Alley-adjacent Charging

[EdinDC]

Don't have a Volt but am very interested in one. Problem: my parking spot is an unsecured pad off the alley and my nearest outlet is ~30' away. I called SPX and they say I can get a Blink for free and $1200 off installation via the DoE program (I live near downtown DC) but they won't even venture to ballpark what my installation would cost; I would need to buy the car first. Anyone have any idea how much a bare-bones set-up would cost me if I go it alone, or what I'd spend out of pocket with an SPX install? How about security, liability, and exposure to weather? I've attached a pic of my situation.
toward pad.jpg

[PAredvolt]

Weather exposure is not an issue. My Volt is outdoors all the time. When I first got it, I used the supplied 120v EVSE to charge. I had the EVSE secured to a wood post where my outside 120 V outlet is. I used a bicycle cable lock to keep it from walking away. I now have a GE wattstation outside of its own 240V circuit. The wattstation is locked to its mounting bracket. Also, the wattstation to car connector can be locked to the car or the wattstation.
I live in the country with only 2 other houses nearby, but we do watch out for each other when it comes to strangers in the area.

I have about $1400 in the wattstation. I installed it myself.

[PAredvolt]

Just looked at your pic. If your going to park the Volt where the car in the pic is, you may be able to secure something to that sturdy looking wooden post. Both the supplied EVSE and my wattstation have about 15 feet of cable to get to the car from the installed location. One other thing...these charging devices have built in ground fault detection. Also, if the connector is disconnected from the car, the voltage on the connector shuts off. The EVSE needs to see a 12 volt signal from the car before any high voltage is turned on.

[DonC]

Running a separate 240v line will be very expensive if you install the Blink. You could go with a 120V charger. Just put the outlet inside the gate, connect the EVSE there, and run the cord to the car. Whether you need a 240V charger really depends on how often you'll need to charge. You can charge a Volt on 120V and it works OK. The only problem would be with multiple weekend trips.

[Steverino]

I'd measure that distance carefully to determine if a charge station mounted on your house would have a long enough charge cord to cross the patio, go under the gate to reach the Volt's charge door with enough slack that the cord is able to touch the ground, not tugging the car.

If not, consider mounting a 240v a charge station to the fence and running exterior conduit to it. You can get an estimate from any electrician, it's just wiring. You'll need a dedicated 20 or 30 amp circuit depending on the charger station you go with.

[WVhybrid]

I lived in DC in my college days back in the bad old 1970s. If it were me, I'd put the charging equipment and the cord in a locked box. Even when in use I'd lock up everything except the cord and Jplug. It could stick out a hole in the locked box. I'd use this locked setup for either the 110 or the 240 volt setup.

WVhybrid

[EdinDC]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not relishing taking up the brink and digging a trench to lay conduit for a new outlet but I really do like the car. Just called an electrician. Fingers crossed for an affordable estimate.

[Steverino]

If it were me, I'd put the charging equipment and the cord in a locked box. Even when in use I'd lock up everything except the cord and Jplug.
WVhybrid

See http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread....t=charger+cage

[EdinDC]

So. Bought the car and called SPX back about a 240v charger. Remember that DoE offers an incentive in my area for two chargers: the ChargePoint for free (if SPX installs) or the Blink for free AND $1200 toward SPX installation. I asked them to provide estimates for a Blink installation. If I have my own electrician add the breaker and run the wiring and conduit out to the fence (for $900, BTW), SPX will eat up $1,192.31 of the installation allowance attaching the Blink to the fence and powering it. If I rely on SPX for the whole megillah -- adding the breaker, running the conduit, hanging the Blink, etc -- the total is $5,417.57, $4,217.57 of which is out-of-pocket for me after the DoE allowance. I know the SPX stuff has been well trod here and elsewhere online but I'm still surprised at these numbers. Can it really cost $1200 for someone to hang and power a charger?

[Henry_FL]

It can cost whatever someone is willing to pay. In actual costs its about 100 bucks in parts and an hour or two of an electricians time