Leviton eves 40amp

[Big D]

Just ordered Leviton evse wih plug plus install bracket from amazon. this 40 amp is more powerful than the focus needs but it will allow me to not have to upgrade the wiring and evse if my next car has the 9.9 kw charger.

If I'm lucky enough to get a tesla then I will have to get their high power charger 100 amps. WOW.

 

[vetboy45]

Unless you drive a LOT, you won't need the high power wall charger. I have a Tesla Model S and purchased the HPWC but am finding that I really had no reason to. I get about 27m/h from the mobile charging cord and a 240volt 40 amp circuit. The HPWC does have the advantage of allowing you to keep the mobile cord in the car but I've never needed to charge away from home since an 80% charge on the 60kWh gives me ~190 rated miles (probably 150 miles the way I drive). Very few people drive that much on a regular basis. Not to be Mr. Nitpicky but the HPWC requires a 100 amp circuit in order to charge at 80 amps.

The reason I'm on this website is that I'm probably going to get a Focus electric so we can get rid of all of our ICE vehicles and was considering getting the Leviton charger. Am I correct in assuming that the on board 6.6kW charger will limit the charging rate despite the possibility to get 9.9kW from the wall unit?

 

[WattsUp]

Am I correct in assuming that the on board 6.6kW charger will limit the charging rate despite the possibility to get 9.9kW from the charger?

Correct. Any model of FFE is capable of charging at up to 6.6kW, regardless of the maximum current available from the EVSE that it might be plugged into. This limits the minimum charge time of an FFE to 3-4 hours.

You may already know this, but the actual charger is always a component that exists inside the car, in any EV... FFE, Model S, whatever. The EVSE (what people routinely mis-label as a "charger") is simply a very fancy power plug that supplies current to the car's charger.

It is possible that future FFE models could have a higher capacity charger (I'm just saying it is possible, not that I know of any plans). The charger in the Nissan Leaf was recently upgraded to 6.6kW for the 2013 model (improving charge time to the about 4 hours). Previous models could only charge at 3.3kW (and took about twice that long).

 

[Big D]

Yes you probably could get by with. The level 1 charger but it does not allow full function of the remote start . The level one just makes the fan blow it does not make any heat. I am assuming the 40 amp charger will allow the car to get hot and melt snow off the windshield. I am averaging just over 2 dollars a day for electric at .20 cents a kw according to my kill a watt.

 

[vetboy45]

You may already know this, but the actual charger is always a component that exists inside the car, in any EV... FFE, Model S, whatever. The EVSE (what people routinely mis-label as a "charger") is simply a very fancy power plug that supplies current to the car's charger.

It is possible that future FFE models could have a higher capacity charger (I'm just saying it is possible, not that I know of any plans). The charger in the Nissan Leaf was recently upgraded to 6.6kW for the 2013 model (improving charge time to the about 4 hours). Previous models could only charge at 3.3kW (and took about twice that long).

Tesla actually has an option to put 2 chargers in the car, allowing 80 amp charging and rates up to ~60 miles/hr. It would be interesting to see if Ford could do something similar. Of course, I have no idea how the parts are arranged or whether ford is already using 2 3.3kW chargers but it's a possibility. Then again, do we need to charge faster with a 23kWh pack?

 

[Big D]

The ability to allow faster charging is a wonderful thing but will car purchasers pony up the extra money for the large guage wire and upgrade the electric service in there house just to take advantage of this. Most homeowners. Don't have the space in the electric panel space to allocate 80 to 100 amps for a car, yes there is the law of diminishing returns for anything higher than 80 amps. If you need faster charging wait until they come out with the fast charge dc. Long Island just got our first dc charger at a 7/11 in Queens NY wish I could take advantage best of all its free. Now comes the battle for dc charger standard. Chademo or tesla dc or j plug dc or do we all have to buy converters.

 

[v_traveller]

Big D - you have a point about fast charging at home... as for me (and probably for others too), I only need so much speed, and will spend the least amount required to get there. In my case the house was already built with 240V/60A in the garage to feed high-testosterone power tools the previous homeowner played with, so I'm set all up for level 2 from that standpoint... bu tI've figured out a way to get by on 120v, so now I'm not even planning to buy a level 2 EVSE unless the cost for the unit drops to, say, $200. It only costs me a few cents per kWh to charge outside of the 12am-6am super saver rate window, so plunking down $800+ for a decent Level 2 EVSE that I don't have to build myself doesn't make sense.

Where I'd like faster charging is when I'm on the road, and the fast DC charger seems to be the emerging/prevailing standard... hope we have an option someday to juice up our FFEs with that technology....

 

[francishsu]

Just got a Leviton EVB40 up and running myself. Strange thing was I had set up Value Charge before plugging it in for the first time. I'm finding that the Charging light on it is blinking, even though the car and MyFord Mobile have the status at "Waiting to charge" at the time I had set for the value charge. Not sure if it was doing a trickle charge or full charge. I then changed it to Charge Now, and when it finished charging the charging light on the Leviton did go off. So it's just a matter of figuring out what's going on if I leave it plugged in with Value Charging.

Costs breakdown for those interested:
Leviton EVB40-5PT - $1100 from Home Depot
Leviton EVK05-M pre-wire kit - $79 from Home Depot
electrician install 50A circuit (about 10 ft distance) + permit - $275

Consumers Energy has a PEV program with up to $2500 rebate to cover the cost of the charging station + installation. So I should get all of this back.

Also, the EVK05-M pre-wire kit is most useful and recommended for the EVB40-SPT (surface mount outlet) compared to the EVB40-5PT (recessed outlet or hardwired). For the -5PT, pre-wire kit the mounting plate and receptacle can be used if you're having a recessed outlet installed. If you're hardwiring, the pre-wire kit is not useful at all.

 

[vetboy45]

How well built does the EVSE seem to be? Is it pretty solid and substantial or cheap feeling?

 

[francishsu]

The construction is good in my opinion.. it does not feel cheap at all. It looks and works like a solid piece of equipment. On the other hand, it does not have a modern/sleek appearance and probably takes up more room/space on the wall than most others. Of course, those others are 30 amp chargers..

 

[frguy]

I have a 2013 Smart electric drive, has the smallest capacity charger built into the car 3.3 kwh, Focuses (Foci?) have a much quicke r6.6 kwh built in charger. I have an Eaton evse (needs 2-40 amp breakers) capable of putting out 7.2kwh charging. The car talks to the evse and adjusts the evse accordingly. Wish I had the 6.6kwh charger built into the car, I would be charging in 2 or 2 1/2 hours instead of 4 to 5. I normally go 20% to 100%. I have been traveling further from home (own the car a year now) and using all kinds of evse. the J1772 plug is all that matters. As far my evse at home, I have hopefully "future proofed" for our next electric car. My wife keeps taking mine so I'm window shopping other owner's forums. Leaf looks doable based on owner's feedback. I'm hoping the Focus owners are as happy. Good luck with your cars.