Why isn't the EVSE built into the car

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saurabhchopra

New member
Joined
Jan 8, 2013
Messages
3
I have been a leaf and volt driver for a few years. I am curious as to why isn't the EVSE built into the car (kinda like a vacuum cleaner where you just pull the cord out and plug it in). I am sure there is a good reason since none of the cars do that, but I haven't figured out why. Anyone know?
 
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=4056
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=4898

http://www.sae.org/smartgrid/chargingprimer.pdf

http://support.openevse.com/support/solutions/articles/6000052074-basics-of-sae-j1772
 
keydiver said:
I, for one, do not care to handle a live 240 volt plug in the rain. :roll:
You do realize that the 240V lines aren't energized until connected to a car, the carrier signal is verified, the diode check is performed, and other checks... it's completely safe to handle the charger in the rain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772#Safety
 
aarond12 said:
keydiver said:
I, for one, do not care to handle a live 240 volt plug in the rain. :roll:
You do realize that the 240V lines aren't energized until connected to a car, the carrier signal is verified, the diode check is performed, and other checks... it's completely safe to handle the charger in the rain.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772#Safety

You misunderstand his statement!

What he saying, is if the evse was built into the car, then the line you'd be handling would be live at 240v when plugging in, Vs the EVSE on the wall, where the handle is dead until the safety checks complete then the contactor closed. Exact reason they came up with an evse!
 
aarond12 said:
keydiver said:
I, for one, do not care to handle a live 240 volt plug in the rain. :roll:
You do realize that the 240V lines aren't energized until connected to a car, the carrier signal is verified, the diode check is performed, and other checks... it's completely safe to handle the charger in the rain.
You do realize that he's talking about what he'd have to do if the EVSE were built into the car itself, thus requiring one to plug a 240v extension cord into the car directly.
:p
 
The relays must be located at the power source with some other components as well, this cuts the power at the source for CFCI and proximity, this is one of the primary functions of an EVSE and can't be avoided. In addition the pilot signal is generated by the EVSE NOT the car because it must be as it dictates the capacity of the supply NOT the car charge capacity. This is why you can't have it in the car.
 
Very valid question, especially when suddenly (+/- 2011/2012 era) companies start willingly selling a cable, connector, a relay and a tone generator in a box for €600 - €1200, some even falsely calling it a "charger", while costs of materials is about €100-€150.

This is the one I bought in 2013 and which comes very close to having no EVSE at all:
um_evse.jpg

It was called "um-evse" and is now sold as "spark", see their website: http://www.charge-amps.com/spark/
You can select 3 chargecurrents; 6A, 10A, 16A and with our European 230V mains it chargers as fast as a "normal" EVSE. Properly installed European Shuko outlets can handle 16A without problems (although it's their very maximum), I have charged my car at about 20 locations this way and only 4 times I needed to switch to 10A. Things get a little warm, yes.
The price of this thing also ridiculously high, I paid about €600, 3 years ago, but no-one else offered such a compact, neat, clean evse back then.
I have no affiliations of any kind with that company, if you might wonder :D
 
EV1 said:
Very valid question, especially when suddenly (+/- 2011/2012 era) companies start willingly selling a cable, connector, a relay and a tone generator in a box for €600 - €1200, some even falsely calling it a "charger", while costs of materials is about €100-€150.

This is the one I bought in 2013 and which comes very close to having no EVSE at all:
um_evse.jpg

It was called "um-evse" and is now sold as "spark", see their website: http://www.charge-amps.com/spark/
You can select 3 chargecurrents; 6A, 10A, 16A and with our European 230V mains it chargers as fast as a "normal" EVSE. Properly installed European Shuko outlets
...
Discussed long ago http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=14422. It seems to violate US National Electrical Code (NEC) and from the chatter there, has a cord that is live with 200+ volts the whole time, defeating one of the main purposes of an EVSE, safety.
 
Short answer - EVSE is designed for specific grid connection point.
Car can not know how much it can draw from a socket (regular socket).

This is why EVSE is off-board.
 
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