Which EVSE to buy??

[nsayer]

OpenEVSE II is a mostly compatible redesign. In comparison to OpenEVSE, I've added a crude voltmeter for L1/L2 auto detect and power calculation. But the big change is that I've put all of the logic and display circuitry on a display/logic board that attaches to the chassis lid. The HV stuff goes on an HV board that mounts in the bottom of the chassis. The two connect with an FFC cable. This arrangement means that the logic/display board is safe to troubleshoot or experiment on. The HV board has the minimum stuff on it to achieve the purpose.

I think doing it that way is better.

The firmware is the same. You #define OPENEVSE_II when compiling it.

I sell three HV board variants. One is for contactors, one for relays and one has two board-mount SPST relays (the chassis wiring is easier but it's only rated for 24A because of the high current QD terminals).

 

[enviroweb]

I just had the 30 amp Siemens installed - http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00MFVI92S?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o04_s01

$550 for the unit, $750 for the install (panel maxed out so needed a panel expansion).

My only complaint - cable is a bit short - get a longer one if you can.

 

[dparson]

I called Siemens and they said they where just not compatible with the EGolf's charge system. VW said they could not tell me why it would not work and said it was an issue with the Siemens charger. I think the Charger is not able to send the wake signal to the car when the delay time kicks on and the car will not accept the delayed charge.

The Charge Point on the other hand is rock solid and works everyday plus they have great customer service to help with instal and operation questions.
I am very happy with it!!

I bought an OpenEVSE to use with my 2015 eGolf and ran into the same issue as the Siemens. With OpenEVSE, if you're a programmer, you can modify the software and after a little experimentation, I was able to make it compatible with the eGolf. I'm sure Siemens could do the same, they just need to try. The trick I found was the eGolf has to be woken up prior to signaling the charge rate that the EVSE supports, and to wake up the eGolf, the pilot pin simply needs to be toggled from -12V to +12 two times, with a 1 second delay between each transition. I've been using the OpenEVSE with this modification for 14 months and it works perfectly. When I was troubleshooting the problem with the OpenEVSE support people, they indicated the behavior of the eGolf charging system does not follow the j1772 specification (having to wake up the onboard charger by toggling the pilot pin is not normal), but this work around does the trick.

I posted the code change to make the OpenEVSE delay timer work with an eGolf in the thread http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=148

 

[nsayer]

I called Siemens and they said they where just not compatible with the EGolf's charge system. VW said they could not tell me why it would not work and said it was an issue with the Siemens charger. I think the Charger is not able to send the wake signal to the car when the delay time kicks on and the car will not accept the delayed charge.

The Charge Point on the other hand is rock solid and works everyday plus they have great customer service to help with instal and operation questions.
I am very happy with it!!

I bought an OpenEVSE to use with my 2015 eGolf and ran into the same issue as the Siemens. With OpenEVSE, if you're a programmer, you can modify the software and after a little experimentation, I was able to make it compatible with the eGolf. I'm sure Siemens could do the same, they just need to try. The trick I found was the eGolf has to be woken up prior to signaling the charge rate that the EVSE supports, and to wake up the eGolf, the pilot pin simply needs to be toggled from -12V to +12 two times, with a 1 second delay between each transition. I've been using the OpenEVSE with this modification for 14 months and it works perfectly. When I was troubleshooting the problem with the OpenEVSE support people, they indicated the behavior of the eGolf charging system does not follow the j1772 specification (having to wake up the onboard charger by toggling the pilot pin is not normal), but this work around does the trick.

I posted the code change to make the OpenEVSE delay timer work with an eGolf in the thread http://www.myvwegolf.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=12&t=148

Oh, that's just goofy. How on earth did you discover that?

The spec says that an EVSE that wishes to communicate a permanent error condition can hold the pilot at -12, and that holding at +12 (well, actually it would be +9 given that the car would be adding 2.7 kΩ of impedance) indicates a not-ready state. So this would be toggling between permanent error and not ready and then applying a pilot, I guess?

Well, I can certainly add support for this to the Hydra, if anyone with an eGolf ever wants to buy one. Thanks for discovering this!

 

[dparson]

Yes it sure is strange but when the eGolf's charging system is in its sleep or off state, it isn't following the J1772 specification anyway, so we don't really know what it thinks about the -12V to +12V transitions. Once that amber light next to the plug illuminates it will at least begin the charging process, but prior to that light coming on we're in VW specification land. I reached out to VW about this issue but haven't received any technical replies.

When I first started hunting for a software-based solution, the only pin I could easily control on the OpenEVSE was the pilot pin, so that's how I ended up finding this solution. Just dumb luck I hope it's a help for the hydra, maybe you could use this technique to force the charge rate higher if that is still an issue. Nice work on the hydra!

 

[nsayer]

Thanks. I do see the eGolf increase it's draw when the pilot goes up. There are other whacky idiosyncrasies, too. When the other plug becomes active and the pilot drops in half, sometimes the eGolf will toggle charging off and on really fast - like milliseconds fast. That makes the contactor go "kerchunk," which is probably shortening the lifespan of the triac snubbers. Grumble.

And then there's the whole plug-lock thing and completely ignoring proximity transitions. IMHO the weakest part of the eGolf is its charging system. They did an incredibly bad job designing it. I think the only reason they haven't been taken to task about it is that reviewers concentrate on the aspects of the car that it has in common with other cars. I think reviewers have a blind spot for how well the charging system works.

 

[dparson]

Very well said, I read your hackaday write-up on the hydra and the blown resistor situation, what a pain. That is a great point about reviews too, it would be great to see a charging system reviewed just like we get when they review a navigation system. Next time I see an EV review that interests me, I'm going to reach out to the reviewer and encourage them to add a charging system analysis with a few things to check for.

 

[RonDawg]

Thanks. I do see the eGolf increase it's draw when the pilot goes up. There are other whacky idiosyncrasies, too. When the other plug becomes active and the pilot drops in half, sometimes the eGolf will toggle charging off and on really fast - like milliseconds fast. That makes the contactor go "kerchunk," which is probably shortening the lifespan of the triac snubbers. Grumble.

And then there's the whole plug-lock thing and completely ignoring proximity transitions. IMHO the weakest part of the eGolf is its charging system. They did an incredibly bad job designing it. I think the only reason they haven't been taken to task about it is that reviewers concentrate on the aspects of the car that it has in common with other cars. I think reviewers have a blind spot for how well the charging system works.

Another wacky idiosyncrasy: even if the car has finished charging, once you open any door I can hear a relay activate, and now the status light next to the charging port has turned green again, as if it's started to charge. The charging port again locks the handle, and you have to unlock it via the keyfob or interior door switch before it will let it go. While some don't think this is a bother, if I return to my car with my hands full of stuff, it's easier for me to put the stuff in the car first, rather than trying to juggle that while simultaneously unplugging the car and dealing with the cord.

With the Leaf, once it's done charging, it's done. You can repeatedly open the door until it falls off the hinges, and it won't change the status light to "charging" on either the car or the EVSE, nor do I hear any relays clicking.

 

[nsayer]

Another wacky idiosyncrasy: even if the car has finished charging, once you open any door I can hear a relay activate, and now the status light next to the charging port has turned green again, as if it's started to charge. The charging port again locks the handle, and you have to unlock it via the keyfob or interior door switch before it will let it go. While some don't think this is a bother, if I return to my car with my hands full of stuff, it's easier for me to put the stuff in the car first, rather than trying to juggle that while simultaneously unplugging the car and dealing with the cord.

You're right. I completely forgot about that. It's just more wear and tear on the contactor for no good reason whatsoever. This happens anytime the car wakes up - any key fob button, interrogating it via CarNet...

 

[SJCyclist]

Juicebox makes the best EVSE's out there. They are SOLID and simply work well. Plus, you get a 24 ft long cord and a wired plug, so it's portable. It's weatherproof and made from the best materials.

 

[daeofcal]

I love digging up old threads.

I have been able to avoid having to charge at home (free 30 amp chargers near work), but a situation couple of days ago made me think that perhaps it would be wise to purchase a faster home charger than the 120V one provided with the car. Being the tightwad I am, saw Commercial Blink Level 2 Chargers on ebay for relatively cheeeep price.

Quick read on the interwebs say that there are cable melting/overheating issues at higher amperage that may/may not have been resolved. Makes me wonder how that's UL compliant... and also wondering if these units have to be networked to even function or to access the full UI.

What are your general impressions on Blink chargers?

 

[nsayer]

My general impression of the commercial ones is that they're the worst of the worst. I wouldn't give a used one to my worst enemy.

If you're at all handy, I encourage you to consider OpenEVSE. You can learn a little about EVSEs and design and build one to your exact specifications.

 

[RonDawg]

What are your general impressions on Blink chargers?

Run like hell away.

 

[miimura]

My general impression of the commercial ones is that they're the worst of the worst. I wouldn't give a used one to my worst enemy.

ROTFL. Sadly, absolutely true. Stay away. Stay FAR away. Commercial, residential, doesn't matter. Just stay away.

 

[GlennD]

The Chinese EVSE does not include GFCI. Nick Sayers suggestion of the OpenEVSE project is right on.

My OpenEVSE 40A charger works fine at 30A with my eGolf.

I build OpenEVSE units as a hobby and they have evolved into a fully complaint unit. Adding GFCI and in particular Nick's EVSE testing routine makes it the EVSE choice in my biased opinion.

Ver 3 firmware supports RAPI and Chris and others have adapted that to wifi ( something I have no interest in but I realize I am in the minority). I do not see the need to see my EVSE on my smartphone. It is bad enough that I can see and set my Bryant HVAC system. I want to talk and sometimes text but that is it. Yes I am a Luddite.

 

[Spektre]

I'll pile on for OpenEVSE - purchased and built one last year shortly after getting my eGolf and it works great.

I share a 30A dryer circuit using a heavy duty 240V 30A DPDT switch and run the EVSE at 24A. I got the deluxe version with the color display and the wifi module, though I haven't used it for anything yet... :lol:

 

[GlennD]

The Chinese EVSE does not include GFCI. Nick Sayers suggestion of the OpenEVSE project is right on.

My OpenEVSE 40A charger works fine at 30A with my eGolf.

I build OpenEVSE units as a hobby and they have evolved into a fully complaint unit. Adding GFCI and in particular Nick's EVSE testing routine makes it the EVSE choice in my biased opinion.

Ver 3 firmware supports RAPI and Chris and others have adapted that to wifi ( something I have no interest in but I realize I am in the minority). I do not see the need to see my EVSE on my smartphone. It is bad enough that I can see and set my Bryant HVAC system. I want to talk and sometimes text but that is it. Yes I am a Luddite.

Everyone wants everything on the smartphone. Whats wrong with an EVSE that just works?

I just replaced my 1976 furnace. The new one has a smartphone ap that lets me control the settings. Big deal, If I am home I can walk up to it and if I am not home the default setting is fine.

 

[RonDawg]

I just replaced my 1976 furnace. The new one has a smartphone ap that lets me control the settings. Big deal, If I am home I can walk up to it and if I am not home the default setting is fine.

Getting off topic, but app-controlled thermostats have been a convenience for me. No I don't need it when I'm home, but there have been times where my return home is delayed and I don't want to waste energy cooling/heating a house which I will not be occupying. Conversely, if I do leave work early, I can override the settings so I return to a home that is warm or cool to my liking.

For someone like me who has a somewhat erratic work schedule, and lives alone, it's extremely helpful. But even if I have a schedule that does not vary at all, I found it far easier to program the settings via an app vs on the thermostat itself. And I have more flexibility in that programming as well.

 

[95GLX]

I was searching all of Craiglist and see a lot of used EVSE's in your area. You can snag a good one for a good deal and get the one that you want if you are patient. I wish I had more previous E.V. owners in my neck of the woods to take advantage of those deals myself.

 

[PacBlue]

Went through this thread and didn't see any mention of the one I've used for 5 years + so will add it here as their customer service / support is the best I've ever personally experienced so its worth a mention. Back in late 2011, I bought a new 2012 LEAF SL (had the 3.3 kW onboard charger); was one of the first in the Chicago area. EVSE units were pretty new back then, considered a GE Watt Station among a few others but settled on a Schneider EVlink as their Midwest HQ (at the time) was located in the next town over from me as well as some of the early reviews were quite positive. At the time the IL EPA was also offering a 50% rebate for EVSE's and the installation costs and Schneider provided the info they required so I could get the cash rebate (along with the electrical contractor); that was my first contact with them --- fast forward 5 years; as I had their first gen EVSE, the existing charge output capacity was fine for my 3.3 kW rated LEAF but insufficient for my recently purchased 7.2 kW e-Golf (basically the unit would show a red 'fail' light once the car reached 100% charge). I contacted their support group and they sent me basically a totally upgraded circuit board that would update my first gen to their newest 2.5 gen model -- even the interface on the wall unit itself changed. Now I'm getting the full 7.2 kW output (the VW charges more than twice as fast as what the LEAF could) and no issues whatsoever -- who does that? While still not cheap; the unit performed flawlessly for my first EV and now the faster charging e-Golf -- when/if I upgrade once again to a Tesla Model 3 I plan to use it as well (Tesla includes an J1772 adapter) for home charging; granted its not as fast as a Tesla wall charger or upping to a NEMA14-50 plug instead (would require upgrading the wiring as well as a 60A circuit breaker; using a 40A currently) but its fine for overnight charging. I've seen lots of discounting well below MSRP if you look hard enough; I'm sure there may also be some on the used market, as Schneider stands behind these that may be a good bet as well -- link to MFG spec's below (mine cost me $679 back then; as IL EPA picked up 50% including the install costs, my out of pocket came to $605; this included dedicated 40A circuit, running 40+ feet of conduit, etc.):

http://www.schneider-electric.us/en...d-7.2-kw-residential-indoor-charging-station/