Pretty Good Level 2 EVSE for Less Than $200

[Don]

I bought one of these to use with our new Chevy Volt and I'm pretty impressed with it, so thought I'd share it with the group in case anyone is looking for a good L2 EVSE with adjustable current settings

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Portable-EV-Charger-EVSE-6-20-Plug-6-16A-240V-For-Electric-Vehicle-J1772-Level-2/192509919231?epid=11011702874&hash=item2cd27c3fff:g:KC8AAOSwKQ9aOkeV&vxp=mtr

It looks to be a pretty high quality unit. The J-1772 Charge handle is a Duosida part and is actually as good or better than our OEM units - Very impressive, as most of the time (in my observation anyway) low priced units usually have a 'junk' charge handle. The cord is 20 feet long

The front of the unit has LED's to indicate 6, 8, 10 and 12 amps of charge current. There is a switch to select whatever current you like and it's in one amp increments. If the 6 amp LED is lit, that's 6 amps of charge (of course) but if the LED is blinking, it's 7 amps. Same for 8 (and 9 if it's blinking), 10 or 12. If the 6 and 8 lamps are lit, that's 14, and 15 if they are blinking. 6 and 10 lit is 16 amps

My only negative would be the 6-20 plug it came with - A poor choice for a 240 volt accessory, IMO. I cut that off and replaced it with an L6-20 Twist Lock connector. It's listed for 240 volts only - I didn't open it up to see if the power supply in it will allow you to use it on L1 - But 6 amps of L2 is the same as 12 amps of L1, so why would we need to use 120 volts anyway? They do sell a nearly identical unit rated for L1 only - Don't know if it will do L2 or not

https://www.ebay.com/itm/J1772-Level-2-Portable-EV-Charger-EVSE-5-15-Plug-6-16A-120V-For-Electric-Vehicle/192510519058?epid=3017140291&hash=item2cd2856712:g:AEIAAOSwQ7hatlFn&vxp=mtr

Note that it does say Level 2 . . . . but also says 120 volts and it has a NEMA 5-15 plug

Overall, I recommend it and doubt you'll find anything comparable for the price. Shipping time from China was right at 2 weeks and their tracking number actually worked all the way to my door. Communication with the seller was better than any Chinese vendor I've ever dealt with. All in all, a good experience

Don

 

[ChrisEV]

I've been tempted to buy one of these but I am so wary of their quality and certifications.

ie. if something happens and it damages the car or burns the garage down, Mitsubishi or insurance will push back since it's not certified or something.

 

[Don]

Their quality looks pretty good to me - Better than some I've seen that came with new cars

An EVSE is nothing more than a computer controlled relay - 240 volts in, 240 volts out. It's a fancy ON/OFF switch that only turns on when the car tells it to. The controls run on 5 volts DC. I just don't see any way an EVSE could damage your car, much less burn your garage down

For the past 5 years, our primary L2 EVSE is one I home built from scratch (Open EVSE) mounted in a clear plastic Pelican case . . . . so you can see all the insides

If you're truly worried, best to stay with something that's UL certified I suppose. Maybe I should find me a UL sticker to put on the one I built :lol:

Don

 

[ChrisEV]

Thanks Don, it's more of a "you get what you pay for" and "if the price seems too good to be true it probably is" type concern

But your positive experiences help.

This is still cheaper than buying a new one and getting 50% off government rebate, I need to shop around. Still need to find out how much it would be to install a 240V outlet in the garage. My panel is in the basement so they'd have to run the wire through the walls.

I've gotten by on the 110V 8A charger but getting 12A would be better as the preheating/precooling is so weak and I can't charge to full overnight if necessary.

 

[Don]

Still need to find out how much it would be to install a 240V outlet in the garage. My panel is in the basement so they'd have to run the wire through the walls.

Some houses have an outlet (or two) in the garage which are on their own dedicated breaker in the power panel. If you're that lucky, it would be a fairly simple matter to convert that outlet from 120 to 240 volts. If you had two outlets on that breaker, you would either need to convert them both, or disable the one you wouldn't need for charging. Easy enough to change it back when you move

Don

 

[ChrisEV]

Still need to find out how much it would be to install a 240V outlet in the garage. My panel is in the basement so they'd have to run the wire through the walls.

Some houses have an outlet (or two) in the garage which are on their own dedicated breaker in the power panel. If you're that lucky, it would be a fairly simple matter to convert that outlet from 120 to 240 volts. If you had two outlets on that breaker, you would either need to convert them both, or disable the one you wouldn't need for charging. Easy enough to change it back when you move

Don

I've got one outlet in the garage, not sure if the light in the garage is on the same circuit or not.

Wouldn't the wiring need to be changed anyway to support the 240V circuit?

 

[Don]

*Most* outlets in homes built in the past 30 or 40 years are wired with 12/3 wire, which is rated for 20 amps at either 120 or 240 volts. You usually derate that by 20%, so 12/3 will support a constant 16 amps. Your iMiEV needs a maximum of about 13 amps when charging L2. There is no difference between the wire used for 120 and 240 volt circuits - The wire gauge is determined by the current you need and the breaker ampacity. 12 gauge wire, 20 amp breakers, 10 gauge wire, 30 amp breakers

*Usually* outlets and lights are on different breakers. It's pretty common to use 14 gauge wire for lighting, since the amp draw for lights is much lower than for outlets. 14 gauge wire would use 15 amp breakers

Many of the better 12/3 120 volt extension cords are made using cable rated for 300 volts

Don

 

[ChrisEV]

My entire garage is one circuit, 15 amp breaker. It’s one outlet and a light switch combined. I’m not sure if it’s possible at this point, at least I’d lose the light in the garage?

I’ll have to pull the outlet out to check the type of wiring if it’s 12 or 14 gauge.

 

[Don]

Since it's a 15 amp breaker, you'll probably find you have 14 gauge wire, which isn't really a problem because the car only needs 13 amps @ 240 volts to charge. If that single outlet and your garage light are the only things on that breaker, you could replace your 120 volt bulb with a 240 volt bulb and everything would work fine. Keep the bulb at 100 watts or less and you should be OK

If you do find 12 gauge wire on the outlet (and on the breaker in the panel) you could replace the 15 amp breaker with a 20 if you wanted to . . . .

Don

 

[JoeS]

Hey, here's a 14W LED bulb puts out the equivalent of a 100W incandescent bulb, and runs on 90vac-240vac, but seems a little pricy:
https://www.amazon.com/Philips-90V-...=1525021527&sr=8-28&keywords=240vac+LED+light

 

[Don]

Cheaper than paying an electrician to run a new 240 volt line from the panel to your garage though . . . .

Don

 

[ChrisEV]

I thought I shouldn’t continuously run more than 12A on 14 gauge wire.

I’ll have a look. Not sure how comfy I am messing around with the circuit breaker panel yet.

I figured running a new 240V line would be pricey as they’d have to cut the drywall to run a new wire. Plus I’d need an emergency cut off in the garage.

 

[Don]

I thought I shouldn’t continuously run more than 12A on 14 gauge wire.

If you're looking to buy the EVSE that is the subject of this thread, you can set it to draw 10 or 11 or 12 amps, whatever number you're comfortable with on your 14 gauge wire. If you set it for only 8 amps, it would still charge twice as fast as your OEM Panasonic EVSE which is limited to just 8 amps at 120 volts

In the power panel, you would just need to move one wire to make your current outlet a 240 volt circuit. Nothing too complicated there

Don

 

[ChrisEV]

I thought I shouldn’t continuously run more than 12A on 14 gauge wire.

If you're looking to buy the EVSE that is the subject of this thread, you can set it to draw 10 or 11 or 12 amps, whatever number you're comfortable with on your 14 gauge wire. If you set it for only 8 amps, it would still charge twice as fast as your OEM Panasonic EVSE which is limited to just 8 amps at 120 volts

In the power panel, you would just need to move one wire to make your current outlet a 240 volt circuit. Nothing too complicated there

Don

Ah yes you’re right. I forgot that this EVSE is adjustable. I’d definately set it to 12A or less.

It looks like it's 14/2 wire by looking at the writing on the wire.

I did want to put up a security camera on my driveway and someone broke into my i-MIEV and took my 12V carseat and adaptor. It seems I had left my door unlocked so no damage was done but my wife is scared now. I'd need the 120V in the garage at this point.

Running a new circuit would be complicated as you'd have to cut open the ceiling/walls to run the wire and then patch it up. I can get 50% rebate from the government for EVSE electrical installation and for an approved EVSE so I will get some estimates to see how much those would be. A seperate 240V circuit for the car and 120V for other stuff would be ideal if money was no issue.

An adjustable 120V EVSE that you linked may be my best bet. It takes over 16 hours to charge from 2 bars to full at 8A. I think at 12A I should be able to charge from 7PM to 7AM as those are off peak hours M-F.

 

[Don]

I think I recall you bought a used 2012, correct? Probably your biggest bang for the buck would be to ship your EVSE to the folks at EVSE Upgrade and have them convert it. You will get back an L1/L2 unit capable of 12 amps on either 120 or 240 *and* it will have adjustable current. If you're charging with that now, just the mod to 12 amps will speed up your recharge times on 120 volts by 50% - That *might be* all you need and a 240 volt circuit may not be needed

Don

 

[ChrisEV]

I think I recall you bought a used 2012, correct? Probably your biggest bang for the buck would be to ship your EVSE to the folks at EVSE Upgrade and have them convert it. You will get back an L1/L2 unit capable of 12 amps on either 120 or 240 *and* it will have adjustable current. If you're charging with that now, just the mod to 12 amps will speed up your recharge times on 120 volts by 50% - That *might be* all you need and a 240 volt circuit may not be needed

Don

Hi Don,

Yes I have a used 2012.

I've almost pulled the trigger on the EVSE Upgrade and I may do it eventually. My thoughts are:

1) Being in Canada the price is pretty expensive with the exchange rate and shipping to/from Canada is pricey as well. I am about 1.5 hours from Buffalo and it'd be cheaper to send it there but I am not planning going there anytime soon.
2) For a similar price I can get a second EVSE and use the 8A one that came with the car for trips. I figure 8A would be safe plugging into hotels and others places, I haven't really had to do this yet. I thought it'd be good to have 2 EVSE in case one gets lost, stolen, breaks etc.
3) If I buy a new approved EVSE in Canada I can get 50% government rebate, For example I found these: https://www.autochargers.ca/products/aerovironment-turbocord/turbocord-dual.html.
https://suncountryhighway.ca/store/SCH15-EV-Charger-p57652028

I like the Duosida one as well per your recommendations, I may just get that, still seems to be less.

4) 12A should be sufficient for my daily charging needs, Right now on days when I run the car down to 2 bars or less, there's not enough time to fully charge and balance the cells.

I am first looking into 240V as preheating/precooling seems to be very weak on 120V/8A. I've used the defrost all winter and it didn't make much of a difference. I've been testing precooling as the weather has been warmer the past few weeks and again I barely feel any A/C as well. I'll have to search around the forum but I don't think 12A will make a huge difference here. I've seen the heater pull way more than 1.4kW on Cani0n. I tested pre-heating on public L2 chargers a few times and the inside of the car became toasty warm if I let it run and I want that

Right now my plan is to have an electrician come by and see how much it would be to install a 240V outlet in the garage. Talking with our landlord, some other people installed extra outlets in the garage(for a heater) and they didn't have to cut open any walls so I may do this if its easy. I only have a 125A panel and the house is electric heated so I am also not sure if my panel is maxed out with all the baseboard heaters. I'd only need a 20A circuit, hopefully they don't need to upgrade the panel or insist on a subpanel in the garage etc.

If that doesn't work I'll get an adjustable 120V EVSE until we move and just survive on the weak preheating/precooling.

 

[harrylv]

Thanks Don.
I bought one. With recent eBay coupon and Chase PayPal cashbacks. I got it for $160 total, cheaper than doing the EVSE upgrade, and I can still have the OEM one for backup.
I have a dedicated 20amp outlet in my garage. I will convert it to 240v.
The seller said it doesn't support 120v.
They shipped out and responded very quickly.

 

[Don]

The seller said it doesn't support 120v.

They told me that too, but . . . . they sell an absolutely identical unit with a 5-15 plug on it that they claim is for 120 volts only (though their eBay auction also advertises it as 'L2') so I'm wondering if there are any internal difference at all?? If I needed it for L1/L2 use, I guess I'd probably open it up and have a look inside. The only real difference would be if the little DC power supply in it was rated for a 90 to 250 volts input or not. Most of them usually are. I *suspect* you could probably plug it into 120 volts and it would work . . . . but I wouldn't advise doing so unless you're going to open it up and have a look around

For what it is, L2, 16 amps, adjustable current, compact, high quality J-1772 plug it's quite a bargain IMO

Don

 

[harrylv]

I received the new 240v EVSE in a week. Quick shipping.
I converted my outlet to 240v this morning and switched from the OEM EVSE to the 240v in the middle to charge to full.
One thing I noticed is that I think this 240v EVSE does not have auto shut off after the car battery is full.
I only charged the car to full once using the OEM EVSE, but I remember the charge light turned off automatically when the car is full. This 240v EVSE does not turn off the charge light until I unplugged from the car.

@Don did you see the same thing?

I decided to hit the turtle mode last night on purpose to see for myself so that I can tell the wife. I was nervous though.
The range was 38 miles when I had half battery left before my 36 miles trip. But I knew I might not make it back because it was mostly freeway and then uphill on the way back with mostly freeway too.
I killed 14 miles on the range after drove 18 miles mostly freeway but with down hill to my destination.
And I had 24 miles left. I need 18 miles back, but I knew I won’t make it with driving uphill and high speed on freeway. So I decided to take all local roads to get back, but it is 4 miles further, so 22 miles total. But still, a lot of up hills. There is a free charge L2 station 3 miles from my house and also on the way. So I decided to drive there instead of the othe charge station 6 miles away to get to turtle mode. I hit the turtle mode 1 miles from the charge station. It was all up hills, so I was nervous, but I know I can make it. I drove only 25mph (35 speed limit, road mostly empty two lanes, so it was fine) on the last 3 miles or so going up hill to the charge station with my emergency light on . Although I saw someone said we can drive probably 5 miles or so on turtle, but I wouldn’t think I can get back home 4 miles away with all up hill.
The last 5 miles was killing my range because of going up. I actually had 8 miles left on the dashboard, but I killed all of it after driving for only 4 miles although below speed limit. High elevation (3500ft ele) probably affected it I think.
I don’t think I would do it again.
There are a lot free L2 charge stations around my house and 24 hours. The closest one is 3 miles. I probably can get charged for free all the time by leaving the car there for few hours and either ride a bike or small e-scooter home and back to pick up the car.
Gas price has been going up, I am glad that I bought aan EV.

This forum has been very helpful! Thank you all !

 

[Don]

One thing I noticed is that I think this 240v EVSE does not have auto shut off after the car battery is full.
I only charged the car to full once using the OEM EVSE, but I remember the charge light turned off automatically when the car is full. This 240v EVSE does not turn off the charge light until I unplugged from the car.

@Don did you see the same thing?

Honestly, I didn't notice. I have it charging the Volt right now, so I'll let you know later tonight

The 'Charge' light is actually labeled 'Charge/Ready' so I suspect what's happening is that it is turning off and going from Charge mode to Ready mode, which results in the same green light being on. If your EVSE is actually staying connected to the car then you should hear the relay click off when you press the button on the charge handle - If that's not happening, then it must have turned off when the charge was complete

Mine gets pretty warm, especially the 14 gauge input pigtail. I cut off the 6-20P plug that came on it and replaced it with an L6-20 Twist Lock. The plug and socket are staying cool. I'm running it on 16 amps

Don