16vjohn Posted June 19, 2018 at 03:20 PM Report Share Posted June 19, 2018 at 03:20 PM Just picked up a 16' Fusion the other day. I had a Leaf before, so I know a bit about EVs and EVSEs. I'm still learning the IP Board formula and the search isn't as intuitive as I'm used to, but I'll get it figured out at some point. In the meantime, I was unable to find information about using a 20a L1 EVSE. Ford specifies a static charge time on 120v or 240v. My question is... does the vehicle pull a specific amount of amps regardless of the EVSE capabilities? For clarity... if I buy a 20a L1 charger, will the car still pull ~12a? I know the Volt will do pretty much any rate, the Leaf does any rate, but I've heard that my not be the case with Ford, Kia, or Toyota plug-ins... For context, I want to maximize the benefit of an outlet at work, which is 120v/20a. Thanks all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsamp Posted June 19, 2018 at 04:26 PM Report Share Posted June 19, 2018 at 04:26 PM Unfortunately it seems the 120V is limited to 1.4kW charging (12A). At least that is the conclusion from this 2014 blog: http://cmaxchat.com/?p=1283 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16vjohn Posted June 19, 2018 at 04:46 PM Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2018 at 04:46 PM ahhhhhh balls..... Well, I know a guy in town with a 16a Leaf charger. I'll give it a try with my Kill-a-watt and report back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted June 19, 2018 at 06:06 PM Report Share Posted June 19, 2018 at 06:06 PM The car will use 12 amps at 120 volts and 16 amps at 240 volts. I've charged it on 240 volts with an EVSE capable of 40 amps and it uses 16 amps. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
16vjohn Posted June 19, 2018 at 06:12 PM Author Report Share Posted June 19, 2018 at 06:12 PM Well... shit. What about the other way around? It'll step down to <12, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted June 19, 2018 at 09:09 PM Report Share Posted June 19, 2018 at 09:09 PM Well... shit. What about the other way around? It'll step down to <12, right?The J1772 spec requires it to step down if the EVSE communication interchange tells the car its max is less than 12. The only car I am aware of that allows the charge current to be specified in the car is a Tesla. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Russael Posted June 20, 2018 at 03:56 AM Report Share Posted June 20, 2018 at 03:56 AM This is a good question... if you have a 20A level 1 charger, such as the clipper creek one, will the car pull 16A at 120v? The car should negotiate with the EVSE... the EVSE tells the car what it can supply, and the car uses it, up to the car's maximum, as far as I know. Since the car can pull 16A at 240, it should be able to pull 16A at 120 as well. The charger should be variable, but I have no idea what the parameters are, except that it's maximum is 16A at 240v. Any way you could borrow it and try it out and see what your charge time is? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jsamp Posted June 21, 2018 at 04:22 AM Report Share Posted June 21, 2018 at 04:22 AM (edited) This is a good question... if you have a 20A level 1 charger, such as the clipper creek one, will the car pull 16A at 120v? The car should negotiate with the EVSE... the EVSE tells the car what it can supply, and the car uses it, up to the car's maximum, as far as I know. Since the car can pull 16A at 240, it should be able to pull 16A at 120 as well. The charger should be variable, but I have no idea what the parameters are, except that it's maximum is 16A at 240v. Any way you could borrow it and try it out and see what your charge time is? That is what one would conclude thinking from the car's perspective, but you have to look at this from your house's perspective. Since neither the car nor the EVSE knows what size breaker you have, it has to assume the std 15A on 120V, and for safety backs off that to 80% which is 12A. If the EVSE tries to pull more, it can burn your house down. Yes, some EVSE's can charge at 16A off a 20A circuit, but they are either hard wired versions, or have a 5-20 plug on them to be sure they are plugged into a 20A circuit. Since Ford supplies an EVSE with a std 5-15 plug, they have to assume you are using it on a 15A breaker. Since it is easier to just program the car to one charge level at 120V, they stick with that. Could they have done more? Yes. Did they? No. Edited June 21, 2018 at 04:47 AM by jsamp jj2me 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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