[JoeReal]

I have tried the OEM EVSE and plugged it to my 14-50 NEMA wall outlet with a plug adapter wiring mod to get the 240V (two hot wires) feed into the OEM EVSE and it worked like a charm. I can use the same OEM EVSE to get 120 V charging at the office (fortunately can handle 12 Amperes) and 240 V charging at home.

I got tired of plugging and unplugging the EVSE from our wall so am planning on buying another OEM EVSE for the 2017 Volt to serve as my portable charger and would leave the other one permanently on the wall of my garage. I talked with the dealer and by golly, the price is about $650 before sales taxes!!!

So a friend of mine suggested that I should assemble this wonderful portable and flexible EVSE kit that can be plugged to power sources of 90V-264V AC with max of 50A and continuous 40A. My friend swears by it, he got a 2013 Chevy Volt. Has anyone else tried this?

https://store.openevse.com/products/openevse-30a-charge-station-combo

It needs a J1772 cable plug though, that you can get inexpensively.


Or I can do it lazy and simple and order this one from Amazon sold for $299 complete with cable:
https://www.amazon.com/Ebusbar-BEV-...TPSP760/ref=cm_sw_em_r_dp_dc_K9cuybF537TNH_tt

The seller confirmed that it can take Level 1 at 12 A and 110-120V. It can also be plugged to a 240V 30A dryer outlet. Since the Volt only sucks in 3.6 kW, this might suffice as my flexible portable adapter to lug around. Any experience on this? It got 4.4 stars rating out of 132 customer reviews.


Willing to listen to your other inexpensive but reliable suggestions...

 

[Henry_FL]

I'd buy one of the 299 evse options in Amazon, there are 5 different choices of manufactures to choose from. Building your own cost more, is not UL rated and has no warranty

 

[SSonnentag]

I have 3 EVSE chargers:
* Bosch EL-51253 Power Max - $700
* OpenEVSE 50A Deluxe Kit w/ WiFi - $495
* ClipperCreek HCS-40PR - $689

They all work great, but aside from the hassle of having to assemble the OpenEVSE kit, it is my favorite. It's great to be able to view the charging rate and total kWh, as well as statistical information on my local network.

 

[Raymondjram]

I'd buy one of the 299 evse options in Amazon, there are 5 different choices of manufactures to choose from. Building your own cost more, is not UL rated and has no warranty

Maybe for you, but for me my 16kW JuiceBox EVSE cost less than $300 with all the needed tools and materials. It is like the cook who can cook his own meals or buy one FDA certified. The homemade can be modified, and if it goes wrong the cook can fix it. Being a DIYer since I was a child and an EE now is what "certifies" my EVSE as good as UL would.

 

[markh21518]

I have built 5 Open EVSEs over the years, my first one a very early model Adriuno Uno Shield model has been charging my Volt for the last three years without fail. They are good plus you can have higher power than most.

 

[kns]

...Being a DIYer since I was a child and an EE now is what "certifies" my EVSE as good as UL would.

Raymond, I am sure you know what you are doing but if you ever have to file a claim for a loss that is in any way related to that device or to the branch to which it is connected, your insurance company might find that a convenient way to deny coverage. I, too, am an EE yet I had a UL listed EVSE installed by a licensed electrician and inspected by my town's electrical inspector. I value my HO-6 policy and want to be sure it will provide coverage if I ever need it.

KNS

 

[kns]

...So a friend of mine suggested that I should assemble this wonderful portable and flexible EVSE kit that can be plugged to power sources of 90V-264V AC with max of 50A and continuous 40A. My friend swears by it, he got a 2013 Chevy Volt. Has anyone else tried this?...

Ask your friend if the assembled product, not just the components, is UL listed. Not because it might cause a problem, but because your insurance company might refuse to cover a related claim.

KNS

 

[Henry_FL]

Raymond, I am sure you know what you are doing

I call BS on what Raymond has wrote, The 1772 connector and cord alone for a 16kw box ( 70 amp ) would be close to 400 bucks ...

 

[emartin00]

I bought my OEM unit on ebay for only about $200 last year. I haven't wired up a 240V outlet yet, but I'm hoping to get it done by the end of the year.

 

[rhodomel]

I have 3 EVSE chargers:
* Bosch EL-51253 Power Max - $700
* OpenEVSE 50A Deluxe Kit w/ WiFi - $495
* ClipperCreek HCS-40PR - $689

They all work great, but aside from the hassle of having to assemble the OpenEVSE kit, it is my favorite. It's great to be able to view the charging rate and total kWh, as well as statistical information on my local network.

Thanks! Now I am extremely interested on the OpenEVSE kit with Wi-Fi! I've been dying to track the power consumption during charging. It seems to be cool to use this one!

 

[SSonnentag]

This is my setup. I wired it up using a NEMA 14-50 plug so I could plug in my 5th wheel when needed.

 

[Volt16]

I use the OpenEVSE device. Have had no problems with it at all. It has great reporting with lots of data, most of which I have no clue how to access or use, but what I really need is there and available. Great support from the developer as well. Overall, I would definitely buy it again.