Jesla or Leviton EVB40-PST

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ppartekim

Member
Joined
Sep 13, 2014
Messages
15
Location
Heart of Silicon Valley
As a proud new owner of a Rav4 EV (thanks Dianne). Which should I get first, a Leviton EVB40-PST or a Jesla? Both cost the same and need to plug into the same outlet. Seems to me the Jesla would be better since it is portable but, I may be missing something.

Any advice for this new owner...
 
CONGRATS and welcome to the forum!

As a matter of fact, you have one other option . . . buy USED! And it just so happens I have a Leviton EVB32-5ML for sale ($700 or best offer). It will more than meet your 240V Level 2 charging needs very well even though the output rating is 32A max. I have used it to charge my 2012 VOLT as well "as is". At 3.3kW it consistently fully recharges my VOLT in less 4 hours. It takes about 4 to 5 hours to recharge my 2012 RAV4 EV at 7.7kW.

Although more costly, the JESLA would be the best choice for an almost exclusively used portable unit. However, to a certain extent ALL "plug-in" EVSEs are actually quite portable as well, including my Leviton for sale. Some are just bulkier in size, but that comes with the territory because the input and output cables required by all makes and models add greatly to the overall weight and bulkiness. Still, there is nothing that says any "plug-in" EVSE can not be hauled around in the back of a RAV4 EV or any other EV for that matter.

The Leviton EVB series mounts on the wall in a fixed bracket and plugs in to a wall receptable, so it is easily removable whenever the need arises to take with you in the car.

I have posted more details about it here . . . http://www.myrav4ev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1284
 
Unless you have at least one place besides home that you plan to use and need a portable, get the wall mounted box for home.
If you do have specific places to use the portable Jesla then by all means get it.
JMHO
 
smkettner said:
Unless you have at least one place besides home that you plan to use and need a portable, get the wall mounted box for home.
If you do have specific places to use the portable Jesla then by all means get it.
JMHO
Exactly what I was going to say.
 
smkettner said:
Unless you have at least one place besides home that you plan to use and need a portable, get the wall mounted box for home.
If you do have specific places to use the portable Jesla then by all means get it.
JMHO

How about the opposite thought, a portable for when there are places to use it besides home?
 
Buy a portable one. That way you can use it anywhere. I have one at home and a portable one.

If your not comfortable building one yourself I can build an OpenEVSE for you. Or you can buy this one that is ready to go.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/110-220-Volt-50-Amp-OpenEVSE-Portable-EV-Charger-One-EVSE-for-any-situation-/161395725014?pt=Electric_Vehicle_Parts&hash=item2593ef52d6&vxp=mtr
 
ppartekim said:
How about the opposite thought, a portable for when there are places to use it besides home?
Sure and I think this is rare to never for most people.
I actually had the OEM brick upgraded for 120/240 volts for an emergency. I agree it is a bit slow at 12 amps... have yet to need it.
 
The evse that distaned posted only has a 32 amp cord. So even though the internals are rated to 60 amps supposedly, the max it can safely do is 30amps.

Mine is a dual voltage evse that can handle a full 40 amps, with a max of 50 amps. Mine is also weatherproof and has adjustable amperage so you can modify it based on your source.
 
A JuiceBox can be easily "upgraded" (at time of order) for use at 240V, 40A by opting for a corresponding cable rating. As I recall that upgraded cable only costs $20 more. The AC input cable already comes rated for 240V/50A, I still feel the JESLA is a better overall design for mostly portable use. You just have to ask yourself how much money do you want to spend?

Btw, and fwiw, the biggest objection to all these other alternatives (JESLA, OpenEVSE, JuiceBox) is none of them are (yet) UL rated. That's not an issue at all, however, if you want to buy a Leviton. :mrgreen:
 
As everybody outlined quite well:

1) If you're only going to be at home, and never care to use a charge cable anywhere except home, and only drive under about 25 miles per day, just use the 120 volt 12 amp Panasonic unit that comes with the car. Cost $0.

2) If you're only driving 26-40 miles per day, buy the cheapest wall mount that gets the job done, which could be a 16 amp unit.

3) If you're handy, build the OpenEVSE or JuiceBox, as many here have done, including myself. You "might" save a few bucks if your time has no value, or you value the self satisfaction of your own handiwork. Our company, Quick Charge Power LLC, actually sells many of the 32 amp, 40 amp, and 50 amp cables that are used with these home built solutions.

4) If you drive more than 40 miles on any day, then you need a "real" charge station that can pump out 30-40 amps, however all of these are 208-240 volt only. There are lots of those on the market, like the Clipper Creek CS series (available up to 80 amps) or the Leviton (either 30 or 40 amp version)

5) if you want to charge at home at the maximum rate (240 volt * 40 amps), and in addition have the portability to be able to charge at grandma's house, or anywhere you can find power, then JESLA is the obvious solution. It is the only one that handles 100-250 volts, and 12 to 40 amps (the maximum Rav4 EV can pull), all in an eight pound compact package.

My brother just drove his Rav4 EV up to Washington state from San Diego, about 1500 miles, and he found that using his JESLA only at RV parks at 240 volt * 40 amps beat public 208 volt * 30 amp J1772 stations by many hours per charge.


So, there are numerous major advantages of JESLA:

a) truly portable and light weight with a carrying bag

b) automatic amperage adjustment (absolutely no other charge station has this... NONE) depending on which plug is used

c) automatic voltage capability, 100 to 250 volts

d) able to fully charge any Tesla powered vehicle (Rav4 EV, Mercedes B-Class ED, Tesla Model S/X/3 and Roadster) at 40 amps * 250 volts = 10kW

e) charges far quicker than typical public J1772 stations

f) comes with a warranty


JELSA ships with a NEMA 14-50 and NEMA 5-15 plugs. Additionally, you may want to buy the correct plug for your dryer or for motel air conditioners:

................................................VOLTS / AMPS.......kW
NEMA 5-15 .......Standard Outlet.. 120 V / 12 A...... 1.4 kW
NEMA 5-20 ...... Motel air conditioner 120/16A....... 1.9 kW
NEMA 10-30......Older Dryers...... 240 V / 24 A...... 5.8 kW
NEMA 14-30......Newer Dryers..... 240 V / 24 A...... 5.8 kW
NEMA 14-50......RV Parks ........... 240 V / 40 A...... 9.6 kW

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/searchquick-submit.sc?keywords=adapter



********


Rav4 EV, Mercedes B-Class ED or Tesla Model S
Miles Gained per Hour Charging @ 87.5% charger efficiency
70F Ambient temperature - hotter or colder will decrease miles gained

--------------------------------------- 2.7 miles/kWh - 3.4 miles/kWh
------------ Amps/Volts -- Where ------ City Drive ----- 65mph

NEMA 5-15 - 12 / 120 ------- Any ------ 2.8 miles ------ 3.5 miles (North American wall socket)
NEMA 5-20 - 16 / 120 ------ Motels ---- 3.8 miles ------ 4.7 miles (motel air conditioners)
NEMA 10-30- 24 / 240 ------ Home ---- 13.6 miles ----- 17.7 miles (old style dryer outlet)
NEMA 14-30- 24 / 240 ------ Home ---- 13.6 miles ----- 17.7 miles (new style dryer outlet)
J1772 ------- 30 / 208 ------ Public ---- 14.8 miles ----- 18.7 miles (typical public J1772)
J1772 ------- 30 / 240 ------ Home ---- 17.1 miles ----- 21.6 miles (rare 240 volt public J1772)
NEMA 6-50 -- 40 / 240 ------ Home ---- 22.7 miles ----- 28.5 miles (welder outlet)
NEMA 14-50- 40 / 240 ------ Home ---- 22.7 miles ----- 28.5 miles (RV park "50 amp service")


Tony Williams
R&D Manager
Quick Charge Power LLC
TonyWilliams (ahtt) QuickChargePower.com
http://www.QuickChargePower.com
1-844-EVPARTS
1-844-387-2787 office
 
Buy both :)

I have a Leviton EV40B at my house in the mountains *and* a "portable" EVSE (I got the Siemens plug in 240V charger, which i keep in the "trunk" of the Rav4 all the time) with some adapters. The JESLA is probably a better device to use for that as its more portable but i dont think it existed when i bought my Rav4EV 18 months ago), i'd probably buy one of those today.

I mostly use the portable unit to charge from dryer outlets (which are 30Amps) so being able to turn it down was critical to me (I leave mine set for a 24Amp draw normally, which is the most you can draw through a 30A circuit). If i find a rare 40 or 50 amp circuit i turn it up to 30Amps which is easy to do).
 
Tony left out one other "player" in the EVSE market . . . Leviton has a "32A" L2 EVSE available in their EVB32 series. It is not meant to be portable, but it could and can be easily relocated as well as transported in an EV for opportunity charging at a relative or friend's house, or even at an RV Park. A "32A" EVSE is a perfect match for a dedicated circuit protected by a 40A breaker. Per the NEC, you need to derate the load on such a circuit to 80% of 40A , or 32A max. In most cases this means that the wiring needed for such must be 10AWG (or greater).

If you want to hook up a 40A EVSE, the circuit must be rated and protected at 50A (because 80% of 50A is 40A). This requires much bulkier, and more expensive insulated (usually copper) wiring; in most cases 6AWG. 6AWG is really BIG and far less flexible to work with. Most older homes will have just one 50A dedicated circuit pre-wired for their electric range, and probably at least one 30A for an electric drier outlet, and maybe one or two others 40A rated for HVAC systems and water heaters. If you're lucky you may have a spare 40A circuit in your existing breaker box on the side of your house, already pre-wired to a 240V outlet most likely in the garage. If not, the higher the amperage of the outlet receptacle desired, the greater the installation cost of the new wiring from the breaker box, (assuming you have a spare 40 or 50A double pole breaker, or at least room to add one without exceeding the maximum rating of your service entry main power breaker).

The charging time from an EVSE rated to 32A typically would be 4 to 5 hours, and at most 7.5hours (worse case) for an extended charge of a fully depleted battery. Most people schedule their charging between 11am and 7am, when electric rates are lowest. Therefore, you can if you wish, but you certainly don't need to charge any faster than 32A to complete a full recharge by the next morning's scheduled departure time. To charge at higher (than necessary) amperages is potentially more risky, if your existing wiring is old or not completely encased in conduit from the breaker box all the way to the outlet receptacle. The higher the charging rate, the hotter the EVSE will get as well as all the wiring to and from, and as well as putting a higher heat load on the battery that must be cooled by the BMS while charging. More cooling demands from the battery, effectively lowers the efficiency of the onboard charger. In addition, there is more electrical stress and heat dissipation on wiring insulation, the higher the current through the power conductors.

Personally, I would not want to draw 40A "continuously" through any household wiring and into my EV, unless it was newly (and properly) installed per code, using only recently manufactured electrical materials. Most EVs are relatively new, but the infrastructure wiring in A LOT of homes is not!

Again, it has to be emphasized that most of the EVSEs being promoted in this thread are NOT UL approved! That did not stop me from recently buying a JuiceBox, and although it is capable of charging my RAV4 EV at a full 40A, I am using it at 32A, because I live in a fairly old house! :mrgreen:
 
Dsinned said:
Tony left out one other "player" in the EVSE market . . . Leviton has a "32A" L2 EVSE available in their EVB32 series.


Ah, yes, I did...


Yes said:
4) If you drive more than 40 miles on any day, then you need a "real" charge station that can pump out 30-40 amps, however all of these are 208-240 volt only. There are lots of those on the market, like the Clipper Creek CS series (available up to 80 amps) or the Leviton (either 30 or 40 amp version)



Most people schedule their charging between 11am and 7am, when electric rates are lowest.


That works great is that's the case. For the 3 million people on San Diego Gas & Electric, our cheapest rate is the 5 hours from midnight to 5am. That requires 40 amps to get fully charged. If we can't get fully charged in that time, whatever nickels were saved by buying a slower charge station are VERY quickly spent on electricity, and then some!!! Penny wise, pound foolish.

Plus, 40 amp charging is the most efficient. Anything that lengthens the charging time, like slower charge stations, reduces the overall efficiency, which again, costs money. All the battery cooling equipment is fixed overhead loads to efficiency.


To charge at higher (than necessary) amperages is potentially more risky, if your existing wiring is old or not completely encased in conduit from the breaker box all the way to the outlet receptacle. The higher the charging rate, the hotter the EVSE will get as well as all the wiring to and from,


Your argument against 40 amps is blatantly wrong. Even lower charge rates can get hot with faulty equipment... there are probably more simple 120 volt 15 amp circuit fires than any other.

Bad equipment at any rate is unsafe, and a non sequitur.


Again, it has to be emphasized that most of the EVSEs being promoted in this thread are NOT UL approved! That did not stop me from recently buying a JuiceBox, and although it is capable of charging my RAV4 EV at a full 40A, I am using it at 32A, because I live in a fairly old house! :mrgreen:


How do you know 32 amps is safe, if you question your wiring? Why not 20 amps? Or 12 ? No, it doesn't have to be emphasized repeatedly that most EVSE's are not UL listed. Blink was UL listed, but it wasn't safe. There is no requirement for UL.
 
and the EVSE "wars" continue . . . :mrgreen:

Here is yet another rather unusual alternative L2 EVLSE, I just came across on Ebay. It is being sold as "used" ($795), but it must have cost a small fortune when new!

http://www.ebay.com/itm/17133210149...d=111457894508/?ssPageName=ADME:B:WNA:US:3160

It is a "dual" charging EVSE made by a company in Auburn, CA by the name of "Electric Vehicle Infrastucture Inc." I suspect this company may no longer be in business.

Their DCS-55 is not a homemade EVSE, nor open sourced, but a commercialized unit that is fully UL listed (refer to the label in the pictures). It has two output cables, one for a J1772 cable/charge port connector, and another for an Avcon paddle charge port connector. That latter can be removed and replaced with a second J1772 cord & charge port connector, so that TWO modern EVs, (like a Leaf, Volt, Prius etc), can be charged sequentially at up to 50 amp per car, or boths cars charged simultaneously up to 25 amps each, as per the manufacturer's label.

I'm not sure, but potentially this could be useful to "quick" charge a Tesla with dual 10kW chargers, faster than any other J1772 single port EVSE could do, provided the Tesla Model S has an option for dual J1772 charging ports. However, I do not know if such an option actually exists, as I am not familiar with the myriad of Tesla's charging options.
 
Dsinned said:
It is a "dual" charging EVSE made by a company in Auburn, CA by the name of "Electric Vehicle Infrastucture Inc."
EVI became Clipper Creek, hence the similarities in appearance and CS-** model numbering.

This wouldn't be any more useful on a Model S than any other 50A capable EVSE, even if you could get two inlets on a Tesla (you can't), as it'd only supply a combined total of 50A.
 
I've been VERY happy with the Jesla - i especially like that it automatically adjusts to the input voltage/amperage, has a variety of easily available adapter plugs, and is light and easy to keep in the car. The led in the handle makes plugging in and charging at night extremely simple. Now, if we could add the mini display in the rear window so we knew exactly what the voltage and amperage was rather than blinky idiot lights -
 
TonyWilliams said:
b) automatic amperage adjustment (absolutely no other charge station has this... NONE) depending on which plug is used

c) automatic voltage capability, 100 to 250 volts
Tony, please explain how JESLA can do this. By "automatic" are saying there is no operator intervention required, no firmware changes, no switches to set, no cal pots to readjust, etc, that the JESLA simply self-adjusts all by itself? Is this a pre-existing function of JESLA's firmware?

For example, If a JESLA is plugged in to a 230V, 30A NEMA 10-30R outlet (normally used by an old style electric drier), does it automatically current limit to 24A? Or, if you plug it in to a 250V, 50A NEMA 14-50R outlet that only has infrastructure wiring and circuit breaker protection to support 40 amps max, that the JESLA will automatically current limit to 32A? My understanding is the J1772 pilot signal normally tells the connected EVSE how much charging current is allowed, but I am unaware of anything on the AC input side to the EVSE that interprets infrastructure amperage limitations.
 
Dsinned said:
Tony, please explain how JESLA can do this. By "automatic" are saying there is no operator intervention required, no firmware changes, no switches to set, no cal pots to readjust, etc, that the JESLA simply self-adjusts all by itself? Is this a pre-existing function of JESLA's firmware?

For example, If a JESLA is plugged in to a 230V, 30A NEMA 10-30R outlet (normally used by an old style electric drier), does it automatically current limit to 24A?
My guess is how it works:
The (imho) expensive conversion plugs have some kind of (inductive) transmitter that is read by the main plug of the jesla. The chip inside the conversion plug is set to 80% of the rated amps and that is what the jesla switches down to as a maximum pwm on the j1772 signal instructing the car charger not to pull more than the intended amps

How did I do Tony ? ;-)
 
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