Chargers On Wall or On Board?

[Skotty]

If the smart cords were mass produced, the cost should be in the 50 dollar range, there not so we get soaked for 500-1500 dollars for a wire, plug and the electronics of and alarm clock in complexity

That is exactly what I am starting to think. And even then, they use inferior product like the absolute minimum gauge wire. So you end up with a $25 product that should have been a $75 dollar product that they sell to you for $500 - $1000. Total rip off, and another reason why EVs have to struggle so hard to gain any traction.

[baragona]

So we have concluded that the charger is in the car on the Volt.

So what is different about the Tesla model S? Is Tesla just blowing smoke in their press release?

[Henry_FL]

I know exactly the protocol of the ESEV uses, I was keeping it simple , regardless the control signal could made with 50 cents in parts, everything else is for "safety", mind you we have gone for 100 year with extension cords that don't require these nanny features

[Henry_FL]

The Tesla has fast charging abilities, with extra pins and a format that's not a J1722 connector, they give the customer a smart cord that can just plug into the wall, even for 240V, all the same "pod"

Nothing prevents that same thing for any EV or EREV ( pod that works 120/240 with user changeable wall plugs )

[Cord]

Henry_FL is right to not make this thread cover the same ground from other threads and keep it simple.

Some of the safety in the socket/plug is just the PIN length so one opens first and the J1722 plug is designed to be run over by the car.

Lots of information on the open charger projects groups but remember not one of those is UL or other safety testing labs approved.

[mfennell]

That is exactly what I am starting to think. And even then, they use inferior product like the absolute minimum gauge wire. So you end up with a $25 product that should have been a $75 dollar product that they sell to you for $500 - $1000. Total rip off, and another reason why EVs have to struggle so hard to gain any traction.

If/when these things are cranked out in the millions, you might be right but in the meantime, just the J1772 connector with 20' of wire costs $200 (wholesale from China seems to be 60-150 depending on how many 1000s you buy) and the bare parts for the board work out to about $135. http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/

[VeridianJoule]

I am wondering if Skotty meant something else. I am a novice here since I just joined the EV world on Saturday. I plan on getting a 240 volt charging station installed in my house if the grant money is still available. I have chosen the Blink form Ecotality. After I get the charging station installed my guess is I will carry the 110 cord in the car for travel purposes. If I go somewhere and am able to plug in, I will to conserve use of the ICE.

I am wondering if this is the direction the pole was supposed to take.

Steven

[Skotty]

I am wondering if Skotty meant something else. I am a novice here since I just joined the EV world on Saturday. I plan on getting a 240 volt charging station installed in my house if the grant money is still available. I have chosen the Blink form Ecotality. After I get the charging station installed my guess is I will carry the 110 cord in the car for travel purposes. If I go somewhere and am able to plug in, I will to conserve use of the ICE.

I am wondering if this is the direction the pole was supposed to take.

Steven

The Tesla doesn't require charging stations. You can plug into just about any kind of power outlet so long as you have the plug adapter. I vaguely recall a picture of a Tesla plugged in and there was a box-like part to the cord. I would guess it was the equivalent of the EVSE, only far more capable than the 120v only turd you get with all other available EVs.

At this point, the poll should really be -- is it better to have portable and/or built-in-car EVSE's that can handle most everything, or is it better to have mostly non-portable EVSE's built for installation on walls and in public charging stations? But I would have to start a new poll for the results to be worthwhile.

[Cord]

The early EV's got an extra 50 feet of range because you could drive off with the cord still attached. Try that with a Volt charger cord.

[MTN Ranger]

I don't understand why there is confusion. The Tesla Model S comes with a portable EVSE (the Mobile Connector) just like all the other EV/PHEVs. It just happens to use Telsa's standard. They do include an adapter to use the J1772 plug on public EVSEs. The nice thing is that it supports up to 10kW (vs the Volt & Leaf's 3.3kW) via 120 or 240V. Tesla has to include a 240V option because the Model S is pretty useless on 120V (30+ hours to charge the smallest battery).

The HPWC 2.0 ($1200) will be the wall mount version that will support up to 20kW using 240V.

See the photo below for both versions: