Time to charge at 220V vs 120V

I have the Schneider Electric 220V charger and it takes about 90 minutes to completely charge.

 

Yes I have a 220 volt charging station, and to be honest a 90 min charge time is long enough. You get use to the faster charging time very quickly. Because of this I have used less then half a tank of gas in the last 4 months.I drive mostly electric, and no way could I do this if I had to wait 3 hours between charges. The PIP has a small battery, but with a quick 220 volt charge it's more like having a much larger battery.

 

most/all have noted 90 min. charge w/ 220v. if you had a 2 hour experience, there may have been something wrong with the charger. i think lenp has it right, the quicker the charge time, the more electric you'll use.

 

I've had my Plug In since June 5th and 110 charging for me is always 2 hours 40-45 minutes. I had it at the dealer one day and tried their 220 Leviton charger and it took 1 hr and 40 minutes. Only 1 hour time savings is a tough sell for me. I'm waiting for more history and options to make a decision on upgrading chargers.

Calvin

 

+1

 

Once plug-in vehicle sales pick up, the 240V chargers will be inexpensive. Until then, their low volume is going to keep prices high. One day, we're going t get lucky... a manufacturer will decide to exit the EVSE business and they'll blow out their inventory, and on that lucky day, we'll score.

The 240V outlet installation is another story. I did mine myself: $117 in parts and $172 for the permit. I installed a 120V line which can be upgraded to 240V without a permit change (according to the City Inspector). But if I wanted to support a 30 or 40 amp line, the copper begins to get expensive, and the difficulty of installation increases as well, because that cable can't be easily bent and stuff.

 

Rule of Thumb: 120v - 1 mile of range for every 12 min of charge, 240v - 1 mile of range for every 6 min of charge. I got my Plug-In the beginning of April and still using the 120 v cable in my garage. The City of Garland, TX has 14 public Blink 240 v chargers which are free to use until the beginning of 2013. Since the Garland chargers are only 6 mi from my house I do my shopping there and charge with free electricity (while it lasts). Once I have to start paying for electricity, I may think about shelling out $1,000 for a 240 v unit for my garage.

 

FYI, the Tesla Model S with its single 10KW onboard charger on a 240V 50A outlet (type: 14-50, same as an oven plugs into) 31 miles per hour. If you get the dual 10KW onboard chargers, and use the Tesla wall mounted HPC, and feed it with a 100A 240V breaker, 62 miles per hour, charging rate. Only 12-16 months away, so they tell me . Now where did I put that $85K?

 

I bought an Aeroenvironment EVSE (the same one that the Leaf uses). Charging time is about 90 minutes at 240V. To install the EVSE cost about $500 which included permits and the electrician's time. The EVSE itself only cost about $500 because I lucked into a deal.

I installed it mostly to avoid having to haul the 120V L1 EVSE in and out of the car everyday. Cutting the charging time in half was a side benefit. This also future-proofs the house for when we get another EV. While the PiP will only pull about 2.2Kw at 240V (9A, more or less), the EVSE itself is rated at 30A (7.2 Kw) so I can easily charge a friend's Leaf, iMiev, Ford Focus EV, if they needed it.

 

Curious why you would unplug the 120V EVSE and carry it in the car. Any time I charge away from home, I am using a 240V charger which has its own EVSE.

 

To charge at a 120V outlet away from home. For example, charging at a friend's house or at a parking garage/lot that has a 120V outlet available.

BTW, you misusing the terms. The charger is built into the car. The EVSE is the charging cordset or charging station (which includes the cord).

 

Yes, that was a typo. I meant "240V charging station". I understand the difference between an EVSE and a charger.

 

I'm charging at work which only has 120V outlets for us to use. Also, if I go to a friend's, hotel, parking garage, etc, that only has 120V outlets, it's nice to have the charger available to use.

 

For a $500-$1000 installation fee, and another $1000 for the unit, some would question the necessity for it with the PiP. Just charge it overnight at 110V and fuggedaboutit.

 

I totally agree. Given the small size of the PiP's battery, it does hardly seem worth it, especially at those prices. I struggled with the decistion, but I got tired of having to haul the EVSE in and out of the car several times a day. I lucked into a good deal on an EVSE, so it became worth it to actually spend the money. I spent $500 for the unit, and about $500 for the installation (local electrician).

 

So what is the secret sauce to get good deal on EVSE. I just bought Plug-In, not willing to spend 999 Leviton 240v charger.

 

diy, hold the mayo.

 

I think bisco is referring to openevese.

Regardless thats the way I decided to go. With any luck, Ill be receiving my boards from Chris in the next couple weeks.