2017 Bolt 8 vs 12 amp charge
- Thread starter jsg
- Start date
Help Support Chevy Bolt EV Forum:
WetEV
Well-known member
jsg said:
The 12 Amp setting will charge faster, however remember that 120V charging isn't very fast.
Both will charge the battery to the same level.
If you have a quality outlet with nothing else on the circuit, and you have never popped the breaker while charging, you can use the 12 Amp setting. When in doubt, ask an electrician.
The 8 Amp setting puts less loading on the circuit, so some other loads can be on the same circuit.
If you have old construction, or anything gets hot, or any other reason to doubt the wiring, ask an electrician.
Many owners install a 240V charging station at home to get faster charging and to avoid old wiring problems.
JoeS
Well-known member
With a car like the Bolt's huge battery capacity, charging speed simply doesn't matter unless you drive significant distances on a daily basis. For example, with the national average being under 35 miles/day, 120vac at 8A is sufficient for an overnight recharge to put back about 10kWh and meet that need.
There's a school of thought that, in winter, it is better to simply let the car slowly sip continuously on 120vac as it keeps the battery less-cold. Has anyone monitored the battery temperatures to see if this is true?
For example, I time my charging to start in the evening so that it shuts off somewhere around 70%SoC about the time I'm ready to leave home in the morning.
8A is easier on the connectors and house wiring, especially in older homes. If nothing else, I would be inclined to replace an older 120vac receptacle that is dedicated to the Bolt with a new one simply to have good springy clean contacts.
Yes, charging using 240vac or 120vac 12A is more efficient than 120vac 8A because, given that the 'overhead' power consumption is the same, spending less time charging means less power consumed from the wall to achieve the same charge level.
There's a school of thought that, in winter, it is better to simply let the car slowly sip continuously on 120vac as it keeps the battery less-cold. Has anyone monitored the battery temperatures to see if this is true?
For example, I time my charging to start in the evening so that it shuts off somewhere around 70%SoC about the time I'm ready to leave home in the morning.
8A is easier on the connectors and house wiring, especially in older homes. If nothing else, I would be inclined to replace an older 120vac receptacle that is dedicated to the Bolt with a new one simply to have good springy clean contacts.
Yes, charging using 240vac or 120vac 12A is more efficient than 120vac 8A because, given that the 'overhead' power consumption is the same, spending less time charging means less power consumed from the wall to achieve the same charge level.
..........as it keeps the battery less-cold...........
Not always good, to a degree (no pun intended) charged batteries will store better 'cold' although that has to be weighed against sluggish performance when you want to actually use and discharge them.
Not always good, to a degree (no pun intended) charged batteries will store better 'cold' although that has to be weighed against sluggish performance when you want to actually use and discharge them.
From January through September 2017, I suffered through charging at 120v at my garage because I had no option (although I could use 12 amps and set my “home” preference to 12 amps so I did not have to remember to manually make that choice before turning off the car each time).JoeS said:
I then hired an electrician to bring 240v at 30 amps into the garage and I have never looked back.
I carry the AV TurboCord when traveling and always use the 12 amp option when I am forced to charge at 120v and that option is available to me.
I drove 180 miles to a family wedding in a resort town with only 120v available to me and having 12 amps available got my car recharged enough for the drive home without having to stop to charge on the way back.
The car was on the charger the whole weekend and I became a passenger in another car to get to events at the resort town so that charging would not be interrupted.
At 8 amps, I would have had to stop on the way home.
1953drtelco
Member
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2018
- Messages
- 6
When I purchased my 2014 Volt I used the standard charger until my Clipper Creek Level II charger was delivered. Wired up a 220v 30 amp outlet with the help of youtube and never looked back. Now my 2019 has the option of using quick charge, but I doubt if that would be used often.
SparkE
Well-known member
A related note - the 2019 Volt has a faster on-board charger than previous years : 7.2 kW.
https://electrek.co/2018/09/21/2019-chevy-volt-more-electric-operation/
https://electrek.co/2018/09/21/2019-chevy-volt-more-electric-operation/
