1. Attachments are working again! Check out this thread for more details and to report any other bugs.

Leviton wants $1800+ to put in EVSE

Discussion in 'Gen 1 Prius Plug-in 2012-2015' started by devprius, Mar 2, 2012.

  1. Allannde

    Allannde Just a Senior

    Joined:
    Jan 7, 2006
    874
    138
    0
    Location:
    Washington State
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    I am with you. It has always seemed a better idea to allow capacity for spikes and the occasional extra load, not to mention the slightly more efficiency allowed by a system with extra capacity.
     
  2. ryogajyc

    ryogajyc Active Member

    Joined:
    Aug 30, 2004
    985
    165
    0
    Location:
    Reseda, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    No worries, I agree 20A makes sense for those running a new wiring. But at the same time, I think it is important that those who are already wired for 15A are not under the mistaken impression that they must go out and rewire for 20A.
     
    1 person likes this.
  3. NinnJinn

    NinnJinn Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2011
    276
    41
    0
    Location:
    Indiana
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A

    Ahhhh!!! Another reason why I love living in a small town in Indiana!!

    I paid $10 (Ten) for a building permit to build my ENTIRE house, from the ground up!!!

    OH!! and there are no building codes either!!! If you want homeowners insurance, An insurance building inspector comes out to check it.. FREE!!!
     
  4. devprius

    devprius /dev/geek

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2006
    979
    291
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    The $575 is what the contractor said the fee was. Turns out that it's only $139.20. Negotiations are continuing...
     
  5. NinnJinn

    NinnJinn Member

    Joined:
    Aug 1, 2011
    276
    41
    0
    Location:
    Indiana
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    WHOA!!! That fricken slime ball!!!!!!
     
  6. pEEf

    pEEf Engineer - EV nut

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2010
    720
    576
    3
    Location:
    Berkeley, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    We are upgrading the Toyota-Branded Panasonic EVSE that ships with the Prius to universal voltage capability. Unfortunately the unit is a newer model that is not built quite as well as the one Nissan is using, and due to the smaller cable size, we are only comfortable upgrading the unit to 2.88kW max. (12a 240v) The cost for this is $239 + shipping. The unit will then function on any outlet in the world (with appropriate adapter) and auto-detect the voltage. The total output power depends on the voltage. (volts X 12 = kW)

    On 240v your PiP will charge over twice as fast as on 120v, which also means you save electricity. There is no significant delta-T rise in the battery from these low wattages, so you aren't extending your battery life by only charging on 120v. (The reason it's over twice as fast and saves power is due to the large fixed overhead while charging. This is almost 200 watts regardless of input power)

    See our website for more information and ordering.

    We even upgraded the prototype test units least year for a certain company who will remain nameless! =)

    [​IMG]

    -Phil
     
    2 people like this.
  7. devprius

    devprius /dev/geek

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2006
    979
    291
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Update: Leviton called back to let me know that the huge price for the permit fee was to cover things like a local business license, line load calculations, the time to pull the permits, drawings for the install and other stuff that didn't make sense.

    Now, what's funny is that the building inspector happened to be at the house today to sign off on the new roof we had installed. He saw the car charging in the driveway and I told him my sad tale of the exorbitant permit fee. He reiterated that the only fee would be the $140 for what they considered to be an additional outlet. No drawings are required & no line load calculations. The permit is issued over the counter, takes all of 5 minutes to do. He had no problem installing the EVSE on the front of the garage inbetween the two doors. Doesn't need a bollard or any sort of pedestal.

    I'll be calling Leviton to demand my $100 back. If I do decide to install an EVSE, I'll have my friend the electrician do it. I'd rather give him the business than some company that uses installers who try to jack up the prices to eke out some more profit.
     
  8. LenP

    LenP Member

    Joined:
    Oct 17, 2011
    257
    69
    0
    Location:
    Morris County, NJ
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    When you fill out the questionnaire that Toyota will send you, they will ask about why you didn’t buy from Leviton, tell them, they will like to hear this.
     
  9. pEEf

    pEEf Engineer - EV nut

    Joined:
    Sep 23, 2010
    720
    576
    3
    Location:
    Berkeley, CA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    N/A
    FYI, here's what the completed upgrade of the current PiP EVSE looks like:

    [​IMG]

    The cord is a high-quality molded L6-20P for 208/240v operation, (a full foot long) and if you want to charge on 120v, there is a separate 2 foot adapter that connects to this and presents a standard 15a 120v plug. (NEMA 5-15P)

    [​IMG]

    -Phil
     
    2 people like this.
  10. devprius

    devprius /dev/geek

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2006
    979
    291
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Update: Leviton refunded my $100 on tuesday without any grief. They claim they are stuck in the middle here. I obviously won't be proceeding with their EVSE solution.

    I am hoping that eventually I will find a cost effective solution for charging at home. As I've said before, the amount of time it takes to charge is not the issue. I am perfectly fine with using the supplied L1 charger. What I was after was the convenience of having a charger permanently mounted on the outside of the garage and not have to be constantly getting the charger out of the car, plug it in to the outlet, put it back in the car, etc, etc. An alternative to my problem would be to get a second L1 charger for a reasonable price (under $500) and leave it plugged in in the garage and use that. It just means having to continue to open both garage doors every time I get home or leave.
     
  11. crewdog

    crewdog Acting Ensign Prius Prime

    Joined:
    Jul 23, 2009
    492
    388
    6
    Location:
    Woodstock, GA
    Vehicle:
    2017 Prius Prime
    Model:
    Prime Advanced
    Glad Leviton gave the refund.

    I sort of lucked out and hooked up with an electrician who had done several installs of L2 units at a couple of Nissan dealers.

    If u call around, some dealer might be able to recommend a good electrician. Leviton still has to hire local anywhere in country.

    I know building codes, permit fee requirements, inspections are different in every county and state. When we had rennovaion of bathroom, our contractor only charged us 50 to go pull the permits from county bldg inspection dept.
     
  12. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
    12,544
    2,122
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    Hope I'm not out of line but I may have a Nissan-branded Aerovironment L2 EVSE for sale in the near future. See http://priuschat.com/forums/private...t-l2-evse-aka-home-charging-station-dock.html.

    I won one of the drawings and probably will get a Leaf eventually (long story) but I was originally planning on just making do w/L1 charging. I've got a few choices due to the tax hit since I will receive a 1099 if I accept (EVSE valued at $900 and they cover up to $1500 for installation, which would be more tax hit): decline, take the unit only, take the unit and sell it, take the unit and installation. If I do the last option, I might be taking a hit for something that might never get used... If I do, it's a lot more than I was originally planning to spend ($0).

    My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Help Choosing the right EVSE
    My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Outdoor charging of Leaf
    Is the home charging station weatherproof? | Nissan USA all claim the unit's weatherproof.
     
  13. devprius

    devprius /dev/geek

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2006
    979
    291
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Tempting. Very tempting.
     
  14. bigal

    bigal Junior Member

    Joined:
    Apr 12, 2004
    28
    6
    0
    Location:
    Hamburg NY
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    I installed a GE WattStation in our garage.This consisted of:
    1) Mounting the WattStation on the garage wall.
    This consisted of attaching a mounting bracket that came with the box, to the wall and then attaching the box on the bracket hooks. This took a screw driver and three wood screws plus another person to help positioning the box on the bracket hooks. Took all of half an hour.
    2) Pulling wires for the 240V installation
    This took the longest since I had to run the cable all the way across our house to get to the breaker box. This took me about 4 hours but I believe a pro. would of taken much less time.
    3) Installing the ducting in the garage and the 240 volt socket.
    An hour here.
    4) Routing the wire into the breaker box, installing the 2 pole breaker and connecting the wires.
    We have a 200 Amp service and plenty of space in the breaker box. About 1/2 hour here.

    Installation

    Our first charge took 1 1/2 hours for a depleted battery. Just as expected.

    I just can't see how Levinton, sight unseen, could quote me $280 over the $999 for such a job.
     
  15. cwerdna

    cwerdna Senior Member

    Joined:
    Sep 4, 2005
    12,544
    2,122
    1
    Location:
    SF Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2006 Prius
    I'm getting a whole bunch of offers on mynissanleaf.com now. The highest so far is $500 for the EVSE only. Unfortunately, I doubt I could transfer the installation work/credit.

    I'm still debating about whether to sell but the offers are high enough that I'm learning towards sell.
     
  16. devprius

    devprius /dev/geek

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2006
    979
    291
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    I'd give you $500 for the EVSE, easily. I can get an electrician friend to do the install. Given that our hottub was some $1200 to wire up, and that required way more work, I can't imagine him charging me more than about $500 or so.

    I'm on the peninsula. We should talk...
     
  17. ronlprius2

    ronlprius2 Junior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 25, 2009
    56
    7
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Leviton wanted $1,773.99 to run a pipe over the ceiling of my garage to the opposite side. This is not going to happen.
     
  18. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

    Joined:
    Mar 11, 2010
    3,961
    2,609
    0
    Location:
    Portland, OR
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    I finally went in for my permit here in Alameda, CA and the (CENSORED) charged me $172.50. They did mention that my permit's good for up to ten outlets, so I'll add some more work to it, but (CENSORED)!! that's a lot.
     
  19. ppimd

    ppimd Member

    Joined:
    Apr 22, 2012
    122
    15
    0
    Location:
    Maryland
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Advanced
    Leviton charged only for the device, and I paid $275 for permitting. I now have a professionally installed L-2 charging station, backed by Toyota for 10 years.Worth every penny, peace of mind.
     
  20. devprius

    devprius /dev/geek

    Joined:
    Jan 2, 2006
    979
    291
    0
    Location:
    San Francisco Bay Area, CA
    Vehicle:
    2012 Prius Plug-in
    Model:
    Plug-in Base
    Sadly, that option wasn't available to me.

    I am still having an L2 charger installed. I bought the Nissan one from cwerdna, and my electrician will be doing the install next week. While my electrician is charging me about the same amount of money that Leviton originally wanted, he's also going to upgrade a bunch of outlets in the house, fix or replace 2 ceiling fans, and install a new circuit for my garage door openers.