Brammo Owners Forum
Brammo Empulse Discussion => Brammo Empulse => Topic started by: Virtually Yours on May 10, 2012, 11:41:18 AM
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The Empulse only has the J1772.
I plan on installing a 240v J1772 at the house at some point. My place of employment only has 3 J1772 charging stations (where I'm not allowed to park) and numerous 120v (where I am allowed to park).
The down side of course is the slow charge (I'm at work for 8 hrs anyway) and carrying this in a backpack or trunk... But could prove to be handy. Will Brammo put out one like this and if so should include it with the purchase of the Empulse (in my opinion).
http://evseupgrade.com/ (http://evseupgrade.com/)
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I find that site confusing. In order to be able to plug an Empulse into a standard 120V wall socket, what is required?
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Yeah, I was going to post that what the LEAF uses would be great for people who only use 110
(http://evseupgrade.com/files/evse.jpg)
off to check how much this costs.
Gavin
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I think its confusing too.
I believe it plugs into a 240 outlet and below is the adapter cord for the 110... So my understanding is you need both.
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For level one only....to plug the Empulse into a 110 outlet...this would be good for home use or work use...not fast charging.
http://www.pluginamerica.org/accessory-tracker?type=All&level=1&nrtl=All (http://www.pluginamerica.org/accessory-tracker?type=All&level=1&nrtl=All)
Cheapest one....
http://www.pluginamerica.org/accessories/voltec-charge-cord (http://www.pluginamerica.org/accessories/voltec-charge-cord)
the toyota has a bit higher Amp...
http://www.pluginamerica.org/accessories/toyota-level-1-cordset (http://www.pluginamerica.org/accessories/toyota-level-1-cordset)
Gavin
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I thought some sort of adapter would come with the Empulse? I assumed it would be something like what comes with a plug-in Prius or Leaf. I do know that a simple cord isn't good enough. The standard plug has some sort of communication protocol between the EV and the charger. The Leaf 120 set has built-in electronics to support that. Not positive about this. I do have a friend that has a plug-in Prius, so I have seen his 120V "adapter" cord set.
As already mentioned, the cord sets are expensive. The Prius one has a small hole on the attachment button that fits a small padlock. The lock makes it impossible to press the button and release the cord from the EV. With a replacement cost of around $900 you don't really want to use the cord without a lock in a public place. That said, a typical gym lock is too big to fit the hole. It takes something more like a luggage lock.
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http://www.shopchevyparts.com/electronics/volt-battery-charger-cable-110v/22865050-p-820.html (http://www.shopchevyparts.com/electronics/volt-battery-charger-cable-110v/22865050-p-820.html)
$360
gavin
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If anyone is interested in an open-source project related to this, I've been watching this one for a while:
http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/ (http://code.google.com/p/open-evse/)
I just emailed him a question about a 120v to J1772 adapter.
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I just noticed in fine print on the specs page of the Empulse that
Recharge J1772 Level I and II
110V AC to J1772 Level 1 Adapter included
I haven't seen this adapter... Does anyone have any info about this?
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Yeah!
I knew Brammo would have to include some way to charge the Empulse right off the bat..
I thought they were going to have a separate 110 outlet (like the Enertia has) and also the J1772...
Gavin
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It may be a requirement to only have a J1772 charge port. AFAIK the only vehicle that has both J1772 and a standard 110v charge port is the 2011-2012 Zeros, and that's with an aftermarket upgrade.
Every other J1772 vehicle - MiEV, Volt, Leaf, Coda (afaik) .. use a J1772 to 110v adapter.
It seems like the Empulse does as well. It may be a little bulky to carry with you.. will see.
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I have a plug in my garage ready for the Empulse 120v charging. I just dont see the need to charge faster than that... very rarely would I travel further than 70-100+ miles in a day, and I will plug her back in as soon as I get home.
I am relieved to hear that the adapter is included! :)
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Brammo says a 99% charge on 110v takes about 8 hours. Zero also says 8 hours for a 95% charge on the S ZF9.
It's nice that the electric motorcycles are feasible to charge on 110v, at least for home charging. With something like a Nissan Leaf I would have to install a level 2 charger just to charge overnight.
This also means you can do a feasible overnight trip to a destination with only 110v service; for example, my mom is 80 miles away on 50+ mph roads. It would completely drain the Empulse when I arrived, but the next morning I would be fully charged. The Nissan Leaf can *probably* make that trip as well, but it would take about 24 hours to fully charge from 110v to make the return trip.
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Of course the lobby in Europe has standardised on another plug. So for the EU market Brammo must adapt the charger interface to support the Mennekes plug and communication.
Probably another reason I will have to wait until I am gray haired before I can schedule my test drive :(
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From what I'm reading, the Mennekes plug and SAE J1772 are both IEC 62196-compliant connectors. What this means is that they are logically and electrically compatible, but the connector physical formats are different.
I believe the Mennekes is a supply-side inlet, where J1772 is a vehicle-side inlet. So you should be able to use a J1772 to Mennekes cable to charge.
Here's one outfit that sells the cables (ouch, expensive).
http://www.callidus-auto.co.uk/EV/buy_charging_cables.html (http://www.callidus-auto.co.uk/EV/buy_charging_cables.html)
Edit: The Nissan Leaf also works this way, Nissan Ireland supplies a cable to go from J1772 car-side to Mennekes supply-side.
Charging Nissan LEAF out and about
A charging cable is delivered with your Nissan LEAF, allowing you to charge the car at public charging stations (on-street parking, shopping centres, etc.) in about 8 hours on 220V – 16 Amp. The cable has a 7-Pin Mennekes Plug on one end and an EV plug which connects to the Nissan LEAF’s socket.
http://www.nissan.ie/vehicles/leaf/ (http://www.nissan.ie/vehicles/leaf/)
Note that a standard Euro connector claims to be able to handle 13A (220v), and the Mennekes connector for the Leaf says it's 16A. Empulse's charger should draw up to 16A when attached to a capable load.
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That's great news!
I know first hand that these cables are expensive. I bought a Mennekes adapter cable for my Vectrix recently and it cost me 300 Euro. But if it allows me to use the bike more it will automatically pay itself back. I figured 1000 more kilometres makes it break even with current fuel price. I have done about 100 so far :)