Electrician tells me Voltecs are junk and 240 uses half the energy to charge

[Greg G]

New Volt owner here and going through the decision process to upgrade to 240 charging. I have a 2yr lease but am enjoying the Volt enough to believe I'll be staying electric (will decide what car to buy based on what is available in 2yrs). I am looking for an economical solution so have been planning to get the Voltec. I've started the process with SPX but based on what I've read in the forums am preparing for them to not be competitive so have been talking to local electricians.

I spoke with one who said he has replaced a number of Voltecs as they have not been working properly for his customers. He said he would wire one up if I bought it but that they were junk. I've not read such harsh reviews on the forum so would like to see what you guys think about that. His suggestion is to get the Leviton Evr-Green which is about twice the price of the Voltec.

We also discussed the alternative to stay with 110 since the cost for the upgrade was looking to exceed my planned budget. He stated that it uses about twice the energy (and cost) to charge using 110 as it does using 240. Does that make sense?

I wanted an electric car but not to have to become an electrical engineer!

-Greg

[Arkansas_Volt]

Is it 240 or 220?

Greg,

Congrats on your new Volt!

It is 240V. I have the Power Xpress and I have not had any issues in my over 1 year ownership. I have had more problems from my 120V that came with the car, though. I think that the 240V is worth it!

[Austin]

110 taking twice the energy is absolutely not true. There may be a very slight efficiency gain for the 220, others may know.
For me, 99% of the time the 110 fully charges overnite and the cost of a220 would never be recovered.

[MTN Ranger]

I haven't heard any major problems with Voltecs. I couldn't stand the coiled cord and got the SPX PowerXpress - which is built like a tank and has a very high quality cord. I have seen the Leviton EVB22-3PM ($900-1000) at an EV conference, they looked alright, but not for the price. They are also only support 3.3kW.

Considering the price, I think the Schneider 240V EVSEs at around $800 (Lowes or Home Depot) are a good choice. Plus they are 30A which will support 6.6kW charging for future PEVs.

[wishman]

Welcome Greg,

I brought the Voltec charger but also picked up a SquareTrade warranty for 3 years just in case.

FYI my squaretrade info, I used a 30% coupon.
Type of coverage: 3 years
Coverage starts: 5/1/2012
Coverage ends: 5/1/2015
Care Plan Price: $48.99
Purchase Date: 6/5/2012
Purchased for: $51.93

This actually extends my contract out an additional 2 years. I heard good things about squaretrade and hopefully won't need it but it's a good for the peace of mind.

[techtom]

We also discussed the alternative to stay with 110 since the cost for the upgrade was looking to exceed my planned budget. He stated that it uses about twice the energy (and cost) to charge using 110 as it does using 240. Does that make sense?

I wanted an electric car but not to have to become an electrical engineer!

EDIT: Is it 240 or 220? Think it should have been 220. Oh well...

-Greg

No, it does not take twice the energy for 120 volt (110) vs 240 volt (220). It only takes a little more due to losses. I normally see 12.8 kWh on 120V and 12.5 kWh on 240V... but it varies.

People will still refer to the voltage levels as 220 and 110, but that is back in the old days before the standard voltage levels were increased. The voltages now should be 240 and 120.

Tom

[montgom626]

The Vortec seems like a good choice if self-installed. 490 USD versus 990 for the PE. 1 yr warranty x 2 (buy with credit card that doubles wannty up to 2 years)

I can buy 2 Vortecs if needed for the price of one PE.

Also, charger technology like EV tech is evolving quickly. Why buy the PE when in 2 years, the choices will have chnaged?

[saghost]

It's 220, split phase - two 110v phases acting opposite. Somehow the 120/240 got inp eople's heads (I think it was the standard originally, a long time ago,) and it still pops out from time to time.

I have no experience with the Voltec. I haven't seen a lot of reports of failures. My chosen 220V solution is EVSEUpgrade.

The electrician is wrong about the benefits of 220. It takes less than half the time, but at 2.5x the power output. It actually is a little more efficient - you save around half a kWh on average by the shorter time (there are some parasitic loads like the coolant and TMS that run the whole time it charges. Less time means less power in those.)

[AZ-Volt]

NO prblems with my Voltec. 9 months and charge every night. As others have already stated, you should get some added effeciency with 240 VS 120 but but low single digit percentile not anywhere near double.

[oneborch]

I agree. For me the 110 is by far the cheapest way to go. My current monthly elect charges are about $20 per month. I would never regain the costs of a 240. Sure it would be nice to get a faster charge but I can live with the 110 on my budget.