Yup, you can't get over 12 amps unless you plug your EVSE into a leaf or tesla. The onboard charger on the volt side cannot do over 12A. On the flip side, 240 doesn't bypass the amp setting. It is still 12 amps, but at double the voltage you get roughly half the charge time. One more thing, you could have purchased or made a little pigtail for your factory EVSE to give it 240V capability. Plenty of forum users have done that for much less than a new EVSE. But there is utility in having one plugged in at home and another in the hatch for the road.
You're right. I was mistaken. The OEM EVSE is limited to 12A either at 120 or 240V so you probably see 5 hour L2 charge times with the Chris TX adapter. I think the volt charger is 15A so a 16A EVSE will allow for shorter charging times. But the answer to your original question is still true, you cannot charge the volt at 16A 120V. I think it is more of a safety feature as just like gen1 owners are apt to put in regular despite the owner's manual, if they allowed 15A at 120 even with all the warnings of only using the 15A on a 25-30A circuit, some numbskull will do it and set their 15A breaker and outlet on fire.
Given the BS with 8A default CYA, they will never allow 16A, even if you have the appropriate outlet.
Only the volt behaves this way, the leaf supports 30 amp 110vac charging if used with a compatible EVSE.
Yes, volt used to work that way as well in 2011/2012 (charge rate was controlled by EVSE). Then they forced the 8A default and computer controls L1 charge rate ever since.
Yes, 16A Level 1 is allowed by the J1772 spec, and other EVs do support it. It appears to be nothing more than a software limitation with the Volt, as the onboard charger should have no problem handling 15 amps given an appropriate pilot signal from a 16A L1 EVSE.
If the dashboard presented 8A, 12A, and 16A charging options, can you imagine how many people would be posting questions like "when I plug my volt in and set it to 16A, why does it keep,popping the circuit breaker? I only have a space heater, a freezer, and my power tools plugged in."
That wouldn't happen because a different type of EVSE is required and it wouldn't plug into a normal outlet
Exactly, it would require a different EVSE with a 5-20 plug. If the Volt saw a 16 amp pilot signal it would be perfectly safe to utilize that full 16 amps. The 8/12 amp selection is only applicable when the Volt sees a 12 amp pilot signal. If it sees an 8 amp signal it must stay at 8 amps regardless of the touchscreen.
