[Plasticman]

I'm getting ready to install a charging station in my garage and I have several questions:
1. What is the maximum amperage the car can take using the supplied level 2 cable if I just install an outlet?
2. If I go with a charging station instead of an outlet, does it need to be smart? It seems to me that the car is smart (allows delayed charging, charging during off-peak times and charging to a specific level) so are there other features the charger might have that the car doesn't? I will only ever be charging one vehicle.
3. Are the Ultium EV chargers available yet?

 

[MisterJJ]

1. First off, why? What's your expected usage? Common misconception is that you need the absolute highest capacity possible when that is almost never the case. My wife gets by on a 120 volt outlet at 12 amps.
2. IMHO, most people don't wind up using the additional smart features but if you do compulsive things like keep track of exactly how much gas you've put in at every fill-up, then you might want to get a smart one.
3. Ultium is a marketing term GM uses for a style of battery pack and it would not require a special charger, not that the Bolt uses Ultium packs. Never heard of Ultium branded chargers.

 

[MichBolt]

I'm getting ready to install a charging station in my garage and I have several questions:
1. What is the maximum amperage the car can take using the supplied level 2 cable if I just install an outlet?
2. If I go with a charging station instead of an outlet, does it need to be smart? It seems to me that the car is smart (allows delayed charging, charging during off-peak times and charging to a specific level) so are there other features the charger might have that the car doesn't? I will only ever be charging one vehicle.
3. Are the Ultium EV chargers available yet?

1. Although the EUV can handle more, the GM EVSE (dual level charge cord) that comes with the EUV will only provide 32A at 240V.
2. That's up to you. Smart EVSEs can help you track data about your charging sessions, and some electric utilities will offer a rebate for specific smart EVSEs that allow them to track or even control your charging during peak load events.
3. GM has Ultium branded chargers that they are installing at dealerships. I don't know of Ultium branded chargers for sale directly to customers.

 

[MisterJJ]

3. GM has Ultium branded chargers that they are installing at dealerships. I don't know of Ultium branded chargers for sale directly to customers.

Dug around and it looks like GM announced these home chargers back in October of last year and then nothing. Probably will be way overpriced but an easy add-on when buying your Ultium Hummer, if they ever get past vaporware. Here's an article with what looks like a CAD model made to look like an actual product:
GM Will Make Its Own Ultium-Brand EV Charging Units

 

[jefro]

I have a dumb charger. Generally your choice of plug or hardwire is not a factor other than complying with code. A plug charger can usually be adapted to hardwire.

Your car has all the smart charging you need. I set my time of use and summer and winter. It was klunky but it works. My electric has a smart meter if I want to see it draw power each night. I have my charger set to 24A so it only draws about 6KWh. Could bump it up but no great need for my 60 mile a day commute.
My guess is almost every Bolt owner can survive at 24A setting 240VAC.

The only issue may be forward looking. Say you want to buy a pickup truck that gets half the e-mpg so maybe greater evse potential.

 

[ArizonaJon]

As MitchBolt said "Smart EVSEs can help you track data about your charging sessions, and some electric utilities will offer a rebate for specific smart EVSEs that allow them to track or even control your charging during peak load events." Check with your power company on rebates. This could make the cost of a smart EVSE less than a dumb EVSE.

 

[redpoint5]

Is there even a price difference between smart and dumb EVSEs?

Emporia's 48 amp smart charger is $400.

Smart Home EV Charger | Non-UL | 48 Amp | 24' Cable | 22

The Emporia EV Charging Station is a Level 2 electric vehicle charger that charges any EV up to 40 amps with NEMA 14-50P or up to 48 amps with hardwired installation. It comes with a 25’ cable with an SAE J1772 connector so it works with all electric cars.

shop.emporiaenergy.com

I've seen EVSEs for as little as maybe $250, but they are also lower power.

 

[BillG49]

I'm getting ready to install a charging station in my garage and I have several questions:
1. What is the maximum amperage the car can take using the supplied level 2 cable if I just install an outlet?

Assuming you are getting/have an EUV, the supplied 240V EVSE only charges at 32 amps. You cannot use it on a circuit less than 40 amps without tripping the breaker. Chevrolet will assist with the installation of a 50 amp circuit, terminated with a 14-50 receptacle. A 14-50 outlet is what you'll need to plug in the supplied EVSE.

 

[Village Idiot]

With my smart EVSE, I am setting it up to do solar PV divert. The solar system publishes its power production and the total house consumption. When there is excess production, the smart EVSE will send that excess to the car rather than out to the grid.

Obviously the car has to be at home during the day. Since I work from home, it will work for me.

 

[atc98092]

There is information available from a "smart" EVSE that the car doesn't have. My JuiceBox shows amperage, power being delivered, voltage (I believe that's the wall voltage feeding it), and the current temp of the EVSE. It also offers historical information, so I can see exactly how much electricity I've used and what it cost. So there are advantages to a connected EVSE. Only you can decide if the cost is worth it.

 

[Dark-Fx]

3. Ultium is a marketing term GM uses for a style of battery pack and it would not require a special charger, not that the Bolt uses Ultium packs. Never heard of Ultium branded chargers.

Now you have.

 

[Plasticman]

1. First off, why? What's your expected usage? Common misconception is that you need the absolute highest capacity possible when that is almost never the case. My wife gets by on a 120 volt outlet at 12 amps.
2. IMHO, most people don't wind up using the additional smart features but if you do compulsive things like keep track of exactly how much gas you've put in at every fill-up, then you might want to get a smart one.
3. Ultium is a marketing term GM uses for a style of battery pack and it would not require a special charger, not that the Bolt uses Ultium packs. Never heard of Ultium branded chargers.

The why is that on most days I only drive about 60 miles. However, occasionally, I have to drive over 200 miles. If I have to do that back to back, I need to be able to bring the battery back up to full overnight with an early start in the morning.

 

[Plasticman]

I also need to be able to only charge during off-peak hours which is 8:00 pm to 6:00 am.

 

[Plasticman]

Great replies. The one thing I will definitely do is put in a circuit with a 60 amp breaker so that I can upgrade to 48 amps later if I choose. I don't think I need a smart charger, but the Emporia that redpoint5 posted looks like a good choice. I would just like to check out its reliability. Finally, has anyone seen anything about potential reverse usage to power the home during a power failure like Ford is touting?

 

[Plasticman]

I just noticed that the charger is not UL rated. The features sound great, though. Maybe they are in the process of getting listed.

 

[ARob]

Great replies. The one thing I will definitely do is put in a circuit with a 60 amp breaker so that I can upgrade to 48 amps later if I choose. I don't think I need a smart charger, but the Emporia that redpoint5 posted looks like a good choice. I would just like to check out its reliability. Finally, has anyone seen anything about potential reverse usage to power the home during a power failure like Ford is touting?

The reverse usage requires an EV that is capable of such, so far GM has not embraced that concept. If GM does, it would be on new Ultium based EVs since no R&D is being done on the Bolt's BEV2 platform any longer.

Make sure you check into what your utility offers. Many utilities provide rebates, sometimes on Smart EVSEs - particularly if they want use reporting for TOU plans, or eventually envision demand-response programs.

I know the temptation is, faster is better. For your "normal" use of 60 miles, the Level 1 120V cord that comes with Bolts would be just about enough. Add an adapter and 240V outlet and you would recover 100+ miles overnight. So, that is the low end solution. For the few times you need 200+ miles, stop at DCFC before returning home, then top off overnight.

32A L2 would fully charge (0-90%) in 8-9 hours. Anything more than that is not necessary but adds a little comfort for the occasional back to back 200 mile days.

EVSE prices tend to start low for low powered, and rise as the power level rises. So, economic tradeoffs come into play.

 

[msavides]

Great replies. The one thing I will definitely do is put in a circuit with a 60 amp breaker so that I can upgrade to 48 amps later if I choose. I don't think I need a smart charger, but the Emporia that redpoint5 posted looks like a good choice. I would just like to check out its reliability. Finally, has anyone seen anything about potential reverse usage to power the home during a power failure like Ford is touting?

I got a charge point charger. at first I was interested in how much I was spending on electricity. it is nice cause one you select your utility and rate plan it tells you in dollars how much you are spending. I am actually over it now. I don't think I have look at the app in 6 months.

I did not need a L2 charger. the amount I drive I could have got by with the stock charger. However you know know what could happen in your life and there was a few times that I needed to drive almost the max range and still needed it to charge enough by the next morning. for those instances it is nice to have peace of mind that your charger can charge faster.

 

[MisterJJ]

I have to drive over 200 miles.

Doing that back-to-back is pretty unusual, but does create a need for a high power EVSE. Unless that is very infrequent and just stopping at a DCFC would be acceptable.

But now you may have another issue. Where are located? Any temperature extremes? Major elevation changes over the 200 miles? You may have range issues unless you can stop at a DCFC.

 

[BillG49]

Great replies. The one thing I will definitely do is put in a circuit with a 60 amp breaker so that I can upgrade to 48 amps later if I choose. I don't think I need a smart charger, but the Emporia that redpoint5 posted looks like a good choice. I would just like to check out its reliability. Finally, has anyone seen anything about potential reverse usage to power the home during a power failure like Ford is touting?

Again, if you have or are getting an EUV, the EVSE that comes with the car will charge at 240V & 32 amps without needing to purchase anything else. A 60 amp circuit will work fine, but be limited to 32 amps by the EVSE. Still, that's 25-30 miles of highway range added for every hour of charging. Purchasing a 48 amp EVSE will get you a 50% increase, but you should try it with the included EVSE before spending any more money. I doubt you'll need it.

 

[jefro]

Plug in your numbers here. Electric car charging cost and time calculator