Can a level 2 charger be plugged into a regular 240v plug?

Thinking seriously about buying an MiEV.

Checked out level-2 chargers and it appears that reputable ones are available as low as $700.

I have a standard 240volt clothes dryer plug (not being used) in the garage.
60 amps I believe (can check at the breaker box).

Will I be able to just plug a level2 charger in that?
If not, will it be a minor (read "less than about $150") professional electrician job to change it out,
or is this major electrical system surgery running big dollars, inspections, etc?

Alex

Yes, you can plug it into your clothes dryer outlet. Should do nicely.

There is EVSEUpgrade if you want to convert the L1 charger into an L2/L1 charger for $300 dollars. http://evseupgrade.com/

I have not done this but others have and seem to be happy with the results. Otherwise there are plenty of $800 dollar EVSEs out there that will work fine with your i-MiEV.

Any wiring change to your house *should* be inspected. Getting a licensed electrician there will probably cause inspections to be required.

Use your 240V dryer plug. The Levitron unit that plugs into a 240V socket is $749... OH CRAP. It's marked as "discontinued". Grab one fast if you're going to get one.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/t/202950823?catalogId=10053&langId=-1&keyword=evse&storeId=10051&N=5yc1v&R=202950823#.UUSmcFtER_8

acensor said:

If not, will it be a minor (read "less than about $150") professional electrician job to change it out, or is this major electrical system surgery running big dollars, inspections, etc?

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It should be as simple as installing a matching plug on your L2 EVSE and unplugging your dryer

I have a 240 volt Window Air Conditioner in my garage which is plugged into a 240 volt 20amp outlet. I bought a matching plug and put it on a 12 gauge wire and ran it across the ceiling to a new outlet box to plug in my L2 charger. I very seldom use the A/C in the garage, so I seldom ever need to unplug the EVSE and plug in the A/C

The EVSE Upgrade to the OEM unit will come back to you with an L6-20P twistlock pigtail in place of the standard 120 volt plug, so plugging it into any outlet (120 or 240) is as simple as buying/making an appropriate pigtail adapter - L6-20S to whatever 120/240 plug you need. With the appropriate pigtail adapter, you can then plug it into any socket you find anywhere

Don

Thanks to all who replied. Just what I needed to know.
You saved me from reinventing the wheel, and probably some cash. ;-)

I have not done this but others have and seem to be happy with the results. Otherwise there are plenty of $800 dollar EVSEs out there that will work fine with your i-MiEV. :?

I have done both. I had my L1 EVSE upgraded by EVSEupgrade.com, and I had an L2 EVSE installed in my garage. Actually, I installed the L2 myself and made a 240V extension cord to run from the L2 to the dryer outlet in my laundry room, which is the first room in the house as you enter from the garage. At night, when I need to charge my miev, I unplug the dryer and plug in the extension cord from the EVSE. Has worked like a charm so far. However, I fully intended to have a dedicated 240V outlet installed in my garage for the L2. In fact, my contractor is at my house today with his electricians. I had no more room in my electric service panel to run a dedicated line to the garage. So, they are replacing my existing panel with a new, bigger panel and then running a dedicated line out to the garage. Should be all done by the time I get home. I can't wait to not have to do the whole plug/unplug the dryer dance anymore! In Illinois, we get a 50% rebate from the state on the purchase and installation of an L2 EVSE. Saving money all around!

MLucas said:

There is EVSEUpgrade if you want to convert the L1 charger into an L2/L1 charger for $300 dollars. http://evseupgrade.com/

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Is this still the only such solution?

MLucas said:

Otherwise there are plenty of $800 dollar EVSEs out there that will work fine with your i-MiEV.

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There seem to be *many* EVSEs out there now. How long will it take to fully charge with a 16A Level 2 charger?

skyemoor said:

There seem to be *many* EVSEs out there now. How long will it take to fully charge with a 16A Level 2 charger?

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A more realistic question is "What is the recharge rate?", simply because one never gets the charge level down to 'empty'. The answer is three bars/hour which translates into 10-15 miles per charging hour (a function of how efficiently you drive). I've measured my i-MiEV charging consuming 3070watts at exactly 240vac, or 12.8A - the car's charger is what limits the current draw, no matter what is available from the EVSE.

skyemoor said:

So the car really won't take more than 13A at 240V? Why would anyone ever want to buy an L2 charger above 13A?

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The external EVSE is not the charger. Is only a interface.

The charger is inside the car. The box at the left: (clic to see big photo)

It's capacity is about 14A, so if you want to use the maximum capacity of your charger, you need a EVSE of more (typically 16A)

A 32A or 64A EVSE charge the i-Miev at 14A, as the 16A EVSE. A 2014 Nissan Leaf can charge at 32A.

¿Time to charge at 240V? In my case, in 4-5 hours. One example, 2 (nearly empty) to 16 bars (full). The graphic show total household consumption, but you can see (at the right) from the charging start at 04:00 a.m. and four hours later, at 08:00 begins to decline (the battery is nearly charged, start balancing). With 4 hours of charge I get out of home at 15-16 bars.



(The little gap at 04:15 is usual)
(The short peak at 08:20 is the microwave owen)

skyemoor said:

So the car really won't take more than 13A at 240V?

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That's right, the onboard charger won't accept more current, no matter what's available at the EVSE.

skyemoor said:

Why would anyone ever want to buy an AeroEnvironment 30A L2 charger at $1000 instead of, for example, the Bosch 16A at $434?

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To future-proof their EVSE investment, as the next-genertion cars will have more powerful chargers.

And keep the EVSE portable

A lot of chargers at 240V / 32 Ah are now around $650
see e.g.
http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product-category/featured-products/

eMaS said:

And keep the EVSE portable

Click to expand...

Did you mean these - http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product-category/all-products/on-the-road/

Thanks to all those who have responded, your input has helped my understanding considerably!