Chevy Bolt EV Forum banner
  • Hey Guest, welcome to ChevyBolt.org. We encourage you to register to engage in conversations about your Bolt.

Chargers

4K views 11 replies 11 participants last post by  George Knighton 
#1 · (Edited)
So I'm finally buying a lvl 2 charger,after looking at autochargers.ca I'm looking at a juicebox 40. I noticed that they have a juicebox 75 that is priced the same both are about 999.99. I'm wondering if it would be worth getting the 75 amp model ,I'm going to be putting a new electrical panel in in the spring, so I'm going to go be able to go as big as I need to.
Also if I do go withe the 75 amp is it necessary to put a 75 amp breaker in? Hope this makes sense kind of looking for some idea as to which way to go
After looking at what some other people were looking at doing I'm adding the flo charger to the list ,I like them because they are made in canada and they'll do the job and are priced the same
 
#2 ·
So I'm finally buying a lvl 2 charger,after looking at autochargers.ca I'm looking at a juicebox 40. I noticed that they have a juicebox 75 that is priced the same both are about 999.99. I'm wondering if it would be worth getting the 75 amp model ,I'm going to be putting a new electrical panel in in the spring, so I'm going to go be able to go as big as I need to.
Also if I do go withe the 75 amp is it necessary to put a 75 amp breaker in? Hope this makes sense kind of looking for some idea as to which way to go

All home Level 2 EVSE are 240 volts. The amperage is what the load "draws" which for the Bolt is a max of 36 amps. A "40 amp capable" EVSE is suitable. The wiring must be capable of 40 amps (32 amp continuous load; 80% of "breaker load"). The "75 amp capable" EVSE is not needed for a Bolt. Since someone (maybe you later) MAY place a load of 75 amps (60 amps continuous) on the circuit, it must have capable wiring and be protected for that current level. I see the Juice Box 40A for $480 and the 75 for $900, so I am not sure why you found them to be the same price. My Siemens VersiCharge at $499 (now down to $429) works wonderfully, but the JuiceBox gets high marks from everyone here on the forum. Good luck & safe charging.
 
#3 · (Edited)
A 75 amp L2 would need a 100 amp service.

from their website:

Hard-wired Installation: Note that to utilize the full 75 amp power capabilities of a JuiceBox Pro 75 requires a dedicated 100 amp circuit and a hard-wired installation. While you can also turn down the power using our smartphone app or web portal and charge at a lower rate, please verify that your home electrical panel has this capacity before ordering this high-powered version of our JuiceBox product line.​

You can adjust the JuiceBox amperage to a lower value. But, I'm not sure if the electrical code would allow a smaller rated breaker if it's hardwired.

The Bolt only takes 32 amp so the smallest breaker for that would be 40 amp.
 
#4 ·
If you're patient, the Siemens VersiCharge goes on sale at Costco about once a year for $350. I bought one about 14 months ago, and after using it daily for a Leaf for a year, bought two more a month ago at that price. They can be "throttled" with a switch internally to take 75%, 50% or 25% of the nominal 32A. Set it for 75% (24A), and swap out the cord and you can plug into electric dryer outlets that typically go to waste in most residences. It will then meet NEC specs for 80% of the breaker that's rated for 30A. That's a really cheap and easy way to get a nearly six kilowatt charge rate, or roughly 18 miles per hour of charge.

Compared to the five grand I paid for inductive chargers for my EV-1s and RAV4-EVs, that's quite the bargain.
 
#7 · (Edited)
If you're patient, the Siemens VersiCharge goes on sale at Costco about once a year for $350. I bought one about 14 months ago, and after using it daily for a Leaf for a year, bought two more a month ago at that price.
It looks to me as though Costco quit selling the Siemens charger a couple months ago (end of 2020?), and now is only offering the AxFast 16A and 32A chargers. The Siemens is not longer listed on their website. (Maybe they're just out of them temporarily?)

I bought the 16A AxFast on sale at Costco a year ago, and have been happy with it. No-frills & portable.

Back on topic: a fundamental principal of electrical codes is that the you must assume the end-user is ignorant about what the circuit can handle. The wire/cable running the wall is the most limiting component of the electrical circuit. If you run too much current through a small wire, the wire can overheat and melt the insulation off the wire and start a fire that burns the house down. So the main function of the circuit breaker is to ensure that the current passing through the wire is limited to what that wire can safely carry. This means it's OK to use a SMALLER breaker than the wire can support. It's NOT OK to use a bigger breaker than what the wire can support. If the wire can carry 75A, then the electrician can put a 15A or 30A or 40A or 50A or 75A outlet in the wall, and a matching (or smaller) circuit breaker. In theory, if your appliance (the EVSE) is capable of drawing 75A, AND if it comes with an electrical plug/connector, then the plug used by that appliance must be a 75A plug (or higher). That's why there are so many different styles of plugs & sockets - to prevent you from plugging a 75A appliance into a 30A circuit. If the EVSE does NOT have a plug (i.e. comes with bare wires for hard-wiring), then it is the electrician/installer's responsibility to make sure that the wires running through the wall are same size (AWG) or bigger (lower AWG) than the wires coming from the EVSE.

The whole system is designed to prevent the ignorant end-user from plugging in an appliance which will draw more amps than the wires in the wall can carry. And when the ignorant user does this anyway (e.g. by building a home-made adapter to plug his 75A EVSE into a 30A outlet), then the circuit breaker will blow to prevent the wires from overheating and burning the house down. It is the electrician's professional responsibility to ensure that too much current does not flown through the wires that are buried in the wall.

The big problem with a "configurable" EVSE is that the electrician who installs the circuit does not/ can not know how the user is going to configure the EVSE. So the responsible electrician will built the wiring circuit to support the worst-case load the EVSE can present. And/or if the user says "I'm only going to use the EVSE at 32A with my Bolt", then the prudent electrician will probably install a 40A breaker. And he SHOULD try to "up-sell" you to let him install fat-assed wires in the wall that can support the full 75A load of your EVSE. His professional responsibility is to assume you either don't know what you're talking about, or that you're lying about what you intend to do. Cause he's also responsible to whomever buys the house from you next year.
 
#5 ·
So I'm finally buying a lvl 2 charger,after looking at autochargers.ca I'm looking at a juicebox 40. I noticed that they have a juicebox 75 that is priced the same both are about 999.99. I'm wondering if it would be worth getting the 75 amp model ,I'm going to be putting a new electrical panel in in the spring, so I'm going to go be able to go as big as I need to.
Also if I do go withe the 75 amp is it necessary to put a 75 amp breaker in? Hope this makes sense kind of looking for some idea as to which way to go
After looking at what some other people were looking at doing I'm adding the flo charger to the list ,I like them because they are made in canada and they'll do the job and are priced the same
I have United Chargers Grizzle-E for $400. It’s rated as on of the best non-smart chargers. This is a Canadian company using North American components. You can actually call them if you have questions. They have a web site that describes their products.
 
#9 ·
If the "75 amp" charger really supplies 75 amps continuous, and you get an EV in the future that can take that many amps (I'm not aware of one now), you'll need a 100 amp breaker since they are de-rated to 80% for continuous use. IMO, 75 amps is overkill. I don't foresee any EV pulling that much power.
 
#10 ·
Also, you can't just throw a 100 amp breaker in a 200 amp service panel and call it a day. The reason new homes no longer come with a 100 amp service panels is because that's not enough for modern home needs. A good electrician will do a proper load calculation for the home to determine how much you could safely add. Adding a separate 100 amp service line to the home would be an option, but it would be quite expensive just to possibly "future proof".
 
#11 ·
Sorry, not quite on topic but since this is a Western Canadian thread on chargers...
BC Hydro is currently offering to pay half the cost of home chargers and wiring for the installation. But only for the next 8 days. Details are here: https://www.bchydro.com/content/dam...ctric-vehicles/EV-incentive-program-guide.pdf

I bought my charger, now I am shopping for a Bolt. I am in no hurry since I already belong to a Bolt car-share.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top