Has anybody tried these 'portable' EVSEs ??

[SparkE]

Out of curiosity, has anybody bought/used these lower cost EVSEs? Yes, I realize that they are 16A and limited to 3.3 kW, but they are also about half the cost ~$300) of most home 220V EVSEs AND they are portable and easily tossed in the trunk. A 12-hour overnight charge would provide around 35-40 kWhs, which is more than enough for a full charge for any car except a Bolt or Tesla (and would provide a better-than-half, ~150 mile charge even for those).

So, has anybody had occasion to use any of these?

EVI Portable Charger V5 : https://www.amazon.com/EVI-Portable-Charger-SMART-screen/dp/B00VIKM62Q/ref=pd_sbs_422_4?ie=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=DTP21487GBNSYTFR41TG

Ebusbar portable 16A/220V : https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00TPSP760/ref=pd_sbs_60_2?ie=UTF8&pd_rd_i=B00TPSP760&pd_rd_r=V9EKAK9M024D99KZN806&pd_rd_w=wCcX5&pd_rd_wg=hjFoD&psc=1&refRID=V9EKAK9M024D99KZN806

Duosida Portable EVSE : https://www.amazon.com/Duosida-Portable-Electric-Vehicle-220V-240V/dp/B01HH1Z3DS/ref=sr_1_192?ie=UTF8&qid=1479246942&sr=8-192&keywords=electric+vehicle+charger

PS: As I was about to click on 'post', it occurred to me that there's also the 'juice' line of EVSEs. Anybody have experience with them?

JuiceCord (20A, WiFi enabled for control/monitoring) :
https://emotorwerks.com/store-juicebox-ev-charging-stations/1661-juicecord-pro-20-portable-smart-20-amp-evse-with-20-foot-cable/category_pathway-23

JuiceBox40 (40A, 'portable' only in that it has a plug and is thus movable - it's a box, not a 'charging cable') :
https://emotorwerks.com/store-juicebox-ev-charging-stations/171-juicebox-40-40-amp-evse-with-24-foot-cable/category_pathway-23

 

[michael]

I've used an Aerovironment Turbo Cord a lot. It's dual voltage, works on both 120 and 208/240.

http://www.evsolutions.com/turbocord

 

[SparkE]

Yes, and it is $600. If you follow the links I provided, you will see that there are less expensive alternatives. I am hoping to hear from owners of those to see what they think of them.

 

[SparkE]

Providing link to another thred on EVSEs : http://www.mychevybolt.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=8628#p8628

 

[Pigwich]

Hey there,

So I've never had the opportunity to use any of those chargers, but they ones you linked to on Amazon look like total cheese in flimsy plastic boxes. Given the form factor, I'd say they probably have really cheap mechanical PCB mount relays, or solid state relays (sounds good, but actually more dangerous)

The turbocord is really expensive, but probably the least sketchy of the ultra portable cords. BUT remember, you'll always need 220V to get the 3.3KW or more. You can't plug one of these in to any regular outlet and get 3.3KW, and in my experience, those 15 and 20 amp 220V plugs that look mostly like regular household plugs are actually very rare, but at least when you do see them, they're hanging out near windows for running big air conditioners.... and the 30 amp dryer plugs? Not super common either, but they might be in garages, especially for dryers. Finding 220 in the wild in plug form will be your biggest challenge...If you wanted to be all gangster and wire a plug to a breaker and an alligator clip and start tearing covers off electrical panels, that's another story :twisted: but I would not recommend this except for the most twisted, desperate electrician that drives an EV.

I guess my bottom line advice is this - Don't waste money on something off-brand that you will never be able to return when it blows up and/or burns your house down because of the off chance that you just might be able to find the one weird 220V outlet near where you can charge your car in a pinch unless you KNOW of that outlet and it's availability for your use. You'd be a LOT better off just carrying around a hefty 10 gauge extension cord (might cost you $75 for a 50 footer!!) if your intent is to be able to charge in emergencies. And yes, I know they scream about not using extension cords with an EVSE, but that doesn't go for the super thick cord. It does not matter and you can do whatever you want when you're rolling 10 gauge, since literally the wire in the cord will be thicker than the wire in the house.

 

[EldRick]

I cannot see any good reason for a non-portable EVSE.

I've been using the EVI EVSE with my Spark for eight months. It's hanging on my garage wall. It works fine, but it's only 16a.

I've purchased a 30a 120/240 portable K.H.O.N.S. EVSI for my on-order Bolt - $375. Same use-case - charge every day at home, and toss it in the trunk for road-trip emergencies caused by the miserable DCFC network in Oregon.
https://www.evseadapters.com/collections/ev-chargers-and-evses/products/16-30a-adjustable-120-240v-charger-evse

BTW, I designed a 3D-printable "holster" for mounting it on the wall. If anyone wants the files to print their own, send me a PM.

 

[user 124]

I cannot see any good reason for a non-portable EVSE.

I've been using the EVI EVSE with my Spark for eight months. It's hanging on my garage wall. It works fine, but it's only 16a.

I've purchased a 30a 120/240 portable K.H.O.N.S. EVSI for my on-order Bolt - $375. Same use-case - charge every day at home, and toss it in the trunk for road-trip emergencies caused by the miserable DCFC network in Oregon.
https://www.evseadapters.com/collections/ev-chargers-and-evses/products/16-30a-adjustable-120-240v-charger-evse
BTW, I designed a 3D-printable "holster" for mounting it on the wall. If anyone wants the files to print their own, send me a PM.

This looks like quit a nice unit at a good price - thanks for posting. How well does it work at its max 30A rating with the Bolt?

This would be nice as something to have in your car when you need to plug into a dryer outlet at a vacation rental or something. Should work well with a Bolt but would not charge a Tesla, MB, or RAV4EV at full power.

 

[EldRick]

I don't have my Bolt yet. It charges the Spark at L1 (120v 8/12a) and L2 (240v 15a) just fine, and I really like the (tiny) display. The box is quite sturdy and solid-feeling, and has no buttons, for water resistance.

For really-emergency use, I also got a 120v pigtail for it, which I hope I never have to use.

 

[user 387]

If you get the JuiceBox (about $500) you can charge virtually anywhere using either 120 or 240V outlets. So, with one box you can have an L1 or L2 charger depending on your power source.

Seems like a no-brainer to me.

 

[user 124]

If you get the JuiceBox (about $500) you can charge virtually anywhere using either 120 or 240V outlets. So, with one box you can have an L1 or L2 charger depending on your power source.

How do you change the current setting to match the type of outlet / circuit that you are using? It doesn't look like there is an external display either.

 

[user 387]

There is no display and the unit is auto-switching (it senses the connection voltage). You will have to buy an adapter or two from them for cheap to be able to plug into different sockets.

https://emotorwerks.com

 

[user 124]

There is no display and the unit is auto-switching (it senses the connection voltage). You will have to buy an adapter or two from them for cheap to be able to plug into different sockets.
https://emotorwerks.com

Sure, many EVSEs auto-switch on voltage: that is not what I thought I asked. How do you tell it how much current is available? I see that it supplies 40 A, which is great for my car (RAV4 EV with 10kW charger). That would need a 50A circuit to maintain the traditional safety factor. What happens if I plug it into a lesser circuit, like a 30A dryer circuit: can you manually configure different current settings, or is it 40A only (if your car takes 40A) and would then be unusable on lower current circuits?

 

[EldRick]

The Juicebox in question requires a 50a 14-50 outlet, as it has the four-pin plug that prevents inserting it into a lesser 14-30 or 14-20 receptacle.

 

[Maxters]

Within the menu there is a setting.

 

[user 124]

The Juicebox in question requires a 50a 14-50 outlet, as it has the four-pin plug that prevents inserting it into a lesser 14-30 or 14-20 receptacle.

Thanks for clearing that up. So although portable, this unit is not very useful as a travel EVSE that can be used with different plugs and circuits as we have been discussing in this thread.

 

[user 387]

The Juicebox in question requires a 50a 14-50 outlet, as it has the four-pin plug that prevents inserting it into a lesser 14-30 or 14-20 receptacle.

Thanks for clearing that up. So although portable, this unit is not very useful as a travel EVSE that can be used with different plugs and circuits as we have been discussing in this thread.

The basic manual JuiceBox is set at a 12A limit for 120V use. Of course, you can set the charge limit to 8A on the dash of the Bolt.

As for travel usefulness, in addition to auto-switching input voltage, these plug adapters are available: https://emotorwerks.com/store-juice...ack-all-juicebox-adapters/category_pathway-39

 

[user 124]

As for travel usefulness, in addition to auto-switching input voltage, these plug adapters are available: https://emotorwerks.com/store-juice...ack-all-juicebox-adapters/category_pathway-39

? Really?! Why would you ever plug a 40A EVSE into a 30A circuit? At best it will trip the breaker.

 

[user 387]

The 240v input current is set inside the box with a screwdriver or via software on the pro model.

Look, if you don't like this unit, don't buy it. I happen to think it has the widest flexibility on the market, especially for the price.

 

[user 124]

The 240v input current is set inside the box with a screwdriver or via software on the pro model.

Look, if you don't like this unit, don't buy it. I happen to think it has the widest flexibility on the market, especially for the price.

Thank you for finally answering my question about whether you can set different charge currents. I'm actually interested in something like this for travel and genuinely wanted to know if it's current was adjustable. I'm also interested in the JB because it is made in San Carlos, the town next to the one I live in.

 

[EldRick]

I settled for a 120v pigtail cord. My imagined "emergencies" are more likely to involve trailer parks, rather than home dryer outlets.