Brammo Owners Forum
Brammo Empulse Discussion => Brammo Empulse => Topic started by: Gavin on February 13, 2015, 02:41:11 PM
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Probably a stupid question I could look up on teh GOOGLE, but...
Going to do some camping this summer at a site about 80 miles from home (so cutting it close as some roads will be 75 mph, but enough of city riding added in so I should be fine)...
I will be staying at an RV site (I hope the RV people don't get mad when they see it's just me and my bike and a tent) and it has electric...I know it has 50amp and probably 110?
I would love to tap into that 50amp to quickly recharge as I would like to do a few day rides around the mountains...plus I don't want to recharge all night long...
I know my standard plug won't do, but what do I get? A whole new charger? A new end to my current charger? It won't get used often, so I don't want to spend a ton, but I would like something I can use a couple of times a year.
G
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The charger that comes with the bike only supports 110v and only up to 12A. You can't plug it into a 240v socket and it wouldn't help the recharge times even if you could (or if you got an adapter for any of the RV parks that have 110v/30A circuits - it would still only supply 12A).
The thing about 240v outlets is that they come in about a dozen different varieties depending on use so you have to have the right plugs to make things work. There are sites that sell bags of adapters to Tesla owners, but you might want to be a little more targeted if you are going to carry the device(s) on your bike.
First you should find out what kinds of outlets the RV parks have. I think most of them have a NEMA 14-50, and most also provide 110 hookups as well, but I don't know how universal that is so it is good to plan ahead and contact them. Once you know that, then you can plan your charging.
The smallest option would be the TurboCord (or at least it used to be a year or so ago when someone posted it and I still find recent mentions of it on sites that talk about EV charging options):
http://evsolutions.avinc.com/turbocord (http://evsolutions.avinc.com/turbocord)
It provides both 110v and 240v charging at up to 16A which is more than the Empulse needs. The only issue is that they only offer a NEMA 6-20 plug on it for 240v (plus a standard 5-15 110 plug) so you'd need an adapter to plug it into a 14-50 outlet. It's also more expensive than other options at $650, but it is smaller and lighter (by quite a bit, especially compared to carrying separate 110v and 240v chargers) and offers the dual voltage capabilities so it is a nice option even at the higher price. You'd have to budget an adapter as well if you are staying at places that only offer 14-50 outlets for 240v. You could probably build one from $20-$30 in parts from Lowes/Home Depot.
Another option would be to look at chargers from Clipper Creek, who provides the Brammo chargers. They have some nice and cheaper 240v chargers and you can get them with 14-50 plugs or with a bare wire and install your own plug if you want something else. An LCS-20 which offers 240v/20A charging (20A circuit from wall, 15A to vehicle, but that is more than the 12A@240 that the bike can use), install your own plug, is under $400. Unfortunately, their portable versions that have 14-50 plugs built-in aren't that much cheaper than the TurboCord (around $550 compared to $650 for the TurboCord):
http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/charging-station-lcs-20-level-2/ (http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/charging-station-lcs-20-level-2/)
http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product-category/all-products/on-the-road/ (http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product-category/all-products/on-the-road/)
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^^^ What he said!
For my 1000 mile trip, I bought the CC 240V charger and carried both it and the Brammo 120V (Bulky bulky!). I ordered it with bare wire and went to Lowe's and bought a plug.
IIRC, the only difference in the 240V NEMA standards is the shape of the third prong. I left it off entirely , so it will fit into more receptacles. I think the rationale of having all the "standards" is so you won't plug a high-amp device into a circuit that can't supply the juice. Such is not the case with our bikes. But if you burn down the RV park, it's on you!
If you are camping overnight, why not just charge with your OEM charger and forget about 240V?
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Did you get the RV Parky app? I used it frequently on my 6,000 mile trip last summer.
You can get a NEMA 14-50 plug to J1772 from QuickChargePower.com if you don't want to make it yourself.
Good luck!
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
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The price on the QuickChargePower site is pretty steep - $1000 for the 14-50 to J1772 model. The Clipper Creek model with the 14-50 plug built-in is only $550. And it drops to $400 if you get the bare wire model and just wire the plug on yourself (5 minutes with a screwdriver).
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If you are camping overnight, why not just charge with your OEM charger and forget about 240V?
That's what I'll probably do....
But this is a large group camping ride...there is usually a ride in the morning and a ride in the afternoon on both Friday and Saturday.I will be pretty empty after both morning rides and thought it would be nice to fast charge...and not having the bike fan run through the night would be nice too...it's not too loud, but part of camping is the quiet...though I will have RVs around me and they will likely have fans running too...and the 80 scooter and motorcycle riders are just naturally loud and drunk both nights...
110 should work but....still not sure I want to spend 400-600 bucks for something I might use twice a year...
If I was traveling like Benswing it would be a no brainer...
Somebody should start a charger rental business :)
G
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Hmmm, looking like 110 will work...the Friday afternoon ride is usually about 60 miles round trip, but this year it looks like the ride is to Fenton Lake...so only 20 miles or so...even from near empty (the ride out is approx 80 miles, some at highway speed) a couple of hours charging will be enough...then I can charge overnight as the saturday ride is usually a long loop around and through Los Alamos (we go up over 9000 feet on that ride with fun twisties)...
It will be fine with the standard plug...but one day I should get a 220 set up...maybe when I get my Bolt or lll and finally get a car again (the last time I bought a car was 1999...though I did end up getting a used pickup when I had the Enertia for taking trips...sooner or later I need to be a responsible adult and get a car :(
it's been over 10 years since I gave my car to my daughter, got my scooter and been on 2 wheels everyday since then...I am actually getting a bit older, and the cage drivers a bit crazier...I give my everyday riding a couple of more years and then see me joining the weekend rider catagory that I "currently" make fun of :(
Just yesterday a guy at work saw me walking out with my helmet and asks where I park as he was going to start riding again soon...I told him where I park and told him about the motorcycle parking in the patient parking lot...he said, "yeah, but that gets real crowded in the summer"...I told him, "yeah, but it's real empty in jan and February"...sigh...a couple of years and I will be with the crowded parking crowd...
G
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Camping ( and Marina) have the Blue plug http://www.costaimpiantieforniture.it/web/2096-9227-thickbox/presa-cei-220v-16a-blu-da.jpg (http://www.costaimpiantieforniture.it/web/2096-9227-thickbox/presa-cei-220v-16a-blu-da.jpg)
this plug is good up to 3,7 kw so you can charge at full speed your bike , also by using a power selectable box ( the standard is fixed power) you can tune the charging speed and also avoid to overload the camping sysyem ( the plug is good for 16A but wires and the rest of the camping maybe not)
I have this one and works great
http://www.e-station-store.it/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/e/s/es-21ce16xx.jpg (http://www.e-station-store.it/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/e/s/es-21ce16xx.jpg)
http://www.e-station-store.it/ricarica-portatile/gamma-prodotti-evr1-e-evr3/evr1-stazione-di-ricarica-portatile-per-auto-elettrica-tipo-1.html (http://www.e-station-store.it/ricarica-portatile/gamma-prodotti-evr1-e-evr3/evr1-stazione-di-ricarica-portatile-per-auto-elettrica-tipo-1.html)
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In the US, the outlets that are commonly found in campgrounds are:
- A 5-15R
120 volts at 15 amps, Common household plug. - NEMA 5-20R
120 volts at 20 amps, Will accept common household plug as well as 5-20P which has one blade sideways. - TT-30R
120 volts at 30 amps, Travel trailer plug, seems to only be used in camp grounds - NEMA 14-50
120 and 240 volts at 50 amps. Provides a common wire separate from ground to allow using one hot and common for 120 volts or both hots for 240 volts.
Call ahead if possible and make sure they have what you need available. Older breakers will frequently trip under less load than they are rated, and I don't think the J1772 spec for 120 volts goes above 16 amps.
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I thought the onboard bike charger maxes at 14 amps draw, whether 120V or 240V.
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I thought the onboard bike charger maxes at 14 amps draw, whether 120V or 240V.
When I'm plugged into a Level 2 charging station, the bike reads 23 amps. At home voltage, it's around 12 amps.
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And when it's cold it will say -3 amps until the battery heaters have done their job.
I love the battery heaters, it's what allows me to ride in winter because I don't have the luxury of a garage...
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I thought the onboard bike charger maxes at 14 amps draw, whether 120V or 240V.
When I'm plugged into a Level 2 charging station, the bike reads 23 amps. At home voltage, it's around 12 amps.
Sorry, I meant AC current. The bike display reports DC current.
240V 14A AC L2 will be about 23A DC, 120V 14A L1 will be about 12A DC.
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Thanks for the clarification. My understanding always benefits from your science!
Off topic: Found on another board: "Science will fly you to the moon. Religion will fly you into a building."
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Just for reference, here's a great explanation and images of all the plug types and discussion of building adapters:
http://cosmacelf.net/Home%20Made%20Adapters.pdf (http://cosmacelf.net/Home%20Made%20Adapters.pdf)