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

[DonC]

Switching to the 240 Voltec charger dropped my cost to charge my car from about $90 a month to $19. When I go the Volt my bill went up about $90 a month using the 110 charger on the house meter. It added to my total use and put me into the higher level costs per KWH for that meter.

Just to be clear, you're in an area where you have tiers. The more kWh you use the more they cost. If he doesn't have that pricing system, which is really a CA system, then he wouldn't experience this.

Not doubting that the separate meter worked out for you, but using personal examples in the charging area can be very misleading if you don't have the same pricing system. For example, notaguru has reported his bill went DOWN when he got a Volt. Why? Because he could take advantage of a special SDG&E rate for electric vehicles AND he was on a tiered rate plan to begin with. But that's not going to be the common outcome. Of course you run the risk the other way if you give the answer which is generally true to someone in CA who is on the tiered rate plan. But I think he's in NJ then he'll probably have a fixed rate plan.

[Codyozz]

two considerations to think about:
Your commute length
Your needs to pre-condition the cabin

You may greatly benefit from a 220 charging unit! The 220 unit will Pre-heat the cabin in the winter or summer whilst plugged in without adversely affecting your EV driving range during the pre-heat. If you are on 110, then it will consume a bit of battery to warm cabin in the am. BUT, if you get a 220 charger it won't consume battery and you will have a smidge more range which could help you get to work on battery alone. Does that make sense? How long is your work commute? If it is under 20 miles than maybe don't worry about it.

[Greg G]

But I think he's in NJ then he'll probably have a fixed rate plan.

Yes, NJ. Fixed rate for residential.

two considerations to think about:
Your commute length
Your needs to pre-condition the cabin

My commute is short - 5-6 miles each way so that is not a big factor. Pre-conditioning could be an issue but the car is garage kept so it is not as big a deal is if the car was outside.

That's why the cost is such a big factor to me. I'll gain some convenience and a few more electric miles but I can get by with 110.

[doubledave]

I can guess what the electrician was thinking when he said that about the 120v Voltec using twice as much energy.
From my own measurements using a Kill-a-watt meter, my 120v Voltec charger usually uses around 12.5A. I also have the 240v Voltec which from what I understand won't draw much more than 13A so pretty much close to the same amperage, but the 120v charger takes more than twice as long to charge the Volt battery.
That is where I think the electrician got confused and said the 120v Voltec takes twice the energy.

So yes, twice the time at a similar amount of current,
but for the amount of power and energy, you need to take into account the voltage. Since the 240v charger is twice the voltage, it is about twice the power (Watts), and less than half the time so the overall amount of energy used (what you get billed for) is very close on the 2 types of chargers.

[DonC]

I have 240 plug behind by drier in the house that is unused since I have a gas drier (previous owner must have switched) so I believe the juice is there in my box. Not sure if I can use the wires that are running through my garage or not but I'm also ok with putting the charger right next to the panel in my garage. The electricians I've talked to say they would only charge a couple of hundred dollars for a short run. Am I right to expect SPX to want a whole lot more? My thought is that if we are taking about $500 for the box and $300 for the install I'd do it. If we are talking $1500 for the install then no way.

I think you can go a couple of ways. Not sure what your program with SPX is but for me it was a free charger and $1200 worth of install. Assuming you don't need permits this should be a piece of cake to stay within this amount with your short run. It's really the permitting process that adds dollars to the install.

The other alternative you have is to buy the Voltec, replace your dryer 30A breaker with a 20Am breaker, and switch out the plug. This wouldn't be hardwired but my understanding is that for an indoor installation this is OK.

[Greg G]

I think you can go a couple of ways. Not sure what your program with SPX is but for me it was a free charger and $1200 worth of install. Assuming you don't need permits this should be a piece of cake to stay within this amount with your short run. It's really the permitting process that adds dollars to the install.

The other alternative you have is to buy the Voltec, replace your dryer 30A breaker with a 20Am breaker, and switch out the plug. This wouldn't be hardwired but my understanding is that for an indoor installation this is OK.

There are no programs here in NJ so it is all out of pocket. The drier is in the house but I'm thinking that the cable could be found that runs through the garage to get in the house and then connected to the Voltec after replacing the breaker. Best bet would be if SPX would do it so I can have the 3yr protection but suspect they will want to charge more. I'm sure I would need a permit - why is that the expensive part?

[DonC]

If the unit is hardwired you need a permit. If it's not then you don't. Permitting is considerably more expensive because you have to pay for the permit, submit drawings, and deal with the home inspector.

Which way is cheapest will depend on the room in your box. Probably not worth it to try and reuse the existing dryer circuit. It's probably cheaper just to run a separate circuit to the outlet. (You can probably use the dryer breakers and use half-breakers). If both the charger and the installation are out of pocket the least expensive way to go would be to get the Voltec and have it plug into a new outlet. If you get a "free" charger but an SPX installation then the price will probably be the same or more because of the permitting. If SPX will do a plug installation then that might be cheaper. But you'd have to get estimates. Impossible to say.

[Greg G]

Ok, thanks for all the advice! I'll see what the estimates look like. Meanwhile did I mention that I am loving my new Volt!

-Greg

[Noel Park]

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.

Same for me after almost 17 months. I think that you need a new electrician, LOL.

[ctdeng0]

The 220 volt SPX Voltec charger has almost the exact same electronics as the 120 volt charger that comes with the car.