Home Charging Station

[DAZ]

Picked up my i3 this past Friday (091914). Also, currently have a 2012 Prius Plug In. The Prius is a great vehicle, but the very limited EV range got old quick. When I purchased my Prius Jan 2013, I opted to go with a Level 2 charger. I purchased the Leviton 16a, 3.3kwh, charger that was more than enough for the Prius. I though about going with a 30a charger that would have required an additional 30a line. I took the easy way out and used an existing 20a line in my garage.

Knowing that my i3 would be arriving within a week, I purchased a Leviton 40a, 9.6kwh Level 2 charger off Amazon.com. I had to run a 50a line as required for the new charger. The 40a charger was about $150 more than the Leviton 32a, 7.7kwh charger that was perfect for the i3. I made that mistake once and wasn't going to make it again. Thus I future proofed by going with the 40a charger, with the higher charging rate.

Anyone driving the i3, should invest in a decent Level 2 charger, Think long term. The Level 1 EVSE that comes with the i3 is OK short term and for emergencies, but I wouldn't want to use it everyday. There will be days when you need a less than full, quicker charger.

 

[WoodlandHills]

I was considering a similar 48A unit from Clipper Creek for the same reason, but I wonder if that will be enough for a 2018 EV. Perhaps I should have the circuit wired for 100A and buy just enough EVSE for the i3 so I will only have to replace the EVSE when upgrading at the end of our lease. I see that a Tesla with Dual Chargers needs either an 80A or 100A breaker, that's a lot of power!
There is a $750 rebate on offer for EVSE installation and I was planning on spending all of it on the 48A EVSE and paying for the installation out of pocket. If I go with a 30A EVSE I will have money left over to put towards the installation and wiring upgrade to 100A, that should be enough capacity for our next EV. It would also let me put two EVSEs in to service if we get a second EVA. Decisions, decisions.......

 

[jadnashuanh]

It is a rare house that can support a 100A EVSE (or more) without a major system upgrade. Depending on your utility, you end up paying a base rate for the capacity, regardless of whether you are using it, so it could be a big issue.

Right now, the Tesla uses a different plug than most of the other EVs out there, but they provide an adapter (either as an option or as part of the car, don't remember) to use the same one the rest of the world uses. To get the highest recharge rates, you'd need a DC charging station, and those are not inexpensive.

But, the J1772 standard in its latest standard will support more current than the i3 needs. But, keep in mind, if the EVSE is a J1772 compatible unit, the i3 will be able to use it regardless of how much it can provide...the charger in the i3 'talks' to the EVSE, and knows how much is available, but won't draw more than it wants...sort of like the fact you can plug in a phone battery charger into your plug at home even though the typical circuit can support a significant space heater...IOW, having a bigger one won't hurt except for your out of pocket costs.

 

[WoodlandHills]

It is a rare house that can support a 100A EVSE (or more) without a major system upgrade. Depending on your utility, you end up paying a base rate for the capacity, regardless of whether you are using it, so it could be a big issue.
We upgraded the house power to add a extra 200a panel for my shop several years ago so that is not going to be an issue. LADWP does not charge for unused capacity: we pay for what we use.
Right now, the Tesla uses a different plug than most of the other EVs out there, but they provide an adapter (either as an option or as part of the car, don't remember) to use the same one the rest of the world uses. To get the highest recharge rates, you'd need a DC charging station, and those are not inexpensive.
Teslas can plug directly into a NEMA 14-50 wall socket and you can buy EVSE terminated in the same plug. If you ever need to charge a Tesla you just unplug the i3's EVSE and plug the Tesla directly into the wall.

But, the J1772 standard in its latest standard will support more current than the i3 needs. But, keep in mind, if the EVSE is a J1772 compatible unit, the i3 will be able to use it regardless of how much it can provide...the charger in the i3 'talks' to the EVSE, and knows how much is available, but won't draw more than it wants...sort of like the fact you can plug in a phone battery charger into your plug at home even though the typical circuit can support a significant space heater...IOW, having a bigger one won't hurt except for your out of pocket costs.

 

[tiburonh]

Picked up my i3 this past Friday (091914). Also, currently have a 2012 Prius Plug In. The Prius is a great vehicle, but the very limited EV range got old quick. When I purchased my Prius Jan 2013, I opted to go with a Level 2 charger. I purchased the Leviton 16a, 3.3kwh, charger that was more than enough for the Prius. I though about going with a 30a charger that would have required an additional 30a line. I took the easy way out and used an existing 20a line in my garage.

Knowing that my i3 would be arriving within a week, I purchased a Leviton 40a, 9.6kwh Level 2 charger off Amazon.com. I had to run a 50a line as required for the new charger. The 40a charger was about $150 more than the Leviton 32a, 7.7kwh charger that was perfect for the i3. I made that mistake once and wasn't going to make it again. Thus I future proofed by going with the 40a charger, with the higher charging rate.

Anyone driving the i3, should invest in a decent Level 2 charger, Think long term. The Level 1 EVSE that comes with the i3 is OK short term and for emergencies, but I wouldn't want to use it everyday. There will be days when you need a less than full, quicker charger.

For what it's worth, I went with the Leviton 32a for my i3. It has been trouble free, and I can hardly wait to to get the new KLE and the new software so I can finally actually take advantage of the Leviton's ability to let the car charge at it's maximum rate