Installing a Bosch EL-51253 Power Max 30A Level 2 charger:

[studio460]

it does not matter which hot wire goes to which power terminal on normal 240V, just that the ground leg goes to the ground and the other 2 wires go to the line terminals.

Thanks!

 

[studio460]

I ran and got the terminal rings from Home Depot which noflipping recommended: Burndy KA8CBAG2R $3.97 for bag of two.

They're a perfect fit for the Bosch's terminal posts:

 

[studio460]

And, finally . . .

 

[studio460]

After exactly two weeks of FFE ownership (831 electric miles driven), and only Level 1-charging at home, I finally have the convenience of Level 2 charging on my front porch. It's a pretty neat feeling (I had originally planned to have the install done the day before I bought the car, but the electrician never showed up). Now, two weeks later (and, a new electrician), I'm very relieved to finally have a Level 2 EVSE at home.

Bosch EVSE with cable stowed:

Bosch EL-51253 30A/7.2kW EVSE w/18' cable:

• Clean, modern design; robust build quality.
• Priced at $569.55, with free two-day Amazon Prime shipping for Prime members.
• Weather-sealed NEMA 3R enclosure rated for both indoor/outdoor use.
• J1772 connector fits snugly and securely into FFE's charging port.
• Unit is quiet, emitting a soft, low-pitched hum.
• Highly visible, large green charging status light (red light, for fault-condition).
• Unit flashes green, then red, alternately, twice, when power switch is turned on.
• Green light flashes while charging; steady when complete.
• Weatherized power button is conveniently placed (upper-right side).
• Standard model's 18' cord may be "shorter" than you think.

[Note: Copper lugs (e.g., Burndy KA8CBAG2R or equivalent) suitable for #8 AWG stranded wire are required for proper connection to your #8 AWG L1/L2 copper lines, and are not supplied with the included Bosch hardware (do not use aluminum terminal rings, or aluminum conductors). I would recommend acquiring these yourself prior to your installation to save time, and to ensure a trouble-free, high-current connection with a minimum of resistance and heat.]

 

[NightHawk]

I mounted my Schneider EVSE today on the garage wall.
This model is on sale ($100 off) thru Home Depot this month, total price is only $499.99 + tax and 90 day return policy to any Home Depot store.
Its ready for wire hookup once I get an electrician with a detailed quote I like.

 

[EVA]

I mounted my Schneider EVSE today on the garage wall.
This model is on sale ($100 off) thru Home Depot this month, total price is only $499.99 + tax and 90 day return policy to any Home Depot store.
Its ready for wire hookup once I get an electrician with a detailed quote I like.

That is the neatest coil of cord I have ever seen. Nighthawk - I challenge you - I'd love to see the same picture in 2 months.

 

[NightHawk]

That is the neatest coil of cord I have ever seen. Nighthawk - I challenge you - I'd love to see the same picture in 2 months.

Haha, I practiced a lot yesterday to get it to all look similar to the photo on the EVSE's box!
I found I could get 6-7 full loops without overlapping on the cable hangar.
I even made a small cable clamp with a black wire so the cable hanging down from the main unit stays straight down and not at an angle due to gravity on its way down to the coil hangar.
I can keep it that way very easily now, my FFE's charge port is right in front of it only 2-3 feet away so I only have to uncoil one or at most two loops to plug it in and the rest of the 18foot cable stays looped on there. Its easy to recoil the outer one or two loops to put it back on, takes maybe 30sec.
I've done it several times today and it still looks like in the pic! :mrgreen:

 

[studio460]

Excellent! I hope that both of you find the same increase in utility of you FFE that I experienced when I got my L2 EVSE. Mine is only 4.8 kW, and it was a "game changer" for me. Having enough power on tap at home to fully power the 6.6 kW on-board charger will be nice for both of you!

Thanks! Yes, I definitely feel more "empowered." I'm much more at ease now, whereas I was a bit nervous before with only a Level 1 EVSE. Interestingly, I thought I would be driving my ICE vehicle very other day with just Level 1 at home, but it so happened that my schedule (which is highly variable) permitted me to drive my new FFE to work everyday for two straight weeks.

 

[studio460]

I mounted my Schneider EVSE today on the garage walk . . .

Looks good, Nighthawk! Post a picture of the Schneider post terminals if you get a chance!

 

[NightHawk]

Looks good, Nighthawk! Post a picture of the Schneider post terminals if you get a chance!

Here is a pic of the EVSE with the front cover off around the power input terminals.

 

[studio460]

Here are some pics of the EVSE with the front cover off around the power input terminals.

Those look good! Looks like you won't have to worry about finding copper lugs for your EVSE. The Schneider comes with robust, stainless-steel lugs already built-in to the unit. Much more "solid-looking" post terminals in the Schneider unit, compared with the ones in the Bosch.

 

[NightHawk]

This past couple weeks I attempted to get quotes from 3 different local electricans that were listed as having done EVSE installations.
Only 2 came back with quotes, the third still hasn't supplied a quote even after I called to remind them yesterday.
However one of the electricians with a slightly lower quote came back with an email to me today claiming after talking to the city inspector it would be required that I first upgrade my old 100amp service panel to a 200amp service, which would cost over $2000 before the EVSE wiring installation.
I contacted the other electrician who had given me a quote and seemed to have the most experience with past residential EVSE installs and he confirmed I DID NOT need to upgrade my 100amp service, and it was sufficient plus I had room left in the panel for adding the new 240V/40A dual pole circuit breaker for the EVSE circuit. That sounds right to me since I have never in 25 years in my house ever activated any circuit breaker, including the main 100amp one, so I never use enough major appliances at the same time to get close to 100amps total at any point. Adding the EVSE won't really add anything to the real total either since I don't plan on running other major appliances at the same time as charging the car, though at 30amps, I could easily run one or two things at the same time up under 70amps total like the house A/C which is a newer hi-efficency lower power model anyway.

 

[NightHawk]

I finally got my new Schneider 240V/30A EVSE wired up by an electrician with EV experience this morning.
It only took him and his assistant less than one hour to do the job.
My FFE was at about 50% battery charge and I was able to charge it up to 100% with the Level II charging in about 90 minutes.
This electrician also told me he had just been selected as the Bosch EVSE installer for local car dealers that use that model.
I mentioned the extra copper lugs others that have used the Bosch needed and he showed a bunch of them he carried with him!
Of course the Schneider model didn't need them.

 

[cpwl]

@Studio460 I have to agree with you that the Bosch EVSE is one of the more handsome units on the market and is one of the main reasons I am considering it, although in the 25 ft cord variant. The overall appearance is particularly important as my installation will be located on the front of the house (attached garage) where it can be seen by all passers-by and I don’t want it to be an eyesore for myself or them. The big problem with many EVSEs is that their cord becomes so stiff in very low temperatures as to become essentially unmanageable. There is however a Canadian-made EVSE that sports a cord which remains extremely flexible even in our abominably cold winters but the unit as a whole is rather ugly. I think I could purchase the cord and plug from them separately which would be a great replacement for the original Bosch cord. So, in your installation of your Bosch EVSE did you have need to, or even notice if it is possible, to open the case for access to the core components? If it can be opened and properly resealed then I think I’d be willing to incur the extra costs of buying the Bosch and the alternate power cord to have a handsome EVSE case AND winter-manageable cord.

Thanks and Cheers

Carl