[redmontster]

Just got a 2019 Bolt.

Been plugging the charge cord that came with the car into a 120v outlet.

My electrician is installing a 240v outlet with 40 amps.

The dealer told me I could use the charge cord that came with the car in either a 120 or 240 outlet.

Is this true?

If not, do I need to get an adapter of some sort?

If so, where to I get it and what is it called?

Thank you.

--Laurie in burbs of SF

 

[raitchison]

To my knowledge it hasn't been confirmed for the 2019 but if the included EVSE is the same as on the 2017 and 2018 the answer is yes. You'll need to make an adapter (you can sometimes buy ones that other people have made online) or maybe have your electrician make one for you.

You'll be limited to 12A which is slow for a L2 EVSE but still twice as fast as you would be on 120V.

Edit: Here is a link on how to make an adapter, your electrician should be able to work with this info: http://www.kawal.net/volt adapter.htm

I would recommend installing a 14-50 outlet if you have enough power, most commercial EVSEs have a 14-50 plug and a 14-50 outlet will let you get one of those later without having to use an adapter. Defer to your electrician on whether this is safe and to code for your area. If you're only getting a 40A circuit you're fine with the Bolt because it's limited to 32A but if you get a different EV that can handle 40A or more you'll need to limit your EVSE to make sure you don't try to draw more power than your circuit can provide.

 

[redmontster]

Thank you. Does Chevrolet make an adapter?

 

[Terry Hancock]

Thank you. Does Chevrolet make an adapter?

No. But, they are readily available from several sources.

http://carcharging.us/adapt/bolt-240.php

 

[wonderbolt]

Unfortunately they do not

 

[XJ12]

Thank you. Does Chevrolet make an adapter?

Etsy source seems to have dried up. @boltage came up with this source for a two part adapter. Looks slick and cheaper than the Etsy one.

https://www.chevybolt.org/forum/449735-post35.html

 

[Blue Wyvern]

I made a 240V extension cord, it's not hard to do, just need an ohm meter, a diagram a couple plugs and some common sense.
But it goes without saying, make sure everyone in the house knows not to plug any regular device into the adapter- POOF.

 

[GregBrew]

To my knowledge it hasn't been confirmed for the 2019 but if the included EVSE is the same as on the 2017 and 2018 the answer is yes. You'll need to make an adapter (you can sometimes buy ones that other people have made online) or maybe have your electrician make one for you.

You'll be limited to 12A which is slow for a L2 EVSE but still twice as fast as you would be on 120V.

Edit: Here is a link on how to make an adapter, your electrician should be able to work with this info: http://www.kawal.net/volt adapter.htm

I would recommend installing a 14-50 outlet if you have enough power, most commercial EVSEs have a 14-50 plug and a 14-50 outlet will let you get one of those later without having to use an adapter. Defer to your electrician on whether this is safe and to code for your area. If you're only getting a 40A circuit you're fine with the Bolt because it's limited to 32A but if you get a different EV that can handle 40A or more you'll need to limit your EVSE to make sure you don't try to draw more power than your circuit can provide.

I concur on the 14-50R recommendation. Have your electrician install wire as large as your pocketbook can handle. #8AWG THHN copper, is the *smallest* I would go. Do have the electrician run all four wires: Phase1, Phase2, Neutral and Ground. Many EVSEs don't use Neutral, but run it any way. You never know what the future will bring, and the Neutral will allow you to separate the 240V circuit into two 120V circuits, if needed.


The incremental cost of running more, bigger wires is small potatoes when compared to the potential cost of rerunning the whole shebang for more capacity later.:nerd:

 

[keeperchris]

Etsy source seems to have dried up. @boltage came up with this source for a two part adapter. Looks slick and cheaper than the Etsy one.

https://www.chevybolt.org/forum/449735-post35.html

Agree! Thanks @boltage. Here is his post to get it on the site a second time:


Looks like this setup will let you plug the EVSE included with the Bolt into a 240V NEMA 14-50R outlet.
https://shop.quickchargepower.com/Ad...le-ADPTR-A.htm ($39)
https://shop.quickchargepower.com/My240-MY240.htm ($0 with purchase of the above)


My addition:
I do agree with the plan to install a NEMA 14-50 outlet. It is a handy outlet to have adapters or EVSE for, because it is the common RV Park plug.
For our Bolt/Volt home, we installed two.
My wife uses a similar adapter for her Volt.
I purchased a 32A EVSE that plugs into the 14-50 outlet.

 

[jacquesroman]

I checked my 2017 Bolt 120 volt EVSE, and it states: "120V, 60 Hz, 12A ~ , 1440W"

From my life experience, if I plugged this into a 240 volt outlet, it would be permanently destroyed. Before plugging into a 240 outlet, read the back of the unit.

 

[GJETSON]

I checked my 2017 Bolt 120 volt EVSE, and it states: "120V, 60 Hz, 12A ~ , 1440W"

From my life experience, if I plugged this into a 240 volt outlet, it would be permanently destroyed. Before plugging into a 240 outlet, read the back of the unit.

They all say that. Ours has worked at 240 volts and 12 amps, 2.88 kW, for over a year now. Always cross at the crosswalk, and you may live to 100.

 

[Raymondjram]

Unfortunately they do not

Why is this "unfortunate"? Chevrolet and GM never makes any such device. That is not their business!

 

[GlenandhisBolt1!]

Don't mess with the wiring on the stock charger. Don't play around with your house wiring. Just get a 14-50 outlet installed by a Real Electrician, and install a Real 240V Car Charger. We are talking a Lot of Power here: enough to cause serious problems if not done correctly. In this way, you avoid damaging your Bolt and voiding the warranty, or setting your house on fire. BTW: if you do the work yourself and your house catches fire, it's likely your homeowners insurance will not cover the repairs. There are many on the market. I installed the one sold by Chevy:

http://store.evsolutions.com/chevrolet-ev-charging-stations-c39.aspx

It will cost you at least a few hundred bucks more, but the peace of mind is more than worth it.

 

[raitchison]

I checked my 2017 Bolt 120 volt EVSE, and it states: "120V, 60 Hz, 12A ~ , 1440W"

From my life experience, if I plugged this into a 240 volt outlet, it would be permanently destroyed. Before plugging into a 240 outlet, read the back of the unit.

Luckily for us some Volt owners (Volts come with the same EVSE that Bolts do) already did the work and opened up their EVSE and found that it's wired for 120 OR 240. They only installed a 120V plug on the unit and only are certified for 120V but electrically it works fine on 220V.

More electronic devices than you might thing work on 220V power. When I went to the British Isle this summer I brought with me two electrical adapters, one was a bigger, more expeinsive unit that actually lowered the voltage to 120V and the other just adapted the plug but still output 220V. All of my chargers (laptop, cell phone, razor) worked just fine on 220V power). Now I wouldn't plug in an older appliance into 220V but for anything made this century the odds are good that the worst thing that will happen is the device won't work.

 

[raitchison]

Why is this "unfortunate"? Chevrolet and GM never makes any such device. That is not their business!

It is indeed unfortunate that GM doesn't include an EVSE that out of the box will work on 220V or 110V power, they could even do it without violating electrical code by having the unit come standard with a 220V plug (probably a 6-15) and an adapter for 110V (5-15) and the difference in cost for them would have been less than $1 per unit.

It's a little thing for GM that would be a huge help for owners.

 

[boltage]

It is indeed unfortunate that GM doesn't include an EVSE that out of the box will work on 220V or 110V power, they could even do it without violating electrical code by having the unit come standard with a 220V plug (probably a 6-15) and an adapter for 110V (5-15) and the difference in cost for them would have been less than $1 per unit.

It's a little thing for GM that would be a huge help for owners.

The way Tesla does it with the included portable 120V/240V-capable EVSE is that it does not plug into any NEMA-standard outlet by itself, but includes adapters for 5-15 (typical 120V 15A outlet) and 14-50 (common 240V for RV parks and outlets for EVSE use). I.e. that minimizes the risk of plugging something else into the wrong voltage.

 

[Belmo]

Is there an integrated GFCI in the stock EVSE. Code here requires a GFCI on every outdoor receptacle and they are not available in 240V.

 

[XJ12]

Is there an integrated GFCI in the stock EVSE. Code here requires a GFCI on every outdoor receptacle and they are not available in 240V.

Yes, GFCI is one of the main functions of all EVSEs including the Bolt's OEM EVSE.

edit: more info: https://tec.ieee.org/newsletter/october-2013/safety-of-electric-vehicle-supply-equipment

 

[raitchison]

The way Tesla does it with the included portable 120V/240V-capable EVSE is that it does not plug into any NEMA-standard outlet by itself, but includes adapters for 5-15 (typical 120V 15A outlet) and 14-50 (common 240V for RV parks and outlets for EVSE use). I.e. that minimizes the risk of plugging something else into the wrong voltage.

I deliberately did not make a comparison with Tesla because we really do that a lot here. Though it's worth noting that the EVSE included with a Tesla, in addition to being able to operate on multiple voltages and plugged into various outlets with the adapters provided, also has an output of 32A which is almost 3x what the Bolt's EVSE will output even when plugged into 220V. I do agree that Tesla's model is ideal but I also believe it's somewhat more expensive (even if you ignore the higher output) to make your EVSE that way, maybe it costs a whole $20 more to make the Tesla UMC than it does to make the EVSE that comes with the Bolt.

It's also worth mentioning that the Leaf (as of 2018) has an EVSE that works very much like what I described, it has a 14-50 plug with an included adapter to plug into a 5-15 120V outlet.

The EVSE that's included with the Bolt is simply a joke, it provides the absolute bare minimum capability possible where for an extremely small amount of additional expense they could have provided one that was a real viable option to use for more than a minority of their customers.

 

[GJETSON]

The EVSE that's included with the Bolt is simply a joke, it provides the absolute bare minimum capability possible where for an extremely small amount of additional expense they could have provided one that was a real viable option to use for more than a minority of their customers.

Yup. Every EV maker should provide something like this with the car. All the charge equipment you will ever need.

https://shop.quickchargepower.com/J...-J1772-portable-charging-solution-JESLAJR.htm