220 Charging Option

[VoltinME]

I am concerned why the 220 Voltec charging station costs so much and why? First let me say I just upgraded my home electrical panel and exterior entrance in preparation for for 220 charging. This cost around $2,000 which included a dedicate 220 line to my garage. What is so unique about the Voltec charging station that a simple cord and adapter can't do? Does this $500 charging unit have some fancy programming inside that does something when plugged into the Volt? This is where I am not finding information as to what and why this charging unit is so special? Plus I would have to pay around another $1,500 to have this installed. I already just had 220 installed in my garage by a certified electrician I know. Can't I install this unit myself? Also why isn't the $500 unit included in a $40k car? Any help is welcome.

[Slapshot28]

Others more knowledgeable than me surely will chime in with more information…

Some Volt owners (like me) don't really need fast charging that often, and are satisfied with charging at 120 V. The 240 V setup would cost me over $5K, and I can't justify it for the few times that I would need it. So, $500 from GM likely would go to waste, as I would not run the 240 V service to my garage, regardless.

If you are confident with electrical installations (really confident), then probably you can buy a 240 V unit and install it yourself. There are a number of threads here at GM-Volt.com that show how others have done this, and saved money. In terms of why these charging “cords” cost so much, they do have quite a bit of intelligence and error-detection, largely directed at safety and reliability.

I hope this helps!

Chris

[tfford]

I am concerned why the 220 Voltec charging station costs so much and why?

PROFIT!!!

Does this $500 charging unit have some fancy programming inside that does something when plugged into the Volt?

Can you say MORE PROFIT!!!

While 240v charging stations are nothing new, they are for the average home owner and it's a chance for capitalism at it's finest.

The thing ought to be $99.95 (or less) and most of that cost would be in the copper in the coiled cable. But yes, I succumbed and have one at home. Arrrggghhhh!!! But sure is nice to be able to re-charge quickly on the weekends.

[kbavoca]

My 240 SPX unit was installed the day after we brought our Volt home from the dealer. I started the process to purchase it about 6 or 7 weeks earlier. In my state (VA) and in my location, I did not qualify for any of the "free" units - - one of the first things that I checked over the Internet. When I contacted SPX, the person on the phone also went through the process to see if I could qualify for a "free" unit - No! The unit itself was shipped promptly to my home - total cost of about $534 ($490 + tax and shipping). SPX arranged for one of their trained electricians to do an inspection and prepare a cost and arrange for a County permit and final inspection - - this was an option that I chose! I could have chosen to do this electrical install work myself or to hire my own electrician. The electrical install work through SPX cost me $1130. SPX tells you up front that depending on your specific install situation, the work could cost anywhere from about $500 to $2500. As I am not an electrician and don't feel qualified to do that kind of work (and don't have an electrician friend), I chose to have my unit installed through SPX. I am very satisfied with SPX and their trained electrician - - the whole process was very smooth and professional. I may have been able to save a few hundred dollars by hiring my own electrician, but considering the going rate around here, probably not much. Will I be able to recover my cost for the unit and installation, I don't know? But, we love our Volt and will keep it many years and plan on having an electric vehicle from here out; and, we don't have any plans to move. In our first two months, there have been several situations where our Volt has had to go back on the road on short notice; and, thanks to the 240 charger, enough miles had been added back to do the 2nd trip on electric - - so we are happy that we made the decision to buy it.

[bdbasile]

The charging station does a lot more than just spit electrons at your car. There is a lot of power management going on, including communication back and forth with the car (via the two small connectors on the bottom of the plug), and SAE standards to meet. To give you an idea of what's going on inside, here is a simplified block diagram showing all the different parts: http://focus.ti.com/docs/solution/fo...print/764.html Hopefully, even if you aren’t an electrical engineer, you can understand the complexity of it all.

Now the prices may be inflated, but not very much in my opinion. Designing and building an efficient EVSE system is no easy task. Each company that produces these put a lot of time and money into R&D. Artifical inflation is expected until they recoup these costs and get more chargers out in the wild.

[solar_dave]

PROFIT!!!

Can you say MORE PROFIT!!!

While 240v charging stations are nothing new, they are for the average home owner and it's a chance for capitalism at it's finest.

The thing ought to be $99.95 (or less) and most of that cost would be in the copper in the coiled cable. But yes, I succumbed and have one at home. Arrrggghhhh!!! But sure is nice to be able to re-charge quickly on the weekends.

If there was such a disparity in cost from $495 to $99 surely some one would step up to compete at a lower cost. If you hunt around the $495 charger is at the low end of 240v chargers.

[VoltinME]

Thanks to you all for the updates. I have placed my order and recieved the confirmation call from GM. 9/12 is the production start date. Being in Maine I am quite excited about being an owner.

I didn't realize I could purchase the charging unit and install it myself or have a local electrician install it. Does it void any warranty if someone other than SPX performs the install? And since I just had 220 box installed attaching a charging unit should be rather a quick job. By the way is it 220 or 240? I hear both used.

[solar_dave]

Thanks to you all for the updates. I have placed my order and recieved the confirmation call from GM. 9/12 is the production start date. Being in Maine I am quite excited about being an owner.

I didn't realize I could purchase the charging unit and install it myself or have a local electrician install it. Does it void any warranty if someone other than SPX performs the install? And since I just had 220 box installed attaching a charging unit should be rather a quick job. By the way is it 220 or 240? I hear both used.

From wikipedia:

United States:
Standardized at 120 V. Electricity suppliers aim to keep most customers supplied between 114 and 126 V most of the time. 240 V/60 Hz used for large appliances.

The 240V is opposite phase 120V which can be tested easily with a DVM, hot to hot should show close to 240V and each hot to neutral should show close to 120V. Today my voltage varied between 123.0 and 125.9 V

[tfford]

If there was such a disparity in cost from $495 to $99 surely some one would step up to compete at a lower cost.

Don't agree with this at all. How many other products in this country which have competition have however managed to establish a "price point" that everyone follows or hovers near?

If you hunt around the $495 charger is at the low end of 240v chargers.

Don't disagree with this statement at all but there's less than $30 worth of electronics in this unit.

And while the following is true, the technology and electronics to accomplish this are nothing new and have been around for decades.

The charging station does a lot more than just spit electrons at your car.

At the moment we may simply be faced with startup production cost and supply/demand disparity but I still think they're overpriced.

[Rusty]

What is so unique about the Voltec charging station that a simple cord and adapter can't do? Does this $500 charging unit have some fancy programming inside that does something when plugged into the Volt?

The $500 SPX Voltec charging station doesn't have much more in it than the $450 120V EVSE that comes with the car, other than a fancier cord and a power supply built for 208-240V operation instead of 110-120v operation.

Last I checked, just the J1772 connector for OEM pricing was in the couple hundred dollar range. And the units are currently only being produced in quantity hundreds, not hundreds of thousands.

So the prices will come down with volume, but right now *all* EVSEs are expensive (for example, the 120V one that currently comes with the Leaf is $500).

As to warranty, as it's 3 years if an SPX certified electrician installs it. It's 1 year if you do it yourself (or have your own electrician do it). It's not difficult to install, but it's important to make sure all local electrical codes are complied with.