Just installed my stage 2 charger

[hplbiking]

Have had the FFE for two weeks now and charging off 110 has been tough.

I purchased a Schneider charger from Home Depot for $750. My friend installed it in about an 1-1/2 hours. That included a trip to Home Depot to get different breakers. I added it right on the other side m the main box, so it was pretty easy. Parts were about $50 - the charger did not come with a 220v cable, and although he would not take any money I gave him $60. The charger is pretty basic, although you can set a delay charge in hour increments. But since MyFordMobile allows for greater control there was no reason to buy a charger with a lot of features. My next billing cycle I will change from a pay per usage rate, to a time of use rate. So charging up at night will only be at 0.14/kw.

 

[klusters]

Nice! we are also considering the schneider charger. What part of the country are you in

 

[hplbiking]

Live in San Diego. I did not realize how much the heater kills the range. Fortunately living in the most moderate climate in the world will help.

 

[FordElectricFocused]

Hi! I am located in Dallas, TX and in the market for a FFE. I am trying to decide on a charging station. I have done my research on most of the options available and I am stuck. I am nervous to purchase any other charger than the Ford branded Leviton Unit, which includes the 10 year warranty. After all the difficulty that other FFE owners have had with Best Buy, I am reluctant to go down that route. Any advice would be appreciated.

Thanks!!

 

[danholl]

I have a GE has worked fine for since last June

I haven't heard of any problem using alternates to the Leviton charger

 

[jcjj]

We were fortunate to live in an area to get the DOE (SPX/Bosch) free Blink 30A charger. They also had $400 discount on installation. They charged $903 for installation, but with the $400 discount, we only paid $503 for the charger and installation.

So far, it has been working great for both our cars. Had very close to a depleted battery twice already on the FFE and fully charged in 3 hours.

Live in Escondido, CA.

 

[jeffand]

Most electric vehicles use the standard J1772 connection. The Tesla doesn't, but Tesla does make an adapter for their cars.

It really doesn't matter whose J1772 charger you use they all should work with the FFE. What you want is one that is rated at 240 volts and 30 amps, or 7.2 Kw. This offers the shortest charging times (4 hours or less).
If you go with a 240 volt 16 amp charger you will recharge as fast as 2011- 2012 Nissan Leaf does (7 hours or less).

 

[user 3729]

Note that the high current EVSE's (30-40 amps or more) can be installed on circuits that can only provide, say, 16 amps ... there will be jumpers inside the unit, or some other method of selecting the maximum current your circuit can provide.

In order to get 7.2kW charging, you need both an EVSE that is capable, and a circuit that is capable.

I'm pointing this out because some people may have difficulty getting a 30 or 40-amp circuit for their EVSE. It's still not a reason to buy a 16-amp EVSE, unless it's a lot cheaper.

The EVSE knows the limit of what it can draw from the wall, and communicates that with the vehicle, and the vehicle will then draw the lesser of it's own limit or the EVSE's limit.

 

[jeffand]

The only reason to install the lower current EVSE (charger) is some homes electrical system may not support the 30 amp load. Some old homes may only have 60 amp service panels. Or your home may have only 100 amp main circuit breaker. The available amps could quickly be eaten up by other electric appliances like, electric hot water heater, electric stove, and air conditioning. The 16 amp EVSE will reduce the current draw but double the charge time. This is not a problem if you are recharging over night. But if you have time of use billing on your electric, a faster charger would be desirable. This is so that all the recharging can take place when rates are the lowest.

Yes faster charging is better in most cases.

 

[user 3729]

The only reason to install the lower current EVSE (charger) is some homes electrical system may not support the 30 amp load. Some old homes may only have 60 amp service panels. Or your home may have only 100 amp main circuit breaker. The available amps could quickly be eaten up by other electric appliances like, electric hot water heater, electric stove, and air conditioning. The 16 amp EVSE will reduce the current draw but double the charge time. This is not a problem if you are recharging over night. But if you have time of use billing on your electric, a faster charger would be desirable. This is so that all the recharging can take place when rates are the lowest.

Yes faster charging is better in most cases.

Several higher current EVSE's I have looked at had the ability to be used with lower-current circuits, using dip switches, jumpers, or the like. I'm not sure if the Clipper Creek units have that capability; At least, I didn't see it in the CS-40 documentation. Check before you buy.