Portable L1/L2 combo EVSE

[flyingcheesehead]

Hi all,

 

I've wanted a portable L1/L2 combo EVSE for a while now. The most well-known option is the AeroVironment TurboCord Dual, but at $599 it just wasn't worthwhile to me.

 

There is another option: EV Institute has a few flavors of their portable L1/L2 ("Deluxe") combo: http://www.ev-institute.com/portable_products.html

 

For $415, I got a portable L1/L2 with adapters to plug into a NEMA 5-15 (standard 120V) outlet, a NEMA 14-50 (240V, "RV"), and the built-in L6-20 plug. I also built adapters to an L6-30 and a 6-50 that I have access to. 

 

I've had it for a few days. It works great for charging the car on both 120 and 240VAC, and it's cool to see the power ramp up. It limits itself to 12 amps on the 5-15, as it should, and it normally charges at 16 amps on 240V but can also be set to limit itself to 10 amps. 

 

The "smart" feature isn't all that spectacular, unfortunately. It says the line voltage at my house is around 130VAC, but in reality it's about 118, measured with a digital multimeter across the actual plug blades of the EVSE while it was running. I believe the kWh readout is similarly overstated and is probably calculated using the volt and amp sensors whose readings it also shows on the screen. But, it at least gives you an idea. If my Ford EVSE hadn't melted my Kill-a-Watt, it'd have been interesting to plug in through that and compare the readings.

 

Also, it's not spectacular for portability in that there's nothing to wrap the cord around like there is on Ford's factory L1. Not a big deal, just something to be aware of.

 

Build quality seems good with one exception: The rubber cover they have for the J1772 plug is attached via a very flimsy piece of rubber going into the bottom of the plug that is so weak it was already broken when I opened the package. Probably not even worth including.

 

The cable for the J1772 end is very thick, but is also quite flexible. 

 

Overall, I'm pretty happy with it - I'm still normally plugging into 120VAC in my garage, but it's nice to have the 240 option sometimes as well. As I transition from PHEV to BEVs, I'll probably use it more for a backup or second EVSE as well as more portable use, but it makes a decent primary one for the Energi. Thumbs up!

[dudley]

I use a Nissan leaf charger that was upgraded 3 years ago, 110 or 220 all auto. was 285.00 upgrade at that time. evseupgrade.com

Edited March 24, 2016 at 02:48 PM by dudley

[flyingcheesehead]

I use a Nissan leaf charger that was upgraded 3 years ago, 110 or 220 all auto. was 285.00 upgrade at that time. evseupgrade.com

 

 

Only problem with that is that you have to supply the Leaf charger - By the time you do that, it's almost as expensive as a TurboCord Dual, and well over the price of the EVI unit that I bought.

 

FWIW, it's still working like a champ. 

[dperreno]

I bought a Nissan charger and upgraded it myself using instructions on the web.  Cost me $250 for the charger on eBay and $20 for a cord and crimp connectors.  Only 12 amps, but works fine for my Fusion as that is as much as it can take anyway.

[flyingcheesehead]

I bought a Nissan charger and upgraded it myself using instructions on the web.  Cost me $250 for the charger on eBay and $20 for a cord and crimp connectors.  Only 12 amps, but works fine for my Fusion as that is as much as it can take anyway.

 

 

12A at 240V is a hair shy of 2.9kW, the Energi can take 3.3kW. When I'm plugged into 240V with this unit I'm seeing nearly 14 amps when it ramps up (13.75ish).

 

Still very happy with the unit, I use it all the time at home and sometimes take it with me. It seems that the numbers reported on screen may be more accurate than I originally thought, it may be that my cheap multimeter is the culprit - The kWh numbers in particular do seem to be roughly what would be expected based on what we know about charging efficiency. 

Edited May 18, 2016 at 01:32 AM by flyingcheesehead