[leechunsonnn]

We just purchased a new volt for my daughter. This is going to be a christmas present. We are looking to purchase a charging station for the house but want to make sure we find the right unit for our home. With that said, I am also looking to find something that can be used outside of the garage. Can you recommend a unit or better yet, can you recommend or send me towards any open programs regarding the charging stations, maint, etc....

Is it risky to purchase a used unit?

THANK
CRISTIANO

 

[jcanoe]

We just purchased a new volt for my daughter. This is going to be a christmas present. We are looking to purchase a charging station for the house but want to make sure we find the right unit for our home. With that said, I am also looking to find something that can be used outside of the garage. Can you recommend a unit or better yet, can you recommend or send me towards any open programs regarding the charging stations, maint, etc....

Is it risky to purchase a used unit?

THANK
CRISTIANO

Your new Volt will come with a Level 1 EVSE (What many people incorrectly call the charging station or charger.) Depending on how many miles per day the Volt will be driven this may be all the charger you need.

The Level 1 EVSE can charge at either 120V and 8 amps or 120V and 12 amps. The default 8 amp setting is good for ~2.7 miles of battery range per hour of charging; the 12 amp setting is good for 4 miles of battery range per hour of charging. So if you have at least 10 hours each evening when the Volt will be parked at home you may not need any more than the Level 1 charger at the 8 amp default setting. The 12 amp setting requires a 120V outlet that is not shared with any other high wattage equipment (technically the Level 1 EVSE when used at the 12 amp setting should be the only equipment on that branch circuit.)

If the Volt will be driven more than 40 miles per day you may want to consult an electrician to explore getting a 230V circuit installed at your home. A Level 2 EVSE that charges at 230V and 16 amps will fully charge the Gen 2 Volt's battery from empty to fully charged in ~4.5 hours. (Updated: For 2019, the Volt Premier includes an on board charger than can charge at 7.2kW. This requires a dedicated 230V 32 amp circuit and will fully charge the Volt in ~2 hours and 20 minutes. The 7.2kW on board charger is a $750 option on the 2019 Volt LT. I only noted the 7.2kW on board charger because you stated you were getting a new Volt in December. For most home charging needs, the standard 3.8kW on board charger is more than adequate.)

A used EVSE can be a good deal or a headache. I would plan to use the Level 1 EVSE that is included with every new Volt first, for at least a few months, to determine whether you would gain much utility from having a Level 2 EVSE. The Level 1 EVSE is a good quality unit, the circuit board components inside the EVSE are manufactured by ClipperCreek (one of the top line manufacturers of EVSE equipment.) The power plug and power outlet would need to be protected from rain and the elements but the EVSE housing and the J1772 charging connector are able to be used in all weather conditions.

 

[tacman7]

I thought about buying a level 2 charger ($3-600 and up).

We usually only make one trip a day being retired so it didn't make sense.

Another thing is what sort of electrical billing you have. We need to charge at night for $.12 kWh because quite a difference charging from 2pm to 10pm for $.48 kWh.

 

[Cord]

Get the manual on your and the drivers smartphone

Get the mychevy app* -then download the mini manual - then you will have a easy to view source of info you will need later.

ie what does that light meanon the dash and how do I jack up th car or how to tow the Volt.

Set up your demo Onstar access

*You may need to now make a mychevy account -which has SOME USEFULL .
-------------------

 

[snic]

We just purchased a new volt for my daughter. This is going to be a christmas present. We are looking to purchase a charging station for the house but want to make sure we find the right unit for our home. With that said, I am also looking to find something that can be used outside of the garage. Can you recommend a unit or better yet, can you recommend or send me towards any open programs regarding the charging stations, maint, etc....

Is it risky to purchase a used unit?

THANK
CRISTIANO

You can actually use the EVSE that comes with the car to charge at 240 V. It involves constructing or buying an adapter that allows it to plug into a 240V outlet. If you already have a 240V outlet somewhere near where the car will be parked, then this will be very inexpensive. Otherwise, you'd have to install an outlet at a convenient location (usually a job for an electrician).

Here's the thread that describes the adapter: https://gm-volt.com/forum/showthread.php?218442-2016-Volt-120v-EVSE-is-L1-L2-Conversion-Capable

I'm not sure exactly what you'd need to do to use the adapter outside safely. If I recall correctly, there are outdoor 240V receptacles, but the connection between the existing EVSE and the adapter will not be watertight. There are probably ways of dealing with this, but the least risky option is to buy an EVSE that is rated for outdoor use.

(By the way, one option is to install a 240V outlet that is capable of handling higher amperage than the EVSE that comes with the car can handle. That way you're "future-proof" - if you later buy an EV capable of higher charging rates, you just install buy high-amp EVSE that mounts on the wall and plugs into the outlet - no electrician required.)

 

[hellsop]

It's a present for Darling Daughter! Being a cheap bastard and getting an adaptor to run the included EVSE in a way contrary to instructions isn't the way Responsible Parents show their love and devotion! They spend a little bit to make it done RIGHT, and any saving involved comes from making good choices among equipment and services.

1) Do spring for an electrician to do the installation. That'll get power to the car in a way that's reliable and up to code, and might even be a plus when it comes time to sell your home. Unless you hire llninja's electrician, of course...

2) Get a nice Clipper Creek model. They're reliable and well supported. You mentioned outdoor installation, so a hardwired unit is best. LCS-25 is probably about what you want. It's relatively inexpensive (less than $500), but rated for outdoor use, supplies more than enough power for a Volt, and has a little bit more to make a faster-charging EV an improvement. If there's no wall handy to the place for charging, they also make accompanying pedestals.

 

[bjrosen]

I have a Clipper Creek HCS 40, costs a little under $600. It's mounted on the outside of my house. CCs are really well built, it seems to be the most popular brand on this forum. Unless you are really pressed for cash get the 40 because it can handle a Bolt or another BEV when you upgrade from the Volt, the difference in price between the 20 and the 40 is only a couple of hundred bucks.

Having a permanently installed EVSE is vastly more convenient than using the portable EVSE that came with the car.

 

[Eagleco]

Another vote for a Clipper Creek unit.

Compared to what you just spent on a new Volt, the marginal cost of a US made top notch Clipper Creek is trivial.

Clipper Creek does sell certified used units, so if they have the one you want, that's a good way to save a little.

One reason we didn't just adapt our OE unit to 240v is because we wanted to keep that stored in the car. My wife has made good use of it when staying overnight at a friend's house. It can be nice to always have that handy when away from home.


Sent from my SM-G930V using Tapatalk

 

[marcusm]

FYI

I have used the adapters without issue for both our volts, used outside for two years (although the EVSEs are kept in a small shed).

If you do an outside setup, you may want to use a connection protector. I bought these from amazon:

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[snic]

It's a present for Darling Daughter! Being a cheap bastard and getting an adaptor to run the included EVSE in a way contrary to instructions isn't the way Responsible Parents show their love and devotion!

Oh, I dunno. Building ChrisTX's adapter seems like a perfect father-daughter project. I can even see how to motivate her: "Darling Daughter, your mom and I are not paying for your gas. We'll pay for electricity, but you won't be able to plug the car in until you help me build this adapter."