On-Board Charging for 2017 e-Golf

[ShekufehSamii]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and so far have not found an answer to this questions. I am waiting to purchase a 2017 e-golf (I've been told it will be available in early October). The info on the car says it comes standard with a 7.2 kW on-board charger. Am I correct in thinking this the kind that enables you to simply plug the connector directly into a 240 40AMP plug on the wall (like you can do with a Tesla S?) Thanks you, SS

 

[miimura]

Hi, I'm new to the forum and so far have not found an answer to this questions. I am waiting to purchase a 2017 e-golf (I've been told it will be available in early October). The info on the car says it comes standard with a 7.2 kW on-board charger. Am I correct in thinking this the kind that enables you to simply plug the connector directly into a 240 40AMP plug on the wall (like you can do with a Tesla S?) Thanks you, SS

Yes, VW America has said that the 7.2kW on-board charger will be standard for all 2017 e-Golf cars.
It can take up to 30 amps from a 208-240V EVSE. VW will likely only provide a 120V EVSE (1.4kW) with the car, so you will have to buy your own 240V EVSE.

Tesla provides a portable 120V & 240V universal EVSE that can deliver up to 40 amps to the car with Model S and X, while the Model 3 will come with a portable 120V & 240V universal EVSE that can deliver up to 32 amps to the car.

 

[f1geek]

When you say "the connector", do you mean the included Level 1 EVSE? If that's what you mean, then no, the Level 1 EVSE can only plug into a 120 V receptacle. Also, there are no 40 amp plugs on the wall. There may be a 40 amp receptacle, but if you would like to pull 40 amps, it needs to be a 50 amp receptacle, and probably a NEMA 14-50 receptacle. The 2017 e-golf on board charger, from what I've read, is a 7.2 kW unit, which means it can take 30 amps at 240 volts. You will need to have an EVSE that can deliver 7.2kW to charge the car at 7.2 kW. As VW probably isn't going to include a 7.2 kW charging station, you will need to purchase one at connect it to a circuit (with the appropriate receptacle) to deliver up to 30 amps at 240 V to the e-Golf.

The Tesla Model S UMC (Universal Mobile Connector) is a far more expensive unit than what comes with most "cheap" EVs like the e-Golf. The UMC has an interchangeable plug that allows you to plug into a 120 V or 240 V circuit and also you can get a variety of plugs to use the UMC with many different types of 120 V and 240 V receptacles. I don't know the maximum amperage that the UMC can support, but I'm guessing 40 amps. The Tesla Model S costs MUCH more than any other cheap EV, so that's why it comes with a very fancy and flexible EVSE.

 

[Norm01]

I have a 2017, you need to purchase a 35A charger which is fused at 40A.

 

[f1geek]

Do you mean a 35 Amp EVSE? The charger is on board the car, not on the wall of your home. If so, I've never seen an EVSE rated at 35 Amps. I have seen 32 Amps. Also, if you have a 35 Amp charging station and connect it to a 40 Amp circuit, you'll probably trip the breaker as you've exceeded 80% of the rated current capacity. The 2017 e-Golf has an on board charger rated at 7.2 kW, which translates to 30 amps at 240 Volts, so there is no need to purchase an EVSE rated higher than 30 Amps, unless you would like to be able to achieve a higher charge rate for another vehicle.

 

[miimura]

In North America you need to protect an EV charging circuit with a breaker 125% of the continuous draw allowed by the EVSE. So, a 30 or 32 amp EVSE would use a 40 amp breaker and a 40 amp EVSE would use a 50 amp breaker. A 35 amp EVSE is not a thing, not even in Europe.

 

[ShekufehSamii]

Thank you very much everyone. I appreciate the responses and the clarification on the amperage as well as the on-board EVSE unit.

 

[forbin404]

Thank you very much everyone. I appreciate the responses and the clarification on the amperage as well as the on-board EVSE unit.

So the short answer is

VW gives you the 110V adapter, you need to buy a separate 240V charger. Tesla includes both in the same charger. You can buy that one (called a JESLA) for about $800

Of course you need to have a 240V plug handy.

 

[JoulesThief]

Thank you very much everyone. I appreciate the responses and the clarification on the amperage as well as the on-board EVSE unit.

So the short answer is

VW gives you the 110V adapter, you need to buy a separate 240V charger. Tesla includes both in the same charger. You can buy that one (called a JESLA) for about $800

Of course you need to have a 240V plug handy.

Why buy a jesla when a 40 amp e-motorwerks EVSE will do the job for a lot less. $500 or less.

 

[forbin404]

Thank you very much everyone. I appreciate the responses and the clarification on the amperage as well as the on-board EVSE unit.

So the short answer is

VW gives you the 110V adapter, you need to buy a separate 240V charger. Tesla includes both in the same charger. You can buy that one (called a JESLA) for about $800

Of course you need to have a 240V plug handy.

Why buy a jesla when a 40 amp e-motorwerks EVSE will do the job for a lot less. $500 or less.

But it's from a Tesla! and it's Smaller. And it auto adjusts the amperage based on the adapter you put in it.

And the MOST important. You don't need WiFi enabled to use it as a portable charger. The Jesla works anywhere.

 

[Norm01]

In North America you need to protect an EV charging circuit with a breaker 125% of the continuous draw allowed by the EVSE. So, a 30 or 32 amp EVSE would use a 40 amp breaker and a 40 amp EVSE would use a 50 amp breaker. A 35 amp EVSE is not a thing, not even in Europe.

My bad, thought mine was a 35 but it's actually a 32, fused on 220v at 40A.

 

[JoulesThief]

In North America you need to protect an EV charging circuit with a breaker 125% of the continuous draw allowed by the EVSE. So, a 30 or 32 amp EVSE would use a 40 amp breaker and a 40 amp EVSE would use a 50 amp breaker. A 35 amp EVSE is not a thing, not even in Europe.

My bad, thought mine was a 35 but it's actually a 32, fused on 220v at 40A.

Check your voltage with an actual reading... if residential, off of a 'D" transformer, you probably are 237 to 245V, if commercial, off of a WYE Transformer, you are probably getting 200 to 208V. The charger on board running off of AC does 30 amps, regardless of voltage input.

 

[GlennD]

At the Long Beach Radio Shop we had both (ex propane tank shop). The electric room looked like it was part of Edison, Initially I charged my Leaf at 240V 16A but after I received permission to charge they supplied a TED to monitor my usage for the bennies. They could monitor it through the city net. Since it required 120VAC I switched to the 208V wye that supplied 120V. That left only the HVAC running on 240V. Oh well, the energy was free. I have no idea where the office of sustainability was located, all I needed was the permission to charge my car.