The "Henry" method of charging the RAV4

[miimura]

Some people think the best place to put the 240V outlets is on the front wall of the garage, but my setup work really well. Even with a Leaf, the side walls are a better compromise for all available EVs.

What do you do for a 3 car garage?

I put mine overhead.

Overhead is nice too if you don't have an 18 foot ceiling like I do. Seriously.

For a 3 car garage, you would likely have to have two doors, so one could be put on the pillar between the two garage doors. This obviously works best with cars that have the charge port at the rear (RAV, Tesla, e-Golf, i3, 500e, etc), not the nose or front quarter panel (Leaf, Volt, Energi, etc.).

 

[fooljoe]

I do have an Open EVSE from Glenn and an ?EV -1 that will run 17A at 240, so theoretically I can do it now, but it will still require replacing the meter box with one that will hold two breakers, removing the Leviton, and dealing with a ton of cables (25' and 18' for the two units).

I wouldn't swap out the meter box - as I said above just stick a subpanel in place of the Leviton. You could probably get a small panel and the two breakers for less than 50 bucks. Since you've already got the EVSEs you're golden. Sell that Leviton for 700-900 bucks and you'll make a profit on the deal!

And +1 for overhead installs. Only solution that works for me to be able to switch between the Rav and the Leaf.

 

[Michael Bornstein]

Thanks fooljoe, that is actually a practical idea. Lowes has a Siemens 8/16 slot panel for $37 and the breakers are about $10 each. I might even add a 20A 115 breaker for emergency use for L1 charging. Since the Leviton uses a 6-50, the only question is whether they ran a neutral into the garage of if I would have to go to the outside box to find a neutral, or If I should use the ground as neutral. I would probably put a 14-30 socket (which has a neutral that I wouldn't need) and a an L6-20 (which doesn't use a neutral) for the EVI unit. I could also add a 110 outlet for L1 charging on a 20A breaker. Since I will only be charging two cars at a time, I will never exceed the 50A breaker on the outside,

Now all I have to do is figure out how I will drape the 25' cord over the Volt to reach the port on the RAV. I will probably have to hang it from the ceiling.

 

[michael]

Put in a 240 V outlet in parallel with your existing EVSE (on same branch circuit). Get a Turbocord and use it to charge the Volt which maxes out at 3.3 kW anyway. Set the cars to charge at staggered time so you never pull more than the circuit can handle.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Put in a 240 V outlet in parallel with your existing EVSE (on same branch circuit). Get a Turbocord and use it to charge the Volt which maxes out at 3.3 kW anyway. Set the cars to charge at staggered time so you never pull more than the circuit can handle.

If you want a quality 12amp unit, send the original RAV4 / Panasonic EVSE to EVSEupgrade in Berkley, and for about $300, they will make it 100-250 volt capable.

Or buy my 2013 Nissan LEAF / Panasonic EVSE which is programmable from 6 to 25 amps, in one amp increments, and 100-250 volts. It comes with an L6-30P plugs, so you could put on any pigtail with any plug you want. $500 (I used this two times, I think).

NOTE: the Nissan LEAF / Panasonic EVSE used in the 2011-2012 LEAF will NOT work in any Tesla powered vehicle, like the RAV4 EV.

 

[toddh]

I realize this post is older. But I put in a JuiceBox that has a programmable charging rate. If you only want to pull 10 amps you can set that, but if you want to pull more its a quick change from your android or iphone via there app. I love mine. Makes it easy to check the charging status.

I currently own a Focus EV and am looking for a Rav4.

Personally I prefer the ability to charge at a lower rate when I am not in a hurry. Over the years charging at higher rates and its effects on battery longevity has been discussed at length and the outcome is controversial. But there is definite evidence that charging at lower puts less stress on the batteries. Especially during hot summer weather in Tx.

 

[davewill]

Fromport:

An elegant solution, but again the cost. $150 plus two cables for about $200+ (one cable can be 10', the other will have to be 25') plus the box, socket, contactors, (lions and tigers and bears Oh My!!), but still an elegant solution. If I was starting all over again, it is something I might attempt.

I deleted the section about NRG as it belonged in another thread.

Mike

I know this post is old, and I'm sure you've solved this to your satisfaction by now, but I wanted to point out that you wouldn't need two new cables. Do the version of the hydra that connects to an existing EVSE. Reuse the Leviton's J1772 cable on the hydra, and add one new J1772 cable. Then either use wire in conduit, or a short hunk of the new cable to connect the hydra to the Leviton.