[ai4px]

I work at a very large industrial plant... in addition to the product we make, we also sell power to the grid on a 100 megawatt scale. So for the past two weeks I've been lobbying around... politicing... to get permission to put an EVSE on one of the light poles in the parking lot... and got permission! You see, they've been converted to LED so the current draw of the entire parking lot is so reduced that we could probably put 2 or 3 EVSEs out there and not overload anything. I dug out the blue prints and loop sheets, investigated all the wire sizes, conduit sizes I realized that all the lights in the parking lot and all the landscaping lights all turn off from a central control point so there is *no power* to any of the poles during the day. HA! My grand plan has been dashed!!

In the end my concern was about hurricanes and extended power outages. Our last extended power outage was 8 days after a hurricane two years ago. So the facility manager has agreed to let me pull up in one of the workshop bays to charge if needed. There's a breaker panel just inside one of the doors with two empty breaker slots so I could get 220v if needed. I also found a single 120v outlet on the building where the IT folks park their van, so that's a go as well.

You know finding a doggone 220v outlet in an industrial site ain't easy.... all the sockets are either 480 3phase or 120v.

 

[redpoint5]

I had considered building a portable battery, perhaps in the 1-2 kWh range, to bring into my office and charge during half my shift on a normal wall outlet, and then connect to my plug-in Prius during the second half of my shift to recharge the ~3 kWh onboard battery. My 14 mile round-trip commute could be completed on EV power alone 9 months out of the year, barely, but was impossible in the winter. I'd fall just a half mile short of home and the ICE would kick in briefly, which is hard on an engine when it routinely isn't allowed to get up to operating temperature.

Instead I just started riding my bicycle to work and inquired about creating an EV parking spot to charge on a normal outlet. I changed jobs before getting real serious about having EV parking spots designated.

It was a manufacturing plant, and as the largest consumer of all utilities in the city, they got very good rates on electricity ($0.04/kWh). Their $1.5 millon monthly power bill wouldn't have noticed my 10 cent daily usage.

 

[neutrondrip]

I guess I am lucky to have five Blink charging stations at my workplace (and two at the other building on our campus).

Charging is usually $0.25 / kWh, but some have "malfunctioned" to where they will begin charging without scanning the RFID card. Not sure whose account, if any, it's billing. We've reported the malfunction but I'm not gonna stop charging for free while they sort it out (been going on 9 months now).

 

[GregBrew]

I guess I am lucky to have five Blink charging stations at my workplace (and two at the other building on our campus).

Charging is usually $0.25 / kWh, but some have "malfunctioned" to where they will begin charging without scanning the RFID card. Not sure whose account, if any, it's billing. We've reported the malfunction but I'm not gonna stop charging for free while they sort it out (been going on 9 months now).

As soon as I read "Blink", I about barfed. Blinks are to EV charging as turds are to a punch bowl.


Quick! Somebody forward this to the folks that write the SATs!:nerd:

 

[timeToy]

(...)You know finding a doggone 220v outlet in an industrial site ain't easy.... all the sockets are either 480 3phase or 120v.

3 phases 480v charger exist, they are fast charger and cost a mere $12k!, maybe you can get your work to invest in one!
[ame]https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Wallbox-Networked-Commercial-Charging/dp/B06ZY6N3S6[/ame]

 

[neutrondrip]

As soon as I read "Blink", I about barfed. Blinks are to EV charging as turds are to a punch bowl.


Quick! Somebody forward this to the folks that write the SATs!:nerd:

I'm not sure why they chose Blink as the company to install the chargers, but we're stuck with them now.

 

[ai4px]

3 phases 480v charger exist, they are fast charger and cost a mere $12k!, maybe you can get your work to invest in one!
https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Wallbox-Networked-Commercial-Charging/dp/B06ZY6N3S6

Wooo that's a great idea! Yeah, I don't think they'll go for that. I did consider it would be possible to run a few more wires in the 1-1/2" conduits already under the parking lot though.

 

[macfisherman]

Where I work, there are currently at least 50 Level II chargers of various AMPs. No charge to use them.

 

[GregBrew]

Where I work, there are currently at least 50 Level II chargers of various AMPs. No charge to use them.

Where do you work?!?



BTW, "amp" is short for "Ampere", and does not need to be capitalized like an acronym. The single-letter abbreviation *is* capitalized, like with 200A.


https://www.rapidtables.com/electric/ampere.html

 

[macfisherman]

MathWorks in MA.

 

[Raymondjram]

You know finding a doggone 220v outlet in an industrial site ain't easy.... all the sockets are either 480 3phase or 120v.

You can use two of the three phases (and a ground) to operate the EVSE. The internal relay don't care about phasing, and use a small AC/DC power supply to operate its electronics. The onboard AC/DC converter in the Bolt EV (or any EV) can operate at different AC voltage levels, and do the DC charging of the battery. The only limit is current and power input, limited to 7.2 kW. But 480 VAC may be too much input for some of the EVSE wiring and the Bolt charger.

Ask a certified electrician at the plant to confirm. You may get a 208 VAC outlet to work.

 

[California]

You can use two of the three phases (and a ground) to operate the EVSE.

You sure? On a welding forum I recently asked the inverse, if an old industrial 3-phase AC welder - basically just a big simple transformer -that I found could be wired to run from ordinary 240. Several replies from professionals said they had found that won't work.

But I agree, ask the plant electrician. If its possible, surely he's done it before.

 

[GregBrew]

You can use two of the three phases (and a ground) to operate the EVSE. The internal relay don't care about phasing, and use a small AC/DC power supply to operate its electronics. The onboard AC/DC converter in the Bolt EV (or any EV) can operate at different AC voltage levels, and do the DC charging of the battery. The only limit is current and power input, limited to 7.2 kW. But 480 VAC may be too much input for some of the EVSE wiring and the Bolt charger.

Ask a certified electrician at the plant to confirm. You may get a 208 VAC outlet to work.

With three phase, aren't the phases 120 degrees different, whereas "normal" 240AC is 180 degrees different? I'd think this would affect the ability to use the delta between two phases of the three, and reduce available energy. Just thinking out loud...

 

[XJ12]

With three phase, aren't the phases 120 degrees different, whereas "normal" 240AC is 180 degrees different? I'd think this would affect the ability to use the delta between two phases of the three, and reduce available energy. Just thinking out loud...

that's where you get 208 volts from. using two legs 120 apart vs 180. very common in commercial power where they run everything off three phases.

 

[ai4px]

You can use two of the three phases (and a ground) to operate the EVSE. The internal relay don't care about phasing, and use a small AC/DC power supply to operate its electronics. The onboard AC/DC converter in the Bolt EV (or any EV) can operate at different AC voltage levels, and do the DC charging of the battery. The only limit is current and power input, limited to 7.2 kW. But 480 VAC may be too much input for some of the EVSE wiring and the Bolt charger.

Ask a certified electrician at the plant to confirm. You may get a 208 VAC outlet to work.

If I could find 3phase 208, It'd work, I'd tap one leg... but yes absolutely 480v is too high.

 

[ai4px]

that's where you get 208 volts from. using two legs 120 apart vs 180. very common in commercial power where they run everything off three phases.

You exackary (lol) right.... 120 x square root 3 (1.73) is 208.

 

[shotel]

I work at a very large industrial plant... in addition to the product we make, we also sell power to the grid on a 100 megawatt scale.

Is the plant located on an area with access to some main traffic arteries? Is there some retail within a short walk of the property? Is there some area - perhaps not the employee parking lot - that has fairly easy public ingress and egress?

If so, perhaps you could make the pitch to your organization to increase their revenue (and create great public good faith by environmental sustainability and helping to eliminate our dependence on fossil fuels) by hosting a DC fast charging station? Let companies that do this as-a-business do all the heavy lifting for you.

Take a look at the EVgo page for DCFC hosting sites.. I'm sure other similar providers are seeking the same colocation sites.

Somehow you would need to get the provider to give you free lifetime charging for helping to make the introduction. 0

 

[GregBrew]

that's where you get 208 volts from. using two legs 120 apart vs 180. very common in commercial power where they run everything off three phases.

Cool! I learned something today, making it a great day. :nerd:


Thank you!

 

[GregBrew]

You exackary (lol) right.... 120 x square root 3 (1.73) is 208.

That's wayyyyy too close to the analog stuff I had to suffer through in school for my EE forty years ago. I obviously never used *any* of the power stuff from the curriculum.


I'm a digital man...0