Which Charger

Hi. I've been looking and I don't see any place on the forum that really asks everyone which charger they bought, and why. My wife is anxious to get a level ll charging station at home because she's still a little nervous about range. She did just get set up so she can charge at work so that will help, but on the weekends and when I drive the car it will be nice to have the faster charging rate at home.

What I would like to ask is opinions on each charger and possibly why you chose the one you did. If money wasn't a concern I'd just by the one Ford recommends from Geek Squad since it's the recommended one and I thinks it's a nice looking unit. Also, it is a plug in charger so it can be taken if you move. Money IS a factor though so I feel I need to look at other options.

Thanks for your thoughts and I apologize if this has been completely covered in another area. If that's the case either just answer again, or point me in the direction.

I have a GE unit - it is a plug in - bought thru Lowes $999 when I got last June

It has worked fine for 7 months

I had electrician wire the 240V to plug then mounted the charger myself - very easy and plugged it in

The GE is the one I've been looking at the most. It's gotten really good reviews, is outdoor capable, and is made in the U.S.

Thanks.

I have the GE watt station as well.
Works great so far.

Eaton. Mine is outside.

I have the Clipper Creek CS-40 which is the same as the models out in the wild. Just seems solid as a rock.

I cannot be happier with my charger. Looking to add a 2.8 kwhr portable cord for my work side charging which will give me 100% charge both ways.

I have the "Schneider ElectricEVlink 30 Amp Level 2 Indoor Electric Vehicle Charging Station 1st Generation - Traditional Model" from Home Depot. Had it a month and a half, haven't had a problem.

Honestly, these EVSEs are all very simple devices. They're just glorified safety devices. Any of them should work fine. Some of them have extra features like delayed charging, on top of what the car already offers.

Someone over on the LEAF forum made a $5 circuit to charge their car at 240V. It's not recommended, but shows what can be done. There's also the OpenEVSE, which has the safety features of a real EVSE, which can be built for less than $200 including the J1772 cable & connector (which is around $140 at this time).

My point here is that the commercial products are all extremely similar and vastly overpriced, and unless there's a particular feature you just need, I'd get the cheapest one that can deliver at least 6kW...At least until Monster Cable enters the market :lol:

I bought this one because of the cable length as many EVs have the charge port at the rear of the car. (This is actually the unit that Ford re-brands for the Geek Squad version.)

-Rob G.
http://www.amazon.com/Leviton-EVB32-5ML-Evr-Green-Kilowatt-Charging/dp/B007Q0YYV8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1360252172&sr=8-1&keywords=EVB32-5ML

Good Evening! I am currently looking at the FFE, but I am skeptical about straying away from the Ford Recommended Charger. I received some information from the Ford Dealership in Dallas, Parks Ford, on the Leviton 32 Amp Ford branded charger. It looks like a good buy ($800). Reading the other post, I am concerned with the product that the dealership is trying to sell me seeming as the majority of you guys went with the GE Charger. Please help. :?:

Which of these level 2 chargers are outdoor capable? Is it ok to charge an FFE in the rain?

I've seen folks say that the GE is outdoor capable, but the loud noise it makes is a deal breaker. My FFE will charge adjacent to my neighbor's house, and I don't want them to be bothered by a loud noise at night when charging commences.

I just got the GE Wattstation installed this morning. It is outdoor capable. I don't find it loud. I listened several times to it in my silent garage. There is a "click" when it first starts like a relay switching and then a low pitched hum. The Schneider level 2 charger I have at work makes the same sounds. So I think that it will likely be the same for different manufacturers.

I understand the click; can someone please explain the humming noise?

The humming is common to transformers or coils with laminated metal cores carrying large currents. It is caused by the vibration of the core material in response to the alternating current. This is normal - no cause for concern.

I can't think of any reason for there to be a high voltage transformer in an EVSE.

I've got the GE Wattstation and had assumed the hum was coming from the relay coil. Mine has a low humming noise during charging. I'd suspect that those who experience higher noise levels may have the unit mounted less securely as the mounting bracket could allow some slop and then cause the enclosure to resonate.

I went with the Ford branded Leviton charger because I love anything that has the blue oval on it! Not to mention, that I assume, that the numbers they provide in terms of charging reflects the equipment they recommend. Common sense only gets you so far when you have to stop and use data to drive your decision. Ford accumulated data on that charger for some reason, safety or otherwise and I am going to follow the data.

You might be putting a little too much faith in the blue oval...

Probably what happened was, one day, some Ford and Leviton executives ran into each other at lunch at the same fancy restaurant, and one of them said, "Hey, you know what would be a great idea... ".

You should get identical charging performance from any charging station with the same general specifications. Leviton electricity isn't better than anyone else's. Keep in mind the actual "charger" is on-board your car... the external "charging station" is just a very fancy plug.

I bought the AeroVironment level 2 charger with the 25' cord. I need to get it installed now, but it has arrived.

I picked it because:
1) it was $999 instead of $1500+
2) it is suitable for outdoor installation
3) it is not horribly ugly
4) it has a long cord, which will give us some flexibility when we need to put both the ICE and FFE in the driveway.
5) it's the partner brand for Nisssan and other EV makers, so it's probably not total crap

I'll write more when it is installed. You can see it here:
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B008RZXWNM

Home Depot on line sells the 40 amp Leviton 9.6 KW charger for $1099 plus about $75 for an installation kit. It has a 25 foot charging cable and works great. I figured that I'd buy up in a charger for any future EV I will own. It was also cheaper than a 6.6kw charger from some sources and I got it in about 4 days.

2013 Arctic Storm