Juice Box Pro 40

[JoulesThief]

Seems Ewerks was having some problems with placing orders online this weekend, it wouldn't take my credit card. I got a call from Dorian, late Sunday, and placed my order over the phone. Hope I will be happy with this unit, instead of a Clipper Creek version.

 

[JoulesThief]

I decided, instead to go with a Juicebox 40 with 24 feet of cord, as I wanted the wifi feature to go with the car, and not rely on Car-net for setting up completion time of charging.

 

[miimura]

If EMW's web site is having problems processing your order, you can always put the order through Amazon. They will take your money with very little friction.

 

[JoulesThief]

If EMW's web site is having problems processing your order, you can always put the order through Amazon. They will take your money with very little friction.

I got a phone call from the owner, director, or which ever hat he was wearing on Sunday, and he took my credit card info over the phone.
Just felt a little better getting a made in America version over a german Siemen's model with only 16 feet of cord, probably a discontinued model.

 

[miimura]

If EMW's web site is having problems processing your order, you can always put the order through Amazon. They will take your money with very little friction.

I got a phone call from the owner, director, or which ever hat he was wearing on Sunday, and he took my credit card info over the phone.
Just felt a little better getting a made in America version over a german Siemen's model with only 16 feet of cord, probably a discontinued model.

My point was not to buy a competing unit, but to order the JuiceBox through Amazon, sold by EMotorWerks.

 

[phr00t]

I purchased a JuiceBox 30A & just got it yesterday. I also had to order it over the phone with Dorian. Bulkier than expected, but still planning on bringing it with me to plug into dryers at family locations.

Tricky dealing with the potentiometer to derate the current. No real way of telling what current you are actually pulling... you have to go by "this flips a circuit breaker" & "the plug is getting too hot", and finally "I think that is right". Overall, I like the flexibility with the charging system with all of the adapters & ability to plug into a regular household outlet. Priced nice, too.

EDIT: I'll also add -- I wish the 14-50 plug on the JuiceBox had an integrated pull handle, like many cords do... it can be hard to grip & unplug it.

 

[JoulesThief]

I purchased a JuiceBox 30A & just got it yesterday. I also had to order it over the phone with Dorian. Bulkier than expected, but still planning on bringing it with me to plug into dryers at family locations.

Tricky dealing with the potentiometer to derate the current. No real way of telling what current you are actually pulling... you have to go by "this flips a circuit breaker" & "the plug is getting too hot", and finally "I think that is right". Overall, I like the flexibility with the charging system with all of the adapters & ability to plug into a regular household outlet. Priced nice, too.

EDIT: I'll also add -- I wish the 14-50 plug on the JuiceBox had an integrated pull handle, like many cords do... it can be hard to grip & unplug it.

You can resolve that by reading the circuit breaker, and seeing that it's rated for 40 amps, before you plug in, then you get full benefits without risk of burning something down. Almost any 14-50 outlet should be wired to a 62.5 Amp or higher circuit breaker, to be within electrical code, which requires it to be at rating plus 25%. It needs to be able to pass 50 amps on both legs, only the ground wire can be one gauge smaller.

I'd suggest if you are plugging into a 30 amp circuit with some sort of dog bone into a 30 amp dryer outlet, try to figure out derating to about 2.4 kwh rate. That should add about 12 mles per hour. I know running a full 7.2 kwh, or at 30amps @240v I get about 30 miles added per hour, on almost every charge, when getting 5.0 to 5.7 miles per kwh. Derate if you are getting less miles per kwh accordingly.

BTW, this Dogbone will reduce your charge rate to 120V at 30 amp max, preferably less, thereby making your charger a 3.6kwh job 2x as slow as a 7.2kwh, and even then, you should derate to 24 amp draw on 120, or 2.88kwh. This is because the 120 V at 30 amps fills both "legs" of the 14-50 with 120V, so a total, still, of only 15 amps per side can happen, max, and the wires will get hot doing this, so back it down a bit more.

Safety first, perhaps a shunt is in order or an amp meter of some sort, on the box, being added.

I bought a CAMCO 30 to 50 amp dog bone for about 50% of what JuiceBox was asking for them, from an RV supply house. You can sometimes find them at Walmart. http://www.walmart.com/ip/29764587?wmlspartner=wlpa&adid=22222222227021475745&wl0=&wl1=g&wl2=c&wl3=40839464912&wl4=&wl5=pla&wl6=78653038232&veh=sem

 

[miimura]

I'm sorry, but I have to correct a number of things that are incorrect in the above post.

1. A NEMA 14-50 socket that is properly installed should have a 50 amp breaker. An EV, which is a continuous load, is allowed to draw 40A from that outlet.
2. A NEMA 14-30 (typically used for electric clothes dryers) socket should have a 30A breaker and a continuous load is only allowed to draw 24A from that.
3. A plug adapter that allows you to use a 14-50 plug on a 30A socket is inherently dangerous. There is nothing to tell the EVSE or other appliance that the circuit has a lower rating. This is a fire hazard if the circuit breaker does not trip as it should.
4. If you will regularly use the JuiceBox or any other adjustable EVSE on circuits with different capacities, I suggest that you get a meter that can measure the current. These are very cheap on eBay and can be installed in the EVSE or even a box on your plug adapter so that the EVSE can be adjusted properly.

 

[phr00t]

You are correct, miimura.

My dryer plugs are 10-30 outlets, which are rated 240v @ 30A. JuiceBox does have adapters that convert those plugs to 14-50 outlets, which *is* dangerous if you are plugging in anything other than a derated 30A JuiceBox EVSE. Fortunately, I have nothing else to plug into a 14-50 but my JuiceBox

I'm finding the source of heat on my dryer outlet is a loose connection, though. The JuiceBox adapter doesn't fit as snug as my dryer cord... so I'm buying a fresh 10-30 outlet to install that isn't so loose (and getting a more modern dryer cord). A better connection will make a better connection & be safer.

With a good connection, I should be able to set the JuiceBox to 240v @ 24A and get 5.76 kwh of charge. This should give me at least 20 miles an hour of charging.

 

[miimura]

In most places, it's not legal to install a new 10-30 or 10-50 socket because they do not have a ground. They are L1-L2-Neutral. If you need to install a new socket and appliance cord, it should be a NEMA 14-30 which is L1-L2-N-Gnd. Of course, if you have no ground wire at that location, then you have no choice.

 

[JoulesThief]

My Juice Box Pro 40 arrived today. Looks very retro utilitarian/ industrial, not much of any form factor, compared to a Clipper Creek. Finding out that being in a Town House and pulling an Owner Builder permit is not as easy at it used to be. Walls in common, although the electrical run to be added would not be anywhere near the common wall.

 

[dublectric]

My Juice Box Pro 40 arrived today. Looks very retro utilitarian/ industrial, not much of any form factor, compared to a Clipper Creek. Finding out that being in a Town House and pulling an Owner Builder permit is not as easy at it used to be. Walls in common, although the electrical run to be added would not be anywhere near the common wall.

Darn, that sounds like a pain... is the red tape related to the city/town regulations, or is it the homeowner's association? Or both?

 

[JoulesThief]

City of Los Angeles, Building and Safety, have their nose in everything. Just wanted to pull an Owner/Builder permit, for work inside my walls, no walls in common. Had the load calcs down, no problem.