New RAV4 Owner w/questions

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Joined
Apr 30, 2018
Messages
10
Hey, everyone. I'm on Day 3 as an EV owner. I live in Arizona and bought my RAV4 EV in California. It turns out that the charging cord that came with it isn't so useful. An electrician who was working on my house said it looks like the plug has been replaced and shouldn't be used with a 110-V outlet. Is there any sort adapter I could get to make this work so I can plug it into a regular wall outlet (see photo below)? It would be kind of handy at work.

I'm looking for an EVSE for my house, and I've seen some good threads here about that. Thanks for the help!

EDIT: One other question: The best place to run a new line for ESVE is on the side of my house, which is close to the electrical panel. But it's also exposed to what little rain we get here. Any problems with that if I want to do a plug-in station instead of hard wired?

IMG_20180508_190256762-e1526053790188.jpg
 
You don't show the plug, but that's NOT the original L1 EVSE that the car comes with, which DOES plug into a regular outlet. He's right that this one shouldn't be used with a regular 120v plug, it's L2 (208/240v only). Somebody probably paid $200-300 for that one. It looks like it needs a 20a 240v circuit and charges at 16a. It could be used as your at home EVSE, but it's a little undersized for the RAV.

If you really don't want that one, I bet you could work a swap either here on or more likely on the LEAF forum with someone who wants a portable L2 and is willing to give up their L1. It might also prove fruitful to contact the original owner (if it was a private sale) to see if he still has the OEM one and would be willing to send it to you.
 
Dave, thanks for the advice. I got it from a dealership, and three people previously leased it. I'll snap a photo of the plug and post it just in case that reveals anything else. It's definitely helpful to know that I can plug it into some of the wall sockets on PlugShare.
 
And here's a plug of that photo. I'm a little iffy on the electrician about whether it's the original plug - not many of them know EVs that well.

img_20180511_141316264938737673-e1526073796889.jpg
 
That plug is definitely not going to work with that EVSE. It's a 120V plug and 240V EVSE. It is easy to disassemble the plug and put the correct one. However, that begs the question of whether you have a 240V outlet to plug into.

This is the correct plug
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Legrand-Pass-and-Seymour-20-Amp-250-Volt-Plug-PS5466XCCV4/202664478

and this is the correct outlet.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/Leviton-20-Amp-Commercial-Grade-Double-Pole-Single-Outlet-White-R52-05821-0WS/100356999

This is a good cover so that the plug is not exposed to the elements while in use.
https://www.homedepot.com/p/1-Gang-Horizontal-or-Vertical-Weatherproof-Jumbo-Extra-Duty-While-in-Use-Cover-MM720CB/204208080
 
It looks like it's this EVSE:


http://chargers4evs.com/store/p1/New_Maxx-16_Electric_Vehicle_Charger_%28220V-240V%29_with_nema_6-20_plug_-_28_ft_long_-_Level_2_-_16_amp_Electric_Car_Charger_-_J1772_-_EVSE.html

s163466635482521176_p1_i14_w640.jpeg


It should have had a 6-20 plug on it, but someone has put a regular 5-15 plug on it. Your guess is as good as mine whether it works that way. It's not impossible, but I wouldn't try it.
 
miimura said:
That plug is definitely not going to work with that EVSE. It's a 120V plug and 240V EVSE. It is easy to disassemble the plug and put the correct one. ...
If you've got an unused 30a dryer plug in your garage you could also put a matching plug on this EVSE and use that outlet.
 
Either way it will not hurt the vehicle. I bet it works fine on 120 volts. Keep an eye on it the first hour for excessive heat.
 
wanderingjustin said:
Hey, everyone. I'm on Day 3 as an EV owner. I live in Arizona and bought my RAV4 EV in California. It turns out that the charging cord that came with it isn't so useful. An electrician who was working on my house said it looks like the plug has been replaced and shouldn't be used with a 110-V outlet. Is there any sort adapter I could get to make this work so I can plug it into a regular wall outlet (see photo below)? It would be kind of handy at work.

I'm looking for an EVSE for my house, and I've seen some good threads here about that. Thanks for the help!

EDIT: One other question: The best place to run a new line for ESVE is on the side of my house, which is close to the electrical panel. But it's also exposed to what little rain we get here. Any problems with that if I want to do a plug-in station instead of hard wired?


Should work on both 120 & 208/240 volt at 16 amps.
Look at this setup at amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Maxx-16-VOLTAGE-Portable-Electric-120V-240V/dp/B079C71RWF

71td5z9PReL._SL1500_.jpg
 
fromport said:
wanderingjustin said:
Hey, everyone. I'm on Day 3 as an EV owner. I live in Arizona and bought my RAV4 EV in California. It turns out that the charging cord that came with it isn't so useful. An electrician who was working on my house said it looks like the plug has been replaced and shouldn't be used with a 110-V outlet. Is there any sort adapter I could get to make this work so I can plug it into a regular wall outlet (see photo below)? It would be kind of handy at work.

I'm looking for an EVSE for my house, and I've seen some good threads here about that. Thanks for the help!

EDIT: One other question: The best place to run a new line for ESVE is on the side of my house, which is close to the electrical panel. But it's also exposed to what little rain we get here. Any problems with that if I want to do a plug-in station instead of hard wired?
Should work on both 120 & 208/240 volt at 16 amps.
Look at this setup at amazon:

https://www.amazon.com/Maxx-16-VOLTAGE-Portable-Electric-120V-240V/dp/B079C71RWF
It looks like you're right. However, it also looks like there are no manual controls to adjust the amperage, so it will overload a 120V 15 amp circuit by pulling 16 amps. If it does not automatically drop to 12 amps on 120V, that is not safe. They should provide a NEMA 5-20 adapter, not a NEMA 5-15.
 
miimura said:
It looks like you're right. However, it also looks like there are no manual controls to adjust the amperage, so it will overload a 120V 15 amp circuit by pulling 16 amps. If it does not automatically drop to 12 amps on 120V, that is not safe. They should provide a NEMA 5-20 adapter, not a NEMA 5-15.

I tried to find a manual but I can't seem to find it anywhere.
It seems this unit is also sold as "duoside" evse:
https://duosidaevchargers.com/
Over there it also mentions it can use a 5-15 for L1 charging and 16 amps (20 amp rated plug) for L2 charging.
But it doesn't mention anywhere that it switches current depending on voltage detection.
 
fromport said:
miimura said:
It looks like you're right. However, it also looks like there are no manual controls to adjust the amperage, so it will overload a 120V 15 amp circuit by pulling 16 amps. If it does not automatically drop to 12 amps on 120V, that is not safe. They should provide a NEMA 5-20 adapter, not a NEMA 5-15.

I tried to find a manual but I can't seem to find it anywhere.
It seems this unit is also sold as "duoside" evse:
https://duosidaevchargers.com/
Over there it also mentions it can use a 5-15 for L1 charging and 16 amps (20 amp rated plug) for L2 charging.
But it doesn't mention anywhere that it switches current depending on voltage detection.

It does say it automatically detects "110v" and then uses a 5-15 plug. It probably* does change the pilot to 12a or so, but it would be nice if they documented that. The Duosida is pretty popular on the LEAF forum. I'd ask over there.

Edit: *As confirmed by Tony Williams below, it does NOT adjust the pilot, and the RAV will try to pull 16a @120v with this EVSE.
 
We sell this charge cable for $199 under the brand name Go-Cable™. We offer 12 adaptors to plug into almost anything (see below). The plug that comes with our cable is a locking L6-20P.

It operates at all voltages, 100 to 264 volts.

It is ONLY 16 amps, however some cars (all GM vehicles) will automatically adjust amperage from 16 to either 8 or 12 amps on 100-135 volts.

The 2012-2014 Toyota RAV4 will limit 100-135 volt charging to 20 amps, and consume 40 amps at 200-264 volts.

https://shop.quickchargepower.com/Go-Cable-Tri-Voltage-120-208-240-low-cost-portable-charging-GC20.htm

Just Plug-N-Charge™ adaptors are available for:

1) Adaptor "A" for RV parks, new clothes dryers, stoves and ovens (NEMA 14-60, 14-50, 14-30, 14-20)

2) Adaptor "B" for welders and industrial (NEMA 6-50)

3) Adaptor "C" for older electric clothes dryers (NEMA 10-30)

4) Adaptor "D" for RV parks with "30 amp" service" (TT-30)

5) Adaptor "E" for 30 amp light industrial (NEMA 6-30)

6) Adaptor "F" for 30 amp locking plug (NEMA L6-30)

7) Adaptor "G" for 30 amp Generators with Pure Sine Wave (NEMA L14-30)

8) Adaptor "H" for 20 amp Generators with Pure Sine Wave (NEMA L14-20)

9) Adaptor "J" for Air Conditioners 240 volt / 20 amp (NEMA 6-20)

10) ***Adaptor "K" for Air Conditioners 240 volt / 15 amp (NEMA 6-15)

11) Adaptor "L" for commercial 120 volt / 20 amp (NEMA 5-20)

12) ***Adaptor "M" for household 120 volt / 15 amp (NEMA 5-15)



***NOTE: any 15 amp circuit, like a NEMA 6-15 or 5-15, is NOT recommended for use with Go-Cable, as the 16 amp load can overload the 15 amp electrical circuit by one amp. But, in a tough situation, it may be desirable to be able to try.

An exception can be made for General Motors cars, like the Chevrolet Volt, Spark EV or Bolt EV when operating on 120 volts, which will automatically reduce power to 8 or 12 amps. There may be other cars that also restrict amps while using 120 volts, however, most other cars DO NOT automatically do this.
 
wanderingjustin said:
The best place to run a new line for ESVE is on the side of my house, which is close to the electrical panel. But it's also exposed to what little rain we get here. Any problems with that if I want to do a plug-in station instead of hard wired?

I park my RAV4EV outside in front of the right-most garage bay, and have my OpenEVSE with 24' J1772 cord plugged in to an exterior-mounted outdoor receptacle. That model comes with a short 14-50P pigtail, so it can be hardwired or configured to plug in to a receptacle. Because my garages are unfinished inside (ie no interior wallboard), and my breaker panels are all on that same wall on the right, it was a snap for me to add a 50A 240v breaker and run ~25' of 4C 6ga wire to the new 14-50R receptacle.

[A couple of years ago we had a master bath remodel, and I specified that a subpanel be installed to accommodate future expansion, and to move my milling machine off the main panel; the 1996-era panel was maxed-out in terms of space for more breakers, due in part to an after-built A/C installation. Not everybody's panel will have room for an add'l 50A dual breaker. I recommend against the half-size form factor "peanut" breakers.]

This EVSE and receptacle are under a pretty large eave, but we do get a lot of rain here in the Seattle area, and this setup is never wet in the morning when I disconnect, except during windstorms with rain. I did have to prune that tree a bit, to be able to get around the corner easily without dumping a bunch of water off the leaves onto me every morning ;)

I bought a Talon LGP1S outdoor receptacle, about $40. It's well-made, apparently in Georgia. There are good user-supplied pictures in the reviews at the Ama-zon link. It's designed for RV campgrounds, gensets, etc. so it's OK for exposed-to-weather, though my situation keeps it fairly well protected.

Four-conductor 6 gauge wire isn't cheap. I had purchased 100' of it to install a second range in the mudroom/garage 1st bay a few years back (in lieu of remodeling the kitchen for a double-oven, installing a second range in the garage for holidays was the compromise), so I had enough wire left over from that project, but unless you can buy wire by the foot, budget close to $200 for 100' coil of it.

I added a $30 Costco-sourced (Sunforce) solar LED motion-detecting light under the eave a few months ago, because it's very dark in winter when I leave for work at 0530, and the black J1772 connector and black holster make mating them for storage a PITA. The light really helps, and turns itself off after I leave. Unfortunately, this class of solar/motion detector lighting has a really bad reputation for longevity, reliability. I bought three of these, and none of them have a functional timer: they work only in "test mode", which is around seven seconds ON time. Works OK for my situation, but I returned the other two after I tested them. Lots of complaints from folks online about that problem and this model. All this consumer-class lighting from China is a crap-shoot, IMO.



If you see pictures above this, they are clickable for larger versions.

[I see that I've configured my OpenEVSE to 42A, though technically it should be set to 40A (40A x 1.25 safety margin = 50A breaker). I suppose I should reconfigure it.]

If I were to do it again, I would probably look hard at a JuiceBox EVSE, as it seems to have more features, but honestly I don't need 'em. After a quick configure, the OpenEVSE has "just worked" for nine months, and I like that in a product. I haven't even set up its WiFi, because I don't really need it.
 
OpenEVSE is just that open. I only want a timer so I disable most features.I use an external Volt, Amp, Power meter on the units I build. If you are into wifi Chris Howell runs a GUI site. Me I asm a simple person and I could care less about a smart phone app. I just want a reliable EVSE.

https://store.openevse.com/
 
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