Excellent 16 Amp Charging (L2) @ 240v -- recommendation

[wtzouris]

Hey group, I have 40 Amp charging (Jesla) in my main garage , but I needed a secondary portable charger @ 16Amps for overnight charging and this unit can be purchased for as little as $329 -- you just have to check Amazon every day or use a service like camelcamelcamel to alert you. I think it is a great value. I bought it a couple of months ago and I am very pleased, works great with a 20 Amp 6-20R socket (240v) circuit, which is all the capacity I had in this secondary location.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B018A6QK7C?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage

 

[JeffRay]

WTZ,

My new landlord has agreed to put in an outdoor outlet and asked what the specs should be. Can you please advise for 240v? Nothing too exotic or they won't do. I asked for 110 dedicated but they offered 220v so am going for it.

Thanks in advance.

BTW, my snow tires (non-run flat Michelins) are doing great. Superior quieter ride to boot.

 

[GlennD]

A cost effective solution is to install a 30A #10 circuit and breaker. You would need an EVSE that could be set to 24A. The next step up would be a 40A circuit with #8 wires and a 40A breaker. 30A EVSEs are quite cheap. The ultimate is a 50A circuit with #6 wires for the full 40A charging.

Look at Clipper Creek. They offer a full line of EVSEs. For a non UL approved solution OpenEVSE and the JuiceBox both offer variable current. I build and favor the OpenEVSE units. For outside use you need a water resistant EVSE and that will drive up the price. All three units have web sites. Built non weatherproof JuiceBox's are sold on Amazon.

 

[JeffRay]

Thanks Glenn, I will advise but am a little worried if I freak them out. Which one works with a portable charger as they will not allow me to install a permanent box. It will be out in the side of the building unprotected so I definitely want to use one compatible with a portable charger I will keep in my trunk.

 

[GlennD]

If you go with a 16A portable unit that would require a 20A circuit ( 16A is 80% 0f 20A ). This could be run with 12 gauge romax with the white wire taped black or red. This is like a 120V circuit but instead of the white going to the neutral bar it goes to the other half of a double pole breaker. The cost is nearly the same as a 120V circuit except for the breaker. 16A at 240V is more than 3 times the 8A 120V default. You could use a Nema 6-20R or L6-20R. The difference is the twist lock.

Speaking only in OpenEVSE terms you could have a dual voltage EVSE. It would be 12A when it detects 120V and 16A when it sees 240V. The 30A (24A) kit is weatherproof and the default is 16A. It is easy to make an adapter to 120V.

If you are not a technical person I would be happy to build a kit at no cost except for shipping. I do it to keep busy, not to get rich in my retirement. I find Ebay is MUCH cheaper than Home Depot or Lowes.

 

[Lukeetal]

Heads up to Jeff and other NYC B class drivers. NYC and the burrows (some of them if not all) only have 208 and not 240 volts. I have not looked at the specs on chargers lately but it may reduce charge times slightly.

 

[JeffRay]

Thanks all for your help and advice. I passed info to sub-landlord. Now comes the harder part, getting it approved by NYEDC which owns the facility. They previously said no to electric charging when I was negotiating the lease. The sub-landlord is trying to slip it in under tenant improvements.

 

[GlennD]

Heads up to Jeff and other NYC B class drivers. NYC and the burrows (some of them if not all) only have 208 and not 240 volts. I have not looked at the specs on chargers lately but it may reduce charge times slightly.

On most EVSE's that is 25% less but it works fine. At work I used a 16A OpenEVSE on 208V. It charged my Leaf just fine and I was fully charged for free. As long as you have the time 208V is fine. Many commercial EVSE's are 208V since that is what you get from a wye that also supplies 120V.

At work there was a 240V delta only supping the air conditioners. Everything else was 208V from a wye. Since my city wanted to hook up a TED 120V monitor for the green brownie points I could not use the delta panel. It was accessible but no 120V. I had no problem with that since the energy was free.

 

[wtzouris]

The beauty of the unit I am recommending is that it does 16 Amp 240v charging on a 20 Amp circuit, which is much less expensive than a 30 Amp circuit to install. The Clipper Creek LCS-20P requires a NEMA 14-30 circuit. This requires a 6-20R socket. Here is the link (I bought mine for $329) http://www.ebay.com/itm/ReadyCharge-240v-Level-2-Electric-Vehicle-Charger-Portable-Edition-/191794308681?hash=item2ca7d4e649:g:Jz0AAOSwKtlWl7c4&vxp=mtr

 

[JeffRay]

WTZ, thanks for the post. Me likee.

 

[GlennD]

The beauty of the unit I am recommending is that it does 16 Amp 240v charging on a 20 Amp circuit, which is much less expensive than a 30 Amp circuit to install. The Clipper Creek LCS-20P requires a NEMA 14-30 circuit. This requires a 6-20R socket. Here is the link (I bought mine for $329) http://www.ebay.com/itm/ReadyCharge-240v-Level-2-Electric-Vehicle-Charger-Portable-Edition-/191794308681?hash=item2ca7d4e649:g:Jz0AAOSwKtlWl7c4&vxp=mtr

Clipper Creek's model numbers refer to the required circuit. Thus the LCS 20 requires a 20A circuit and it charges at 16A.

 

[wtzouris]

This eBay seller will sell for $329 if you mention my name (William Tzouris) http://www.ebay.com/.../ReadyCharge-240v.../191794308681...


Just contact techninja and mention my name WILLIAM to get the discount.

I think earlier I mentioned the Clipper Creek LCS-20 I meant to say the LCS-20P. The LCS-20 can run on a 20 Amp circuit but it must be hardwired. The LCS-20P requires a 30 Amp circuit for some reason even though it only draws 16 Amps. (It has a NEMA 14-30 plug -- I guess Clipper Creek does not like the 6-20P plug....)

 

[GlennD]

This eBay seller will sell for $329 if you mention my name (William Tzouris) http://www.ebay.com/.../ReadyCharge-240v.../191794308681...


Just contact techninja and mention my name WILLIAM to get the discount.

I think earlier I mentioned the Clipper Creek LCS-20 I meant to say the LCS-20P. The LCS-20 can run on a 20 Amp circuit but it must be hardwired. The LCS-20P requires a 30 Amp circuit for some reason even though it only draws 16 Amps. (It has a NEMA 14-30 plug -- I guess Clipper Creek does not like the 6-20P plug....)

I have burned up a 6-20 plug at 16A so it is not nearly as robust as a L6-20 but I was using cheap Chinese plugs. Name brand stuff is twice the price but better quality.

 

[wtzouris]

Don't get me wrong -- I think the Jesla is the coolest EVSE in the world. But I've moved a couple of times and getting a 14-50R outlet installed with 50 Amp breaker can be expensive. So I have a situation in a secondary location where I didn't have space in the electrical panel for more than 20 Amps / 240v without a service panel upgrade, and I thought to myself, I do all my driving during the day, and I want to top up to 100% overnight as I sleep! From a 20% SOC battery 7-8 hours of charging to 100% is fine! (Normally it would be 2.5 hours at 10 kW) Also the unit is very very light. I wonder if you are likely to find a 6-20R 240v outlet in a ground floor hotel / motel room.....(Under the window AC/Heat units). I have to pay attention to these things more now. Getting an electrician to run a 20 Amp 240 volt 6-20R socket costs almost nothing. You can even mess around with those Quick 220 volt systems which combine two 120v circuits. (Model A220-20D plus 2 adapter cords) Although I would do that as a last resort.

 

[Comanchepilot]

Thanks all for your help and advice. I passed info to sub-landlord. Now comes the harder part, getting it approved by NYEDC which owns the facility. They previously said no to electric charging when I was negotiating the lease. The sub-landlord is trying to slip it in under tenant improvements.

Great, make sure its wired for 30amp - you're only going to get 208v anyway in most cases - most power is now at about 105v - not 110v any more. So 2 x 105 = 210, minus a little for the CEO's bonus.

I know this is an old thread - but - do not say a WORD about any reason for it - you just need a 220v outlet for tools or a outside system of some kind - keep it vague.

Now - unless they are required to install a plug you can just have them pigtail it with a new breaker.

If they require a plug, use a NEMA 14-30 -its the most common for 220/240v appliances and won't raise any questions - now its not that common for EVSE - but you can get one from Clipper Creek. MAke sure you get an EVSE sealed for outdoor use and equip the outlet with a cover and receptacle certified for use in wet locations.

 

[TonyWilliams]

William, please just get a 15 or 20 amp plug for your JESLA... you don't need another EVSE. JESLA will not exceed the maximum charge rate of the plug, even though the Mercedes / Tesla onboard charger can pull 40 amps.

JESLA will operate at 100-250 volts, so any household voltage will work.

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/searchquick-submit.sc?keywords=adapter

 

[wtzouris]

I have all the adaptor plugs for Jesla: 14-50P, 10-30P, 6-15P, and 5-15P (120v)

That's 40 Amps, 30 Amps, 12 Amps, and (Level 1) 1.4 Amps, respectively.

Which plug would draw 16 Amps at 240v ? I believe there is no 3.8 kW adaptor for Jesla, only 2.8 kW....

Anyway I have two locations so my Jesla is also in use in one area and I don't feel like moving it around and changing plugs all the time. So I have 40 Amp L2 charging in one place and 16 Amp L2 charging in the overnight place.

I'm getting another EV so I like having lots of plug-in EVSE options!

 

[TonyWilliams]

You can safely use the 5-20 plug at any voltage up to 264 with JESLA.

It will pull 16 amps (80% of a 20 amp circuit). We generally offer an adapter for 20 amp circuits from L6-20 to NEMA 5-20. The adapter itself needs to be clearly marked that it operates up to 240 V and is only safe and usable with Jessella or a Tesla UMC.

 

[wtzouris]

Interesting fact about the 5-20 plug adaptor for Jesla and being able to use that at 240 volts AC, 16 amps. Still, I'm not crazy about making/owning an adaptor that puts 240 volts on a socket that is normally 120 volt type - even if clearly marked "caution" The receptacle will accept 5-15 Plug -- all 5-20 receptacles have the two-way blades option. Risky in my opinion. I'll stick with the 6-20R / 6-20p combination where is is impossible to connect 120v devices by mistake-- the plug doesn't fit.

FYI I LOVE the Jesla system which does up to 40 Amps/10 kW and would only recommend this 16 amp unit as a cost effective second EVSE for overnight usage, alternate locations, etc. . 7.5 hours is typical to get from 25% to 100%, about 10% per hour (or 8-10 miles per hour of charge) Not bad.

 

[wtzouris]

These are back on eBay, new low price, 25 foot cord from EVSE box to J1772. All tested on an EV for one charge cycle before shipping. 6-20P plug (240 volt/ 20 Amp circuit required) : http://www.ebay.com/itm/122022738374?ssPageName=STRK:MESELX:IT&_trksid=p3984.m1555.l2649