Preconditioning Question

E

egor.evseev

New Member
Hey all. New to the forum.

Placed an order on my Clarity here in sunny Ottawa, Canada about a week ago and now waiting on an ETA from the dealer. I'm excited but a question that I'm waaay to impatient to test myself:

1. Will the preconditioning function work when plugged in to a regular 110v outlet? I've heard it wont work at all but I've also heard it will just run off the battery?

This is basically the deciding factor in me shelling out the $$ for a level 2 charger or not.
 
Unfortunately, my house is basically at max capacity on the panel so a level 2 charger would mean upgrading a good chunk of the electrical in the house at a cost of several thousand. While I plan to do this eventually it's just a matter of saving some $ in the short run. Since I do live where it's often unbearably cold the preconditioning is a decently important feature for me. Have you tried it on 120v?
 
Does it work if you use the key fob button instead of the app? That could be an acceptable workaround for him.
 
loomis2 said:
Does it work if you use the key fob button instead of the app? That could be an acceptable workaround for him.
Click to expand...

Good point. I don't really care how I start it - I've only got about a 12km commute so range isn't an issue either. Just wondering if it will refuse to precondition entirely while plugged in to an L1 charger. Would be cool if someone could test it out at 120.
 
I have the US model and have been unable to precondition with either the FOB or App when plugged into 120 (it will do it if you go unplug the 120 and just have it precondition on battery) but that's a pain.... The App just plain won't let you, and the key fob flashes the lights like it started preconditioning, but it never actually turns on.
 
loomis2 said:
I recommend getting a level 2 charger anyway. You will be much happier.
Click to expand...
I second that motion! The Level 2 charger is the best $400 I've spent on a car accessory (well also cost $140 to wire in a 240V/40A plug next to my breaker box). Since I rarely have remaining EV mileage in the teens it recharges easily in 1.5-2.0 hours.
 
You might also check electric utility offers. For example, Georgia Power offers a rebate of up to $250 on the purchase and installation of a level 2 charger. Very cool.


Sent from my iPad using Inside EVs
 
Thanks for letting me know Aaron. Ontario has a $500 rebate on a charger and up to $500 on installation, however, unfortunately, I live in a 100+ year old home which would need a whole host of issues fixed before I can add the plug. Otherwise, it wouldn't pass the inspection. Two different electricians have quoted me over $2000... I think I'll save this project for next winter.
 
egor.evseev said:
Good point. I don't really care how I start it - I've only got about a 12km commute so range isn't an issue either. Just wondering if it will refuse to precondition entirely while plugged in to an L1 charger. Would be cool if someone could test it out at 120.
Click to expand...
I plug mine into an ordinary 120 outlet in my garage. I have it set to start charging at 8P to 8A when rates are lowest. (13 cents hour) It will fully charge in less than 12 hours. I see no need to purchased a 220 charging station since my Clarity is rarely fully depleted.
 
Aaron Pittenger said:
I have the US model and have been unable to precondition with either the FOB or App when plugged into 120 (it will do it if you go unplug the 120 and just have it precondition on battery) but that's a pain.... The App just plain won't let you, and the key fob flashes the lights like it started preconditioning, but it never actually turns on.
Click to expand...

TRY AGAIN< IT WORKS NOW
 
egor.evseev said:
Hey all. New to the forum.

Placed an order on my Clarity here in sunny Ottawa, Canada about a week ago and now waiting on an ETA from the dealer. I'm excited but a question that I'm waaay to impatient to test myself:

1. Will the preconditioning function work when plugged in to a regular 110v outlet? I've heard it wont work at all but I've also heard it will just run off the battery?

This is basically the deciding factor in me shelling out the $$ for a level 2 charger or not.
Click to expand...

IT WORKS NOW WITH UPDATED APP
 
egor.evseev said:
Unfortunately, my house is basically at max capacity on the panel so a level 2 charger would mean upgrading a good chunk of the electrical in the house at a cost of several thousand. While I plan to do this eventually it's just a matter of saving some $ in the short run. Since I do live where it's often unbearably cold the preconditioning is a decently important feature for me. Have you tried it on 120v?
Click to expand...
Living in Minnesota, and having the Clarity for just a week now, I have never been able to get it to work to the point where the car is actually noticeably warm when I get in. This is even in the situation when it is plugged into a 240V charger. Keep expectations low on the preconditioning ability of this vehicle in extreme cold temps.
 
I just installed my 16A 240v charger. It was $239 on Amazon. We will see how it holds up. It replaced a EVSEUpgrade modified LEAF charger when I turned that back in last year off lease.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
 
Rajiv Vaidyanathan said:
Living in Minnesota, and having the Clarity for just a week now, I have never been able to get it to work to the point where the car is actually noticeably warm when I get in. This is even in the situation when it is plugged into a 240V charger. Keep expectations low on the preconditioning ability of this vehicle in extreme cold temps.
Click to expand...
Okay, @egor.evseev, I take back everything I said. Today on a couple of occasions I did the remote climate preconditioning and it worked lijke a charm. The car was definitely warmer (almost comfortable) when I got into it after preconditoning.
 
cowgomoo said:
I just installed my 16A 240v charger. It was $239 on Amazon. We will see how it holds up. It replaced a EVSEUpgrade modified LEAF charger when I turned that back in last year off lease.


Sent from my iPhone using Inside EVs
Click to expand...
Which one did you get? A link would be appreciated as well as an explanation of your purchase process. Would love some reviews of charges that range from $240 to over $900.
 
Rajiv Vaidyanathan said:
Which one did you get? A link would be appreciated as well as an explanation of your purchase process. Would love some reviews of charges that range from $240 to over $900.
Click to expand...
I have to replace a component for the OpenEVSE I got. Once I get things worked out I'll be posting a review.
 
Rajiv Vaidyanathan said:
Which one did you get? A link would be appreciated as well as an explanation of your purchase process. Would love some reviews of charges that range from $240 to over $900.
Click to expand...
I have this one: https://smile.amazon.com/Siemens-US2-VersiCharge-Installation-Compatibility/dp/B00MFVI92S/ It is a 30 amp charger with a 20 ft cord.

We added a double 40 amp circuit in our box for the charger. The circuit box is in the garage so it was an easy enough thing to do. Our charger was bought 5 years ago for our Nissan Leaf. Now the charger does double-duty since both cars use the same plug. Ours is black instead of white like this model and back then it cost us $900 instead of under $500. Other than that I think they are exactly the same. If you buy the hardwired version it is even cheaper than this one.

However, it is plastic, which was a problem for us last week because the plastic screw mounts broke and it fell off the wall. I thought the plug had torn away from the bottom and the whole unit was broken but I was able to rig it back onto the wall using $15 worth of parts from Lowe's and it still works fine.

fXymelK.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top