do any j1772 level 2 chargers plug into 14-50?

[Rifleman]

Does anyone know if there are any j1772 level 2 chargers on the market that plug into a 14-50 outlet? When I still dreamed of owning a Model S, I installed a 14-50 in my garage, and I would like to keep that available for the Gen III car I hope to own in 3 years, but since I will be driving a Volt for the next 36 months, I will need something that is j1772. Are there any level 2 chargers that I can plug directly into my current outlet without needing to re-wire anything?

 

[GSP]

I think SPX makes a portable 240v J1772 EVSE. However I don't know if the plug is 14-50 or not. Here is a list of EVSEs that might help:

Plug In America | We Drive Change

You also could get a low cost wall mount EVSE, and add a 14-50 plug to it. Probably not completely kosher, but it would be a low cost solution. I would probably go ahead and hard wire an EVSE, and save the 14-50 for a second EV in the future.

GSP

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Here is the portable SPX unit. I don't recommend it.

http://www.pluginamerica.org/accessories/spx-power-xpress

The SPX "Voltec" unit, made for the Volt is half the cost and only requires a 20A circuit. It has 15A charging, the max the Volt can accept. I would hard wire this unit, or the Aerovironment 30A unit (40A circuit required).

The 30A J1772 would be good future-proofing for other EVs down the road, and nice for guests. I have been using one of the Aerovironment units at my home for over a year, and it works great with my Volt.

GSP

 

[dhrivnak]

It is actually easy to add a cord and a 14-50 to any unit. I did this with my HPC. It cost about $30 and about 30 minutes.

 

[Rifleman]

It is actually easy to add a cord and a 14-50 to any unit. I did this with my HPC. It cost about $30 and about 30 minutes.

I did not think about doing it that way, that might be the best option.

 

[Sparrow]

Yes, I bought a molded 14-50 range cord from Lowes and installed it in my ClipperCreek CS-40 and have been using it for my Nissan Leaf for about a year now.

 

[epley]

Does anyone know if there are any j1772 level 2 chargers on the market that plug into a 14-50 outlet? When I still dreamed of owning a Model S, I installed a 14-50 in my garage, and I would like to keep that available for the Gen III car I hope to own in 3 years, but since I will be driving a Volt for the next 36 months, I will need something that is j1772. Are there any level 2 chargers that I can plug directly into my current outlet without needing to re-wire anything?

What changed your mind about purchasing the Model S?

 

[Rifleman]

What changed your mind about purchasing the Model S?

The fee for servicing pushed it out of my price range. I was already really stretching the budget to get even a 40 kWh Model S. Since I drive 18,000 miles I year, and live outside of battery range of the closest service center, I would need to pay over $1,000 a year just to keep my warranty from being voided. This made the Model S simply unaffordable to me. Don't get me wrong, the Model S is still my dream car, but I am not going to put my family in financial peril just to buy it. I hope to be able to come back to Tesla when my volt lease is up, and the Gen III is available.

 

[spleen]

Check out EVSEupgrade.com - you would not be able to upgrade your current Volt emergency 120v EVSE but you could get a new one that would be much sturdier and handle 240V with a plug adapter for the 14-50 outlet. I also don't see anything wrong with the SPX portable EVSE as well. I think Leviton also has a plug in version of their EVSE.

 

[TEG]

Keep in mind that the EVSEupgrade unit is limited to ~3.8kW (16A@240V) or ~2.8kW (12A@240V) depending on which option you pick when ordering.
NEMA 14-50 could supply up to ~9.6kW (40A@240V) if you have a higher powered EVSE and a vehicle with a higher powered charger.
The EVSEupgrade unit is "perfect" for the 2011 & 2012 LEAF with 3.3kW charger onboard, but a bit undersized if you wanted it for another vehicle (like Model S, BMW ActiveE, new RAV4EV, or 2013 LEAF with 6.6kW.)
You would be "stuck" charging at the slower rate, but that might be OK if all you wanted was to use it for overnight charging.

 

[Rifleman]

I ended up ordering the SPX Voltec charger. I am going to simply pick up a 14-50 pigtail from home depot, and use it with the outlet I installed for what I hoped would be a Model S. The Voltec is only a 15 amp charger, but that is all the Volt can use anyway. Shipped to my door, it only cost $490. I figure I will use it for the next 36 months, and put the $500 difference between it and a 30 amp charger that may be more useful on my next EV to a second UMC for the Gen III Tesla I am already planning on replacing the Volt with when my lease is up. At that point, I plan on donating the 15 amp charger to a small business or non-profit that will make it publicly accessible. I am actually able to buy up to 4 more of these cheap level 2 chargers. I already tried to convince the landlord for the building I work at to let me buy one for them, but they turned me down since it would not provide a way to bill for power usage (they also specifically forbid me from using any outdoor 120 outlets, cheap bastards).

 

[ChrisC]

Sorry to hear that you bought the SPX. It's widely considered by early Volt owners to be garbage. See the GM-volt.com FAQ I pointed you to in the Volt thread (which is unfortunately bogged down in the usual debates with the underinformed).

 

[Rifleman]

Sorry to hear that you bought the SPX. It's widely considered by early Volt owners to be garbage. See the GM-volt.com FAQ I pointed you to in the Volt thread (which is unfortunately bogged down in the usual debates with the underinformed).

Ehhh, wish I had been able to find the bad reports on it. Oh well, live and learn. Hopefully it will work for me, and I guess it is not like I plan on charging my car with it for the next 15 years.

 

[GSP]

The Voltec 240v EVSE has a built in light on the J1772 plug, just like the 120v unit. This is a feature that I miss after getting my Aerovironment 240v EVSE. And the Voltec is the lowest cost as well. Following ChrisC's link, I found a spec sheet, but no reports, either good or bad.

GSP

 

[WhiteKnight]

Does anyone know if there are any j1772 level 2 chargers on the market that plug into a 14-50 outlet? When I still dreamed of owning a Model S, I installed a 14-50 in my garage, and I would like to keep that available for the Gen III car I hope to own in 3 years, but since I will be driving a Volt for the next 36 months, I will need something that is j1772. Are there any level 2 chargers that I can plug directly into my current outlet without needing to re-wire anything?

I am in the exact same situation.

I see that the Leviton uses a NEMA 6-50 plug but I would much prefer to get a portable Level II "charger" that I could take with me and plug into NEMA 14-50 outlets at RV Campgrounds. The Tesla Mobile Connector will charge the Tesla but I will be driving a Volt for 36 months so I was hoping to find one with an SAE J1772 end on it.

I suppose I could use a wall mount that has a NEMA 14-50 pigtail but then it wouldn't be portable.

Does a portable NEMA 14-50 to SAE J1772 "charger" exist in the wild.

P.S. I know that "charger" is not the right term because the charger actually resides inside the car (at least on the Tesla) so I'm happy to be educated here about the correct term.

 

[doug]

I see that the Leviton uses a NEMA 6-50 plug but I would much prefer to get a portable Level II "charger" that I could take with me and plug into NEMA 14-50 outlets at RV Campgrounds.

I suppose you could get one of these: Amazon.com: Hobart 770674 Adapter Cord: Home Improvement

P.S. I know that "charger" is not the right term because the charger actually resides inside the car (at least on the Tesla) so I'm happy to be educated here about the correct term.

The "correct" term is the clumsy EVSE initialism.

 

[strider]

I am in the exact same situation.

I see that the Leviton uses a NEMA 6-50 plug but I would much prefer to get a portable Level II "charger" that I could take with me and plug into NEMA 14-50 outlets at RV Campgrounds. The Tesla Mobile Connector will charge the Tesla but I will be driving a Volt for 36 months so I was hoping to find one with an SAE J1772 end on it.

Well, you could cut off the 6-50 plug and install a 14-50. Pretty simple and available from Home Depot. Else the adapter cord but that's something else to carry and possibly forget.

 

[joesontesla]

residential
these portable charger can be ordered with 14/50
same opinion than you about maintnance cost to expensive. think of buying a volt too.
these combined with Voltage Converter: 220 Volt from 110 Volt Outlets and somes pigtail can recharge faster on the road with dual 120v output on different breaker in emergency case.

 

[KenEE]

+1 on adding the pigtail to a cheap 240V EVSE. There are how-to pics over at GM-Volt: Chevy Volt Electric Car Site
(or were when I did mine a year or so ago - pigtail from Lowes)

 

[doug]

AeroVironment Plug-In Residential EV Charger (Level 2 Plug-In EVSE-RS: 7.2kW,30A) : Amazon.com : Automotive

 

[Lloyd]

I am ordering an extra Model S umc, and will convert it to J1772. I will document and post as I am able.