Hi, Im a newbie just bought a 2012 volt that has a stock 110v charging cable, I was thinking about getting a level 2 charger (just a cheapie on ebay costs $175) are these any good ? just 16A so will it be 2.5 to 3 times faster than the stock one ...whats nice is that my shop already has this type of outlet already set up.....any advice? this forum would not let me put an auction link (newbie status) but the auction heading is EVSE Electric Vehicle Charger EV Level 2 220Volt16A for Leaf Volt Prius New
Charger advice
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Just scroll down on the home page and read the Duosida thread from a few days ago. 2 out of 3 of the early posters who bought these had problems (of course, this might be warped, folks who never had a problem probably didn't post).
You get what you pay for. If you want a solid device that is made in the US and has wonderful customer service, get a ClipperCreek. If you want to skimp every penny and take the potential risk of getting a piece of crap made in China with bad tech support, then roll the dice on a cheapie.
I'd pay a little more for a ClipperCreek, Bosch, GE, or some other name brand item over an unknown brand any day.
You get what you pay for. If you want a solid device that is made in the US and has wonderful customer service, get a ClipperCreek. If you want to skimp every penny and take the potential risk of getting a piece of crap made in China with bad tech support, then roll the dice on a cheapie.
I'd pay a little more for a ClipperCreek, Bosch, GE, or some other name brand item over an unknown brand any day.
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I swear by Clipper Creek. I have their 20A L2 already with a plug on the end (I think 14-25---whatever the dryer one is). I can take it to my family's and friend's and plug it in their dryer place (both in garage). The 16A is the car limit, so even if you get a 40A charger, the car only takes 16A. L2 (220V) charging feels SOOO much faster than L1 (120V). I don't think I would ever go back.
I vote for ClipperCreek too. One new twist is that CC now sells used, refurbished EVSEs for less than new. You can call or email them and they will let you know if they have a previously owned LCS series (meets or exceeds the Volt's 16 amp charging capability) or HCS series (exceeds the Volt's charging amperage capacity) Level 2 EVSE with the power plug configuration you need, in stock ready to ship.
I saw this one on ebay EL-50600 SPX that was new for $200 and from what I saw they had decent reviews and cost $750ish did I do ok I will post a link, it may not be too late to back out but this sure beats a dousida LOL ebay.com/itm/EL-50600-SPX-Charging-Station-Volt-Electric-Car-Charger grrr they still wont let me do a link still a newbie
I haven't purchased a a Level 2 yet because I can't find an electrician that will move a 40A outlet in my house for under $700, so overall, I can't see why it's worth it.
On topic, I would probably go with the cheaper version since it's close to 1/2 the price. My next car will probably be a 32A but that won't be 3-5 years so by then, I'm sure those will be cheaper, or I might even find a used one. I've learned that future-proofing with technology is usually a losing bet, especially a EVSE, just look up the costs from 5 years ago on this forum.
On topic, I would probably go with the cheaper version since it's close to 1/2 the price. My next car will probably be a 32A but that won't be 3-5 years so by then, I'm sure those will be cheaper, or I might even find a used one. I've learned that future-proofing with technology is usually a losing bet, especially a EVSE, just look up the costs from 5 years ago on this forum.
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The car only needs 16A so if you put in a 20A circuit, it should be enough.
The EVSE in the link you posted is probably overkill for charging your Volt.
Confirm the 240V outlet receptacle that you will use, so you can be sure to order the correct power plug with the EVSE.
Try searching for "16 amp level 2 charger" or "16 amp level 2 EVSE" and you will find a number of inexpensive level 2 EVSE. Also you might search on ~zon too.
A previously owned ClipperCreek LCS-20P with your specified power plug is a good bet too. ClipperCreek quality at a significant savings over new. Tel. 1-877-694-4194. Use my name for best price (just kidding.)
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My son is using this one and really likes it.
Thread: Limited markup EV Car Charger Level 2 - 32A & 16A $249
http://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?300265-Limited-markup-EV-Car-Charger-Level-2-32A-amp-16A-249
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EL-50600 SPX. This is the charger GM required all dealerships that sale/service Volts to have installed in there shops. We have one, never had any issues but its out of date for us at the dealerships. We now have a 32 amp charge port for level 2 charging and diagnosis. We also have a 25kw ccs charger required by GM for Bolt sales/service. The CCS charger cost us $25k for the charger and install. SO far it's cost us about $500 each to charge the new Bolt's and the one's in for service.
The only issue we have had with the EL-50600 SPX is when charging the Bolts, it seems to over heat and requires a reset after about 1 hour of charging.. The Bolt uses a much higher amps to charge at L2, the Volt will never have this issue.
The only issue we have had with the EL-50600 SPX is when charging the Bolts, it seems to over heat and requires a reset after about 1 hour of charging.. The Bolt uses a much higher amps to charge at L2, the Volt will never have this issue.
My Chevy dealer has Siemens Level 2 EVSEs out in front of the dealership showroom and also in the back next to the service bay. Not sure about the CCS charging installation.
I have had two of the duosida 16A 240 V chargers. One failed after 9 months, and was replaced for free. The other has been going strong. Paid $315 for both, shipped new from Zencar factory (China). I support US manufacturing as much as possible but the cost of these are too much. There is a cheaper 16A 240 Clipper Creek option called AmazingE (check Amazon and EBay). I am pretty sure it is made by Clipper Creek in US. If I had to buy a new one now, I’d get one of those.
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In fact it looks like an uprated version of the original equipment GM evse (which is I think is also made by Clipper Creek), except the AmazingE is level 2 only and can’t charge on level 1 also....
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cool thanks for the info, after I bought it did realize that it is an old school level 2 but I just have a 2012 volt that I just bought with 55k miles so it will be fine for me (also its new and has all the hardware)..QUESTION>>.since my volt will charge at 16A max and this will have other options....(Internal configuration Options allows Max Amps to be set to 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, or 32 Amps!) do I have to set it at the 16A or would it hurt anything to set it at one of the higher settings ??...I still need to decide if I want to hard wire the unit(then I can use it near house only) or use the plug in and and put an outlet, like the one that in included in my shop (already have a 240v not used that I can easily convert) and one near the house because I have a sauna that we dont use that would be very easy to get another outlet going
I dont think anyone in their right mind would pay over $600 plus over $100 shipping.... but this is the same one I got for $200 https://www.ebay.com/itm/OTC-EL-506...m=123142462055&_trksid=p2047675.c100005.m1851 yea I can now post links lol are pics allowed on here? Yea Please let me know what would be the best Amperage setting for my 2012 Volt with this charger?...see the above question THANKS
I don't have any experience with the EVSE you selected but the 2012 Volt only charges at a maximum of 15 amps. You can set the EVSE to 16 or 20 amps if you like or even 24 - 32 amps, the 2012 Volt will charge at a maximum of 15 amps.
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The setting ion the EVSE isn’t for the car. It’s for setting the max that your wiring in the wall to the breaker is. If you have a 40 amp circuit, set it to 32. The idiot “master electrician” sent by Bosch put a 30 amp breaker and wire on my 30 Amp EVSE, thus requiring me to set my EVSE to 24 amps soaps not to burn down my house if and when I get a newer car with a faster charging capacity. I didn’t do my homework and trusted him. To add injury to insult, the first time he powered the breaker on, a huge spark came out of the outlet, and put a 6 inch char on my wall. It’s amazing this master electrician survived the 30 years to achieve this status.
The EVSE will negotiate with the car for the best charging rate.
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