New owner & charging question

I have to gloat 1st then the question. Feel embarrassingly like a proud new Dad with my new 2016 Leaf SV & couldn't be happier. I have wanted an electric car for 20+ years, came close a couple times, but never could pull the trigger due to long commute distances and such gas reliance. Received a flyer for their VPP program for a ridiculous cost for a lease, $164 for an SV. Couldn't get my Audi there fast enough to trade it in. Even with a kid in college, it was the Audi that was costing us the most out of pocket expenses the past year (no more $150 oil changes AHAHAHAHA, take that Audi!!!). No more oil changes, emissions tests & gas stations, wow! So happy with the Leaf, the 1st night of charging it (drove it for +80 miles after leaving the dealership..) I couldn't help but check how fast or slow, it was charging every hour on my phone, like a new parent checking on their baby the 1st night, sooo ridiculous... Was surprised it was 90% charged the next morning. However the factory 120V charger isn't going to do it as I do a lot of driving, trips from the home.

*Question* I have been looking online at 220/240V, level 2 home chargers on Amazon/other sites & apparently the standard going rate for decent wall/permanent chargers are in the $500 range for the chargers that have mostly good reviews, such as; Siemens Versicharge ($500), ChargePoint ($500), GE ($517), etc. The next lower/cheaper level are portable inline 220V chargers all seem to be around $300. Does anybody know of any better chargers out there that they have experience with. I was an electrician for many years so not very concerned about the wiring aspect of it. I think for now I may get the Duosida inline charger for $296, until I can find a good permanent charging station.

If you want the 30a GE I'd wait a few weeks for it to drop back down to it's normal $399 price, which is about the best deal on a commercial full amp EVSE. If your OK with 16a then one of the $299 portables that your looking at would work. Personally in your case unless you plan on using it portably(on the go) I'd spend the extra $100 and get the full charging GE when it goes on sale. I guess if you didn't want to wait there is the $429* Siemens which also seems to have very recently raised it's price to $459 IMO the downside of the Siemens is the ridiculously short cord(14') not that the GEs 18' is all that great either but '14 is very short IMO.
Lastly if your OK with a OpenEVSE type design(not UL listed) then you might want to check out VegasBrad right here on MNL. He builds and sells OpenEVSE style EVSEs and for a 30a(full amp for your Leaf) I believe they start ~$399. An advantage to Brad's is you can customize it, longer cord, particular display, etc. and IMO they are better built than much of what is UL listed, he just hasn't went through the expensive UL listing, same as all of the $299 portable EVSEs, none will be UL listed.
Finally if you do go the $299 16a portable route I might suggest getting the Ebusbar instead of the Duosida as only the Ebusbar is both L1 and L2, the Duosida is only 240v. IMO if spending the same money why not get one that you could use on 120v in a pinch, but thats your call. I've been using a Ebusbar for the last 6 months on both 120v and 240v and it works just fine, but again is only 16a so it will be slower than a 30a GE or such.

There have been issues with GE charging stations (the charger is actually built into the car) and Leafs, so I'd suggest you get a Clipper Creek if you don't need extra bells & whistles. They are US-made, have a 3 year warranty, and are rugged but affordable. You car charges at 27.5 amps maximum, so any charging station that can provide 30 amps will be more than adequate.

LeftieBiker said:

There have been issues with GE charging stations....

Click to expand...

I believe that was only with the older GE Wattstation?? EVSE, not the newer GE Durastation
Of course there is no denying the GE is very ugly, that I won't argue with :lol:

Awesome advice, jjeff as I'm looking for a 30A EVSE also.

Is this the GE one on Amazon you mention?:
https://www.amazon.com/GE-Charger-Outdoor-Level-2-DuraStation/dp/B00VVFO39W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1476135548&sr=8-1&keywords=ge+evse

This is the price history of that one on Amazon, might be a wait till $399 again:

Yes thats the one, I don't own one but haven't really heard anything bad about it either. I believe GE had issues with the prior model, Wattstation??. I don't know why the price fluctuates so much :? like I said most of the time it seems to be $399 but then jumps to $499 or more for a few weeks at a time. I believe it's been >$500 for a week or more so I'd think it might be due for a drop, but no guarantees
Again if your not against a home build(but quality built) EVSE and UL listing isn't a big deal, VegasBrad has lots of EVSEs starting I believe in the $399 range and no games with his prices. Here's a link to his catalog, it's 98 pages long.
https://www.dropbox.com/s/hc6ei1dkkqwbiwz/BSAelectronics%20EVSE%20flyer.pdf?dl=0
Page 36 has one for a little over $400 + shipping, he may even have a cheaper one but his catalog is very large and IMO kind of hard to navigate

jjeff said:

Again if your not against a home build(but quality built) EVSE and UL listing isn't a big deal, VegasBrad has lots of EVSEs starting I believe in the $399 range and no games with his prices.

Click to expand...

Would be cool to support a home build guy like this, but that catalog is so overwhelming for a newbie I don't even know where to start. Except at page 36 where you mention.

The issue was with the Wattstation, but I'd be (over?) cautious about getting a GE anyway.

SurfHawk said:

jjeff said:

Again if your not against a home build(but quality built) EVSE and UL listing isn't a big deal, VegasBrad has lots of EVSEs starting I believe in the $399 range and no games with his prices.

Click to expand...

Would be cool to support a home build guy like this, but that catalog is so overwhelming for a newbie I don't even know where to start. Except at page 36 where you mention.

Click to expand...

+1
While I like all the options like you said it's kind of overwhelming
Not sure how it could be easier but one way might be a smaller catalog and then maybe various options like cable length and cable material.
I'm kind of in the market for a somewhat portable 30+ amp EVSE to carry around in my car and will probably end up purchasing one from Brad but with all the choices it's kind of a daunting task, I keep putting it off. If I lived near LV I'd seriously think of seeing if he had some to look at as I think that would be easier for me but I never really go to LV and it's kind of a long way to go just to look at a EVSE :lol:

LeftieBiker said:

The issue was with the Wattstation, but I'd be (over?) cautious about getting a GE anyway.

Click to expand...

Interesting, I knew about issues with the previous generation but didn't realize people were having issues with the Wattstation too.
Of course it's the cheapest EVSE of it's type(when it's $399) so maybe that should say something :idea:
One thing I really like about it is it's ability to set various max charging current. It's 30a max but I believe you limit it's output to several settings lower than that. Real handy if you want a 30a EVSE for future proofing but only have a 15, 20 or 30a circuit/wiring now. Not sure all other 30a EVSEs have this handy feature.

The GE is $399 at Home Depot and in stock at my local store. I bet the $520 ones on Amazon are 3rd party sellers le re-selling from Home Depot, then when a direct supplier starts selling the price drops back to $399.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/GE-EV-Charger-Indoor-Outdoor-Level-2-DuraStation-Wall-Mount-with-18-ft-Cord-EVDSWGH-CP01/205808537

Edit: I don't think it's plug in, it's hard wired. That plus only the 18' cord and I don't think I'd go for this one.

Thanks Jeff, everybody. Jeff you saved me from a future regret, going to get the Ebusbar inline charger versus the Duosida. Also checked out VegasBrad's charger, it is amazing, especially how he can customize it based on the individual.

For the full size 7.2kW range EVSE we will wait & see if the GE unit drops down in cost, as that is the best deal. It's no frills & about as exciting to stare at in the garage as a freezer. The Schneider EV230WS on the other hand is 1 of the best looking units; it's indoor only but has me drooling, but can't quite yet find a justification for paying $550 for it. The Clipper Creeks are nice as well & like the 3 year warranty, (thanks LeftieBiker!).

GrowingTrees said:

Thanks Jeff, everybody. Jeff you saved me from a future regret, going to get the Ebusbar inline charger versus the Duosida. Also checked out VegasBrad's charger, it is amazing, especially how he can customize it based on the individual.

For the full size 7.2kW range EVSE we will wait & see if the GE unit drops down in cost, as that is the best deal. It's no frills & about as exciting to stare at in the garage as a freezer. The Schneider EV230WS on the other hand is 1 of the best looking units; it's indoor only but has me drooling, but can't quite yet find a justification for paying $550 for it. The Clipper Creeks are nice as well & like the 3 year warranty, (thanks LeftieBiker!).

Click to expand...

I like the Ebusbar, mainly because I use it in my '12 Leaf for on-the-go L1 and L2 charging(that Leaf maxes out at only 16a anyway) if I were only looking for a wall EVSE I'd probably get the GE Wattstation, only a $100 more(currently at Home Depot) and gives you almost double the charging speed on newer Leafs.
Another option is to have your stock EVSE upgraded by EVSEupgrade.com(about $300 w/shipping) to both 120v and 240v. If you have a '14 and older EVSE it will upgrade to 20a @ 240v, '15 and newer Leaf EVSEs only go up to 16a @ 240v, only 12a 120v on either without a special adapter cable.

LeftieBiker said:

The issue was with the Wattstation, but I'd be (over?) cautious about getting a GE anyway.

Click to expand...

I have one of the GE DuraStation units that I bought from Home Depot. It comes from their Industrial Division and is a quality unit. Mine is mounted outdoors, and has worked flawlessly for over 18 months. The output is also adjustable. Mine is set for maximum, and connected to a 40 amp breaker using number 6 wire.

baustin said:

LeftieBiker said:

The issue was with the Wattstation, but I'd be (over?) cautious about getting a GE anyway.

Click to expand...

I have one of the GE DuraStation units that I bought from Home Depot. It comes from their Industrial Division and is a quality unit. Mine is mounted outdoors, and has worked flawlessly for over 18 months. The output is also adjustable. Mine is set for maximum, and connected to a 40 amp breaker using number 6 wire.

Click to expand...

The issue with the Wattstation occurred when the power was interrupted while the car was charging. It worked fine otherwise.

LeftieBiker said:

baustin said:

LeftieBiker said:

The issue was with the Wattstation, but I'd be (over?) cautious about getting a GE anyway.

Click to expand...

I have one of the GE DuraStation units that I bought from Home Depot. It comes from their Industrial Division and is a quality unit. Mine is mounted outdoors, and has worked flawlessly for over 18 months. The output is also adjustable. Mine is set for maximum, and connected to a 40 amp breaker using number 6 wire.

Click to expand...

The issue with the Wattstation occurred when the power was interrupted while the car was charging. It worked fine otherwise.

Click to expand...

As baustin noted, the GE DuraStation is an industrial unit that is completely different from the Wattstation. It is a cost effective unit to consider as long as you don't mind the industrial look. I am considering on for my workshop garage.

Gerry

So I just took possession of a 2016 Leaf SV as well. I have a 12k/yr lease and I'm sure I'll be using every mile of that allocation. I've been shopping for an ESVE thinking I'll need to put in a 220v line and get one installed in our garage. So far I've only been trickle charging save for a couple shopping +/or dinner stops where I used a public L2 charger just for fun. No issues with trickle charging. I've driven up to 75 miles in a day as well. I'm thinking I'll need to drive longer and do that frequently enough to make the ESVE investment worth it.

Oliverovan said:

So I just took possession of a 2016 Leaf SV as well. I have a 12k/yr lease and I'm sure I'll be using every mile of that allocation. I've been shopping for an ESVE thinking I'll need to put in a 220v line and get one installed in our garage. So far I've only been trickle charging save for a couple shopping +/or dinner stops where I used a public L2 charger just for fun. No issues with trickle charging. I've driven up to 75 miles in a day as well. I'm thinking I'll need to drive longer and do that frequently enough to make the ESVE investment worth it.

Click to expand...

If you just need want a little better than your stock EVSE(actually more than twice as fast) and wanted to keep the price down then I might suggest having a simple 20a 240v outlet installed in your garage. Since it will only be 20a, wiring should be pretty reasonable, 12 gauge and if you already have a 120v 20a dedicated outlet in your garage(your not using) you may be able to simply have a 240v breaker installed in your panel and re purpose the neutral wire. Note to do this your really need to know what your doing, otherwise I'd suggest a competent electrician look into it for you. A EVSE in this case would start ~$299 and for a more name brand model(ClipperCreek and such) expect to pay ~$400.
Of to take full advantage of the charger in your car(27.5a) for fastest charging then you'd be looking at a 40a circuit and a EVSE starting closer to $400 and easily approaching $600, this option would be best for future-proofing down the line. Expect wiring and labor going this route to be >$500 depending on your situation.
But again if you wanted to keep the costs as low as possible I could see the whole works being <$500 if you could simply add a 240v breaker and re-purpose your wiring.

12 gauge wiring can provide 20 amps, but as the maximum load, not the maximum sustained load. That gauge wiring would require a 16 amp EVSE, not 20 amp.

20A continuous is a walk in the park for 12ga wire. It can easily handle that current and barely warm up. I am doing 16A on 14ga extension cord and it only gets warm.