220V Prius Prime Charging Cable

your turn o/p!

 

This is the product page. About halfway down, it states a UL listing.

Factory Supply New Duosida Portable Electric Vehicle Charger Level 2 100-250v J1772 Evse - Buy New Duosida Portable Electric Vehicle Charger,Level 2 100-250v J1772 Evse,Level 2 J1772 Evse Product on Alibaba.com

I have never bought anything directly from China, and so have no idea what freight would be or how long it would take to ship.
Note that this is the same charger that is sold on Amazon and eBay. It will work with either 110 or 220 and will charge at 16 amps.
The cost for unit 1 is $130. Plus freight. Mostly I see this charger at around $250 on domestic sites. So I'm guessing there's a business opportunity here. Again, I don't know about shipping or duties.
These are all the same units.

eBay listing:
Dostar Duosida Electric Car Charger EVSE 120v & 240v 16 amp J1772 plug PHEV NEW | eBay

BSA electronics site:
Dostar Duosida 16A 3.84kW Portable Charging Station 25' length - EVSE – BSA Electronics

 

it's about time these things started to come down.

 

Hopefully the price drop isn't due to counterfeiting or falsified certifications.

 

Or just old or sub-standard parts.

There is enough competition amongst the well known and reliable manufacturers that I'm going with the 'you get what you paid for' approach to EVSE. Not only do I expect it to last longer, I don't want to take any more fire risk than I must.

 

And where do you think these EVSEs come from? About the only way to get one that's made in America is if you build it yourself. Not hard, but parts are pricey, and, well, you have to build it. As for fire, that's what GFCI circuit breakers are for. If it sparks, they blow, no fire.

This is the response I got from the manufacturer (linked to in my earlier post) who makes all of the duosida chargers sold widely on Amazon and elsewhere. This is for a level 1/level 2 charger at 16amps. Needs an adapter to use 110V for level 1, but I can just use the one that came with the car and carry that one when I travel. I will be ordering one of these so that I can charge faster at home between short trips. The watts used are the same, just the amount of time changes. If you only ever have to charge over night, then this isn't an issue for you. Carry on.

Hi Tony,

Good morning .

16.5 ft cable made to 23 ft. instead ,it is okay . No problem.

Sae j1772 plug +23ft cable +evse + 1.7 ft cable + 6-20 plug. The unit price is 110 usd .

Shipping cost by UPS 48 USD .

Tony, now the shipping cost is higher than before , new year is coming ,all rising ...

Tony, we also have ev bag, pls see the attachment including the 6-20 evse charger , the price is 4 usd.
We have some in stock now. If you need ,we would keep one for you .

 

From a company that warrants the device and has a QC system that reduces the risk of sub-standard components from middle-men suppliers.

Don't kid yourself: there is a huge variation in quality from 'Made in China,' from counterfeit and/or garbage to top notch.

 

Then you can always go here:

OpenEV | Home
I happen to think that building one would be no big deal, but then, I have a backgound in electrics and electronics. I just don't want to.

Or here, to get the same one that I referred to for a little more money:

Dostar Duosida 16A 3.84kW Portable Charging Station 25' length - EVSE – BSA Electronics

Note that he says manufactured for BSA. What does that mean? That he specified the 25' length and ordered a bunch to mark them up and sell them online? Or that he contacted a Chinese manufacturer and specified every part and design and actually had it built for him?
More likely the former from this site: Alibaba Manufacturer Directory - Suppliers, Manufacturers, Exporters & Importers 
Ali-Baba is the Chinese equivalent to Amazon. The EVSE that I linked to is backed by a 1 year warranty.

 

LOL. Because .... ?

I do trust this guy: EVSE Upgrade - Low-Cost EV Charging Solutions
Founded by well known EV enthusiast, EE engineer and all around genius 'ingineer' (as he calls himself on the internet.)

 

Because a manufactured unit would have a better/waterproof enclosure and look cooler, and not be in a metal box with strain reliefs for connectors, which I would probably do because I'm lazy. I completely wired my 24x30 shop during construction from weather-head to outlet (32 circuits in the panel, conduit in the slab) so I don't have a problem with electricity. (plumbing, on the other hand )

And if you look at this:

OpenEV Store - OpenEVSE Essentials Combo

you're already at most of the cost of the EVSE I linked to without cables or connectors. (or an ugly box)

 

No problem -- make your own choices and live (or die, as the case may be) with them.

I'm happy to be frugal most of the time and downright miserly occasionally, but I have no problem spending extra money to buy an EVSE from a company with a stellar reputation. I've spent money on far more questionable things.

 

Note that a) you lose your original cable in the exchange; and b) the charger is only rated for 12amps, not 16 for a level 2.
Does he say where his box, the EVSE in the cable, is made?

 

Ask him; he is very approachable if you ask a reasonable question. From my perspective I don't care where he sources components, I trust him to source high quality electronics because I know the testing and validation he puts stuff through and the underlying expertise he brings to bear on his projects. He will not, e.g., source no-name capacitors from Alibaba even though that component might be in a UL approved device from another company.

I'm not trying to push sales for him (although I do recommend him highly.) My point is that generic electronics have a wide quality variation and I at least prefer to err on safe side with my EVSE purchase.

/signing off

 

Since the Prime can only draw 16 amps max, I've been struggling with which EVSE to get. Should I save money and just get a 16 amp one or future proof by getting a 32 amp one? Then reading the manual, these charge cables apparently have a limited life (due to what? I assume the connectors wears out. But if that's true, what about the connector on the vehicle?) if it's going to wear out, I might as well buy the 16 amp one and save some money.

 

good question. i'm not sure the L2 evse's wear out like the oem. i think it's inside the brick, but not sure of the wear part. for myself, i've plugged in about 2.500 hundred times in 4 1/2 years, but i think the rating is 10,000cycles?

 

I'm going to split the difference and install a fat wire and breaker and 15-40 outlet and then buy a pluggable EVSE rated for 24A. That will service our (expected) two lowish power EVs and give an easy upgrade path for a second EVSE if I decide to buy a Tesla in 2018. I figure that the 24A will be more than enough power in the winter to service charging and pre-conditioning the car, and hopefully a low enough rate to baby the car during the hot months for a long battery life*.

I might even pay for two outlets if I save money for one electrician visit.

*Along with the other measures I'll use like 80% charging on a daily basis and charging at night when it is cool in the summer.

 

1--how much power is available from your home service? It might not be able to supply 50 amps, or 40 amps, or even 30. That needs to be evaluated.
2--If the power is available, might as well have the electrician wire to the max. The difference in cost is minor. The electrician can pull #6 wire for 50 amps, or maybe #8 will be suitable for 50 and is certainly good for 40 amps. If you want, you can always use a lower rated circuit breaker and put in a higher rated one when you own a different car that can charge at a higher rate.
3--You can have multiple receptacles installed, but keep in mind the total load you'll draw. If you have two 40 amp receptacles and plug in two cars, you can only draw 32 amps total (80% of the rated capacity).

An aside about Tesla...my wife's cousin just sold his Tesla. The car was fine, but he was greatly disappointed in the service. He found one else to work on a Tesla, and Tesla did not expand their service facilities as they expanded sales.

 

Note Prime's ability to reduce draw to 8 amps. The reason why is simple, when you do the math. Looking at an ordinary 20-amp line to provide capacity for recharging 2 Prime in the same garage on the same line overnight, you'll see there's just enough electricity in just enough time. Toyota clearly thought out their approach in every regard to make the system affordable & abundant.

 

Any advantage to a 4 wire plug vs. 3 (4 has a neutral wire)?

 

If the device you're using doesn't need it, then no advantage.