Chevrolet has chosen AeroVironment EVSE as official choice

[unplugged]

"We selected AeroVironment due to their strong brand recognition, reputation for reliability, and decades of leadership in supporting EVs," said Darin Gesse, Bolt EV Product Manager. "In addition, their EVSE-RS provides proven performance, making AeroVironment a great partner for Chevrolet."

Since it's official, it will have a GM parts number and be available through dealerships.

I hope the don't mind that I already have a JuiceBox

 

[Maxters]

So, I wonder if they'll give a discount on it or full price. I'm leaning towards a Juicebox 40. Portable enough.

 

[devbolt]

Aerovironment's EVSE-RS is pretty rock solid. I have had the Nissan-branded 30A version charging my Plug-in Prius for the last 4.5 years, and it had no trouble charging the 2011 Volt or a 2012 RAV4-EV when I borrowed them.

What I don't understand is why they are specifying a 32A unit, which would deliver 7.68 kW of power, instead of the 7.2 kW that the internal charger is supposedly capable of. Accounting for AC to DC losses? It would be about a ~6% loss, give or take.

Only reason I'd upgrade from the 30A unit I've got to the 32A unit would be to get a longer cord, but it's not worth spending ~$700 to do so. Though I suppose I could sell the old 30A for four or five hundred dollars. Swapping the two units should be fairly easy to do.

 

[Maxters]

How portable is it? Can you take it with your or hardwired. I'm hoping to use the dryer plug until I get a plug closer to the door.

 

[roundpeg]

I thought GM recommended Bosch.

I was talking to an electrician the other day. Turns out he's going to be wiring up the EVSE at my local Chevy dealership. He didn't know the manufacturer because the unit had not arrived yet.

Leaning towards the Juicebox myself at this point. Like that it is portable and can also be securely locked down in the garage. Not sure anyone else offers those features.

 

[GetOffYourGas]

I will be sticking with the 15A Voltec EVSE that I've been using for my Leaf for the past 4 years. It works just fine, and didn't require upgrading the 20A run I already had to my garage. The Bolt will presumably be compatible, although there were some compatibility issues in the early days, and I have an older unit.

Only reason I'd upgrade from the 30A unit I've got to the 32A unit would be to get a longer cord, but it's not worth spending ~$700 to do so. Though I suppose I could sell the old 30A for four or five hundred dollars. Swapping the two units should be fairly easy to do.

There are cheaper ways to get a longer cord. You could simply buy a cord such as this one:
https://store.leviton.com/collections/j1772-charge-connector-and-cable

Or you can buy a J1772 "extension cable" such as this one:
http://shop.quickchargepower.com/JLONG-40-Amp-J1772-extension-cable-JL40A.htm

Note that the latter is more expensive because of the two connectors.

 

[michael]

I have an Aerovironment RS at home, and also a Turbo Cord. My workplace used to have 220 outlets so I used the Turbo Cord there, they have since installed Turbo Docks so I don't use it.

I have never heard of any issues with compatibility of the RS. I personally have used them with Volt, Focus, and Rav-4.

The 32 Amp rating simply means that the EVSE could handle this level if the car tried to draw it. The actual current drawn is the lower of what the EVSE advertises (to the car) as its capability and what the car actually decides to draw from it.

So if you plug a 32 Amp EVSE into a Volt, it draws about 15 A, even though the EVSE is rated at and capable of delivering more.

If you plug the same 32 Amp EVSE into a RAV-4, which is capable of 40 A, the car will see the EVSE's advertised limit and draw only 32 A

 

[BoltyMcBoltFace]

I thought GM recommended Bosch.

For the Spark EV, they still do.

Speaking of which, since I'm on my second Spark EV, I have two Bosch EVSEs and I only need one. It's the 16 amp model, new in box. https://www.boschevsolutions.com/charging-stations/power-max. Good for someone who only has a 20-amp breaker available or only needs to add 100 miles of range overnight. If anyone in SoCal (I'm in the Pasadena area) is interested, PM me.

 

[devbolt]

I will be sticking with the 15A Voltec EVSE that I've been using for my Leaf for the past 4 years. It works just fine, and didn't require upgrading the 20A run I already had to my garage. The Bolt will presumably be compatible, although there were some compatibility issues in the early days, and I have an older unit.

Only reason I'd upgrade from the 30A unit I've got to the 32A unit would be to get a longer cord, but it's not worth spending ~$700 to do so. Though I suppose I could sell the old 30A for four or five hundred dollars. Swapping the two units should be fairly easy to do.

There are cheaper ways to get a longer cord. You could simply buy a cord such as this one:
https://store.leviton.com/collections/j1772-charge-connector-and-cable

Or you can buy a J1772 "extension cable" such as this one:
http://shop.quickchargepower.com/JLONG-40-Amp-J1772-extension-cable-JL40A.htm

Note that the latter is more expensive because of the two connectors.

I thought about retrofitting my EVSE with a longer cord like the Leviton cord until my electrician pointed out that doing such a retrofit would basically void the UL certification on the unit, which means if there was a failure of some sort that caused a fire, my homeowners insurance could refuse to cover the loss. Same for using the extension cable, though I can see the value of carrying the extension cord around to be able to use a public ESVE that is blocked by a car that isn't charging (ICE or PEV).

 

[fromport]

I thought about retrofitting my EVSE with a longer cord like the Leviton cord until my electrician pointed out that doing such a retrofit would basically void the UL certification on the unit, which means if there was a failure of some sort that caused a fire, my homeowners insurance could refuse to cover the loss. Same for using the extension cable, though I can see the value of carrying the extension cord around to be able to use a public ESVE that is blocked by a car that isn't charging (ICE or PEV).

All the EVSE that come with Tesla's are not Ul approved.
From what I understand, as long as you plug something in (so not hardwired) it doesn't have to be UL listed/approved.
I wouldn't worry to much about retrofitting an EVSE with a different cord. As long as you not trying to pull 30+ amps through a #12 wire ;-)

 

[devbolt]

I thought about retrofitting my EVSE with a longer cord like the Leviton cord until my electrician pointed out that doing such a retrofit would basically void the UL certification on the unit, which means if there was a failure of some sort that caused a fire, my homeowners insurance could refuse to cover the loss. Same for using the extension cable, though I can see the value of carrying the extension cord around to be able to use a public ESVE that is blocked by a car that isn't charging (ICE or PEV).

All the EVSE that come with Tesla's are not Ul approved.
From what I understand, as long as you plug something in (so not hardwired) it doesn't have to be UL listed/approved.

The Tesla wall charger appears to be UL listed. The portable cordset may or may not be UL listed.

Lots of things that you plug into the wall are UL listed, like your fridge, TV, stereo, computer, etc.

I wouldn't worry to much about retrofitting an EVSE with a different cord. As long as you not trying to pull 30+ amps through a #12 wire ;-)

The AeroVironment EVSE I have is hardwired, and is designed to be hardwired. So swapping out the cable is not a viable option in this case. AV does make a unit that is designed to be plugged into a 240V wall socket, and is UL listed as well.

While I'm confident that I have the necessary skills to retrofit my existing EVSE with a longer cord, the reality is that I don't really feel the need to do so at this point. I figured out a while ago that if I back into the driveway, the cord will reach the PiP without a problem. After 4.5 years of doing this, I've gotten used to it, and now prefer to back in because it makes leaving in the morning easier. It remains to be seen if I will be able to continue to do so like this with the Bolt.