What's the best 120V 15A Level 1 Charger?

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OhMurdock

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I'm struggling to find a decent Level 1 Charger that is "UL-Listed". The best I can find was from this brand called the Turbocord.

https://store.evsolutions.com/mobile/turbocord-dual-120240v-plug-in-ev-charger-p28.aspx

I do have a 20A 120V breaker, but we do have a deep freezer plugged into it as well in the garage. Would this affect my charging in any kind of way? Would installing a NEMA 5-20 20A outlet benefit me in this case instead of still using the NEMA 5-15 15A outlet?
 
Just want to make sure you are aware, the Federal Government has a 30% credit off your taxes for the level 2 charger and any wiring costs. I was lucky only needed 25 feet of wire to subpanel in basement. $300 and $389 for charger. $689 x 30% = $207 credit. Could have done wiring, but wife wanted a electrician to do it.
 
TripleD said:
Just want to make sure you are aware, the Federal Government has a 30% credit off your taxes for the level 2 charger and any wiring costs. I was lucky only needed 25 feet of wire to subpanel in basement. $300 and $389 for charger. $689 x 30% = $207 credit. Could have done wiring, but wife wanted a electrician to do it.
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Well, I've been quoted at the lowest of $2200 to install a 240V 32Amp outlet. I just can't justify into it right away when my work commute is less than 5 miles round trip. I definitely have not considered any incentives but I still feel it may be too expensive at the moment.
 
The Alternative Fuel Infrastructure Tax Credit already expired as of December 31, 2021.

Go find a 120V Tesla mobile connector and add a Tesla to J1772 adapter. Then you can take the adapter with you and Level 2 charge for free at the Tesla destination chargers.
 
OhMurdock said:
Well, I've been quoted at the lowest of $2200 to install a 240V 32Amp outlet. I just can't justify into it right away when my work commute is less than 5 miles round trip. I definitely have not considered any incentives but I still feel it may be too expensive at the moment.
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Wow, $2200 is a lot to get 240V. Yep, I would not have gone level two for that much.
 
"Car chargers" aren't chargers at all. The charger is inside the car. The level 1 "charger" is really just a big switch.

The speed of the charge depends on the voltage supplied to the car's charger and then the charger determines how much power to send to the batteries.



Lastly, you can buy a used BMW car charger on eBay pretty cheap. This looks to be the same as what comes with the Mini and is made by Delphi.
 
OhMurdock said:
I'm struggling to find a decent Level 1 Charger that is "UL-Listed". The best I can find was from this brand called the Turbocord.

https://store.evsolutions.com/mobile/turbocord-dual-120240v-plug-in-ev-charger-p28.aspx

I do have a 20A 120V breaker, but we do have a deep freezer plugged into it as well in the garage. Would this affect my charging in any kind of way? Would installing a NEMA 5-20 20A outlet benefit me in this case instead of still using the NEMA 5-15 15A outlet?
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I’m not familiar with the Webasto unit you linked here but Webasto has been around for years making auxiliary heaters found in many older VW camping vans, etc. Looking at the unit, it looks remarkably similar to the Mini Turbocord. It makes you wonder if they are the supplier. https://www.shopminiusa.com/PRODUCT/1831/MINI-TURBOCORD-CHARGER
 
Quiet Mini said:
Looking at the unit, it looks remarkably similar to the Mini Turbocord. It makes you wonder if they are the supplier.
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I thought I read somewhere they are, and there's also a BMW-branded version. But I think the design isn't very good, that huge block seems like it would cause problems plugging in.

I was looking at a dual 120/240 V portable EVSE for traveling, which the TurboCord is. There a lot of more attractive options on Amazon but not with UL certification. But for a travel cord it might not be as important.

Update: the Webasto TurboCord is half the price of the MINI version, so maybe I'll have to rethink my opinion.
 
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OhMurdock said:
I'm struggling to find a decent Level 1 Charger that is "UL-Listed". The best I can find was from this brand called the Turbocord.

https://store.evsolutions.com/mobile/turbocord-dual-120240v-plug-in-ev-charger-p28.aspx

I do have a 20A 120V breaker, but we do have a deep freezer plugged into it as well in the garage. Would this affect my charging in any kind of way? Would installing a NEMA 5-20 20A outlet benefit me in this case instead of still using the NEMA 5-15 15A outlet?
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To answer your second question, find out how many amps your freezer draws. Subtract that from 16 and that is the max amps I would charge you car on that circuit. The sustained load should be kept to less than 80% of the breaker. No reason to put in a 20A outlet unless you plug both the car and freezer into the same outlet.
 
Torrey said:
To answer your second question, find out how many amps your freezer draws. Subtract that from 16 and that is the max amps I would charge you car on that circuit. The sustained load should be kept to less than 80% of the breaker. No reason to put in a 20A outlet unless you plug both the car and freezer into the same outlet.
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Same circuit, you mean. They may have multiple outlets on the same circuit.
 
No, same outlet. The OP asked if they should upgrade from a 15A outlet. My response is they don’t need to if the car and the freezer are on different outlets on the same circuit. But the 20A outlet would be a good idea if both were to be plugged into a single outlet on that circuit.
 
I have a Lectron Level 1 charger that performs better than the MINI-supplied unit. It has a longer cable (21 ft.) and smaller plug that’s a better fit in my outdoor GFCI. I live in an old house with 100 amp service. Two electricians have provided an evaluation. Realistically, I should upgrade service to 200 to safely install a Level 2 charger. That may be part of some planned renovations. Since I recently retired, I no longer have a daily commute. That helps.
https://ev-lectron.com/collections/...erm=Lectron Portable Electric Car Charger 16A
 
goaheadbackup said:
I have a Lectron Level 1 charger that performs better than the MINI-supplied unit. It has a longer cable (21 ft.) and smaller plug that’s a better fit in my outdoor GFCI. I live in an old house with 100 amp service. Two electricians have provided an evaluation. Realistically, I should upgrade service to 200 to safely install a Level 2 charger. That may be part of some planned renovations. Since I recently retired, I no longer have a daily commute. That helps.
https://ev-lectron.com/collections/ev-charging-stations/products/lectron-portable-electric-car-charger-16a#utm_source=YouTube/IG/FB/Twitter&utm_medium=video, article&utm_campaign=EV Charging Station&utm_term=Lectron Portable Electric Car Charger 16A
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That was the first charger I was looking into, still think about it. But it's not UL-Certified and that's a concern for me if I'm going to be purchasing a 30k car. I want to use only quality product, I see many use the Lectrons but time will tell for me which one I invest into.
 
Just get the TurboCord if you really want another Level 1 charger. The 15A outlet will likely have problems if you are putting the freezer with the TurboCord as the charger will draw 12A @ 120V (16A @ 240V). I'd estimate your deep freezer will draw 1-1.5A and maybe 4-5A on startup. Since it's on a 20A breaker you could just plug on different outlets.

Personally I'd rather put that money towards a Level 2 EVSE and electrical work and utilize the rebates despite the extra costs.
 
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