The "Henry" method of charging the RAV4

[Michael Bornstein]

The Henry rifle of 1860 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_rifle) was a 16 shot repeater that was so unique that people called it the "Rifle that you loaded on Sunday and shot all week". It is a direct ancestor of the Winchester '73, the "Gun that won the West". What has this to do with charging a RAV4 you ask?

My normal commute is about 100 mi a week, which is just over the range I get from a normal 80% charge. This means that I have to recharge sometime during the week. As I have two EV's and only one charger, this can lead to logistical problems. My wife's Volt gets precedence due to its limited range, so I often find that I have to run down to the garage at 5am in order to get two hours of charge in before PG&E raises its rates at 7am. This also means uncoiling the 25' of cable from my charger and either draping it over my wife's car or behind it, and then recoiling it before I leave at 7am.

If I could do a 100% charge on Sunday night, I would not have to recharge during the week. I could then charge Friday night for the weekend driving and charge my wife's car Saturday morning while the rates are still low.

My concern is the warning Toyota puts up for the 100% charge, saying that it might reduce battery life. In the three years I have owned the car, I have probably only done a full charge about a half-dozen times as I rarely drive long distances. Does anyone know if doing a weekly full charge will adversely affect the battery life?

 

[Kohler Controller]

From my testing, dipping into low states of charge is harder on the battery than charging to 100% (Extended Charge setting). Go ahead and use the Extended Charge feature and sleep in!

 

[4EVEREV]

I charged my LEAF to 100% every time for three years with no degradation.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Charging to 100% is not really 100%... Tesla limits the charge to about 97%.

In addition, it appears that the cell balancing may not activate until the cells are above 93%.

So, certainly charge to whatever level you wish, but just don't leave the car at "100%" in the heat or for an extends time.

If you charge Sunday night to drive Monday morning, no problem. Plus, while its charging, the cooling system is activated.

 

[Michael Bornstein]

Heat? What's that? The temperature was in the high 40's last night and the low 50's this morning

Thanks for the advice.

 

[davewill]

Why not just plug in your RAV on 120v during the overnight low rates? That, plus a normal charge on Sunday should give you the cushion you're looking for.

 

[miimura]

Why not just plug in your RAV on 120v during the overnight low rates? That, plus a normal charge on Sunday should give you the cushion you're looking for.

...or put the Volt on 120V. We charged our e-Golf on 120V for the first 6 months and rarely needed more than that due to the normally short commute. If I knew it was starting from low SOC, I would go out and move the 240V charge cord over to the e-Golf and let it top up from 6am-7am. I found a used Jesla, so no need for 120V any more.

 

[Michael Bornstein]

I have a separate meter for my EV's using PG&E's EV-B rate. When I installed the meter, there was a substantial difference between the E9-A rate and the E9-B rate. That difference has essentially disappeared. The EV-B rate at night is still less than my house rate.

 

[smkettner]

+1 to put the volt on L1 twice a week.

 

[jimbo69ny]

Why dont you just install a second 240 volt evse?

 

[Michael Bornstein]

Why dont you just install a second 240 volt evse?

Jimbo:

Nice idea, but unfortunately the cold cruel light of day throws in some roadblocks :twisted:

1. To add another EVSE for the Volt, I would have to add at least 30A capability. My wiring to the 2nd meter is rated for the 50A load required by my 40A EVSE, I don't think it can handle 80A.

2. Since it is a 2nd meter, I would have to get PG&E back to wire the new 80A box to my input wires (which are as thick as my index finger). It was quite a production when they did it the first time. They cut power to my house for most of a day until the work was completed.

3. Did I say 80A box? My current box is configured for a single 50A breaker. I would need a new box that can handle two breakers.

4. Where can I put the new EVSE? I would have to run conduit to the other side of the garage as there is no room available next to my current Leviton 40A unit.

5. All this adds up to mucho moolah to get around the minor inconvenience of getting up early once a week :lol:

I am sad to report that my first weeks trial was unsuccessful. By Thursday evening I had less than 30 miles left on the GOM and about 4-5 bars. As it has been mentioned, it isn't good to over discharge the battery, so I did charge on Thursday night. I will give it one more trial this coming week and see what happens.

Actually I blame this failure on Tony as he jinxed everything by referring to Bakersfield's heat . This past week was quite cold with morning temps in the 50's. This probably contributed to a reduced overall range.

 

[fromport]

Why dont you just install a second 240 volt evse?

Jimbo:

Nice idea, but unfortunately the cold cruel light of day throws in some roadblocks :twisted:

1. To add another EVSE for the Volt, I would have to add at least 30A capability. My wiring to the 2nd meter is rated for the 50A load required by my 40A EVSE, I don't think it can handle 80A.

5. All this adds up to mucho moolah to get around the minor inconvenience of getting up early once a week :lol:

There is another solution.
It's called the "hydra", basically 2 J1772 outputs that work either in parallel (sharing the amps till one is ready, giving the rest to the last one charging) or sequentially , just how you like it:

There are 2 versions:
standalone (like a normal J1772 evse)
or a version that takes J1772 INPUT from the leviton and splits it into 2 J1772 connectors to plug into the ev's

Here is the link:

https://www.tindie.com/products/nsayer/j1772-hydra/

*standard disclaimer, I have no financial interest in this venture, I just like the concept and want to share.

 

[Michael Bornstein]

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

 

[fooljoe]

You could probably get a 2-headed hydra installed and running for about the same money you might recoup selling your Leviton. Or you could install a 50 amp subpanel in your garage with 20 amp and 30 amp breakers, then install 2 "regular" low power EVSEs on them - the Volt can't charge any faster than 16 amps anyway, and your Rav driving is so light 24 amps would be plenty.

Of course any solution to your problem takes some time, money, and effort - but why invest in a couple of $35,000 EV/PHEVs if you can't enjoy them to the fullest? Don't underestimate the value of not being forced into waking up early once a week!

 

[TonyWilliams]

Why dont you just install a second 240 volt evse?

Jimbo:

Nice idea, but unfortunately the cold cruel light of day throws in some roadblocks :twisted:

1. To add another EVSE for the Volt, I would have to add at least 30A capability. My wiring to the 2nd meter is rated for the 50A load required by my 40A EVSE, I don't think it can handle 80A.

The Volt only pulls 16 amps max.

The RAV4 EV can be easily charged overnight at 24 amps. This will all fit on a 50 amp service, with one 20 amp and one 30 amp breaker.

 

[jimbo69ny]

☝

 

[Michael Bornstein]

This will all fit on a 50 amp service, with one 20 amp and one 30 amp breaker.

Sage advice. If and when I ever move (to Maui I hope ), I will probably configure two 50A circuits as the Volt or the RAV may be replaced by a newer, longer range BEV (Bolt, Model 3 ...). But then on Maui, everything is less than 40 miles away, and they now have lots of L3 chargers all over the island .

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).

Unfortunately I have to wake up at 5am anyway so I currently only have to go to the garage one day a week to switch the charger (lets see how the Henry method pans out now that it is in the high 40's when I leave at 7am). In other words it is not a big deal.

For those of you watching this discussion, the message to take home is: PLAN AHEAD!!. You may think that your new EV is the cat's meow, but in a year or so you will get a second, maybe a Volt, or maybe a Tesla. Make sure that your EVSE configuration is adequate to handle as many vehicles as your garage can hold.

 

[branstone]

I have a Henry Rifle !

 

[miimura]

For those of you watching this discussion, the message to take home is: PLAN AHEAD!!. You may think that your new EV is the cat's meow, but in a year or so you will get a second, maybe a Volt, or maybe a Tesla. Make sure that your EVSE configuration is adequate to handle as many vehicles as your garage can hold.

Indeed. When I was getting ready to start construction on my house in 2011 I didn't have any EVs and had no plan for when to get one. However, I knew the house would be there for a long time and adding circuits for charging would cost very little during construction. So, I made sure the plans included 240V 50A circuits on the each side wall of the garage. When I got the RAV, all I had to do was change the 14-50 socket to a 6-50. When I got the used Jesla, all I had to do was turn on the breaker and plug it in! It also helps that my two EVs have charge ports on opposite sides of the car. 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.

 

[TonyWilliams]

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.