[PrivatePilot]

Thinking ahead with a potential 2012 purchase. I want to leave the car set to "charge immediately" as my wife will be charging at work as well as various public charging stations while out and about, but at the same time when she arrives home at 5PM every day I do *not* want the car to start charging until 7PM due the off peak electricity rates starting then.

Of course the 2012 doesn't have the location based charging options, so it's all, or nothing. I also don't want to have to try to explain to my wife how to change the charge settings if she decides to plugin at the mall one day (for example) whilst I've got it setup to not actually accept any charge until 7PM.

I have a hefty timer that will handle the 12A load of the EVSE at home without any concern (it handled a 120v/12A pool pump for many years), but I'm wondering, will the 2012 version of the EVSE automatically wake up and start charging when power is applied but the car is already plugged into the J1772?

I'm hoping that it does, as otherwise it's going to mean I'll have to remember to go out every night at 7PM and plug in the charging cable if I want to avoid consuming much more expensive electricity between the 5-7PM window.

I can then program the timer to provide power anytime during the weekends as well which are all off peak for us.

If nobody is sure....could someone test for me and report back? It's as simple as unplugging your EVSE (making sure it's set to the 12A option please before unplugging), plugging in your J1772, and then plugging the EVSE back in again and reporting back if the Volt reports it's accepting a charge again.

 

[Qinsp]

Here is what we do.

We set the car to Delay based on Departure 15 minutes before the car is needed in the AM.

Now, to charge immediately, plug the car in, it will click. Unplug it, count to 3, then plug it back in. It will charge immediately, overriding the programmed time.

 

[Rickoshay]

My 2014 will do it but defaults to the 8 amp setting and must be changed manually every time.

 

[Qinsp]

Yes, on 2011-2015 you must always manually set the charge rate if you want 12a.

We are on L2 for all cars, so I forgot about the 12a PITA.

 

[Fourdoor]

Yes, on 2011-2015 you must always manually set the charge rate if you want 12a.

We are on L2 for all cars, so I forgot about the 12a PITA.

Not the 2011, the 2011 defaults to 12 amps, and has a manual selection on the EVSE to chose 8 amps if your home wiring isn't up to the task of providing 12 amps.

Keith

 

[Carl S]

Yes, on 2011-2015 you must always manually set the charge rate if you want 12a.

Not quite. 2011 and 2012 have a button on the EVSE (charge cord) to set 8/12A and it holds that setting.

2013 switched to default at 8A as a safety measure against people burning out poor quality electrical outlets.

 

[Rickoshay]

Yes, on 2011-2015 you must always manually set the charge rate if you want 12a.

We are on L2 for all cars, so I forgot about the 12a PITA.

I am on an L2 at home and an L1 at work. I have to leave the car set at the 8 amp setting at work or the circuit breaker will pop. Pretty weak circuit I guess. At least I get enough charge to get home in EV mode though.

 

[wordptom]

Yes, on 2011-2015 you must always manually set the charge rate if you want 12a.

We are on L2 for all cars, so I forgot about the 12a PITA.

The 2011/2012 Volt 120v default charging rate is 12a. The 8a/12a selection switch was on the EVSE supplied with those models, not on the car’s display screen as it is in later models. Silvervolt2012 has a current thread asking if a 2013 or later EVSE can be used on a 2012 Volt, and a response from GM was yes, but the rate would be 12a. If you use a newer-than-2102 model EVSE on a 2011/2012 Volt, you have no method of lowering the rate to 8a.

 

[caronjeff]

To answer the original question, pretty sure it's yes. If the EVSE is plugged into the car first nothing happens, obviously no power at the " 120V " end. If you then plug it into the 120 it boots up talks back and forth and charge commences. So your timer should work.

 

[PrivatePilot]

Here is what we do.

We set the car to Delay based on Departure 15 minutes before the car is needed in the AM.

Now, to charge immediately, plug the car in, it will click. Unplug it, count to 3, then plug it back in. It will charge immediately, overriding the programmed time.

Thanks for that nugget of info, I'll keep that one in mind.

On a slightly different topic, is there any advantage to setting things up so that a charge finishes just before an intended departure time? Is it beneficial in the winter (IE, the batteries are warm) but potentially detrimental in the summer, IE the batteries are now potentially *too warm* (our driveway gets full morning sun) and electricity would be consumed to run the battery coolant loops?

To answer the original question, pretty sure it's yes. If the EVSE is plugged into the car first nothing happens, obviously no power at the " 120V " end. If you then plug it into the 120 it boots up talks back and forth and charge commences. So your timer should work.

Thanks - this was what I was hoping would be the answer as it makes customizing our home charging a lot easier. If anyone who's actually done this could confirm such that'd be most appreciated.

 

[llninja]

The cost of buying a new timer vs. how many cents you are going to save would be the calculation I'm worried about, it might not ever pay for itself depending on the cost of the heavy duty timer. Is the ROI there? But if you already own it and don't need it, that changes the formula.

 

[ClarksonCote]

Yes, once the EVSE has power, it will simply start charging. With a 2012, you should have the ability to always charge at 12A without needing to override it each time from a default 8A (which started with 2013 and maybe a few late 2012's).

You may need to disable a power loss alarm in your Config menu, otherwise you may get some strange muted honking to indicate there is no power to the car despite it being plugged in. I can't recall if this occurs in 2012 Volts, or if it even happens when you don't initially have power (as opposed to losing power halfway through a charging session)

You could also buy a ChargePoint home EVSE or similar, which allow you to set a schedule. I've done this with my wife's 2012 Volt. She has it set to charge immediately, but the EVSE doesn't allow power to the car until its scheduled to do so. This may be safer than a (albeit beefy) timer and would also provide you with 240V charging capabilities.

 

[hellsop]

On a slightly different topic, is there any advantage to setting things up so that a charge finishes just before an intended departure time? Is it beneficial in the winter (IE, the batteries are warm) but potentially detrimental in the summer, IE the batteries are now potentially *too warm* (our driveway gets full morning sun) and electricity would be consumed to run the battery coolant loops?

Nah, the batteries are pretty well tucked away and have a lot of thermal inertia when the thermal management system isn't running.

One place I can see a point to a departure time is in places where the Time of Use charging isn't wide enough to accommodate a full charging cycle all the time, or if there's more than two ToU tier, like day rates are most expensive, evening rates include some discount, and overnight a much deeper discount. If the departure time is set to just before day rates start (or departure time, whichever is earlier), then the car (knowing how long it will take to charge to full) will delay start until as late as possible and use the maximal amount overnight rates, and correspondingly less evening or day rates.

 

[llninja]

I'm so glad I live in an area where the rates are so cheap that I don't see the roi to switch to a variable rate plan. It sure makes plugging in any time we feel like it a breeze. Conversely, I wish we lived in a state where the fiscal budget wasn't in such shambles and so many ex-governors weren't in prison

 

[PrivatePilot]

The cost of buying a new timer vs. how many cents you are going to save would be the calculation I'm worried about, it might not ever pay for itself depending on the cost of the heavy duty timer. Is the ROI there? But if you already own it and don't need it, that changes the formula.

I have several timer options including a heavy duty 220 capable unit (designed for hot water tanks) that I picked up at a yard sale for $5 a few years ago. No worries there.

Yes, once the EVSE has power, it will simply start charging. With a 2012, you should have the ability to always charge at 12A without needing to override it each time from a default 8A (which started with 2013 and maybe a few late 2012's).

Yes, all the PITA stories I read about the 2013's and up needing to manually select 12a charging at every single stop was one of the reasons I gravitated towards a 2012, actually. The Volt we are potentially buying does indeed have the 2011-2012 model EVSE with the 8A/12A selection on the charger itself.