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Dumb Adjustable EVSE?

2527 Views 42 Replies 16 Participants Last post by jmcbrew, 2 mo ago

hallumd

Discussion Starter · 2 mo ago

I'm interested in getting an adjustable EVSE, but I don't want it to rely on WiFi or pair with my phone. I'm looking for something on which I can adjust the amperage just by pressing buttons on the unit. I've found a couple on Amazon (linked below), but I'm suspicious of the build quality. Does anyone have any recommendations for a dumb adjustable EVSE from a trusted manufacturer? Or are my fears unfounded about the ones I've found?

Two sussies that I've found so far:

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: MAX GREEN Speeder Level 2 EV Charger, Adjustable Current (10A/16A/20A/24A/32A) Portable EVSE, 240V 25ft NEMA 14-50 Electric Vehicle Charging Station : Automotive

Amazon.com: MAX GREEN Speeder Level 2 EV Charger, Adjustable Current (10A/16A/20A/24A/32A) Portable EVSE, 240V 25ft NEMA 14-50 Electric Vehicle Charging Station : Automotive

www.amazon.com

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: SHOCKFLO Level 2 EV Charger (32Amp, 240V, NEMA 14-50P), Wall-mounted EVSE SAE J1772 EV, Portable Outdoor Electric Vehicle Charger with Adjustable Current/Timing Delay, Plug-in Home EV Charging Station : Automotive

Buy SHOCKFLO Level 2 EV Charger (32Amp, 240V, NEMA 14-50P), Wall-mounted EVSE SAE J1772 EV, Portable Outdoor Electric Vehicle Charger with Adjustable Current/Timing Delay, Plug-in Home EV Charging Station: Charging Stations - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

21 - 40 of 43 Posts

Leather Bear

· #21 · 2 mo ago (Edited)

MDVS said:
I've had this keruda charger for 3 months mounted outside in the rain and snow. No issues and it has a 25 foot cord https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0B1ZTHHPP?psc=1&ref=ppx_pop_mob_b_asin_title

Last summer (after having an electrician install a separate breaker box and 2 NEMA 14-50 outlets in our garage specifically for EV use), I bought 2 of the Keruida (aka ZenCar) 10A-32A adjustable 240v EVSEs (one for my Bolt, one for the husband's Prius Prime). At the time of purchase (IIRC) the Amazon listing mentioned that this EVSE was either UL certified or UL compliant (or similar wording), but any UL mention has apparently been edited out of the current Amazon listing (https://www.amazon.com/Keruida-Portable-Charging-Adjustable-Currents/dp/B09MHTJ67L?ref_=ast_sto_dp). We've been using them for about 8 months (32A setting for the Bolt and 16A for the Prius) with no issues other than the J1772 plug for both is a bit of a tight fit on the Prius (not an issue with the Bolt). I do like that this particular EVSE includes a wall mount for the main housing, a dock for the J1772 plug when not in use, and a hook for storing the 25ft of included charger cable. Long term durability is still unknown, but they do come with a 2-year warranty.

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hallumd

Discussion Starter · #22 · 2 mo ago

jmcbrew said:
Be aware that there are two different style of NEMA 14-50 to NEMA 5-15 adapters -- one passes hot and neutral to the two blades of the 5-15 receptacle, and the other passes hot and hot to the two blades.

Ah, that makes perfect sense. Thank you. So, is there a way to tell which style you're purchasing before it arrives in the mailbox? I'm pretty comfortable using a volt meter to figure it out after it arrived, but it would be nicer to have a clue when placing the order.

hallumd

Discussion Starter · #23 · 2 mo ago

Thank you, everyone who has replied! I'm satisfied that there's no reason to charge at lower than 32 amps for the sake of battery longevity. So I withdraw all my other questions. I'll just stick with the OEM dual charge cord, without any hacks. Thanks again!

Reactions: 1

ProfessorBolta

· #24 · 2 mo ago

hallumd said:
charging causes damage at any rate,

In my many years on this planet I was always careful about taking care of my stuff … recently I’ve come to realize I didn’t need to be so fussy, nothing more than basic maintenance is fine. Life is too short, and changeable, for it to matter. Put differently it never ended up mattering, the object in question became obsolete, or I became tired of it, or I didn’t need it anymore or for a bunch of other reasons my care didn’t matter.

Reminds me of an older guy I knew whose garage was filled top to bottom with the boxes that everything he bought ever came in. Which was all obsolete junk by the time I saw him - not even collectable on eBay, so the obsessive box saving was pointless. I digress …

dyoung41

· #25 · 2 mo ago

I've been using the www.openevse.com for the last few years with my bolt because it is super flexible and I like open source stuff with replacement parts available. It's wifi connected but I've never connected to it; I just use the menu button to set my charge current.
They say it's designed to UL safety standards, but that's different than having a 3rd party lab test and certify UL so it's a question of how much trust you have in them and the community.

Reactions: 1

hallumd

Discussion Starter · #26 · 2 mo ago

dyoung41 said:
I've been using the www.openevse.com for the last few years with my bolt because it is super flexible and I like open source stuff with replacement parts available. It's wifi connected but I've never connected to it; I just use the menu button to set my charge current.
They say it's designed to UL safety standards, but that's different than having a 3rd party lab test and certify UL so it's a question of how much trust you have in them and the community.

Oooh, now that looks interesting...

jmcbrew

· #27 · 2 mo ago

hallumd said:
Ah, that makes perfect sense. Thank you. So, is there a way to tell which style you're purchasing before it arrives in the mailbox? I'm pretty comfortable using a volt meter to figure it out after it arrived, but it would be nicer to have a clue when placing the order.

Usually it is obvious from the description. If it is sold as an RV adapter, it’s probably not what you want. If it is sold as an EV adapter, you’re probably good to go. Personally, I own and like this one:

ONETAK 14-40 adapter

It is compact, well made, passes 240V, and allows you to plug in a NEMA 5-15, 5-20, 6-15, or 6-20.

Anyone who is up in arms about an adapter that provides 240V to a 5-15 outlet should be picketing outside of any store that sells travel adapters. These have been available and legal for decades. They do the same thing. They work because most of the things we plug into a 120V outlet on a daily basis (phone, tablet, computer, etc) work on anything from 100 to 250 volts. Obviously, check the product specs before doing this… but the adapter I posted a link to should work fine for charging your phone.

Reactions: 2

McBoltFace

· #28 · 2 mo ago

dyoung41 said:
I've been using the www.openevse.com for the last few years with my bolt because it is super flexible and I like open source stuff with replacement parts available. It's wifi connected but I've never connected to it; I just use the menu button to set my charge current.
They say it's designed to UL safety standards, but that's different than having a 3rd party lab test and certify UL so it's a question of how much trust you have in them and the community.

Same here but I did connect the wifi, just never use it because the first version was buggy and has password length limitations. And yep current adjustable via physical button on case.

But my model is a few years old. The newer models have changed the button to an "optional touch button" and say "current adjustable via wifi" so it's not clear if newer models support OP's requirement. Might want to shoot them an email to confirm.

usedBolt

· #29 · 2 mo ago

GregBrew said:
Use the 120V plug cable that came with the Dual Voltage OEM EVSE, and plug it into an adapter to a 240V type plug. You can get 240V at 12A, using the Dual Voltage OEM EVSE this way.

The OEM Dual Voltage EVSE will advertise a 12A capability to the vehicle (because of the 120V cable), while passing 240V to it (because of the adapter). You'll get 2.9kW (12A x 240V) out of it, which will work great in any 240V circuit capable of at least 15A.

You can still use the Dual Voltage EVSE to it's full L2 capability (7.7kW), by using its 240V cable.

Note that if you get a LT the dual-voltage EVSE is optional/extra cost.

I've been happy with my completely dumb (what's a wifi?) EVSE from Powercharge. No glitches in 3 years, at least. Solid construction. 16/24/32A selectable but defaults to 32. The plug on the car end feels a little flimsy, and it's only a 18' cord for the dumb version, but it just works, and I haven't managed to break the plug yet (as a card-carrying Klutz that's saying something).

As for changing charging rate, it has to be opened and a DIP switch set to change output current, not external buttons. I don't know of any that use external buttons; otherwise, you would need something smart that you can adjust using an app. But, in practice there's little need for anything but 32A (the default for the Powercharge). The setting is internal because it would be changed, if needed, only at installation time to work with lower-rated circuits than 40A. Special cases, yes, you might want something fancier. I've considered changing to 16A to better match my low-end solar array (peak 3.5kw), for instance, but really it's not worth it as long as I still have net metering.

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jefro

· #30 · 2 mo ago

I've seen some evse's for sale that one can change rate via a front menu. Not sure I have any reason to adjust it above or below 24A. It works for me on 2-4 hours each night.

hndyman

· #31 · 2 mo ago

hallumd said:
I'm interested in getting an adjustable EVSE, but I don't want it to rely on WiFi or pair with my phone. I'm looking for something on which I can adjust the amperage just by pressing buttons on the unit. I've found a couple on Amazon (linked below), but I'm suspicious of the build quality. Does anyone have any recommendations for a dumb adjustable EVSE from a trusted manufacturer? Or are my fears unfounded about the ones I've found?

Two sussies that I've found so far:

Amazon.com: MAX GREEN Speeder Level 2 EV Charger, Adjustable Current (10A/16A/20A/24A/32A) Portable EVSE, 240V 25ft NEMA 14-50 Electric Vehicle Charging Station : Automotive

Amazon.com: MAX GREEN Speeder Level 2 EV Charger, Adjustable Current (10A/16A/20A/24A/32A) Portable EVSE, 240V 25ft NEMA 14-50 Electric Vehicle Charging Station : Automotive

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: SHOCKFLO Level 2 EV Charger (32Amp, 240V, NEMA 14-50P), Wall-mounted EVSE SAE J1772 EV, Portable Outdoor Electric Vehicle Charger with Adjustable Current/Timing Delay, Plug-in Home EV Charging Station : Automotive

Buy SHOCKFLO Level 2 EV Charger (32Amp, 240V, NEMA 14-50P), Wall-mounted EVSE SAE J1772 EV, Portable Outdoor Electric Vehicle Charger with Adjustable Current/Timing Delay, Plug-in Home EV Charging Station: Charging Stations - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

hallumd said:
I'm interested in getting an adjustable EVSE, but I don't want it to rely on WiFi or pair with my phone. I'm looking for something on which I can adjust the amperage just by pressing buttons on the unit. I've found a couple on Amazon (linked below), but I'm suspicious of the build quality. Does anyone have any recommendations for a dumb adjustable EVSE from a trusted manufacturer? Or are my fears unfounded about the ones I've found?

Two sussies that I've found so far:

Amazon.com: MAX GREEN Speeder Level 2 EV Charger, Adjustable Current (10A/16A/20A/24A/32A) Portable EVSE, 240V 25ft NEMA 14-50 Electric Vehicle Charging Station : Automotive

Amazon.com: MAX GREEN Speeder Level 2 EV Charger, Adjustable Current (10A/16A/20A/24A/32A) Portable EVSE, 240V 25ft NEMA 14-50 Electric Vehicle Charging Station : Automotive

www.amazon.com

Amazon.com: SHOCKFLO Level 2 EV Charger (32Amp, 240V, NEMA 14-50P), Wall-mounted EVSE SAE J1772 EV, Portable Outdoor Electric Vehicle Charger with Adjustable Current/Timing Delay, Plug-in Home EV Charging Station : Automotive

Buy SHOCKFLO Level 2 EV Charger (32Amp, 240V, NEMA 14-50P), Wall-mounted EVSE SAE J1772 EV, Portable Outdoor Electric Vehicle Charger with Adjustable Current/Timing Delay, Plug-in Home EV Charging Station: Charging Stations - Amazon.com ✓ FREE DELIVERY possible on eligible purchases

www.amazon.com

I'm looking for exactly the same thing. Don't won't to and can't depend on WiFi and Bluetooth. Also it needs to have a good IP rating as the L2 outlet is outdoors. I've seen at least one owner on this site that has a Vevor. Looked at the Grizzle-e, quality build perhaps, but it's 2023, who want's to open a box and flip dip switches. The last time I touched a dip switch was 30 years ago. The ShockFlo looks good on paper and (supposedly) has an IP67 rating that should be more than good for outdoor use. The price appears to be in a range suggesting it could be a quality product. So far I've only seen one review of the ShockFlo on Amazon that appears to be from an actual EV owner that has used it. The other reviews are from paid reviewers and don't provide details of actual use. So whatever route you go please post your experience after you've had it for a few weeks.

jmcbrew

· #32 · 2 mo ago

hndyman said:
I'm looking for exactly the same thing. Don't won't to and can't depend on WiFi and Bluetooth. Also it needs to have a good IP rating as the L2 outlet is outdoors.

Clipper Creek probably had the best reputation around. They are one of the most popular for public L2 charging.

jmcbrew

· #33 · 2 mo ago

hndyman said:
who want's to open a box and flip dip switches. The last time I touched a dip switch was 30 years ago.

This is something you would only do once, and that’s only if you need to lower the amperage. The only thing easier than that would be WiFi.

Reactions: 3

jreddington

· #34 · 2 mo ago

jmcbrew said:
This is something you would only do once, and that’s only if you need to lower the amperage. The only thing easier than that would be WiFi.

And if you need to lower the charge amperage because of supply circuit limitations, dip switches make it harder to accidentally change the setting.

Reactions: 2

hndyman

· #35 · 2 mo ago

The Bolt will be on a 30A circuit that is fed by a generator when we have a power outage (it happens from time to time). So the max current I will be using will be 24A. During a power outage I will want drop the maximum current quickly as the Bolt will be sharing the generator fed circuit with higher priority equipment (well pump, hot water heater, etc.). I guess I could just unplug and switch to L1, but I would much prefer just pressing a button. The idea of having to open a box and flip a dip switch during a rain or snow storm is appalling. I would also like a charger that could handle 32 or maybe even 40A if we upgrade the generator someday. The L2 port is too far from the house to have reliable WiFi or Bluetooth and I wouldn't want to depend on that anyway.

hndyman

· #36 · 2 mo ago

jmcbrew said:
Clipper Creek probably had the best reputation around. They are one of the most popular for public L2 charging.

Clipper Creek certainly seems like it would be reliable but I couldn't tell from their website if any of the chargers have adjustable current. I should add that my Bolt is on order and is not even scheduled for production so I will have plenty of time to pick the best option. I'm not looking for a cheap alternative.

jmcbrew

· #37 · 2 mo ago

hndyman said:
Clipper Creek certainly seems like it would be reliable but I couldn't tell from their website if any of the chargers have adjustable current. I should add that my Bolt is on order and is not even scheduled for production so I will have plenty of time to pick the best option. I'm not looking for a cheap alternative.

Nope. Not adjustable. Now I see why you don’t want to deal with dip switches. I have a number of chargers that would fit your needs. I review brand new units and then sell them off cheap when I am done. Let me know if you are interested.

jmcbrew

· #38 · 2 mo ago

This Max Green 40 amp unit has push-button amperage adjustment. You can connect with a smartphone, but you don’t need to. It’s a pretty nice unit… UL listed, which is an always nice. I’ll have it up soon for $200 +shipping.
Max Green 40 amp EVSE on Amazon

jefro

· #39 · 2 mo ago

Online stores may have customer returns that may save some money. You may have to look everyday for a specific item.

usedBolt

· #40 · 2 mo ago

jmcbrew said:
Nope. Not adjustable. Now I see why you don’t want to deal with dip switches. I have a number of chargers that would fit your needs. I review brand new units and then sell them off cheap when I am done. Let me know if you are interested.

Yeah, now that the reason is clear, outside-the-box adjustment is needed. DIP switch is for use when installing, or otherwise rarely when overall circumstances change. Though if it's a case of cut it when the power drops, it might be better to wire it with a simple cutoff switch inside the garage, or something else that drops it off the critical load circuit powered by the generator. Either that, or one of the wifi/control it with an app boxes might be better so it can be adjusted quickly without going outside at all.

21 - 40 of 43 Posts