# What details do you look for in choosing an EVSE?



## Caps18 (Jun 8, 2008)

Assuming that the amperage rating is close (~32 Amps), and will be used at home. Are there some reviews on-line? It looks like the DOE has tested a bunch of them, I'll have to look into that.
http://www1.eere.energy.gov/vehiclesandfuels/avta/light_duty/evse.html

Is it just price? Is one charger more durable? Is the ability to unplug it from the wall really needed? Is it the length of the cable for your specific garage? Is it just the way it looks?

Here are some of the EVSE chargers I have come across that are in the running.


http://ford.leviton.com/









http://evsolutions.avinc.com/products/home_charging/ford/










http://www.pluginnow.com/charging_stations









http://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=39











http://www.pluginnow.com/charging_stations









http://www.evwest.com/catalog/index.php?cPath=39










http://www.homedepot.com/p/Schneide...ic-Vehicle-Charging-Station-EV230WS/203670265


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## dougingraham (Jul 26, 2011)

Firstly, please stop calling an EVSE a charger. The level 1 and level 2 devices are not chargers. They have minimal smarts which allow them to tell the charger in the vehicle how much current they are allowed to draw. After that the charger in the vehicle tells the EVSE to start which means to close its contacts and connect the cable to the AC source. An EVSE is also expected to look for ground faults and monitor the proximity switch in the handle so it can open the contacts and shut off the voltage if necessary. Optionally it could monitor the current and open the contacts if too much is being drawn but this can also be done by the circuit breaker feeding the EVSE.

For home use, what stands out are the current handling capability and the length of the cable. How convenient is the cable storage system? Those are really the things that you deal with on a daily basis. Being mounted with a plug on the wall would allow you to take it with you easily if you moved but how important is that really?

120 Vac with around 15 amps is a level 1 capability is the bottom end. It could feed a charger capable of up to 1.8 kw.

240 Vac with around 30 amps is the low end of Level 2 capable EVSE and can feed a charger capable of up to 7.2kw.

240 Vac with around 40 amps should be the middle ground but is the highest power commonly available EVSE. It can feed a charger capable of up to 9.6kw

240 Vac with up to 70 amps is at (or near) the top of the Level 2 specification. It could feed a charger capable of up to 16.8 kw.

Having an EVSE with higher capability will not make your vehicle charge faster. That depends on the charger in the vehicle. But it does mean you could install a larger charger in the car at some time in the future and shorten the charge time. Having an EVSE with a capability smaller than the vehicle charger will probably increase the time it takes to charge because the charger will not be able to operate at full power.

A level 3 EVSE is a charger and has the charger electronics necessary to convert AC into DC. A Chademo station would be an example of this. A Level 3 EVSE will negotiate with the vehicle and the vehicle when ready the vehicle will connect the cable to the battery and tell the EVSE how much current to supply. The EVSE will provide up to the current the vehicle is telling it to provide and the vehicle will monitor the state of charge telling the EVSE to reduce the current or stop the charge when it is done.

So far I have done fine charging at home from a Level 1 amount of power. I suspect that more than half of all people would be fine charging this way. But they won't know this until after a few months of EV ownership and at that point it is probably too late to go back.

When I put in an EVSE I will do a 30 amp 240 Vac capable unit with a long enough cable I can charge a car sitting in the driveway.

Hope that helps.


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## McRat (Jul 10, 2012)

I have a Clipper Creek plug in, and also the Bosch Powermax.

The Bosch takes up a lot of space and mine has a short cord.

The CC is very small, small enough to be portable (get one with a RV plug), and has a 25' cord?.

I'd buy another CC.

A real biggie is wiring it to the building. It should have it's own circuit breaker, and the right gauge wire.


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## McRat (Jul 10, 2012)

The Bosch can be had for as little as $400 if you shop around.

General rule of thumb - Your "Miles Range per Hour Charging" is going to be at best equal to the amps a 240vac EVSE can provide.

ie - A 12 amp EVSE will charge 48 miles in 4 hours IF the charger itself is strong enough. A 50 amp EVSE with charge that same 48mi in just under 1 hour, IF you have a big enough charger.


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## Ampster (Oct 6, 2012)

Currently I have a Clipper Creek LCS-25. That choice was driven by the fact that I was limited by the 50 Amp capacity of the panel in the apartment where I currently live. The CC matches the capacity of the onboard chargers in my Volt and Smart ED. It is connected via a 14-30 plug and on a separate circuit breaker.

I am in Escrow to buy a townhome and over the next few years will be looking to upgrade to an EVSE with greater capacity. Other features would include contactor control with a remote switch or contact closure. That way I might be able to serially charge my two cars. I hope someday, one of them will be a Tesla.


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## evpower (Aug 9, 2013)

Here are kits for DIY EVSE
http://gwl-power.tumblr.com/tagged/EVSE

The new wallbox version also for Tesla:
http://gwl-power.tumblr.com/post/120880258711/


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## PStechPaul (May 1, 2012)

Not bad, $108 for a plug with cord:
http://www.ev-power.eu/EVCharge-Pro...-charging-32-Amp-5-meters-no-electronics.html

The socket connector seems to be discontinued, 
http://www.ev-power.eu/index.php?cl=details_disc&anid=3973

But an extension cable with both male and female might be repurposed to serve as both, for a little over $200:
http://www.ev-power.eu/EVCharge-Products/Charging-cable-with-J1772-DSIEC-32-Amp-5m.html


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