evse recommendations?

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I just had an electrician have a look at what it would take to add Level 2, and we did agree putting in wiring for 60A is the way to go for future-proofing. The new wrinkle is the 2017 National Electrical Code (which my state uses) requires GFI on 240V outlets, so I either have to go with hardwired EVSE or find one that is designed to work with GFI.
 
For those of you that already received your cars in the USA, what charging cable did it come with? Is it just for a regular 120V receptacle or did you get a cable that can also do 240V receptacle charging? If it comes with a 240V charging cable, is the correct outlet type a nema 14-50?

Thanks
 
SKnight25 said:
Is it just for a regular 120V receptacle or did you get a cable that can also do 240V receptacle charging? If it comes with a 240V charging cable, is the correct outlet type a nema 14-50?
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It has just a 120 Volt plug. You would have to have an adapter to plug it into a 240-Volt outlet. Nothing on the charging cable or in the manual indicates it works on 240 Volts, but others have said it will. I just took my charging cable out of the boot for the first time (see below).

It took a while for someone in InsideEV's Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid thread to be the guinea pig, but that charging cable proved to work on 240 Volts.

MINI_Cooper_SE_charging_cable.jpg
 
And the big question: Assuming that portable connector is a) capable of 240V use, and b) it is adapted to a wall outlet with 240V and enough amperage, what is its max output? 32 Amps would be enough for the SE, but if connected to a car that could draw more, I wonder what the hardware limitation is on that connector.
 
At one point MINI had an image posted on charging, and was planning to include a 240V "TurboCord" that could handle 3.8kW. It might be this product, which costs as much as a Level 2 EVSE.

mini-cooper-se-charging-2.webp
 
insightman said:
It has just a 120 Volt plug. You would have to have an adapter to plug it into a 240-Volt outlet. Nothing on the charging cable or in the manual indicates it works on 240 Volts, but others have said it will. I just took my charging cable out of the boot for the first time (see below).

It took a while for someone in InsideEV's Honda Clarity Plug-In Hybrid thread to be the guinea pig, but that charging cable proved to work on 240 Volts.

MINI_Cooper_SE_charging_cable.jpg
Click to expand...


Thank you for this info. Is this similar to the mobile charger that comes with a tesla? As in, do you just pop off the power connector end and then add an adaptor for 240V level2 charging?
 
SKnight25 said:
Thank you for this info. Is this similar to the mobile charger that comes with a tesla? As in, do you just pop off the power connector end and then add an adaptor for 240V level2 charging?
Click to expand...
Not like a Tesla charging cable. The plug is molded onto the cord. Here's the label on the bottom and the plug:

MINI_Cooper_SE_charging_cable_label.jpg
MINI_Cooper_SE_charging_cable_plug.jpg
 
I can't believe it never occurred to me to look at the cable. Looks like 120V only, maximum of 10A. So a 240V adapter isn't going to work.

I was disappointed the SE draws a maximum of 15A for Level 1 (1.8kW) instead of 20A. But to see the included charging cable is limited to 10A (1.2kW) is worse, that's not even the maximum rate of the vehicle.

Now I'm going to have to search for a better Level 1 cable. 1.8kW is 50% faster charge than 1.2kW!
 
Puppethead said:
Now I'm going to have to search for a better Level 1 cable. 1.8kW is 50% faster charge than 1.2kW!
Click to expand...

I'm going to put our Clarity Plug-In Hybrid's 12-Amp Level 1 charging cable in our MINI Cooper SE. I'll have to make a 240-Volt adapter for it, even though I don't know when I'd use it. This InsideEVs Clarity forum thread discusses the 240-Volt operation.

To bypass all the early doubters (including me) and get right to @Mowcowbell's report of plugging his Honda Level 1 charging cord into 240 Volts, go here.
 
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Puppethead said:
I can't believe it never occurred to me to look at the cable. Looks like 120V only, maximum of 10A.
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I was curious which cable was included in US cars, so thank you for reporting this.

My garage has a single 15A circuit for the whole thing - the lights and all outlets (including the one the garage door opener is plugged into). My plan is to try Level 1 charging at first, to see if I really need to do Level 2 charging at home. With a 10A max, I can probably get away with the highest setting as long as I do it at night, when I won't be operating the garage door opener.
 
Before my SE arrived I wondered what that sticker was on the inside of the "charging socket lid" (as the Owners Manual calls it). It's a cryptic depiction of what the color of the LED to the left of the charging socket means. The black circle inside the colored circle indicates the LED is flashing. I haven't tried plugging in the charging handle without plugging in the charging cord to an AC outlet, so I haven't observed the LED flashing red. I'll let you guess what each of the pictograms mean (that way I can't be wrong--see page 223 in the Owners Manual for a description of the LED's meanings).

charging_socket_lid_sticker.jpg


It would have been nice to have a second LED that illuminates the charging socket to make it easier to plug in the charging handle at night or in a dark garage. I'm planning to tape a skinny flashlight atop the handle. I wonder if any EVSE manufacturers are thoughtful enough to include a light in their charging handle?
 
insightman said:
Before my SE arrived I wondered what that sticker was on the inside of the "charging socket lid" (as the Owners Manual calls it). It's a cryptic depiction of what the color of the LED to the left of the charging socket means. The black circle inside the colored circle indicates the LED is flashing. I haven't tried plugging in the charging handle without plugging in the charging cord to an AC outlet, so I haven't observed the LED flashing red. I'll let you guess what each of the pictograms mean (that way I can't be wrong--see page 223 in the Owners Manual for a description of the LED's meanings).

charging_socket_lid_sticker.jpg


It would have been nice to have a second LED that illuminates the charging socket to make it easier to plug in the charging handle at night or in a dark garage. I'm planning to tape a skinny flashlight atop the handle. I wonder if any EVSE manufacturers are thoughtful enough to include a light in their charging handle?
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Good idea... Kona EV has a white ring light that welcomes you when you open the charge port door and makes it easier to see.
I had a little fun with it here, as it does change colors depending on the situation:
https://insideevsforum.com/community/index.php?threads/fun-with-the-charge-port-ring-light.9339/
:D
 
MichaelC said:
My garage has a single 15A circuit for the whole thing - the lights and all outlets (including the one the garage door opener is plugged into). My plan is to try Level 1 charging at first, to see if I really need to do Level 2 charging at home. With a 10A max, I can probably get away with the highest setting as long as I do it at night, when I won't be operating the garage door opener.
Click to expand...

10A charging makes sense for a 15A circuit, since you need to stay at 80% maximum. Don't forget there are different charging levels you can set in the SE if you need to draw less power (and slow down charging). Maybe MINI includes a 10A cable because 15A in garages is most common in the US?

My garage is on a 20A circuit (garage opener on a separate circuit), so I can go to the full 15A rate. It looks like MAX GREEN Outdoor-Use EV Charger, Level 1 & Level 2 Portable EVSE Included Five Adapters may be the cable to get to be ready to charge anywhere, but I'm looking for other options for comparison.

I'm still going to install a Level 2 EVSE, but a good general-purpose charge cable like the MAX GREEN will be an ideal travel companion.
 
FYI that I charged my Smart ED and Tesla for one year on a single 15A 120V circuit. This meant swapping charge cables or manually triggering charging or not, but it worked somehow.
The point : 12A on 120V worked fine, including garage door openers and lights. I didn't feel the need to derate to 10A, of course, this is only based on my experience and not a recommendation.
 
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