What Level 2 Charger did you buy/install?

[mikenmar]

It seems that the L2 charger is more efficient and more than twice as fast as a result. In other words there is more effeciency loss the longer and slower you charge (conversion, heat, and fans). For example i've had it take over 6.5 hours to charge on L1, but never more than 2.5 hours on any L2 charger (work or home).

 

Does that mean it will cost less per mile (ignoring the cost of the charger itself)?  If so, how long (or how many miles) would it take to recoup the cost of the charger?

Edited June 24, 2013 at 08:19 PM by mikenmar

[Russael]

My dryer plugs into a conventional 3-prong outlet.  I'm assuming it's not on the same circuit as the 14-30 outlet (but somebody please correct me if I'm wrong.)

 

Sounds like you have a gas dryer.  Those run on 120V just to spin the tumbler and the electronics, but all the heat is coming from gas.  The 14-30R is necessary for all electric dryers since they have to use electricity for heat too.

 

To recoup the cost of a charger, I actually had gone through and did some quick calculations... and now I can't find that thread.  heh.  For me, with my electrical rate at 12 cents/KWh considering gas savings by using more electricity, came to some 20,000 miles to pay off an 821 dollar charger.  With lower electrical rates, it'd pay itself back sooner.

[meyersnole]

Does that mean it will cost less per mile (ignoring the cost of the charger itself)?  If so, how long (or how many miles) would it take to recoup the cost of the charger?

 

Cost less then what? Then gas or charging at 120v?

 

I would concede that charging at 240v is more efficient then 120v, however you must realize that most are paying less then $1 to charge their car (it costs me $0.76 to charge mine) from empty. The few pennies that you save in efficiency will never be made up from the efficiency alone. However, if you find your self taking many short trips and those trips broken apart through out the day and originate from your house... then the money you save on those delta miles verses burning gas at 40+ MPG could theoretically make up the cost to install and buy a charger, but not likely. The purchase probably has more to do with convenience and the desire to drive more miles on electricity then saving money. But there is nothing wrong with that.

[meyersnole]

I'm told I can get a Clipper Creek LCS-25 and attach a 14-30 plug to it.  Sounds like the way to go.

 

There are many chargers that would work. See Russael's post above. Not sure I would branch, but there are many examples of people doing this successfully.

 

Given the line already exists, and you are not using it you could also probably get an electrician to wire any 16a charger to code with out much expense.

[Russael]

The clipper Creek charger is a 4.7kw charger, which runs at about 20 amps at 240... so yes, you could make the unit pluggable and stick that in your dryer outlet.  You'd only use 3 of the 4 prongs though (2 hots + ground).  My compressor was the same way.

 

Just noticed that Clipper Creek also offers a 120V 20A, 2.4KW charger which is pretty cool.  I installed 20 amp outlets all the way around the garage when I originally wired it up.  That'd be faster than 15A at 120 but not quite as fast as 240.  Car's limit is 3.3KW.

 

I could've made an adapter to go from my dryer outlet to the 6-20R but then I'd be plug swapping if I wanted to use my compressor.  I'm all about convenience. ;)

[taylord9904@yahoo.com]

Looks like ClipperCreek wants to spread the word about Electric Vehicles and is offering $50 off your ClipperCreek charger just for learning about EVs... complete the 4 question challenge at the end and you will receive your $50 off discount code.

www.KnowWhatYouDrive.com

 

 

;)

Edited July 8, 2013 at 04:23 PM by taylord9904@yahoo.com

[Eric4539]

Thank you for the tip on the $50 coupon for Clipper Creek!  I have been looking at the Bosch unit as well - nice looking - but the $50 coupon for Clipper Creek pushed me to order it!

[Mr. Fusion]

Congrats on the order.

 

I'm very happy with the Clipper Creek!

[Earthdog]

Time will certainly tell on the Bosch unit but hear is something to consider. The Clipper Creek unit is a Made in the USA product and now a days it is worth it to support our economy as the Bosch is Taiwanese. Alos worth considering is Clipper Creek is the provider of OEM to serval US Car Manufacturers. Consider going to metroplugin.com and requesting additional information. I think you will find that they will be able to provide you with excellent information and support and even match the direct CC pricing but with excellent customer service.

[Griff]

The prices have begun to skyrocket. What was $700 on Amazon is now $1000. ;)

[Markn455]

I've seen mention in other threads about the different L2 chargers and the preferences of users, etc.  I thought maybe it would be good to have a tally of how many installed which brand, and didn't see a poll posted on it.  Of course there are more brands than are listed, though these appear to be the most common based on what I see mentioned here and from looking at Amazon, Lowes, and Home Depot.

 

Also I think there are many users who come and read topics but do not post... so they can have their input here retain the coveted 'lurker' status... :)

They are so expensive... :(

[Russael]

They are so expensive... :(

 

They are, and I consider it a luxury, not a necessity.  Car comes with a charger and for a vast majority of people, it fits their lifestyle just fine.  I was picky and wanted the faster charge rate and I also wanted superior go time performance because it gets COLD in Michigan during the winter months.  Definitely want it nice 'n warm by the time I pull it out of the garage to go to work.

[mikenmar]

I've been using the Clipper Creek LCS-25 for about ten days, and I'm thrilled with it.

[Eric4539]

Ok friends, my Clipper Creek LCS-25 is installed and I used it for the first time today.  I ran errands in town, used 100% EV, and when I returned home I had 2 miles remaining in the battery.  It took 1 hour 52 minutes to fully charge the battery to 23 miles!!  With the 120v charger that came with the car I never got more than 21 miles per charge.  This 240v charging is great!!

[yellow05gt]

I have an off the wall question about the chargers. I'm going to be PCSing to Germany in a couple weeks and was wondering what the best charger for that region would be. I'm aware they work off of either 220/240 anyway. do you know if the plug is the same as ours or should I wait to get over there and purchase one there. Obviously my factory charger won't work because they don't use the same voltage. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance

Edited July 20, 2013 at 08:32 PM by yellow05gt

[murphy]

Not even close.  They use round pins.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Schuko

 

 

According to that web site they are 50 HZ.  I have not seen anything to indicate that an Energi can use 50 HZ power.

[yellow05gt]

what do you guys think of this: Clipper Creek Electric vehicle charger ECS-20; it's a European version. I can't tell though if it's a Level 2 or not, but since they are all 230v I assume so. Sorry for acting like a total noob. I really know very little about this stuff. Thanks so much for any info!

[murphy]

It matches the German power grid for voltage and frequency (230 volts, 50 HZ).

It provides 15 or 16 amps as requested by the car so it is level 2.

 

The only remaining unknown is does an Energi built for US consumption accept 50 HZ power?

The vehicle charger is misnamed.  It does not convert AC to DC.  It supplies AC to the car and the car converts it to DC.

The car could have been designed to handle 50 or 60HZ but only Ford engineering can answer the question.

I have not seen it mentioned in any published Energi speifications.

[yellow05gt]

I went ahead and got the ECS-20 and I guess we'll see how it works in a month when I get to Germany

[Russael]

Most power supplies nowadays are built to accept both 50 and 60Hz and a lot are able to auto-detect voltage now...  Since it's a J1772 compliant charger, I would feel comfortable that the car can take that kind of power from the international grid.

[Earthdog]

Just got this tweet thought it may interest some here. I happen to have one at home and work wish I had gotten this deal...

 

@Metroplugin Sale! 5kw Charger $549.99 tinyurl.com/n7l8oja -#EVSE -#EV -#PHEV #CHARGEDEVS -#TESLA -#NISSANLEAF -#ELECTRICCAR  by 7/29 Coupon Code 7-29

[bwehry]

Just bought the Clipper Creek LCS-25 Level 2 charger - 25 Amp $495 - Currently Smallest level 2 unit in the industry. 

The Level 1 Ford charger included in the trunk is rated at 1440Watts.  The LCS-25 is rated for nearly 5000Watts and should cut the charge time considerably. Will post results.

 

http://www.clippercreek.com/blog/clippercreek-industry-leading-lcs-25-charging-station-on-sale-for-only-495/

 

PRODUCT SPECS
• Service Entrance: 208V to 240V, 60Hz – 25 Amp Circuit (20A continuous for charging), single phase, 2-wire, with
ground (L1, L2, and Ground)– Conduit and pigtail supplied
• 11” L x 4” W x 3” D (279mm L x 102mm W x 76mm D)
• Weight 9 lbs
• Operating Temperatures: -22°F to 122°F (-30°C to +50°C)
- Charge cord Length = 20 Feet.

Rated for indoor or outdoor use.  
ClipperCreek has packed nearly 5kW of power in this slim, and sleek package.
Works with all vehicles.

 

Update on Incentives for Home Electric Car Charging Equipment "Thanks a federal incentive, EV drivers can take a tax credit of 30 percent of the purchase of home charging equipment, up to $1,000. That incentive had been scheduled to end in 2011, but was extended until the end of 2013. http://content.sierraclub.org/evguide/blog/2013/07/update-incentives-home-electric-car-charging-equipment

[murphy]

The car will not use more than 3.8 kW to charge the battery. 

The 5kW charger will not charge any faster than a 3.8 kW charger.

It takes slightly over 2 hours to charge a fully depleted HVB.

[Earthdog]

 

Just bought the Clipper Creek LCS-25 Level 2 charger - 25 Amp $495 - Currently Smallest level 2 unit in the industry. 

The Level 1 Ford charger included in the trunk is rated at 1440Watts.  The LCS-25 is rated for nearly 5000Watts and should cut the charge time considerably. Will post results.

 

 

The Clipper Creek charges mine in 1 hour 58 minutes continually. Check out the guys at http://www.metroplugin.com they sell the unit with the new $495.00 price. Wish I had gotten that deal.

[shaggy314]

The Clipper Creek charges mine in 1 hour 58 minutes continually. Check out the guys at http://www.metroplugin.com they sell the unit with the new $495.00 price. Wish I had gotten that deal.

Yes, but the car will only accept more up to 3.6 kW, so it will charge just as fast as virtually all of the L2 chargers. Ford's only faster car is the newer Focus Electric with the 7.2ish on-board charger. So you could charge one of them or a Leaf faster...

 

I'm hoping to buy a backup L1 charger as I use mine a lot. Ford is insane and marked theirs as a service part and close to $600.

Edited August 5, 2013 at 04:08 PM by shaggy314