EVSE Upgrade

[nsps]

I had the L6-20 outlet installed at my place. I either use that or the 110 adapter. I didn't have an existing 220 outlet outside or in the garage, so it made sense to me.

 

[JoeS]

Just received my EVSEUpgraded Mitsu unit back today, together with the nicely-molded NEMA L6-20-->5-15 adapter. It is programmable from 6A through 12A, default set at 12A for the 120vac I'm using. I set it to 8A, a super-easy and rememberable procedure entailing the use of a bent paperclip which I have now permanently attached to the EVSE. Burning question with me was the EVSE operation with the Remote, as the Remote and my SPX L1/L2 EVSE is a hit-or-miss proposition. Anyway, operating at 8A (Mitsu-supplied EVSE setting) and 120vac the Remote worked properly first time every time when I set the timers, heating, and cooling. When input power is removed, the programming goes away and the unit reverts to its 12A default setting. According to my Kill-A-Watt, at 124vac it draws 4W or 15VA with no load. The car draws 914W or 919VA (Kill-A-Watt) or 922W (T.E.D.) at 124v for the 8A setting, the differences simply attributable to instrument accuracy. I haven't played with it for different voltages and current settings yet, but so far it has worked flawlessly and I'm happy.

 

[camiev]

How much did you pay for the upgrade Joe? I really dissapointed in Pansonic and Nissan and Mitsu. Probally for less than $10 of manufactoring cost they could have built an EVSE that allow users to adjust the Voltage and Amps. But no. That would make it too easy for us.

Just received my EVSEUpgraded Mitsu unit back today, together with the nicely-molded NEMA L6-20-->5-15 adapter. It is programmable from 6A through 12A, default set at 12A for the 120vac I'm using. I set it to 8A, a super-easy and rememberable procedure entailing the use of a bent paperclip which I have now permanently attached to the EVSE. Burning question with me was the EVSE operation with the Remote, as the Remote and my SPX L1/L2 EVSE is a hit-or-miss proposition. Anyway, operating at 8A (Mitsu-supplied EVSE setting) and 120vac the Remote worked properly first time every time when I set the timers, heating, and cooling. When input power is removed, the programming goes away and the unit reverts to its 12A default setting. According to my Kill-A-Watt, at 124vac it draws 4W or 15VA with no load. The car draws 914W or 919VA (Kill-A-Watt) or 922W (T.E.D.) at 124v for the 8A setting, the differences simply attributable to instrument accuracy. I haven't played with it for different voltages and current settings yet, but so far it has worked flawlessly and I'm happy.

 

[Don]

How much did you pay for the upgrade Joe? I really dissapointed in Pansonic and Nissan and Mitsu. Probally for less than $10 of manufactoring cost they could have built an EVSE that allow users to adjust the Voltage and Amps. But no. That would make it too easy for us.

I'm sure it wasn't any cost consideration, and you know they have loved to be able to advertise that the car recharges in 5 or 6 hours, as opposed to 21 or 22 . . . . as you say, it would have been easy enough to do. When you introduce brand new technology, the most important single factor is safety - One accident (like someone burning down their house) could give all EV's a bad name, so they errored on the side of caution and gave us an 8 amp 'trickle charger' instead of a 15 amp. L1/L2 unit, which (as you say) would probably have cost them only a few dollars more

*Supposedly*, no one could buy an iMiEV without a professional checking out the wiring of the house/garage where the car is going to be based, but as we all know, most of us got the car without them insisting on the home inspection. I can't really fault them for the EVSE they provided - It's relatively safe even if you live in a 100 year old home with fuses instead of circuit breakers . . . . even if you have ancient knob and tube wiring and a 60 amp main panel. Any other choice for an EVSE could cause serious problems with some of those old houses

The upgrade is $287 plus shipping

Don

 

[acensor]

I had the L6-20 outlet installed at my place. I either use that or the 110 adapter. I didn't have an existing 220 outlet outside or in the garage, so it made sense to me.

I keep getting lost in the names of these outlets.
What's the story on the L6-20 that made it your choice?

I just looked at a photo of it and it doesn't look like any 120volt plug I've seen?
:?:

Alex

 

[JoeS]

I had the L6-20 outlet installed at my place. I either use that or the 110 adapter. I didn't have an existing 220 outlet outside or in the garage, so it made sense to me.

I keep getting lost in the names of these outlets.
What's the story on the L6-20 that made it your choice?
I just looked at a photo of it and it doesn't look like any 120volt plug I've seen?

The upgraded EVSE comes with an L6-20P male connector, which is a "standard" United States NEMA 240vac 20A twistlock connector.

As was already mentioned, the beauty of the EVSEUpgraded unit is that it can be used on 120vac, 208vac (one leg of a three-phase system), or 240vac.

For use on 120vac you need an adapter that has a NEMA L6-20R receptacle on one end (to attach to the EVSE power input cable) and a conventional (NEMA 5-15P) 120vac plug on the other end. I purchased one (it is very high quality) along with my EVSEUpgrade.

nsps had the 240v L6-20R socket installed in his garage so the EVSEUpgraded unit can plug directly into it. For our iMiEV which draws about 12.5A at 240vac it is more than adequate to use this 20A socket.

Alex, you might consider perusing the EVSE Upgrade FAQ:
http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=faqs_all

Future EVs will have (actually, already have) higher-power onboard chargers (e.g., 6.6kW in a Honda FitEV, 2013 Leaf, and new Toyota RAV4EV) which draw close to 30A. For a fresh installation or garage wiring upgrade I'd be inclined to make it a 240v 50A circuit.

 

[peterdambier]

There is trouble in the mains waiting for us.

In Germany some households get 240V/25A from the primary fuse entering the house. That is 240V/16 max from the circuit breaker to the socket. 3.3 kW is all they can do. Usually you might meet 400V/50A that can get you 240V/32A for a Tesla. That is 6.6 kW. It can get you 400V/16A that is 10 kW and maybe 400V/32A that is a small CHAdeMO with 20 kW. I have seen our little charger in the i-MiEV, 3.3 kW and I have seen the 20 kW CHAdeMO climbing out of the trunk of a Leaf. Actually I have been one of the two guys pulling it out and later stuffing it in again.

Believe me, you dont want to have a 20 kW charger inside your car wherever you go. CHAdeMO is outside the car and if you could afford it at home it might allow us to replace the charger with another 4 ampere hours of battery or 30 kilometers of range. Those 4 amp hours could mean faster charging because we would not need to wait for the ramp down.

Imagine 3 turtles talking because they have seen the 3 phase plug in my trunk.

"Do you charge 3 phase?"

"Yes, of coarse. The motor needs 3 phases or it would not turn."

"And you cannot use AC, do you?"

"Oh, I do, for the windscreen wiper!"

 

[aarond12]

"Oh, I do, for the windscreen wiper!"

:lol: This is why I love reading Peter's comments.

 

[Don]

There is trouble in the mains waiting for us.

In Germany some households get 240V/25A from the primary fuse entering the house. That is 240V/16 max from the circuit breaker to the socket. 3.3 kW is all they can do. (But 240@16 is actually 3840) Usually you might meet 400V/50A that can get you 240V/32A for a Tesla. That is 6.6 kW.

I don't see the 'trouble' Peter - What you describe is the exact reason EV's were standardized to charge using EVSE's

If you don't have enough 'juice' to run the charger at it's max rating, the EVSE adjusts the charger to only draw what the mains can support and no more. If you had a 20Kw charger onboard, you could recharge as fast as possible, wherever you go - Likely, never at 20Kw, but still as fast as possible considering the outlet you're plugged into

My iMiEV will recharge at 3.3Kw, but I've never done that - Even when charging using L2, I limit my EVSE to 12 amps (2880 watts) which is plenty fast enough for the way we use the car

I love the concept of the EVSE - It's the one 'invention' which really makes EV's practical

Don

 

[acensor]

FWIW: Got my upgraded charger back yesterday.

Sent it in UPS ground mondayafternoon got is back late Friday afternoon.
(Discovered with our pattern of use could easily go 5 days on a full charge ... Granted that we only fully charged it because we knew we'd have no charger for 5 days.)

Works flawlessly with remote. Reprogramming it to charge below its default max (12.5amps on the 120volt) is to say the least a bit quirky ... Odd procedure with shorting two pins with a paper clip. :roll: wife would never do it.
And if reprogrammed ...say to charge 8 amps for whatever reason ...if charger is unplugged it goes back to default settings.

Doubt I'll ever use it other than default 12.5amps as for our use that's a good compromise between a gentle charge rate for battery TLC and adequate speed.
Very well worth the cash. Charges About twice as fast as before.
Not even sure if for us it's worth the cost running 240 volts out to the garage. Maybe.

Only fly in the ointment is they forgot to ship the extra pigtail I'm sure I ordered and paid for($331.95).
Sent 'em an email. Will see how they handle it.

Alex

 

[JoeS]

Glad it's working for you. I'm using mine in the original 8A setting, as I simply continue charging overnight, knowing I have the higher power available when needed.

...Only fly in the ointment is they forgot to ship the extra pigtail I'm sure I ordered and paid for($331.95)...

Huh? You ordered two pigtails? - or had you made up a L6-20 --> 120vac adapter separately?

 

[acensor]

Glad it's working ...... Huh? You ordered two pigtails? - or had you made up a L6-20 --> 120vac adapter separately?

Hi Joe,

Ordered one with the 120v adapter plus one with bare ends to put my own later choice of adapter on it for use on whatever 240v receptacle is settle on. Probably the RV park style.

Alex

 

[olagon]

Just received my EVSEUpgraded Mitsu unit back today, together with the nicely-molded NEMA L6-20-->5-15 adapter. It is programmable from 6A through 12A, default set at 12A for the 120vac I'm using. I set it to 8A, a super-easy and rememberable procedure entailing the use of a bent paperclip which I have now permanently attached to the EVSE. Burning question with me was the EVSE operation with the Remote, as the Remote and my SPX L1/L2 EVSE is a hit-or-miss proposition. Anyway, operating at 8A (Mitsu-supplied EVSE setting) and 120vac the Remote worked properly first time every time when I set the timers, heating, and cooling. When input power is removed, the programming goes away and the unit reverts to its 12A default setting. According to my Kill-A-Watt, at 124vac it draws 4W or 15VA with no load. The car draws 914W or 919VA (Kill-A-Watt) or 922W (T.E.D.) at 124v for the 8A setting, the differences simply attributable to instrument accuracy. I haven't played with it for different voltages and current settings yet, but so far it has worked flawlessly and I'm happy.

Does the remote not work when operating over 8A on 120vac? Getting my upgrade back this week and hopeful to continue the use of the remote timer. Thanks!

 

[JoeS]

olagon, so far the Remote has worked flawlessly with the EVSEUpgraded unit, although I've only tried L1 at 12A and 8A and haven't methodically tried all permutations of voltages and currents and Remote settings.

Alex, when I placed my order they were out of the pigtails. Easy enough to go to a hardware store and buy a L6-20R and a foot of 12AWG triple conductor and make whatever you wish. For use with a dryer 10-30 you can simply buy a ready-made dryer cord+ molded connector (or visit an appliance recycler...).

I see that EVSEUpgrade has switched to L6-30 for the new 6.6kW Leafs.

 

[acensor]

Does the remote not work when operating over 8A on 120vac? Getting my upgrade back this week and hopeful to continue the use of the remote timer. Thanks!

Mine works fine withe the remote for setting start and stop charge times while set at the default 12.5amp charge rate on 120volts. Haven't tried it with charger set at other rates or with pre-cool or pre-heat, but every reason based or reports and claims that all function of the remote work at all charge settings.

Alex

 

[olagon]

Just an FYI. I sent mine in last Monday from Honolulu and got it back today. Mailed via USPS Priority. So folks from Hawaii can expect a couple of weeks turn around time. Was not a problem for me...free charging station a few miles down the road next to a Starbucks. Also just plugged the upgraded EVSE in. Looks like it is now charging at 12 amps over 120V and should speed up my charging by 50%! What a deal. Am not going to even rush in getting a 240 socket installed. 12 amps over 120V is just about an end of work to morning overnight charge to full.

 

[BarryP]

One socket is 120 volt, 20 amp and the other is 240 volt, 20 amp and since both of my EVSE's are auto-switching L1/L2, I can plug either into either socket

What’s the charging time of 120 vs 240? And what are the pros/cons of using one socket over the other?

Thanx,
-Barry

 

[JoeS]

What’s the charging time of 120 vs 240? And what are the pros/cons of using one socket over the other?...

BarryP, for all intents and purposes, for any given current setting of the EVSEUpgraded unit, the charging time using 240v is half the charging time using 120v. I typically figure I get 8bars (fuel gauge) for ten hours of charging at 8A 120vac (original Mitsu L1 EVSE). If you are using a 240v L2 EVSE with no current-limiting restrictions, then the charging power draw is a little over 3.0kW or about 3 bars/hour.

If your house wiring is marginal, then for any given charging input power it's better to use 240v as the current is halved.

I'm from the school that says higher currents generate higher temperatures, and batteries don't like higher temperatures, thus I prefer to charge slowly (8A @ 120v like the original Mitsu L1 EVSE) if I have the time. That said, the current is so incredibly low compared to the currents used or generated when driving and the battery cell internal resistance is so low that there probably is a negligible difference in the increase in temperature between 120v8A and 240v12.5A charging and it is probably a moot point and I'm simply being an old fuddy-duddy (insert appropriate modern expression) :roll:

 

[Don]

One socket is 120 volt, 20 amp and the other is 240 volt, 20 amp and since both of my EVSE's are auto-switching L1/L2, I can plug either into either socket

What’s the charging time of 120 vs 240? And what are the pros/cons of using one socket over the other?

Assuming you have it set up for 12 amps on both L1 and L2, Joe is correct - Plugging it into the 240 outlet cuts the time in half

Like Joe, I usually charge on 120, but having the 240 outlet gives me lots of versatility. Over the past 5 or 6 months, we've taken to just topping off a little at a time, rather than fully recharging. If the pack is down to 4 or 5 bars and we don't expect to need the car for several hours, we plug into 120. If we need to go out again in just a couple hours, we plug into 240

What you get with the upgraded EVSE is the ability to recharge most anyway you like and for a cost of only about $300. Hard to beat!

Don

 

[davidricardo86]

I'm looking to have this done to my USA 2012 EVSE. Is this still the most cost effective least expensive way to get a dual 120/240v portable EVSE? Has anything less expensive come to market?

I plan on using it mostly with 120v but will have a 240v line installed next to our garaged at a later date so at least I'll be ready to go with my EVSE!