as 240v and personally I wouldn't purchase a portable EVSE unless it was dual voltage compatible, but that's just me. Sure if you purchase a 16a L2 Chinese EVSE and your not smart enough to not plug it into a 15a circuit using it on 120v(or 240v as far as that's concerned) then maybe you shouldn't be plugging anything in a wall outlet at all......but I guess that's what breakers/fuses are for :roll:
My main complaint about the article is the very limited number of EVSEs compared and IMO they left out many much more flexible(and cheaper) models that work just as good as the ones they compared.
Take for instance the whole dual voltage thing, most all the cheap Chinese 16a models work equally as well on 120v as they do on 240v(or 208v as far as that's concerned
) but they only reviewed the rather expensive Turbo Cord, where you have to pay quite a bit extra for the privilege of being able to use it on 120v :roll: IMO basically any EVSE should be able to work on 120v as well as 240v and personally I wouldn't purchase a portable EVSE unless it was dual voltage compatible, but that's just me. Sure if you purchase a 16a L2 Chinese EVSE and your not smart enough to not plug it into a 15a circuit using it on 120v(or 240v as far as that's concerned) then maybe you shouldn't be plugging anything in a wall outlet at all......but I guess that's what breakers/fuses are for :roll:
GRA
Well-known member
Exactly right. While I will sometimes correct this inaccurate terminology (not with the assiduousness that cwerdna devotes to kW/kWh), the vast majority of the general public, including most newbies here, think of EVSEs as 'chargers'. If the correct terminology is critical to the discussion (or I'm just feeling literal that day) I'll draw the distinction, otherwise not. Understanding the difference between kW and kWh is lot more likely to be important, as it can affect purchase and operational decisions. Calling an EVSE a 'charger' usually doesn't have that sort of impact, and if it does you often need to understand the kW/kWh distinction first, and it can be covered there.jjeff said:I'm sure GRA knows the difference, he just lifted the title of this thread from the title of the article
jjeff said:I'm sure GRA knows the difference, he just lifted the title of this thread from the title of the article
My main complaint about the article is the very limited number of EVSEs compared and IMO they left out many much more flexible(and cheaper) models that work just as good as the ones they compared.
Take for instance the whole dual voltage thing, most all the cheap Chinese 16a models work equally as well on 120v as they do on 240v(or 208v as far as that's concerned
IMO basically any EVSE should be able to work on 120v as well as 240v and personally I wouldn't purchase a portable EVSE unless it was dual voltage compatible, but that's just me. Sure if you purchase a 16a L2 Chinese EVSE and your not smart enough to not plug it into a 15a circuit using it on 120v(or 240v as far as that's concerned) then maybe you shouldn't be plugging anything in a wall outlet at all......but I guess that's what breakers/fuses are for :roll:
An EVSE is dependent on its contactor or relay. Many EVSE;s use 240V coil units and as such they are only L2. For example OpenEVSE can directly drive either a 240V contactor or a 12V relay. The relay is dual voltage L1 & L2 but the contactor is L2 only. Since it is DIY it depends on the builder:s choice. I have used the relay that the Juice box uses for dual L1 & L2 but I have also built units with a Siemans 63A 240V cuntactor.
In fact my main unit has a 63A contactor with a 40A Quick Charge Power J1772 cable and a 50A 14-50 4 ft range cable. It is L2 only and I am quite happy with it.