The ad on the homepage depicts a seemingly small device and along with it they will send you another complete cord and EVSE to plug into car. The dual voltage model, for charging either at 120 or 240 cost about $649.00. From their site I could only assume, 120 input to 220 output. SO..... It's a transformer! If this is true, why not just sell you the device, for 50 to 100 bucks? The Chinese may be selling a similar product. Am I missing something?
if they can convert the oem for a few hundred bucks, this doesn't seem unreasonable. half the cost is in the cord and plug. it would be nice to have a portable L2.
From a business standpoint, they will not hit it. Our charge cord will accept and work with under voltage, not well, slow. But over voltage is another subject and the hardware must match. As mentioned before, on the PIP only an hour is saved at 220 V.
it says all L2's are 2.1 hours, so it may be 90 minutes like others. although, they might limit because of cord gauge?
PIP only draws 10 amps max at 240v so there's no way the cord couldn't take it- according to the spec sheet it's rated for 16 amps@240 volts. The chart is incorrect- L2 for the PIP is 90 min. You're better off with a Juice box (Electric Motor Werks, Inc. - CUSTOMIZABLE JuiceBox - an Open Source Level 2 (15kW) EV Charging Station) for half the price and much larger capacity.
No, it is not a transformer. The L1 "trickle charge" brick/cable/cord set that comes w/EVs/PHEVs and L1 and L2 charging stations/docks are NOT chargers. They're EVSEs. They basically a smart safety switch w/surge protection, GFCI and implement J1772 (J1772Basics - open-evse - The Basics of the J1772 pilot protocol - Open Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) - Google Project Hosting ). For L1 and L2 AC charging over J1772, the charger is on-board the car. The above are just EVSEs. See diagram at My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Range issues. These may also help. My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Why the EVSE at all? My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - Can we avoid the EVSE altogether? My Nissan Leaf Forum • View topic - TurboCord compact dual-voltage EVSE discusses the OP's item. Ingineer at MNL (aka pEEf) here runs evseupgrade.com. He upgrades the components and alters the firmware of L1 EVSEs so they can handle 208-240 volts. See Toyota : EVSE Upgrade, Low-Cost EV Charging Solutions and Frequently Asked Questions : EVSE Upgrade, Low-Cost EV Charging Solutions. BTW, Shop Tesla Gear — Mobile Connector Bundle is an EVSE (comes w/the Model S) can also handle 120 to 240 volts, but it doesn't have a J1772 connector. It instead has Tesla's proprietary connector on the car side. TonyWilliams has cut off the Tesla plug and retrofitted it w/a J1772 plug so that it can charge J1772-equipped vehicles: JESLA™ is THE 40 amp J1772 portable charging solution! . More info at Toyota Rav4 EV Forum • View topic - The JESLA(tm) 40 amp portable charging solution for Rav4 EV. This is overkill for a PiP but is interested for EVs/PHEVs w/6+ kW on-board chargers (most currently sold EVs), esp. ones w/10 kW OBCs (e.g. Rav4 EV) w/access to 50 amp circuits.
BTW, at the ~10 second mark of , you can click on a link to listen to an Aerovironment rep talk about TurboCord. Side note: For a long time, there's been talk on MNL about Quick 220 Systems: Voltage Converters where you can get 240 volts by plugging into 2 out of phase 12o volt circuits. I have no personal experience w/these but IIRC, pEEf has built something like this himself before.
i think they both have thier applications. this is a neat one to throw in the car if you have access to 240v outlets on the road.
[/quote]You're better off with a Juice box (Electric Motor Werks, Inc. - CUSTOMIZABLE JuiceBox - an Open Source Level 2 (15kW) EV Charging Station) for half the price and much larger capacity.[/quote] I have been using the "Juice Box" for several months and it works great. You can plug it into 120v or 240v without any problem. It has worked perfectly for me.
I ordered the base kit w/25' cord yesterday. I already have 240 volt (20 amp- 12awg) service run to my desired mounting location- so it should be an easy project.
