L2 Home Charging - Worth the Cost?

to save $1400 on a level 2 charger it might be worth leasing a volt to accompany the pip

 

That makes NO sense at all.. Let's see, spend $20K+ on a 3 year lease to save $600 (a level 2 EVSE can be built for that)
Even as a joke, not funny.

 

where do you get $20K? I just signed a 36 month, 45,000 mile lease for $12,250.

 

Lease a Chevy Volt—GM Offering Attractive New Lease in California! - CleanTechnica

$369/month, 36 months, 12K miles/year (36K miles total), .15/extra miles + about $3,000 down.

$17,634 total

Plus, I would never buy a Volt, I alread test drive one, was not easy for me to get into the drivers seat (have no issue getting into the 2010-2012 Prius drivers side though), I have had nothing bud bad luck with Chevy products in the past (ask me about my 1991 GMC Vandura 3500 that went through 2 transmissions and sets of brake pads, or my current 1994 Chevy Suburban that has a leaking transmission and the headlight switch had to be replaced), and I am not crazy about the 38MPG after the pack runs out. There is almost zero leg room in the rear when the front seats are adjusted for taller/larger passengers, and I am not a fan of they trunk, as its not a level loading area like the Prius. At any rate, it makes no sense to buy a Volt to get a free Level 2 charging station.

 

Tampa Chevrolet | Stingray Chevrolet | Lakeland Chevrolet, Plant City Chevrolet, Tampa Bay Chevrolet, Central Florida Chevrolet Dealer

$299/month, 36 months, 10K miles/year, .20 extra miles $0 down, sign and drive, 35 payments

$10,465 total

I went for the 15K miles/year @ $350/month including texas taxes

My daily commute is just less than the 40 mile EV range. I like my 07 Prius and while I was reluctant to own a GM, the lease was acceptable and I don't mind supporting a domestic effort.

 

enjoy your Volt, my PiP is doing just fine, only needs filling every 2 to 3 weeks (filled it today with 750 miles sinc e last fillup, but it still had at least 3 gallons in it, so could have gone a month). %50 of my driving is in EV as my commute each way just about fits the PiPs EV range, and I'm sure you can do better than that in a Volt, but I am not willing to buy one. My next car will be a 3rd generation Tesla, when they come out with it in 2014 or 2015, it should be considerably less than the Model S.

 

My son just joined Tesla, engineering, and will be working on that 3rd generation Tesla .

 

BTW, I checked out that lease deal, here is the fine print:

"Description:
Low-Mileage Lease for Qualified Lessees as low as $299/month 36 month lease. $0 due at signing (after all offers). 10,000 miles/year. Includes security deposit. Tax, title, license, dealer fees and optional equipment extra. Contact us for full details and a test drive today! (813) 704-2092
(1) Disclosure Your payments may vary. Payments are for a 2012 CHEVROLET VOLT with an MSRP of $39,995. 36 monthly payments total $10,764. Option to purchase at lease end for an amount to be determined at lease signing. GM Financial must approve lease. Take delivery by 07-02-2012. Mileage charge of $0.20/mile over 30,000 miles. Lessee pays for maintenance, repair and excess wear. Not available with other offers. Residency restrictions apply.
Offer Expires 7/2/12"

that shows as $10,764 total, and 36 payments. Also your extra 15,000 miles at .20/mile is another $3,000 (or an extra $83.33/month added to your payment), so it comes out to $382.33/month for 36 months, not a bad deal, but its more than $350/month, unless you get them to waive the extra miles which can only usually be done if you buy another Chevy product at the end of the lease, or buyout the lease (in which case they don't care about the extra mileage as you own the car..)

 

when you pay for the extra miles as part of the lease they are more like $0.08/mile. my lease is only 35 payments, the gm rebate and dealer discount covered the first month's payment as well.

there are some things not covered after the base 36k mile warranty and I might have to buy a set of tires before the 45k mile lease is over. I should probably keep an eye out for a used set of tires to throw on for the last couple of months.

 

Hey Mitch, I ordered the OpenEVSE board and power supply from Chris today, thanks to you!

 

ok, nice... here is my build, if you need some guidance:
EVSE_by_mwolrich - open-evse - A portable EVSE built with an Open EVSE board. - Open Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) - Google Project Hosting

 

Another factor as you decide between the charging units: will you be using charging stations outside of your home and business? There are not that many in my area - and quite a few of them only do level 2 charging. I don't know what they will offer as they become more numerous. Will 240 become standard so that I won't be able to recharge many places at L1?

 

FYI - I got the Leviton L2 unit installed right as my new PiP got delivered in April. I happened to have a ready 240 volt outside line as we just converted from normal house HVAC to a Ground-Sourced Heat Pump (works great BTW). Looking back, the Level 2 charger is wonderful especially for non-work week days, i.e weekend running around and vacation days, as I've been able to make several errand runs and recharge in between them while working out, eating lunch, gardening etc. Could not have done that easily with Level 1 charging. With my current experience, I would go for Level 2 again if I could choose all over again. Hope this is helpful.

 

I'm confused by what you mean.

Most public charging stations are 240 volt J1772.

 

[Most public charging stations are 240 volt J1772.[/quote]
Here in DC, there aren't many charging stations - and many of them have both voltages. I didn't know if the nationwide standard was becoming 240 only....or both. It is something that a buyer should know when choosing a system.

 

dc dave, all ev's including yours can charge at L2. the public stations have the cord and plug with them. you don't need/use the 110v evse that came with your car.

 

Thank you, bisco - it's amazing how much there is that I don't know!

 

I guess I'm wondering at what price point does it make sense getting a level 2 charger?
Why do we really need a level 2 charger?
Charging at night is better for the power grid.
Charging at night eliminates the need for a fast charge.
Using whole house TOU highly encourages you to charge at night.
Is charging with a level 1 better for the batteries, than charging quick with a level 2? (I understand Toyota wouldn't design something they weren't sure of. )
The only reason I really want a wall mounted Level 2 home charger is so I can leave a dedicated cord inside the trunk, and for the quick plug in convenience. Dragging the cord in and out is getting old.

 

Not wanting to drag the cord in and out constantly is pretty much the reason I installed an L2 charger at home. I still have to drag it in and out at work, but that is supposed to be changing soon. The other reason is for future proofing the house. Eventually we'll get another PHEV or EV, and it will be nice to already have an L2 charger installed.

 

$1,200 plus installation just to not have to take the cord out and save 10 seconds, really?