Home Charging Station

[TJP75]

Hi all - what are people's views on the home charging station? Is it absolutely necessary? If not, is the alternative to just plug into a standard wall outlet? I will drive around 30-40 miles per day and be able to charge overnight for at least 10 hours. Do you think the standard outlet for me will be sufficient? Thanks!

 

[mindmachine]

Hi all - what are people's views on the home charging station? Is it absolutely necessary? If not, is the alternative to just plug into a standard wall outlet? I will drive around 30-40 miles per day and be able to charge overnight for at least 10 hours. Do you think the standard outlet for me will be sufficient? Thanks!

Did not notice where you are located, but most likely the included ESEV should provide you a full charge in 7 or 8 hrs over night. On max it will charge at 1.44 kw/h less charging losses of 15% so 1.44*.85= 1.22kw/h. Estimating you driving style at using about the battery capacity it would be 18.8 kwh/2 = 9.4 kwh/1.2 kw/h= 7.8 hrs maybe slightly higher because the charging rate tapers off at the end so 7.8 to 8.3 hrs for 40 miles.

 

[TJP75]

Thanks. I'm in Atlanta, Georgia.

 

[jadnashuanh]

From nearly zero charge with the 120vac EVSE that comes with the USA cars, it will take nearly 20-hours...that's after somewhere between 7-=120 miles, based on BMW's advertised range that can be driven on the BEV. So, agreed, half of that 20-hours should get you about half of a full charge, or in the range of about 40-50 miles of use. It might be a bit slower when it's hot as then the car must use some of the energy to cool the batteries, and it could ramp up again if they were cold...the car likes the battery temp to be within a certain range, and can cool and heat itself (some of that heat can come just from the charging process, but it then would start off at a low rate and move up to the capacity).

If you're near a dealership, or other public EVSE, many of those are free, but you have to find something to do while it takes the probably 1-2 hours to 'refill' based on your stated range use.

 

[Greatwhite]

Charger is worth it, I have the Clipper Creek HCS-40 I'm charged in just over 3 house the charger is $590 and no sales tax for you as they are here in California, install cost me $250 from a local electrician Also check your utility as some offer EV rates and rebates for chargers.
http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/hcs-40-30a-240v-charging-25-cord-3/

 

[AviatorMan]

Mt pattern i the same as yours, and the 120 volt charger is enough. Now, today was an exception, I ended up driving 77 miles and have 12 miles 'in the tank'.
When plugged in at 5pm it says I will have a full charge at 8:15am, 15 hours. I'm planning on getting a Clipper Creek, but actually could get by with just the little one.

 

[jadnashuanh]

if you are going to run a new 240vac circuit, you may want to consider running it with big enough wires to support a bigger capacity EVSE than you currently think you'll need. Newer vehicles will likely have higher capacity chargers built-in, and you may wish to eventually charge it fully faster. Personally, the difference between say a 20A 240vac unit and a 30A one isn't all that much if you figure in the cost to update the wiring if it isn't big enough now.

I'd go with a unit that can support the full charging capacity of the i3 now. There may be times when that extra charging speed comes in handy, and watts are watts, so to actually charge it won't cost more. The 120vac unit that comes with the NA units isn't as efficient as going with a 240vac unit, as it isn't as efficient bumping 120vac up to 400vdc as 240vac to 400vdc in the car.

But, to get a relative idea of increased capacity, P=IE (power=amps*volts), so doubling the volts doubles the amount of power going into the vehicle, even if the amps stays the same.

 

[AviatorMan]

Hi all - what are people's views on the home charging station? Is it absolutely necessary? If not, is the alternative to just plug into a standard wall outlet? I will drive around 30-40 miles per day and be able to charge overnight for at least 10 hours. Do you think the standard outlet for me will be sufficient? Thanks!

Direct answer to your question-
No, it is not absolutely necessary. Yesterday I drove 72 miles and ended with 12 miles of range, that is as dead as I ever want to be. Plugged in at 5 pm, this morning at 7 am it was fully charged. 40 miles/day won't be a problem.

That said I plan on a Clipper Creek, when I get around to it. Not urgent so far but a good idea, I think.

 

[i3Alan]

Hi all - what are people's views on the home charging station? Is it absolutely necessary? If not, is the alternative to just plug into a standard wall outlet? I will drive around 30-40 miles per day and be able to charge overnight for at least 10 hours. Do you think the standard outlet for me will be sufficient? Thanks!

You will be driving double what my typical day will see, but I still wanted the L2 charging for convenience on the rare occasion when I may have need for better than L1 charge rates, and additionally, I want keep my L1 charger in the frunk so that it is always with me, with no need to repack it there after each use.

I have a dryer in the laundry room sharing a wall with my garage. The dryer is on a 30 amp circuit, and my gas dryer does not use it. So, it was very easy for me to tap into that unused 240V line right behind the dryer, and install a 20 amp L2 unit in my garage. Won't get me peak L2 rates, but still WAY faster than the 120V L2 unit. I got the $500 Clipper Creek 20A LCS-25, and installed it myself. Works great on my friend's Leaf. My i3 should arrive tomorrow (finger's are crossed).

 

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, regardless of their actual current capability, a L1 unit uses 120vac as its input, and a L2 unit uses 240vac as its input. The i3 will accept up to 7.4Kw/hr input - a bit over 30A at 240vac (power = current * voltage). And, the charger is in the car, the EVSE is essentially a smart on/off switch.

 

[ultraturtle]

I want keep my L1 charger in the frunk so that it is always with me, with no need to repack it there after each use.

This is probably the best reasoning to get a dedicated 30 amp, 240 volt EVSE installed in your residence. I cannot count the number of times I've been able to grab several hours of charge from a buddy, or a full overnight charge from a hotel manager because I've had the 120 volt EVSE stored in the car. There's no way I would put up with the hassle of unplugging and stowing the supplied EVSE every time I leave the house, so I would have passed up a lot of opportunities to charge on the road.

Another point to note is that once you start driving electric, you will be surprised at the number of times you want to grab a quick top-off in between errands. The dedicated, wall mounted 30 amp, 240 volt EVSE charges at five times the rate of the Occasional Use EVSE, and can help you stay all electric over the course of a busy day.

Cost is minimal. If you are at all handy, install it yourself (referencing the NEC) for less than $700 for a $600 EVSE, a $9 40 amp breaker, a $1 old work box, a run of 8 gauge wire for a direct connection, and some staples. If you want to be fancy, add another $100 or so for 6 gauge wire, a 50 amp breaker, a 50 amp receptacle, and a 50 amp pigtail to the EVSE, allowing you to plug and unplug the device.

Also, this is not your last EV. Upgrade your personal infrastructure. Welcome to the future.

Oh, yeah. Forgot to mention. The included Occasional Use EVSE will work fine for your anticipated needs. Not so much for the unanticipated.

 

[disturbed932]

how long in feet is is the included OUC 120V cable that comes with the car? There's a 120V outlet near the parking lot at my work and need to see if I would need an extension cord

 

[mindmachine]

how long in feet is is the included OUC 120V cable that comes with the car? There's a 120V outlet near the parking lot at my work and need to see if I would need an extension cord

Fairly sure it is 25 ft.

 

[DHP]

yup, 25ft (made by Clipper Creek)- I bought a heavy duty 25 ft extension cord and keep both of them in the frunk

 

[ultraturtle]

... I bought a heavy duty 25 ft extension cord and keep both of them in the frunk

Most EV manufacturers advise against the use of extension cords, but DHP is smart to use a "heavy duty" one. Works fine, just make sure your extension cord is 12 ga or thicker. Both voltage drop and heat loss play into loss of efficiency, and thick copper combats both.

 

[Boatguy]

Has anyone looked at the Juice Box? Skipping over the DIY installation and buying an assembled unit, it looks like a more sophisticated product than some of the more widely distributed chargers.

http://emotorwerks.com/products/online-store/category/listing/23-juicebox-ev-charging-stations

 

[jadnashuanh]

The Juicebox does appear to be more interesting if you have the network and display options for it. It depends on your skill level if you wish to put one together yourself, or buy it built, but the boards are built and tested, so it's fairly straightforward build, at least from the manual. I ended up getting a Clipper Creek unit. I've put together lots of Heathkits (kind of ages me, I know) over the years, so wasn't scared off with it, but while the info if networked might be interesting, it would just be that, interesting, not essential.

FWIW, the OEM EVSE delivered in the USA is about 18', not 25', if that was the question!

 

[ultraturtle]

Has anyone looked at the Juice Box? Skipping over the DIY installation and buying an assembled unit, it looks like a more sophisticated product than some of the more widely distributed chargers.

At $399, the base unit represents a $100 discount off of Clipper Creek's $499 unit, the only significant difference being its ugliness. Perhaps a good value for a relatively unproven product.

The more sophisticated version (at $548) represents a $49 premium over a proven product, while giving you the capability to meter and log your charge.

Pretty sweet either way.

I've been pestering these folks to provide a CCS DC charge option to us for almost a year now, but they remain firmly entrenched in the CHADeMo world of the Nissan LEAF. Wouldn't hurt to have more inquiries from folks on this forum to get them to move their posteriors.

 

[LivingBetterThurEV]

Did anyone purchase the BMW / Bosch level 2 charger sold by the BMW dealers?
If you did, was there a discount or recommended price other than the dealer listed $1080 ?

The JuiceBox seems like a great option for those of us who like to build electronic devices.
Anyone here assemble the JuiceBox basic or Premium model and have a recommendation?

At present I'm using the level 1 charger that came with the i3 and overnight worked fine.

 

[tiburonh]

Did anyone purchase the BMW / Bosch level 2 charger sold by the BMW dealers?
If you did, was there a discount or recommended price other than the dealer listed $1080 ?

The JuiceBox seems like a great option for those of us who like to build electronic devices.
Anyone here assemble the JuiceBox basic or Premium model and have a recommendation?

At present I'm using the level 1 charger that came with the i3 and overnight worked fine.

Unless you are in love with its look, you should by all means avoid the BMW/Bosch EVSE. It is ridiculously overpriced (the dealers themselves have to pay BMW something like $920 for it). And it is ridiculously oversized. You can buy fully-baked EVSE's from several different manufacturers that deliver the same or better performance in much smaller sizes and for much smaller prices (typically between $500 and $700). And if you are a brave DIY person, the JuiceBox is an even cheaper option.

And remember, the actual charger is built in to the car. What you are buying for your house, an EVSE, merely relays the electricity to the charger in the form and at the time that your car's charger asks for it.