Spark OEM EVSE charger - same as Chevy Volt?

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PPL

Member
Joined
Oct 20, 2014
Messages
20
Does anyone know if the Spark OEM EVSE charger is the same one that is supplied with 2013> Chevy Volt?

I have read that it is a ClipperCreek OEM unit and there is information on the Chevy Volt forums for an easy conversion to Level 2 charging. Even possible to do a Level 1 / Level 2 selectable unit.

Thanks!
 
I have a Volt and a Spark EV. Both EVSE units look the same to me.

I wouldn't try changing the unit that came with your car, since it works.

If you are looking to play with electronics, check out both Open-EVSE and emotorwerks JuiceBox.

I built a "premium" JuiceBox myself to charge the Spark EV, and it's been working fine. It will charge at both 120 and 240 volts. I'd go for their basic model next time.

Open EVSE website was too disorganized when I was looking, but maybe better now. That unit is more compact, and might be worth looking at now, too.

If you could hunt down someone's burned out unit and buy it, the EVSE plug and cord is always expensive (~$150), so if you got a broken unit, you could use some of it to build your own.
 
PPL said:
Does anyone know if the Spark OEM EVSE charger is the same one that is supplied with 2013> Chevy Volt?

I have read that it is a ClipperCreek OEM unit and there is information on the Chevy Volt forums for an easy conversion to Level 2 charging. Even possible to do a Level 1 / Level 2 selectable unit.

Thanks!

Clipper Creek did have a contract to supply the electronics for the Volt EVSE. I'm not sure if they still do, but it is entirely possible.

Even if you convert the GM supplied unit to 240 volts (relatively easy, since you are merely making the neutral a second "hot", for 240 volts), it will still be a 8-12 amp unit. The Spark / Volt onboard charger is capable of 100-250 at up to 16 amps. That higher amperage, you won't do with the stock EVSE unit.

So, if you're looking for portable 100 - 250 volt capable unit, absolutely either get a 2013 or newer Nissan LEAF (Panasonic) unit that has been "upgraded" by a specialty shop for programmable 6-20 amps, and can accept 100-250 volts.

Another option is the early LEAF units, 2011-2012, which can be only upgraded to 16 amps, but that's perfect for both of the GM electric plug-in vehicles. Again, it those early LEAF portable EVSE's will have to be "upgraded" first to work at 240 volt / 16 amps.

Then, there are other options for programmable portable EVSE's for up to 40 amps. Obviously, you do not need this capability, but many of those are sold in the Mercedes Benz B-Class ED and Toyota Rav4 EV communities (those cars both have Tesla 40 amp chargers).

DISCLAIMER: my company sells the 40 amp portables, and while we are an advertiser on the sister forums to this one, we currently do not support this forum financially, therefore I won't name or link our products.
 
Clipper Creek did have a contract to supply the electronics for the Volt EVSE. I'm not sure if they still do, but it is entirely possible.

Even if you convert the GM supplied unit to 240 volts (relatively easy, since you are merely making the neutral a second "hot", for 240 volts), it will still be a 8-12 amp unit. The Spark / Volt onboard charger is capable of 100-250 at up to 16 amps. That higher amperage, you won't do with the stock EVSE unit.




Thanks for the feedback.

Actually, the Spark has a small 3.3kW charger inside so 12A is all it can handle. The "small" improvement from Level 2 is why I cannot justify the cost of a dedicated Level 2 charger to be installed. If simple modification of the OEM EVSE provide a small improvement over Level 1, it is a bonus. The 3.3kW charger is the only serious complaint I have against my Spark EV.

Mine has the fast DC charge option but finding a charging site that supports SAE is a lost cause. My work has lots of ChargePoint but all of them only supports Level 1/2. Even on Level 2, Spark EV takes so long to charge that the cost adds up.
 
PPL said:
Mine has the fast DC charge option but finding a charging site that supports SAE is a lost cause.

There are many posts and threads on the GM / German auto manufacturer's DC charging standard, and I have been openly critical of the entire boondoggle since day 1. The fact that BMW (and probably VW in the near future) currently offer CHAdeMO on their cars sold in Japan goes to show that with little effort at all, it could be offered here.

CHAdeMO is now over 4200 installations around the world. There are several added per day, every day, somewhere in the world.

GM clearly is not significantly engaged in their CCS-Combo1 protocol charger build-out, and thankfully GM's efforts to attempt to stop / slow CHAdeMO have failed miserably.

None of this is a big surprise to me. I predicted it several years ago. For folks already with a CCS-Combo1 equipped car, at least 200 stations will be installed by NRG/eVgo throughout California over four years. They have already begun outfitting the existing stations to add a second CHAdeMO with an adjoining CCS-Combo1. This is a big win for the 60,000 CHAdeMO equipped cars driving throughout the USA, many of those in California.

BMW has thrown some money at ChargePoint, but what that will bring is hard to say. ChargePoint doesn't normally own the stations (I am a principle in the very first ChargePoint DC charger, now two years old).
 
PPL, If you had a Level 2 unit at home, it would fully charge the Spark overnight.

Using 240 volts, it can draw almost 14 amps.

If you are having trouble getting a full charge, get the L2!
 
SteveC5088 said:
PPL, If you had a Level 2 unit at home, it would fully charge the Spark overnight.

Using 240 volts, it can draw almost 14 amps.

If you are having trouble getting a full charge, get the L2!

I second Steve...got an L2 at home and it works fine.

I've never had an issue either with range or with finding a charging station. Unless you live way out in the boonies, most of the negativity is drummed up.
 
PPL said:
Actually, the Spark has a small 3.3kW charger inside so 12A is all it can handle. The "small" improvement from Level 2 is why I cannot justify the cost of a dedicated Level 2 charger to be installed. If simple modification of the OEM EVSE provide a small improvement over Level 1, it is a bonus. The 3.3kW charger is the only serious complaint I have against my Spark EV.

PPL, the L2 charger will charge twice as quickly as L1. More than a "small improvement", but way slower than the fast charging setup. I specifically bought my Spark withOUT fast charging, since it added $750 to the price, and I'd never use it.

By the way, on Facebook in the Chevy Volt Owners group, there is a Christina Drewry selling an L1 EVSE (Link) for $200. She wrecked a Volt (ran into a light post at 10 mph, insurance totaled it at $8k --odd) back in Feb, and is trying to get some $$ for the EVSE. I don't think it is worth $200, but you might make an offer. Then go about upgrading it to run L2.
 
PPL said:
The "small" improvement from Level 2 is why I cannot justify the cost of a dedicated Level 2 charger to be installed. If simple modification of the OEM EVSE provide a small improvement over Level 1, it is a bonus. The 3.3kW charger is the only serious complaint I have against my Spark EV.

We decided our Spark EV would likely not be our last EV, so we got a 30amp L2 EVSE to delay obsolescence and allow us to charge our next car as well as the Spark EV. Just a thought.
 
PPL said:
The "small" improvement from Level 2 is why I cannot justify the cost of a dedicated Level 2 charger to be installed. If simple modification of the OEM EVSE provide a small improvement over Level 1, it is a bonus. The 3.3kW charger is the only serious complaint I have against my Spark EV.

Did you take advantage of the $500 discount on a Bosch charger? This makes a Level 2 basically FREE!!! As mentioned, even though the Spark only has a 3.3kW on board charger, you're likely going to have more vehicles in the future that can accept more, so why not just go for it now and reap the benefits of a permanent Level 2 at home for years to come?

If you get the free Bosch unit and are resourceful when it comes to the installation, it's actually cheaper than buying/modifying portable units. In my case, I've got two Level 2 chargers (one installed, one currently sitting on a shelf) and haven't paid a dime! I'm glad to have room for growth (higher charging rates) with these compared to the portable units, as well.

Bryce
 
SteveC5088 said:
PPL said:
Actually, the Spark has a small 3.3kW charger inside so 12A is all it can handle. The "small" improvement from Level 2 is why I cannot justify the cost of a dedicated Level 2 charger to be installed. If simple modification of the OEM EVSE provide a small improvement over Level 1, it is a bonus. The 3.3kW charger is the only serious complaint I have against my Spark EV.

PPL, the L2 charger will charge twice as quickly as L1. More than a "small improvement", but way slower than the fast charging setup. I specifically bought my Spark withOUT fast charging, since it added $750 to the price, and I'd never use it.

By the way, on Facebook in the Chevy Volt Owners group, there is a Christina Drewry selling an L1 EVSE (Link) for $200. She wrecked a Volt (ran into a light post at 10 mph, insurance totaled it at $8k --odd) back in Feb, and is trying to get some $$ for the EVSE. I don't think it is worth $200, but you might make an offer. Then go about upgrading it to run L2.

Thanks for the feedback. I certainly would pay $200 for it if I have a way to contact her. However, I do not have a FB account nor wish to be part of FB. I do agree it would be an excellent thing to try out my experiments. Sad I have no way to contact her.

As for my comment on Level 2 being a small advantage, my driving range is the classic 40+ miles a day. Even Level 1 @ 12amps plugged between 11pm till 6am should be enough to get a full topped up charge. However, it is the weekends or times when I need some sort of rapid charge where the Level 1 fails. Level 2 is better but the bottleneck is still the 3.3kW charger in the Spark. Hard to justify the cost of a $500-600 Level 2 for occasional needs. I tried ChargePoint at work and a 2 hour charging at Level 2 only added about 10-12 miles.

Regarding the $500 Bosch rebate, I think that is no longer available for new Spark EV owners. I just got mine a week ago.
 
StevesWeb said:
PPL said:
The "small" improvement from Level 2 is why I cannot justify the cost of a dedicated Level 2 charger to be installed. If simple modification of the OEM EVSE provide a small improvement over Level 1, it is a bonus. The 3.3kW charger is the only serious complaint I have against my Spark EV.

We decided our Spark EV would likely not be our last EV, so we got a 30amp L2 EVSE to delay obsolescence and allow us to charge our next car as well as the Spark EV. Just a thought.

Truly an excellent idea. In the grand scheme of "typical" overnight charging of electric vehicles:

15 amp circuit @ 120 volts @ 80% maximum load = 12 amps max (stock in almost every EV)

20 amp circuit @ 240 volts @ 80% maximum load = 16 amps max (Chevy Spark / Volt)

30 amp circuit @ 240 volts @ 80% maximum load = 24 amps (dryer circuits)

40 amp circuits @ 240 volts @ 80% maximum load = 32 amps ("typical" J1772)

50 amp circuit @ 240 volts @ 80% maximum load = 40 amps (Tesla Model S/3/X, Toyota Rav4EV, Merecdes B-Class ED)

100 amp circt @ 240 volts @ 80% maximum load = 80 amps (Tesla Roadster / twin charger)
 
PPL said:
Regarding the $500 Bosch rebate, I think that is no longer available for new Spark EV owners. I just got mine a week ago.

I urge you to call and try to get it, if you haven't already! Worst they can say is no, right?

http://www.pluginnow.com/discount

Bryce
 
PPL said:
Regarding the $500 Bosch rebate, I think that is no longer available for new Spark EV owners. I just got mine a week ago.

Give Bosch a call....see if they still have it...doesn't look like their site is well managed so best to ring them up! Is your car a 2014 or 2015?

http://www.pluginnow.com/residential
 
PPL: If you will send me your email address, (mine is in my profile) I'll try to reach the FB person on the EVSE for sale. Remember, though, you will still need to purchase new stuff to put inside it to convert it to L2. That's why I think $200 is too high.

As far as that Bosch $500 rebate: I believe you need to pay an authorized installer to hard-wire it, and I've heard they ask $1500 for most normal installs. I may be wrong, so go ahead and call. But don't be surprised....

that is is a flamebait type of response and will be reported to the moderator.
Flamebait? What??? :shock: Why do you people have such intense opinions about which type of public charging stations are availabl? Didn't I see a flame war a while back over this? If you ask me, getting your shorts tied in knots over something like that is pretty much beyond our control is ridiculous. Just stop!
 
SteveC5088 said:
As far as that Bosch $500 rebate: I believe you need to pay an authorized installer to hard-wire it, and I've heard they ask $1500 for most normal installs. I may be wrong, so go ahead and call. But don't be surprised....

You're wrong. No strings attached, I got mine right away. $500 off, which means free or near free depending on the unit you choose. Simple as that!

Bryce
 
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