Residential Level 2 Charging Stations

[SirCaptainAhab]

Hi all,

I just bought my "Zeus" on 05/18/12! I have saved over $150 in gas already in my first 3 weeks!!

I ordered my Level 2 Charging Station online from Home Depot & had it shipped/delivered at home for free. The brand is Legrand. I paid $749 + $50 tax. I bought a 100 foot roll of 10/2 wire ($96), and a 15 amp double pole breaker ($8). Total cost to install: @$903

I am now able to charge "Zeus" at home in less than a third of the time as it was taking with the regular wall outlet.

Im also just barely able to drive the 60.2 miles roundtrip from home to work & back with the turtle. But now that I can charge at work in Athens, OH... I dont have to worry so much.

I was wondering if any of u have also installed & wired your own L2CS? And if so, what did it cost u?

I have some pics... Will try to figure out how to add them.

Captain ;-)
Southeast Ohio
License Plate: 0 GAS 4ME

 

[JoeS]

Hi Zeus owner,
Good for you doing your own installation!
I bought a SPX Xpress because it is easily transportable, runs on either 120v or 240v, and can dial down the current draw if needed. Materials cost was around $1100 including a few L6-30 connectors and wire.
You did mean to say 10/3 instead of 10/2 wire, didn't you... :?
Now, it's frightening to think that you have been down to turtle mode ... hope you won't do that any more :!: :x You might consider slowing down a bit when driving over 50 miles without recharge.
Great that you can charge at work! That makes it a perfect commute range for you. Have fun!

 

[fjpod]

I have a separate detached garage with an underground pipe for electric. I was able to snake in 10-3 to beef up the juice available for charging. I was able to do all this myself for the minimal cost of the wire and a breaker. But as of this moment, I am not using the circuit. I'm waiting until Level 2 chargers come down in price a bit, and I am doing fine charging overnight with my Level 1.

 

[JrCRXHF]

Depending on code in your area but here we needed a GFI for a spa on our 220 to make it to code in the garage. I ended up getting the Blink charger and did my own install too.

It saves a lot of money in the long run.

 

[danpatgal]

I just bought a Schnieder Electric EVSE for $799 from Lowes. My local electrician wants $750 to install it, but I'd like to do myself, especially at that price. The Schnieder user manual says to use 8/3 wire ... which will enable me to charge at 30 amps, givig me roughly a 7500 watt charging capability (like the new RAV4 is capable of using), if I ever get such a vehicle or have visitors to use it, I don't know.

 

[SirCaptainAhab]

The 10/2 was not a mistake. My L2CS is wired just as you would for a dryer. Two hot wires that connect directly to the double pole breaker...and the ground wire to the ground bus in the breaker box. That's it. In fact, inside the Legrand L2CS box, there are only three wires available to be connected: Red, Black & Green. That's it. So...to be totally honest, I did buy the 10/3 wire (by mistake)...and actually paid $124 for it...but when I went to hook it all up, I never used the white wire - at all. It's just cut off at both ends so as not to be in the way (yes, I realize now this was wasteful). Even if I wanted to connect that 3rd wire, there was nothing to connect it to. And I've been charging at Level 2 now for the past 3 days...so I must have done something right.

If u look at the wiring for a dryer, it's the same way, when using 12/2 wire. The black & white both get connected to the double pole breaker to make the 220 voltage connection to the dryer

Your 8/3 wire sounds like its used for Level 3 charging, especially with a 30 amp breaker?? I'm only using a 15 amp double pole breaker for mine.

If I can learn how to add pics here right in the messages, I could show you several. Anyone have simple instructions, suggestions, without having to add them to a newly created website?

It's amazing what a few youtube videos of instruction can do for you!! Believe it or not, that's how I've learned to hook up mine... as well as: A) build my own 2 solar panels that are wired to 6 golf cart batteries & a 650 watt inverter for an "off grid" power system, B) grid tied connected 8 solar panels with AEP electric company, C) now certified with the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio as an "energy generating facility", D) registered with GATS - to submit monthly solar power generated, E) installed a 30 foot high wind turbine on my roof.

And around July 1st, I will have generated my first Megawatt of electricity!!! Which I can sell through the GATS system as an REC - Renewable Energy Credit, now worth $265 in Ohio.

Needless to say... I'm all about self-generated electric!!! But have much more to do and accomplish!

 

[Don]

10/2 is perfectly legal for this application. Unless some part of your load uses 120 volts (like a 240 volt dryer which uses a 120 volt drive motor) then you don't need the extra wire

I think you could have saved some $$$ by buying 12/2 . . . . unless you have some future upgrade in mind. 10/2 on a 15 amp breaker is overkill - It surely doesn't hurt anything, but it's one wire gauge larger than necessary

Don

 

[SirCaptainAhab]

Ok...I think I've figured it out! Let's give this a try.

Here's some pics of me with "Zeus"...and my newly self-installed Level 2 Charging Station!!

The only 3 wires in the housing for the 220v connection to a 15 amp double pole breaker

Legrand Level 2 Charging Station; $749 from Home Depot -online only(plus tax)

Ready to use!

Charging at work! (dorky pic, I know.)

 

[fjpod]

What you are saying about the 10-2 will work as long as you have a solid metallic ground...which is really your third wire.

 

[archie_b]

For anyone looking for a Level 2 charger, Ebay has a Pass & Seymour L2EVSE16 16 amp, 240V charger, like the unit discussed in the above posts, for sale. Asking price is $749 ($50 less than Home Depot price), but they will consider offers. I purchased one of these units from this seller for $500 plus $20 shipping and it is installed ($75) and works great. Item number is 300725665195.

For those considering a Level 1 charger Ebay also has one listed. It is a Volt OEM unit (fully compatible with the i) that is rated at 120V, 12 amps (switchable to 8 amps if desired). This unit is 50% more powerful than the Mitsubishi OEM charger which is rated at 8 amps. Currect high bid is $133.50, auction ends Friday evening. Item number 180902518022.

Good luck.

 

[danpatgal]

For those considering a Level 1 charger Ebay also has one listed. It is a Volt OEM unit (fully compatible with the i) that is rated at 120V, 12 amps (switchable to 8 amps if desired). This unit is 50% more powerful than the Mitsubishi OEM charger which is rated at 8 amps.

The level 1 Mitsubishi provides is really slow ... do you know if the rate of level 1 is controlled by the EVSE (the little box) or by the onboard charger? For example, does the car charger sense 120v and so only pull 8amps so as to not overheat it's wimpy level 1? If so, getting a new level 1 would not help.

 

[alexanmh]

For anyone looking for a Level 2 charger, Ebay has a Pass & Seymour L2EVSE16 16 amp, 240V charger, like the unit discussed in the above posts, for sale. Asking price is $749 ($50 less than Home Depot price), but they will consider offers. I purchased one of these units from this seller for $500 plus $20 shipping and it is installed ($75) and works great. Item number is 300725665195.

For those considering a Level 1 charger Ebay also has one listed. It is a Volt OEM unit (fully compatible with the i) that is rated at 120V, 12 amps (switchable to 8 amps if desired). This unit is 50% more powerful than the Mitsubishi OEM charger which is rated at 8 amps. Currect high bid is $133.50, auction ends Friday evening. Item number 180902518022.

Good luck.

If you punch in the i-miev data for the Volt OEM unit, it says that it is not compatible. :?:

 

[Don]

The level 1 Mitsubishi provides is really slow ... do you know if the rate of level 1 is controlled by the EVSE (the little box) or by the onboard charger? For example, does the car charger sense 120v and so only pull 8amps so as to not overheat it's wimpy level 1? If so, getting a new level 1 would not help.

The EVSE tells the onboard charger what current is available - Ours just happens to be programmed for 8 amps . . . . it can handle more. The onboard charger can do 120 @15 amps or 240@15 amps, if your new EVSE is programmed to allow that

Cheapest solution for faster charging is to send your OEM Panasonic unit to http://www.evseupgrade.com and they will modify it to supply 120@13 amps and/or 240@13 amps. The 13 amps is all that the stock EVSE wiring can handle. Charge for the upgrade is about $300 . . . . mine arrives tomorrow, UPS

Don

 

[archie_b]

The post above is correct. The onboard charger will accept any J1772 compliant EVSE up to the onboard chargers rated maximum current. For level 1 chargers, those you plug into a 120V outlet, the onboard charger will accept them all.

The key is J1772 compliance. This allows Volt owners to charge using a Leaf charger, at a Nissan dealer, a Charge Point network charger, or any J1772 charger. Early on Mitsubishi tried to tell owners Eaton was the only "approved" charger. This forum has demonstrated that others such as Pass & Seymour, GE, Leviton, and SPX work just as well as an approved Eaton. The only difference, in many cases, is less cost.

I am very please with the Pass & Seymour L2EVSE16 240V charger, mainly because of the cost. At $500 plus $75 for a electrician to hard wire it into my sub-panel it was a good deal.

 

[jeffcarroll78s2]

I purchased the Level II SPX Power Express for it's portability!
Since I live in Ohio, charging stations are far and few...
That got me to thinking. At my house I have a standard (NEMA 6-50R) welding receptacle in my garage, barn, and house, and also across town at my parents house. My welder has a male cord that the end can be changed from a (NEMA 6-50P) to a standard 3 prong 15A male plug. The new welders sense what voltage source they are connected to automatically.

I simply replaced the SPX Power Express male cord and plug that it came with, with one just like my welder has, so I could easily switch the male plug from a Level I configuration to a Level II configuration in seconds. The level II configuration uses the (NEMA 6-50P) plug.

Then I realized that Miller makes an inexpensive adapter model #300517 that I can plug the Level II (NEMA 6-50P configuration into and adapt to any (NEMA 14-50R) which is the same 50A receptacle that is found at every campground in the country!.

If anyone is interested in this set-up, when I figure out how to post pictures, I'll post pictures and part numbers.

 

[danpatgal]

I realized that Miller makes an inexpensive adapter model #300517 that I can plug the Level II (NEMA 6-50P configuration into and adapt to any (NEMA 14-50R) which is the same 50A receptacle that is found at every campground in the country!.

If anyone is interested in this set-up, when I figure out how to post pictures, I'll post pictures and part numbers.

I am interested. My plan is to put in a 6-50R outlet in and put a 6-50P on my portable EVSE. I had heard campgrounds have 240v outlets, but wasn't sure the plug configuration, good to know it's 14-50R. I may like to buy that adapter anyway, since I also have a 14-50R in my garage.

 

[jeffcarroll78s2]

The Miller MVP cord and plug that I was referring to is shown in this youtube animation:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=STSFHu3qPQo
I just went to my local Miller welding store and purchased a replacement cord and additional plug ends.
The Miller adapter model #300517 can be purchased cheaper on the internet, than my welding supply could sell it to me. The total cost for all the pieces was about $150. When I started adding up what I needed to make custom adapters using quality plugs and receptacles it was far more than this. This Miller set-up also uses many less parts to carry on-hand with my portable level II EVSE.

 

[JoeS]

You mean, everyone with an EV hasn't made themselves a set to these... :roll:

I've standardized on L6-30 for my SPX EVSE input, and have adapters to mate with just about any 120v/240v outlet.

 

[Don]

Since our cars cannot pull more than 20 amps, a good 'universal' plug to use is the NEMA L6-20 'twistlock' series. If you put that plug on your portable EVSE it will be easy (and cheap) to adapt it to just about anything you like and the connections stay secure because once you twist them together, they're locked

EVSE upgrade puts a 12 gauge pigtail with a molded NEMA L6-20P plug on your OEM charger as part of their upgrade. You can then use a NEMA L6-20S socket to adapt to whatever you need. If you search eBay for 'EVSE L6-20' you will find 12 inch pigtails with molded ends to adapt to both the standard 120 volt NEMA 5-15P and the 240 volt NEMA 6-50P for less than $20, including free shipping. Don't pay any attention to the 'home made' adapters listed there for $39 . . . . the ones I'm speaking of have both ends molded to the pigtail

I installed a 240 volt NEMA L6-20S socket in a metal box in my garage using 12/2 with ground wire and a double 20 amp breaker for less than $50 - The upgraded EVSE then plugs in directly using no adapter at all. I also have a dedicated 120V standard outlet right next to it for Level 1 charging - I put the NEMA 5-15P adapter on it to use it as a Level 1

Don

 

[JoeS]

Don, I agree that the lower-cost and lower current L6-20 makes sense for the iMiEV, especially since EVSEUpgrade.com provides this connector already. In my case, I had standardized on L6-30 many years ago for my other EVs and since the SPX EVSE has a 30-amp capability I thought I'd stick with this ampacity in case I have EV visitors with higher-power needs. I also agree that it makes more sense to buy the professionally-molded assemblies which usually end up being less expensive than doing it yourself. BTW, be sure to refer to the 'twist-lock' connectors as NEMA L6-20 to distinguish them from the straight pin NEMA 6-20, and the suffix "R" or "P" designates plug or receptacle.
Here's a good reference site: http://www.nooutage.com/nema_configurations.htm