Leviton EVSE and Remote Compatibility

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JoeS

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I've started this thread to focus on RobbW's Remote questions. He just bought a Leviton Evr-Green 160 Charging Station.

Does anyone else have this model and does the iMiEV Remote work properly with it, EVERY TIME? By properly, I mean NO error beep!

RobbW said:
I used the remote timer for the first time last night to take advantage of lower rates in the wee hours of the night. Let me tell you, THAT was a confusing fiasco! It was VERY difficult to determine if the car was currently charging or properly set on a timed setting. The "Charging" light on the L2 EVSE kept going on and off, and I frequently got lots of beeping and errors on the remote. Anyway, I set the beginning time a certain number of hours from the current time (9pm) that would certainly be within the lower rate period. However, I did not set the end timer because I have no idea how many hours to go to reach a SOC that will get me everywhere I need to go throughout the day, but less than a full charge. I'm still too timid to risk not having enough charge when I leave in the morning. So, I let it continue to a full charge.
RobbW: pull out your Mitsu L1 EVSE and plug it in and practice setting the ON time and ON-->OFF time with it. It works every time if you follow the correct sequence. Once you're comfortable using the Remote with the Mitsu EVSE, then do the same thing with your Leviton. Does the Remote respond the same way when the Leviton is plugged in?

The Remote either doesn't work at all with some brands of EVSEs (i.e., gives an Error beep) or "sometimes" works; i.e., repetitive button pushing finally gets it to "take". This intermittency can be so frustrating that some of us have installed separate timers, covered by this thread:
http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=7&t=129

This EVSE-Remote incompatibility is a known problem that Mitsubishi still has not resolved. For myself, I gave up fretting about it over a year ago, since I use the Mitsu EVSE for all my overnight charging and it works perfectly with the Remote (irrespective of which charging current I've chosen on my EVSEUpgraded unit). For my replenishing charging during the day I use my SPX L2 EVSE with a simple manual timer.

RobbW said:
Speaking of the remote timer, that thing is confusing as heck and has a rather steep learning curve for such a "simple" device. The need to set the charging to manual using the remote before you can set the timer is annoying. Even more annoying is having to press the "comm link" between each command. But most annoying of all is the actual setting of the charging time! Why did MM make it based on hours from current time for a certain number of hours? This would have been MUCH simpler to use if I could just set it to start charging at 1am every night and stop charging at 6am. That way I could be certain it is charging at exactly the same time each night. A truly plug-and-play process. As it is now, I will either need to manually reset the remote timer every night based on the current time or wait until the same specific time every night before I plug in the i and start the remote timer.
There have already been plenty of discussions and speculations as to why Mitsubishi came out with this hokey Remote. You can find them here: http://myimiev.com/forum/viewforum.php?f=25

RobbW said:
I have another question about the remote timer. I know the remote retains the timer settings from the previous session so that you don't have to re-set it up every night. What I want to know is if those charging settings are stored in the i's memory somehow? For example, if at 9pm last night I had plugged in my i and set the remote to start charging in 4 hours and stop charging after 5 hours, will the i remember those settings? So, tonight would I be able to go out to the garage and simply plug the i in at 9pm and it will automatically adhere to the previous remote settings without me taking any other steps? Or do I have to go out at 9pm, plug the i in, transmit a manual charging signal to the i using the remote to stop the auto charging that started when I plugged in, and THEN go through the remote charging steps on the remote?
Beats me, as I program both the ON time delay and the ON-->OFF time every time I plug in, simply because both my SOC and plugging-in time of day are different every day and I want to ensure that I don't go over about 13-14 bars by morning unless I'm about to make a long trip first thing in the morning, in which case I program to have a full charge just before I take off.
 
Just a follow up. I've gotten better with using the remote timer. I've started using it every night now. Once I get home and know that I will be home for the rest of the evening, I plug in the Meepster at that time and use the remote to set the Charge On time for however many hours I need to get past 10pm when the electric rates drop. So far, I don't bother with the end time. I just let it "fill up". My non-commute driving in the MiEV has been too sporadic to get a handle on how much juice I will need to make it through each day. I'd rather be safe than sorry.

Last week, I got the error beep only once while trying to set the remote timer. So, it seems to be working more reliably now. The only difference is that since I first posted my issues, I have had a permanent dedicated 240V line installed in my garage exclusively for the EVSE. Previously, I was using a DIY 240V extension cord running off the dryer outlet in the laundry room. I'm wondering if that made the difference?
 
Robb, thank you for the follow-up.

I assume you are indeed talking about the L2 Leviton and not the EVSEUpgraded Mitsu EVSE running on 240v?

If the dryer outlet is properly grounded, it should make no difference whether you use a wall plug or a permanently-wired installation; nevertheless, it's an interesting observation. Somewhere in earlier discussions it was thought that this might be an RF issue.

Anyone else with a Leviton?
 
Yes, the Leviton, not the EVSEUpgraded Mitsu EVSE. I really can't confirm if the dryer outlet is properly grounded. The previous owners of my house screwed up so many things with the structure and wiring of my home with their short-sighted, money-saving cutting of corners. It cost me extra money and time recently when I had new lighting installed in my basement. My electrician had to cut many large holes in my walls to fix "bad wiring" before he could continue with the contracted project.

I am not aware of any RF interference at my house that would have caused my original problems. At least not any RF interference that would have changed recently.
 
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