Portable Level 2 Cable
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I just carry the provided L1 trickle charger for emergencies. Imo the chances of me being (1) too low on charge to get to a public l2/l3 charger but (2) coincidentally parked somewhere within 20 feet of a 240v outlet, is too low to make it worth the investment.
Point taken.
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47 Posts
Several folks here have said good things about the Mustart Travelmaster, which is the same form factor as the included EVSE but can also be fitted with adapter plugs. It includes the 5-15 and 14-50 (32A max charging rate though) plugs and many others are available for $50 each. It can be used as your main home charger but taken with you in case you do run across a 240V plug. I know my thinking was being able to use it when visiting family upstate, borrowing their dryer plug overnight.
But none of them are cheap, this one is about $390 I think.
(I did order a Travelmaster, but it seems to have arrived non-functional, so that story doesn't have an ending yet)
But none of them are cheap, this one is about $390 I think.
(I did order a Travelmaster, but it seems to have arrived non-functional, so that story doesn't have an ending yet)
I bought a Mustart 30a EVSE with a 14-30P ($309) to use as my home charger, but in most cases I'll leave it at home when I travel. If I do plan on visiting family/friends with an available dryer plug I may take it along. If I knew the destination had a 10-30 socket, I could purchase an adapter for under $30 but would likely simply seek out a public L2/L3 instead.
I carry a Duosida dual 120/240 as my daily in my other car. As for the included VW charger, it has been tested at 240v and works! Granted, 10 amps at 240 volts will only gain the ID.4 about 3% per hour, (the Duosida would be closer to 5% running @16A), but it's a 2x improvement over plugging in to a 120v wall outlet.
Wow! If I understand this correctly, I could cut the 120 plug off of the VW-supplied cable and attach a 20 amp 240 volt.
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654 Posts
I purchased one of these from Costco. It pretty much does the opposite of what DanM from the link above did with the included VW Level 1 charger. Hard-wired NEMA 6-20P on the charger and various dongles like a 6-20R to 5-15P and a 6-20R to 10-30P. I also crafted a couple of my own. The "sale" price ends on June 14th.
Well, it's still only pulling 10 amps on each leg, so a 15 amp tandem breaker and 14 gauge wire are still sufficient. Also, rather than modifying the 5-15P that's on VW's EVSE, it's better to make up a 5-15R to 6-20P pigtail connection. That's what I've been doing with my Duosida and it works without any troubles.
pigtail w/ weatherized 5-15R
6-20P connection
Legrand - Pass & Seymour PS5466SSANCC4 Straight Blade Angled Plug Three Wire 20-Amp 250-volt Easy Install, Black - Electric Plugs - Amazon.com
Legrand - Pass & Seymour PS5466SSANCC4 Straight Blade Angled Plug Three Wire 20-Amp 250-volt Easy Install, Black - Electric Plugs - Amazon.com
www.amazon.com
Good idea.Well, it's still only pulling 10 amps on each leg, so a 15 amp tandem breaker and 14 gauge wire are still sufficient. Also, rather than modifying the 5-15P that's on VW's EVSE, it's better to make up a 5-15R to 6-20P pigtail connection. That's what I've been doing with my Duosida and it works without any troubles.
pigtail w/ weatherized 5-15R
6-20P connection
Legrand - Pass & Seymour PS5466SSANCC4 Straight Blade Angled Plug Three Wire 20-Amp 250-volt Easy Install, Black - Electric Plugs - Amazon.com
Legrand - Pass & Seymour PS5466SSANCC4 Straight Blade Angled Plug Three Wire 20-Amp 250-volt Easy Install, Black - Electric Plugs - Amazon.comwww.amazon.com
This forum will be invaluable — because a turn of events means I'm keeping my ID.4.
Unless I'm missing something, this setup will 1/2 the time of charging.Well, it's still only pulling 10 amps on each leg, so a 15 amp tandem breaker and 14 gauge wire are still sufficient. Also, rather than modifying the 5-15P that's on VW's EVSE, it's better to make up a 5-15R to 6-20P pigtail connection. That's what I've been doing with my Duosida and it works without any troubles.
pigtail w/ weatherized 5-15R
6-20P connection
Legrand - Pass & Seymour PS5466SSANCC4 Straight Blade Angled Plug Three Wire 20-Amp 250-volt Easy Install, Black - Electric Plugs - Amazon.com
Legrand - Pass & Seymour PS5466SSANCC4 Straight Blade Angled Plug Three Wire 20-Amp 250-volt Easy Install, Black - Electric Plugs - Amazon.comwww.amazon.com
Definitely do NOT cut the plug off the supplied cable. In addition to the expected hot/neutral/ground wires running to it, it also contains a molded-in temperature sensor, and whatever plug you are planning on replacing it with probably does not have that inside.
This is the easiest way to go, and it isn't even that much more expensive than a new plug end would cost you: https://www.amazon.com/BloomGrow-110V-120V-220V-Adapter/dp/B075FTC9RT
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197 Posts
I got a 32amp Mustart, not the travelmaster since that was out of stock, I just grabbed a 14-50 version and also picked up a 6-50 adapter. I my case I have a specific use case: up at my parents house 150 miles away, where we are putting an outlet in the shed for this purpose (and also for my brother's Tesla and my dad's welder). I might just end up leaving it there unless I'm planning a roadtrip, I don't expect to use it much elsewhere. For my own garage I have a Grizzly with the premium garden-hose-thick cable, which is ... relocatable, but not exactly portable.
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289 Posts
this is what i have for charging at home. it's got pretty nice functions.
32 AMP Level 2 Zencar Electric Car EV Charger J1772 EVSE NEMA 14-50 23' LONG | eBay
Find many great new & used options and get the best deals for 32 AMP Level 2 Zencar Electric Car EV Charger J1772 EVSE NEMA 14-50 23' LONG at the best online prices at eBay! Free shipping for many products!
www.ebay.com
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35 Posts
Well stated. I have a Mustart and it has served me well for all the reasons you have stated. A very inexpensive and relatively fast way to charge. It was actually easy too install a 220 double using an existing slot in my panel and run Rhomn wire to my destination point. Whole thing cost about $500 for charger and parts. But using an existing dryer outlet in a garage I assume would work just as well.
I mounted my chargepoint home flex to my garage in such a way that you can pull up and out to remove it from the wall without opening up the innards. I figured for planned travel I would just unplug it and take it with me since it is relatively small. The long cable will come in handy at a relative or friend's house in case the 240V outlet isn't in an optimal location. For emergency charging, I just carry the L1 EVSE that VW provided under the floor of the trunk.
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110 Posts
The Grizzl-E Mini finally came into stock. Capable of 40A just like its big brother, and "semi-smart" current adjustment and charge monitoring through an app. Mine should arrive in time for our first road trip in a couple of weeks - I don't know if we'll have 240V at our destination, but hopefully I'll be able to test it out soon and report back.
Looks solid, but I'm surprised at the price. It's as much as is big brother.
Doesn't really surprise me, whenever an electronics type of product keeps exactly the same features but gets shrunk, it often costs the same or more than the bigger product. The smaller cost of materials for the smaller size is negligible compared to the cost of designing it more compactly, I think.
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