Using OEM EVSE with 14-50 adapter on 240 volt circuit.
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That's correct. I've been running mine on 240 since 2017. 12x240 is nearly 3kW. So you almost get a bar an hour. I typically charge when the car hits 7 bars and set the car to stop at 18 bars. So takes about 12 hours to charge with the 12 amps on 240. Plug in before 8:00 PM, and the car will be charged by 8:00AM. Never bothered to get an aftermarket EVSE because the one that came with the car meets my needs just fine.
Looking back over the last year since I bought my Bolt, I would have to agree that I could have gotten by with the stock charger that came with the Bolt. I bought a L2 charger even before the car arrived, not knowing much about charging. However, I like the Bolt so well, I expect one day to have two EVs in the garage. The L2 charger may be more necessary in that case, as I could need to charge two vehicles overnight.
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Exactly what XJ says here also.. getting 2.7 or 2.8ish something like that depending on outlet voltage. I took my electric company rebate and paid for a years worth of electrons with it instead of a fancy looking box on my wall.
Been trying to get the word out on this! Really even 110v I could make that work fine. As most folks could..
Been trying to get the word out on this! Really even 110v I could make that work fine. As most folks could..
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Yes, our utility paid for the Siemens L2, so it's nice to have to precondition on these cold mornings, but we'd have been fine on 110-volt and more than fine with the 220-volt option with the OEM charger.
jack vines
jack vines
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If we did spring for an L2 36 amp evse, on 240 volt circuit, 36 x 240 is 8.6kW, would charge about 3 bars an hour?
Agreed with all of above, we certainly would survive with the oem charger, especially with the 240 volt line we installed in the garage in addition to the existing 120V. (and we hardly ever use/need the 240, though we are definitely considering anothe EV). Mostly thinking of roadtrips for the proposed L2, opening up campgrounds and other plug in options.
The Bolt's on board charger can only utilize 32 amps of AC. So, 32 x 240 will get you about 7.7kW. So closer to 2 1/2 bars an hour.
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I did make an adapter so I can use my Bolt EVSE at 240v, but really only for a backup if my current mounted EVSE dies. (It will give me time to shop for a replacement.)
I do carry my adapter and the Bolt EVSE in the car, but it really would be a last resort. 12A @ 240v is much nicer than 12A at 120v, but it is still not all that fast.
And with the infrastructure improving, I think it's less and less likely I'd need a charge somewhere that only has a 14-50 outlet.
If I were in a situation where I thought I needed to use 14-50s on the road, I'd probably buy a portable EVSE that does 30A.
I do carry my adapter and the Bolt EVSE in the car, but it really would be a last resort. 12A @ 240v is much nicer than 12A at 120v, but it is still not all that fast.
And with the infrastructure improving, I think it's less and less likely I'd need a charge somewhere that only has a 14-50 outlet.
If I were in a situation where I thought I needed to use 14-50s on the road, I'd probably buy a portable EVSE that does 30A.
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Any reason the stock OEM charger cannot be used with an adapter for a 10-50 (electric range) style 240V outlet?
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Not that I can see. It only needs Hot, Hot, and Ground and be rated to handle the amps.
Should be fine.
1. It's not certified to be run with 240V. Your fellow enthusiasts have discovered that the internals can make use of 240V. And it needs a non-standard uncertified adapter.
These are only if you're concerned about insurance and warranties. Many people here are running it just fine for a couple years now.
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Just gonna repeat what everybody else said here.
Difference is the shape of the plug, that's all. Don't worry about any warranty nonsense. Naturally GM and Clipper Creek wanted the same part number and BOM for as much as possible on these chargers. The Ampera got one shape plug, the US got the other. The guts stayed the same. Nice part is you don't have to select 8 or 12 amps any more. It locks on 12.
Only thing to remember is that there's a temperature sensor in the plug head of these chargers, which is to say, it will only detect overheating where the charger plugs in to the adapter, not where the adapter plugs in to the wall. This is less of a concern with some beefcake 220 stove plug and more of a thing with old 110V outdoor outlets that are corroded to **** and full of spider eggs.
My thoughts on the matter of unplugging are thus - Leave the 220 adapter plugged in to the wall so you don't over-cycle it. (and tell your kids not to use it) If you must unplug your EVSE, unplug the 110V outlet at the adapter, so at least if it starts to get janky from overuse, the thermistor will be there to help save you.
Also, I think the Bolt maxes out at 32 amps OR 7.2 kw, whichever comes first.
Mine is just permanently plugged in in my garage, no reason to ever unplug it. I keep a Tesla UMC with various AC plug adapters in the trunk for emergencies, so the OEM EVSE is my everyday charger.
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Undoubtedly the best idea.
Say, did you use a Teslatap on your UMC or did you hack the tesla plug off and put a proper J1227 plug on?
I use a Tesla tap. Not only does it let me use the Tesla UMC, but it also allows me to use other Tesla L2 charging stations, which I've had to do once or twice.
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What do you mean by "overcycle"? I have a 14-50 adapter for my oem Bolt evse that I use occasionally on my 240 volt line but mostly I use without the adapter on the 120 volt outlet. I should leave the adapter plugged into the 240 volt and just unplug the evse from the adapter why?
If you're talking about the OEM EVSE, then yes. If you're talking about some other EVSE, then it depends on how it's built.
The most flexible EVSE is the Tesla UMC (Universal Mobile Connector) - but you also need to buy a Tesla-to-J1772 adapter to use with it.
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Yeah Sean is right - It depends on how the charger itself is built. My gut feeling is that, for offerings currently on the market, the answer is NO 110V to a 220V charger because there are no use cases for 110V in to a non-portable EVSE. Another thing is, especially with the higher amperage chargers, is that the relays in them will have 220V coils, and after a certain power level, they stop calling them relays and start calling them contactors, even though they're really the same kind of thing. All the big Aerovironment and Clipper Creek chargers make that awesome CLUNK because of the big-ass contactor kicking on. The tiny relays, they run at 12V, which they can power from the same power supply that they use for the pilot signal, so that's handy, but when you start getting in to bigger amperages, the 12V coils start to get HUGE because they have miles of windings in them, a bunch of iron, or they're all weird and open frame, etc. For example, Newark, from the thousands of relays that they DO stock, exactly TWO are appropriate 40 Amp DPST relays with a 12V coil. I guess what I'm saying is that, while higher power 12V relays DO exist, they're not that common, and nobody on earth would use one unless they had a REALLY good reason to. Being able to run a big old L2 charger on sad sad 110 once in a while is not a really good reason in most people's books.
I'd suggest building an OpenEVSE using one of those T92P7D12-12 relays. That way, you can sip whatever power you want at whatever amperage your source can handle.
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