Faster Level 1 Charger

[novak4satcom]

Has anyone tested the charging speed on a clipper creek (Or other) L1 charger vs. the OEM unit.

The OEM unit is labeled as 10amps and the portable clipper creek is 12amps, so I would think it's 20% faster, but don't want to assume.

 

[johnnylingo]

The OEM on my 2016 SE is a Delphi and it's 12 amps. Plugging in at 120V I get 1.44 kW so it does pull the full 12 amps

Ironically, my much more expensive i3 came with only a 10 amp charger. It's kinda ridiculous...these things really should be adjustable for 10-24 amp.

 

[novak4satcom]

Interesting... my 2016 SE charger definitely states 10amps on it... Maybe I should get a 12amp since I tend to do a lot of overnight charging with the stock unit.

 

[johnnylingo]

I believe the stock charger is based on location for some reason. I'm in USA, California

The charger on my i3 was made in Hungary and seems to be the same brand as yours.

 

[manybees]

My 2018 SEL came with the same 10 amp Level 1 EVSE as in the OP's pic. I've not ever really used it, nor have I used the Clipper Creek 12amp unit, as I had a 240v 30a circuit installed for a Clipper Creek 24amp unit on the side of my house.

Clipper Creek is a solid choice for an EVSE, no doubt about it (impeccable customer service, by the way), but I guess I'd question whether getting a new Level 1 12 amp charger to up the charging rate from 1.2kW to 1.44kW is really worth spending extra money on, as it won't be that much faster than 10 amp. Most 110/120v circuits have 15 amp breakers, so 12 amps would be the max you could use on these circuits anyway since electrical code requires you not to use more than 80% of rated amperage for continuous draw. Some 120v circuits do have 20 amp breakers, so you might want to check your breaker box for the circuit you're using. If it's a 20amp breaker, you could go max 16 amps on a 120v circuit, which maybe would be a worthwhile jump from 10 amps.

If you're going to spend the money for a new EVSE, maybe consider something with adjustable voltage/amperage to future-proof yourself a bit. Not sure if any of the established mfrs make such a thing (I don't think Clipper Creek does, for instance), but I've definitely seen some non-UL listed Chinese-made units on Amazon that do dual voltage and adjustable amperage. I've got no experience with these, so YMMV.

 

[JoulesThief]

I have a e-motorwerks Juicebox 40 that is adjustable for current flow. You do have to take the cover off and adjust it manually.

I'd probably just get an RV outlet, called a NEMA 14-50 outlet, and a 50 amp breaker with a dedicated circuit installed in the garage, and not worry too much from then on. You can easily then run 30 amps or 40 amps at 240V off of it, getting 7.2 kWh or 9.6 kWh, if the charger pack on your car will allow 40 amps, like most Tesla's do.

Another option, though undesirable, is a 120V 20 amp dedicated circuit at 120V in the garage, usually near the washer dryer. You could then charge at 120V and 15 amps with a 15 amp 120 V EVSE from Clipper Creek. I'd think, though, that it's still too slow recharging. You really need 240V to shorten the charging time up significantly.

 

[rd7575]

Another option, though undesirable, is a 120V 20 amp dedicated circuit at 120V in the garage, usually near the washer dryer. You could then charge at 120V and 15 amps with a 15 amp 120 V EVSE from Clipper Creek. I'd think, though, that it's still too slow recharging. You really need 240V to shorten the charging time up significantly.

For those with a 20A 120V outlet, the best bang for your buck is to swap the 120V breaker for a 240V breaker and the 120V outlet for a 240V NEMA 6-20. You don’t have to run new wiring in or along the wall (same amperage) and you can get 3.8KW from a $200 Chinese level 2 EVSE running at 16A.

My outlet was on the wrong side of the garage so I hacked 20’ off a much longer 12ga extension cord and added 6-20 ends to it to bridge the gap. (Wouldn’t go much longer at 12ga) All-in, I’m out $250 for decent level 2 charging in-garage.

I still have a Clipper Creek LCS-30 for outdoor use or for when I feel like I might need the 50% charge speed bump that its 24A draw offers. The lesser solution was born of finally cleaning out my garage and not wanting to re-rig the LCS-30 for fear of it filling up with junk again.

 

[dephan]

The rate of charge not only depend on the L1 charger cord, it also depend on the internal ( in car) charger unit, or the programming in car's computer.
So on i3 card, if you use the 13 amperes L1 cord from Egolf (2178)( yes you can) the i3 only take 10 apms.
We have both Egolf & i3 , have tried. ( even we've used the L2 by BMW for 2 of our Egolfs & i3 ).
If you can change the program set in car, use even can make the L1 charging rate to 20-30 amperes ( of course you need to change the wire gauge to suitable amp, let say to gauge #8. )

 

[beatnik]

Okay fellow e-golf owners, I am so glad I found this thread. For my daily driving/commuting charging with the level 1 charger is just fine for me. (I am holding off on installing my 32A level 2 charger for now as I have other electrical work and appliance upgrades in my home I want to do all at the same time.)

My 2016 SE came with a Delphi level 1 charger. It was working great. charged the car in 12-14 hours after a commute. Traded in my 2016 for a 2017 SEL. The SEL came with the same 10A charger as pictured in this thread. Plugged it in and yes, the drive to the dealership was bit longer than my regular commute but 20h to charge!?! wtf!?! I was so disappointed. I read this thread, rushed back to the dealership, begged to trade for my old level 1 charger back which they politely obliged and voila: charge time back to a manageable overnight success. Also, what should it say on the back of my Delphi but 12A. What a huge relief. So yes, 10A vs. 12A does make a difference. Although, right at the end of charging it tripped the breaker. Battery still charged up to the 90% I set it to.

 

[f1geek]

Agreed. 2 amps doesn’t seem like much but I wish I had the Delphi EVSE that came with my 2015 SEL for overnight stays at my frequent 90 mile destination.

 

[cctop]

I do notice a big heat difference between the two.

The Delphi charger that came with my 2016 SE would get almost too hot to touch, while the one with my 2019 SE gets barely warm.

I assume that's the reason VW replaced the 12A charger with a 10A charger.

 

[f1geek]

I believe the reason VW now only issues 10 amp L1 EVSEs is because owners plugged into circuits with other loads and tripped the 15 amp breaker, causing a lots of VW customer care and dealership complaints.