Newbee Question; re chargers

I've read everything I found while searching about home chargers.

Amazon has a Schneider charger that would fit my location perfectly http://www.amazon.com/Schneider-Electric-EV230WS-Generation-Enhanced/dp/B00CXXCVLI/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1446922638&sr=1-1&keywords=Ev230ws that has excellent customer reviews. I need one where cord doesn't store around the unit but can be hung underneath. Does anyone have first hand experience with one?

Also I can't tell if it's 3.3 or 6.x KW.

Thanks in advance.

If your location is Canada as suggsted by the Cdn$ in the link, Home depot has that same EVSE (not charger, thats in the car) for less http://www.homedepot.ca/product/30-amp-indoor-electric-vehicle-charging-station-2nd-gen-enhanced-model/989931 I am familiar with this equipment and works with the Leaf. The one I purchased, installed and have used for 2.5 years is http://www.homedepot.ca/product/eaton-indoor-outdoor-electric-vehicle-30amp-charging-station-with-advanced-/998395 as it has stainless construction rather than plastic and a longer cord. The original Schneider also had a recall due to possible overheating of the J1772 connectors. I am sure both have full 7200W rating however your model of car and year will determine if 3.3 or 6.6 kw is being supplied.

I have installed my 2nd Schneider EVLink EV230WS charging station in a new home. I did not hesitate buying the same equipment after the move since the original worked flawlessly for the 15 months that we were in the previous home.

Ditto on getting it from Home Depot. I managed to hit their sale twice and got both units for US$399.

JohnBike said:

I have installed my 2nd Schneider EVLink EV230WS charging station in a new home. I did not hesitate buying the same equipment after the move since the original worked flawlessly for the 15 months that we were in the previous home.

Ditto on getting it from Home Depot. I managed to hit their sale twice and got both units for US$399.

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JohnBike,
Thanks for the response on the Schneider unit.

ElectricEddy,

Thanks for the correction about the charger being built into the car and wall unit being an EVSE. Being new to me I'm learning.

I have a 2015 SL model.

I'm not in Canada but as in Florida, which this time of the year 50% of the cars have Canadians plates.

Both Amazon and Home Depot currently have the EV230WS for $548. With Amazon I get 5% off using their credit card and free 2 day shipping. Amazon also has the best return policy I have ever experienced.

Eddy, Thanks for the lead on the Eaton stainless steel EVSEL230HNBW version. I just found the Eaton EVSEL230HNBW for $499 with $17 ground shipping and no sales tax to Florida: http://www.metroplugin.com/shop/eaton-level-2/

I'm leaning toward the Eaton as it is rated for indoor or outdoor, stainless case and has a 24 foot cord.

Eddy, would you have a link of a copy of the installation manual? I assume it requires 240v/40a hard wire?

When dealing with outdoor exposure, plastic can, if used properly, be much more weather-resistant than stainless steel. Clipper Creek makes $400 and $500 outdoor charging stations that are simple yet robust. I've been using a 120 volt version for about 2 years.

LeftieBiker said:

When dealing with outdoor exposure, plastic can, if used properly, be much more weather-resistant than stainless steel. Clipper Creek makes $400 and $500 outdoor charging stations that are simple yet robust. I've been using a 120 volt version for about 2 years.

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Mine will be installed in the garage, so there should be no issue with weather.

My mounting location will be high so it's best that I have a unit where the cord has a separate hanger that I can mount under the unit.

If you are a veteran, you can get 10% off at Home Depot. Have it delivered to your nearest store, show your military id or VA card when you pick it up.

Turnover said:

If you are a veteran, you can get 10% off at Home Depot. Have it delivered to your nearest store, show your military id or VA card when you pick it up.

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Yep, I do that all the time at Home Depot and Lowes. I Just tell checkout "Military Discount" please and show my VA card.
Home Depot wants $999 for the Eaton Charger

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Eaton-30-Amp-Level-2-Wall-Mount-Electric-Vehicle-EV-Charging-Station-EVSEL230HNBW/203639987

:lol: :lol: :lol:

Flyct said:

I've read everything I found while searching about home chargers.

Amazon has a Schneider charger that would fit my location perfectly http://www.amazon.com/Schneider-Electric-EV230WS-Generation-Enhanced/dp/B00CXXCVLI/ref=sr_1_1?s=hi&ie=UTF8&qid=1446922638&sr=1-1&keywords=Ev230ws that has excellent customer reviews. I need one where cord doesn't store around the unit but can be hung underneath. Does anyone have first hand experience with one?

Also I can't tell if it's 3.3 or 6.x KW.

Thanks in advance.

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It's a 30 amp unit meaning it can do 7.2 KW. It'd work fine for any Leaf and other EVs that might visit.

Scheider has a good name in the electrical world. You may have heard of Square D products (circuit breakers and such) that is one of their brands.

I have had my Schnieder since Sept 2011. This 30 amp evse needs a 40 amp 240v circuit. Will charge any LEAF at full speed.
No issues with mine in four years of use.

If you are installing the charger INDOORS, then get the Schneider electric charger. I have it (the indoor version) and absolutely LOVE IT. It is simple, works every time, and charges faster than any other charger I have used, including the Chargepoint commercial charging stations. I have clocked it, and it charges my Leaf at 35% charge / per hour! That means that starting at 25-30 % charge, I can get back to full charge in only Two hours!

If you really want the outdoor versions, get the same charger in a really heavy gauge, all steel, painted case. I have seen this in person, and it is a well sealed, monster of a heavy duty charger. Here is the link..

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Schneider-Electric-EVlink-30-Amp-Level-2-Outdoor-Wall-Mount-Electric-Vehicle-Charging-Station-EV230WSR/203404685

http://www.amazon.com/EVlink-Charging-Station-1Plug-7-2kW/dp/B00KVZ4XS4

dhanson865 said:

It's a 30 amp unit meaning it can do 7.2 KW. It'd work fine for any Leaf and other EVs that might visit.

Scheider has a good name in the electrical world. You may have heard of Square D products (circuit breakers and such) that is one of their brands.

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I've been using a Schneider public charge station for the last year and a half and it has been simple and reliable. I wouldn't hesitate to install one of their home units.

UPDATE;

The Eaton unit arrived Wednesday and my electrician installed it Thursday. He's usually booked 2 weeks out but he called me at 8 am Thursday and he had a cancellation that day. Cost to install was $184. It was installed within 4 feet of the breaker panel. So $8 for # 8 wire $17.50 for the 40 amp Square D breaker and 1 hour labor. He was here for 1.5 hours 10:45-12:15 and charged $160 for 1 hours labor.

The Eaton unit appears to be built as a commercial grade unit and very well constructed. It's certified for outdoor/indoor installation. The unit is solid construction with a 24 foot cord and a nice hose hanger with a plug in dock for the plug.

Eaton and Schneider are both very well respected manufactures of electrical. equipment. The Schneider unit looks to be more slimline compared to the Eaton unit. I think I would have been happy with either one.

smkettner said:

I have had my Schnieder since Sept 2011. This 30 amp evse needs a 40 amp 240v circuit. Will charge any LEAF at full speed.
No issues with mine in four years of use.

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+1 -- mine was installed about the same month/year; but didn't take delivery of my LEAF until December. I actually prefer the older style cord holder which looks more like a water hose holder as it allows the J1772 to lie flush against the wall; some prefer the 'gas pump' style like it is currently so it locks into something. Ours is mounted on an outside wall midway inside a 4-car tandem garage so not much if anything to outside elements. This unit does well during brownouts (unaffected) and has yet to 'fault' or ever fail to allow the car to charge

Flyct said:

...The Eaton unit appears to be built as a commercial grade unit and very well constructed. It's certified for outdoor/indoor installation. The unit is solid construction with a 24 foot cord and a nice hose hanger with a plug in dock for the plug...

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If you are happy with coiling the cord up each day, that's fine but I find it more convenient to run the cable along the ceiling on bicycle hooks to keep it off the floor and out of the way:



I have the cord staged right over the charging port of the car so it is out of the way when the car is parked in the garage and I am walking around it. FWIW, not many of us do it this way, to my surprise.

Here is my installation of my hard wired Eaton box. It is built like a true commercial device and it has a nice long 24 foot cord.

Flyct said:

Here is my installation of my hard wired Eaton box. It is built like a true commercial device and it has a nice long 24 foot cord.

Untitled by Jerry Roussos, on Flickr

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I like how you fished the feeder cable from the panel through the wall and into the back of the unit, looks professional. 3 = 8' loops will be a lot easier to coil and the cord won't kink over time. Of course this means relocating the management hook higher perhaps to the shelf side. I concur with dgpcolorado staging it without any coils is best (if your installation allows for it).

ElectricEddy said:

Flyct said:

I like how you fished the feeder cable from the panel through the wall and into the back of the unit, looks professional. 3 = 8' loops will be a lot easier to coil and the cord won't kink over time. Of course this means relocating the management hook higher perhaps to the shelf side. I concur with dgpcolorado staging it without any coils is best (if your installation allows for it).

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As soon as the boxes of tile are gone (tomorrow hopefully) the cord will be draped with longer loops. Right now where the Leaf is parked the I only need to undue 3 loops to reach the front of the car.

I am planning to install an L2 EVSE this month ... I am trying to decide between this Eaton model http://www.lowes.com/pd_589161-82364-EVSEL230CNAW-RTL___ and this Clipper Creek model: http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/hcs-50p-40-amp-ev-charging-station-25-ft-over-molded-cable-nema-6-50/

The electrician that I am planning to use has an Eaton model installed at their office and so they are familiar with it. They are essentially the same price (just $10 difference). I would prefer a model with a plug already installed. I had also considered a Schneider, but their representatives have said they recommend hard-wired installations only (I know that many people do install a plug on Schneiders but I would prefer not to, just in case there are warranty issues).

Any thoughts? I know this is a topic that is constantly discussed, but I wanted to get some more recent info.

thanks.

jamieo said:

I am planning to install an L2 EVSE this month ... I am trying to decide between this Eaton model http://www.lowes.com/pd_589161-82364-EVSEL230CNAW-RTL___ and this Clipper Creek model: http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/hcs-50p-40-amp-ev-charging-station-25-ft-over-molded-cable-nema-6-50/

The electrician that I am planning to use has an Eaton model installed at their office and so they are familiar with it. They are essentially the same price (just $10 difference). I would prefer a model with a plug already installed. I had also considered a Schneider, but their representatives have said they recommend hard-wired installations only (I know that many people do install a plug on Schneiders but I would prefer not to, just in case there are warranty issues).

Any thoughts? I know this is a topic that is constantly discussed, but I wanted to get some more recent info.

thanks.

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One of them is a 30A unit and the other one is a 40A unit. The 40A unit will need a 50A breaker and I'd go that route to "future proof" my purchase if your panel has the capacity for a 50A breaker. I got the JuiceBox 40 PRO for the same reason and have been happy with it. It's cheaper and is a "connected EVSE" as an additional benefit.