[wbjag]

n00b QQ. Does anyone have experience charging from a plug with less than 32a 7kw capacity. Say the breaker is only 240v/20a, will the breaker trip or will the I-Pace somehow mysteriously charge at a lesser rate? Or is there some option to change the charging rate? I may not be phrasing this question correctly but I hope you get the jest.

 

[Timbo]

That is a good question, and one I don’t know the answer to. I know my BMW i3 had the ability to draw less current, but not sure about the iPace. On another note, remember that when you upgrade the circuit, you have to ensure it supports 40 amps otherwise it will trip. Breakers are designed to handle 80% of their load continuously.

 

[Dantrium]

n00b QQ. Does anyone have experience charging from a plug with less than 32a 7kw capacity. Say the breaker is only 240v/20a, will the breaker trip or will the I-Pace somehow mysteriously charge at a lesser rate? Or is there some option to change the charging rate? I may not be phrasing this question correctly but I hope you get the jest.

The I-Pace will take whatever the EVSE will supply up to the 7kw max

 

[jsimon7777]

If you put a charger meant to supply 30 amps onto a 20 amp circuit, it'll blow the breaker trying to provide 30 amps. If you put a charger meant for a 20 amp circuit on a 20 amp circuit, you'll be fine. Some chargers provide selectable amperage, either by software, jumper, or switch.

 

[Time2Roll]

n00b QQ. Does anyone have experience charging from a plug with less than 32a 7kw capacity. Say the breaker is only 240v/20a, will the breaker trip or will the I-Pace somehow mysteriously charge at a lesser rate? Or is there some option to change the charging rate? I may not be phrasing this question correctly but I hope you get the jest.

The EVSE needs to be properly rated for the available power.

And yes I charge my I-Pace frequently on 16 amps, 20 amps, 24 amps and 30 amps at various home and work charging stations.

If you want a portable EVSE charging station with variable charging rates consider the Jesla Jr.
Each adapter automatically adjusts the power available based on what you are plugging into.

https://shop.quickchargepower.com/JESLA-JR-is-THE-32-amp-J1772-portable-charging-solution-JESLAJR.htm

 

[alphanstein]

Technically, you should not be able to plug a EVSE into an outlet of lesser ratings. The NEMA plugs will not mate and thus prevent you from even being able to hook up the way you ask nor would a certified electrician allow it to be wired as such. My 40amp Juicebox had to be plugged into a 50amp breaker because the code in California meant you had to have some headroom in the connection.

If you put a 32amp EVSE on a 20amp breaker, you will trip the breaker as it is designed to only allow 20amps if it is compliant to its UL rating.

 

[epirali]

There are EVSEs that will only draw 16 amps at 240. If you get those (as pointed out with different plug) you can charge the I Pace at 3.6 KW rate from a 20 amp plug. Of course it will take twice as long to charge. And the EVSE will never provide more than 16 amp even when plugged into a higher rated circuit.

There may be EVSEs with adjustable current draws but I don’t think one that can be set to that wide a range.

 

[McRat]

The JuiceBox Pro (WiFi) will derate down to 6/12/16/24/32 amps x 240vac in the cellphone app.

It's a good value, but not exactly portable. It saves your charging information and even graphs it.

I have a Bosch, Clipper Creek, Chevy Volt, and a Tesla Model 3 EVSE with TeslaTap. The JuiceBoxes are the largest and heaviest with a clumsy cord, but they are industrial quality units. Not even all commercial sites are as robust as a JuiceBox. Few are more robust.

For a portable (carried in the car) I'd get the Tesla Model 3 with TeslaTap since it is 32a, small and light, with swap-able pigtails for different outlets, which is how you control charge rate.

Like above the Jaguar Retail USA EVSE is a terrible joke. It's not even 12a which is what a 120v outlet supports at minimum. The prototype cars came with a good EVSE with L1/L2 pigtails. It is a Jaguar P/N, and I wish they would have made them an option.

But for home or business use? The JuiceBox Pro. There is nothing wrong with the Bosch or Clipper Creek or Tesla, it's just the JuiceBox Pro is a better unit and a good value.

People say the Bosch is junk. Mine has lasted outdoors for 6 years being used every single day without one problem. It has passed more kWh than all our other EVSEs combined. I agree it's sort of Mickey Mouse, but it certainly works. Would I buy another? No, there are better choices. But it shows you can't always trust the internet.

 

[wbjag]

Kinda off topic but

I understand in the charger there is signaling that signals the EV the charging rate. Off my original topic however, for a non-tesla owner, I believe the best option, as I know today, that I am going with is a ChargePoint CPH25 for my home and for mobile I'm going with the EVSEAdapters 12-32A Adjustable 120-240V Charger EVSE and may get a Tesla Tap so that I have the additional option of charging from a Tesla station.

https://www.amazon.com/ChargePoint-...ds=cph25&qid=1558529567&s=gateway&sr=8-1&th=1

https://www.evseadapters.com/collec...-120-240v-charger-evse?variant=14295581458530

UMC-J1772 Store
https://www.amazon.com/TeslaTap-Tes...rds=tesla+tap&qid=1558802532&s=gateway&sr=8-1

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SAE_J1772
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Combined_Charging_System
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_62196

 

[ksattic]

The Chargepoint Home charger asks you during setup (via your phone) to confirm you have a 40A breaker (for 32A charge current). If you don't confirm, it will assume a 20A breaker (for 16A charge current).

If you choose 40A but you have a 20A breaker, the breaker (if working) will trip when the current exceeds the rating.

 

[Trielectric]

When my last EVSuppybreaker died(6yo, Leviton), I took it apart, to salvage the wiring and did some reading on the devices I found in the box. In my house's electric panel supply I have a 40 watt(2gang,1phase)breaker going to my EVSupplybreaker. My Ford Focus Electric draws 29amps(6.6kw charger under the car in the catalytic converter space) measured at the 40 amp supply breaker in my house electrical panel, when the battery is low and has begun to charge. Some time late in the charge this amperage drops down for 2 reasons, one your battery is getting crowded with electrons and is providing some resistance to being charged and your EVSupplybreaker begins to throttle back in amps because the car is telling it to(due to programing and /or heat). The EVsupply breaker does this by a ring of wires and steel ring wrapped around the incoming AC wires. This is also 1 instrument that senses overload(lightning!) and trips the EVsupply breaker open if needed. If the car's battery requires equalizing at the end of the charge, the EVSupplybreaker uses only one leg of the feeder for a 120vac supply to the car charger. I believe both the car charger and the EVsupply breaker realign (grounds) to accomplish this feat. My current EVSupply breaker (AeroVironment) flashes a separate light when it goes into this 120vac equalizing mode.
For amp max. reference: I have found that my house solar panels require a 20amp breaker (240vac) per leg of panels and the leg should have less than 16 amps in that leg per code where I live.

 

[deafsoundguy]

n00b QQ. Does anyone have experience charging from a plug with less than 32a 7kw capacity. Say the breaker is only 240v/20a, will the breaker trip or will the I-Pace somehow mysteriously charge at a lesser rate? Or is there some option to change the charging rate? I may not be phrasing this question correctly but I hope you get the jest.

Although the question is asked about the breaker capacity, nowhere is the info about what kind of plug the owner has.


First of all, if we were talking milkshakes, and you tried to suck too much thick milkshake through a straw too small, it would blow the milkshake breaker. Same with current, if the breaker senses one is trying pull too much (AC) through it, it shuts down to protect the connections and load capacity of the wiring.


I would assume that the person asking the question isn't an electrician. I would like to know just what kind of plug he has start the other half of the conversation. There's a $h*t-ton of plugs out there but if he's talking a 240/20 that says to me a standard 3 prong cord with a lug turned sideways (leaving twist lock connectors out of the conversation) . Regular Edison type plugs are only rated for 15 amps no matter if it's a cheapy or pro model. Once you get into a 20 amp plug you have to go with the one spade sideways type. I don't know what comes with an iPace because I don't have one, but assume a 120volt charger?


If the soon to be electric car owner is planning on using a 220 volt outlet already in their garage, then usually they're going to looking at plugging into their existing 3 prong (older) dryer plug or newer 4 prong dryer plug. The difference between the 2, being new types have a ground AND a neutral. Most older plugs plugs are going to be (dual) 30 amp breakers, and maybe depending on exact type a (dual) 50 amp breaker if you have a sexy 14-50 (my favorite) plug.



If the electrical installation was done by a pro, then the breaker cannot exceed the plug rating. So if you have a older 3 prong type then it's not going to be a (dual) 50. If the person asking the question has indeed a 240/20 and it's actually hooked up the a dryer plug then someone would have had to switch out to a small breaker which would be nonsense. So that again leaves me with the idea that the question revolves around the plug which must be a small non-dryer plug type, and couldn't handle anything over 20 amps at best, and would have to be a spade turned sideways if indeed you wanted to pull 20 amps. Me personally I would never have a device pulling the maximum rated capacity on a plug, because it will be warm and that's not cool, and you shouldn't exceed about 80% of the rated capacity. Both the i3 and the Cad ELR pull 12amps at maximum, for a reason, while nursing on that breaker.



Basically the electrical world must be based on constant draw, and not dynamic power, the difference being one is like a heater, light, car charger, etc versus power being demanded in spurts, in which a breaker, wire, or plug can handle substantial amounts more if we were talking power amps, and things with zero cycle starts like your frig.



I hope that helps or makes any sense... If anyone is going to get new wiring, get a 14-50 plug and be clear to the electrician that you want a 14-50 and not a L14-50 because sometimes electricians will default to other worlds they work in. L denotes twist lock type connections.

 

[wbjag]

Although the question is asked about the breaker capacity, nowhere is the info about what kind of plug the owner has.


First of all, if we were talking milkshakes, and you tried to suck too much thick milkshake through a straw too small, it would blow the milkshake breaker. Same with current, if the breaker senses one is trying pull too much (AC) through it, it shuts down to protect the connections and load capacity of the wiring.


I would assume that the person asking the question isn't an electrician. I would like to know just what kind of plug he has start the other half of the conversation. There's a $h*t-ton of plugs out there but if he's talking a 240/20 that says to me a standard 3 prong cord with a lug turned sideways (leaving twist lock connectors out of the conversation) . Regular Edison type plugs are only rated for 15 amps no matter if it's a cheapy or pro model. Once you get into a 20 amp plug you have to go with the one spade sideways type. I don't know what comes with an iPace because I don't have one, but assume a 120volt charger?


If the soon to be electric car owner is planning on using a 220 volt outlet already in their garage, then usually they're going to looking at plugging into their existing 3 prong (older) dryer plug or newer 4 prong dryer plug. The difference between the 2, being new types have a ground AND a neutral. Most older plugs plugs are going to be (dual) 30 amp breakers, and maybe depending on exact type a (dual) 50 amp breaker if you have a sexy 14-50 (my favorite) plug.



If the electrical installation was done by a pro, then the breaker cannot exceed the plug rating. So if you have a older 3 prong type then it's not going to be a (dual) 50. If the person asking the question has indeed a 240/20 and it's actually hooked up the a dryer plug then someone would have had to switch out to a small breaker which would be nonsense. So that again leaves me with the idea that the question revolves around the plug which must be a small non-dryer plug type, and couldn't handle anything over 20 amps at best, and would have to be a spade turned sideways if indeed you wanted to pull 20 amps. Me personally I would never have a device pulling the maximum rated capacity on a plug, because it will be warm and that's not cool, and you shouldn't exceed about 80% of the rated capacity. Both the i3 and the Cad ELR pull 12amps at maximum, for a reason, while nursing on that breaker.



Basically the electrical world must be based on constant draw, and not dynamic power, the difference being one is like a heater, light, car charger, etc versus power being demanded in spurts, in which a breaker, wire, or plug can handle substantial amounts more if we were talking power amps, and things with zero cycle starts like your frig.



I hope that helps or makes any sense... If anyone is going to get new wiring, get a 14-50 plug and be clear to the electrician that you want a 14-50 and not a L14-50 because sometimes electricians will default to other worlds they work in. L denotes twist lock type connections.

You misunderstand my question, I was wondering if there is an option in the I-Pace settings to limit the amount of current the charger is pulling so not to blow the upstream breaker. You can set this in some chargers and some chargers configure it automatically based on the plug. I was wondering if this functionality is in the I-Pace settings. Not having a vehicle "as yet" to play with, I don't know if it is available in settings manually, automatically, otherwise or not at all.

Just FYI, I wired my current Nema 6-50 receptacle with 6/3 so that I have the neutral available that I can switch out to a Nema 14-50 later if needed.

 

[deafsoundguy]

You misunderstand my question, I was wondering if there is an option in the I-Pace settings to limit the amount of current the charger is pulling so not to blow the upstream breaker. You can set this in some chargers and some chargers configure it automatically based on the plug. I was wondering if this functionality is in the I-Pace settings. Not having a vehicle "as yet" to play with, I don't know if it is available in settings manually, automatically, otherwise or not at all.

Just FYI, I wired my current Nema 6-50 receptacle with 6/3 so that I have the neutral available that I can switch out to a Nema 14-50 later if needed.

Since there's always the ability for people to use adapters, then the possibility always exists for people to melt their plugs (or worse cause a fire). There's always a plug between the charger and the breaker, so my mind goes there first. Being a sound company, I've melted a few plugs in my life before I learned about current draw, draw over distance, breaker types and quality, as well of course wire gauge... And sometimes the charger or charger plug can go bad and that can really heat things up! That actually happened on my first i3 charger...

 

[Ayepace]

The answer to wbjag's question is: No, there is not a setting in the I-pace itself. The external charging unit, either the one that comes with the car or supplied separately, tells the car what the maximum power is that can be supplied. Chargepoint, Juicebox, or whatever, can either be set to a maximum to allow before connecting to the car, or they are fixed based on their capabilities.

 

[wbjag]

The answer to wbjag's question is: No, there is not a setting in the I-pace itself. The external charging unit, either the one that comes with the car or supplied separately, tells the car what the maximum power is that can be supplied. Chargepoint, Juicebox, or whatever, can either be set to a maximum to allow before connecting to the car, or they are fixed based on their capabilities.

Thanks Ayepace.

 

[bruintoo]

I'm charging at 16amp max (EVSE is 16amp and breaker is 20amp max). The I-Pace just charges at a slower pace.