Lower Cost open source Charging Station

[NeilBlanchard]

This is quite interesting:

http://www.plugincars.com/open-source-ev-home-charger-priced-offered-99-caveats-127763.html

So, $119 for the base kit, $219 for the full kit, $319 for the preassembled full unit - all then need the cable of your choice, as well.

 

[JoeS]

They're giving a presentation this morning at the Silicon Valley EAA meeting in Palo Alto. http://eaasv.org/meetings.html
I'll be there with one of my Sparrows (wife has reserved the iMiEV).
Neil, I hope you don't mind that I've movd this thread over to the EVSE section.

 

[JoeS]

Interesting crowdfunding approach for a startup.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/emw/emw-juicebox-an-open-source-level-2-ev-charging-st

Only a few days left (closes at exactly Wednesday Jul 24, 3:52pm EDT) to get in on the initial offering, at a pretty darn good price. Versatile and configurable open-source EVSE capable of handling future high-power (up to 15kW) setups. Lots of options, including WiFi interface.

Certainly way overkill for our little iMiEV and our 3.08kW charger, but perhaps a handy unit to own if you don't already have an L2 EVSE.

 

[NeilBlanchard]

Thanks for putting it in the right place, Joe. I missed this section.

At the price, the over-capacity is no problem. I also like the energy used display, which would help a lot in getting accurate Wh/mile numbers.

 

[Don]

Sounds a lot like the Open EVSE that several of us have built - Also Arduino based

http://www.openevse.com

I don't think they have Wi-Fi capability - Yet, but it continues to expand as the months pass. A big benefit is you can build exactly how much EVSE you need . . . . you're not stuck paying for 30 amp parts if all you'll ever use it for is your iMiEV

Don

 

[alohart]

I learned about the JuiceBox KickStarter campaign a couple of days after I shipped my EVSE to EVSE Upgrade. Had I known about JuiceBox earlier, I would have pledged $219 toward the JuiceBox KickStarter campaign and purchased a J1772 plug and 8 meters of cable for about the same amount that I paid EVSE Upgrade plus the shipping cost for my EVSE. Had I done that, I would have had both my original Mitsubishi EVSE and a Level 2 Premium JuiceBox EVSE capable of charging at the full power that the i-MiEV charger can accept. Oh, well…

I have tried to get comfortable with the Open EVSE project, but I'm not savvy enough electronically to grasp what I would need to buy to actually build an EVSE. The JuiceBox project is easier for me to understand, but I can't judge the comparative quality of the Open EVSE and JuiceBox designs. At this point, I'll stick with my upgraded EVSE while I battle the bureaucrats for the right to pay big bucks to an electrical contractor to install the appropriate electrical circuit in my apartment parking stall.

 

[Don]

I think if you measure it's output, you'll find that your Upgraded EVSE can do about 12.5 amps at 240 volts, which is 3,000 watts . . . . pretty darned close to the maximum the car can do - Plus, it's very rugged and portable and combined with the proper adapters, will allow you to recharge just about anywhere

If I could only spend $300 for an EVSE, the Upgraded unit would be my choice - It's about as all around perfect a unit as most anything else and certainly cheaper than anything which would be more versatile or powerful

Use it plugged into a dryer outlet at a friend/relative's house a few times and you'll agree it beats any fixed unit bolted to a wall

My Open EVSE is built into a small Pelican case - It's not waterproof and it's screwed to the wall, so it never leaves the garage

A view with the door open

Don

 

[fredoliver]

As a "newbie" to the charging options, what dangers are there to using a non-Mitsubishi engineered charger? Does the on board BMS system protect itself from inputs that could damage the batteries, etc. I'm assuming that each OEM manufacturer of EVs has some means to not allow an overcharging, etc. The JuiceBox looks great and I want to consider a Level 2 charger - just wondering if there is any danger in having a third party system not supplied by the vehicle manufacturer. Thanks for any insights.

 

[peterdambier]

An EVSE is not a charger. Our charger is built into the i-MiEV and does what the BMU (Battery Managent Unit) and VCU (Vehicle Control Unit) tell it. An EVSE is kind of an RCD on steroids. An EVSE that complies to the J1772 standard cannot harm our car.

What is most interesting for us is the pilot signal from the EVSE. It tells the onboard charger how much current it may draw from the power socket. Even if the EVSE tells us it can deliver 80 amps our built in charger will take no more than 16A actually more some 14A or 15A. So a Tesla EVSE for some 20A still does not harm our i-MiEV.

Discovered today most of our public chargers in Germany, those with Mennekes sockets, will go offline when you try to charge more than 13A from the Schuko Plug. Another good reason to have an EVSE with adjustable current.

Cheers
Peter and Karin