I don't they they're doing it just to set up an aftermarket EVSE business. I think they'd be offering a higher powered EVSE with the car if they were sure it was safe - They DO in Europe and most other overseas markets. Certainly they would LOVE to be able to advertise much faster recharge times
Far and away the safest way to deal with large electrical loads is to power them using 240 volts - The Europeans have it all over us because there, everything is 240, so of course the cars all ship with Level 2 EVSE's. This is what they should do here, IMO but they're trying to make the car usable for those who only have a 120 volt outlet without them having to rewire their houses. At 240, the current is halved, the wire sizes can be smaller and/or longer and the electrical losses are a small percentage of what they would be at 120. While 15 amp loads can be safely handled at 120 if everything is done exactly correctly, it's still much safer and advisable to do do all loads above 1500 watts at 240. If your primary concern is quick recharge times, you should spend your money on a Level 2 EVSE rather than hoping for a 15 amp Level 1 unit . . . . or, get your EVSE upgraded and install a 240 outlet for it
I do understand Mitsu's logic offering us only a 120 volt 8 amp EVSE completely - If they ever decide to do something different, I think they'll need an on-site electrical inspector in every dealership. On 120 volts, larger loads on questionable wiring just isn't safe
Recharging an EV on 120 volts using more current than 8 amps could be very risky for the company. As we've seen here, most of us managed to buy the car without anyone actually coming out to the house to determine if our household wiring is adequate for the task. Even a 100 year old house with marginal wiring should be able to safely handle an 8 amp load . . . . even if the outlet it's plugged into is powering something else in the home . . . . even if the outlet is protected with an antique glass fuse. Despite the warning not to do so in the owners manual, we all KNOW that some folks will plug this thing in using a long extension cord - With an 8 amp EVSE, even that should be safe
If they sent us home with a 120 volt EVSE with a higher current rating, some of the above might not be true - All they need is for a single buyer to burn down their house with equipment they provided with the car and the lawsuits and bad publicity would never end. Higher current EVSE's should be professionally installed, or at least by an educated, qualified amateur who understands what he's doing AND what he's risking
They would actually much rather sell cars ONLY to people who have on-site home wiring inspections, but as of now they just aren't set up to make that happen all across the continent and since not having such a network would further complicate selling the car, they just have everyone sign a waiver, send them off with their 8 amp trickle charger and hope for the best . . . . or at least that's how I see it - I don't think they're trying to hold everyone up for an extra grand for a better EVSE . . . . I think they're just being overly cautious, as they probably should be
Don