J1772, 110 V, 240 V

[FreepZ]

As far as I know, the Empulse is going to come with a cable that will allow me to connect the bike to a 110 V supply. I'm guessing that it will be a cable with a J1772 on one end and a NEMA 5-15 or 5-20 (110 V, 15 or 20 amp) plug at the other end of it.

I thought that part of the J1772 standard was to have some extra security. I.e. There are extra wires in the J1772 plug that allow the charging station to communicate with the EV which allows things like preventing your car from driving away while still plugged in.

I'm pretty certain that I will be able to plug the Empulse's power cable into 110 V and the other end into the bike and it will charge.
What would happen if I modified (i.e. with some adapter) the socket to that it has a NEMA 6-15 or 6-20 (240 V, 15 or 20 amp) plug at the end, and plugged it into a 240 V power outlet?

Possible outcomes:

• Nothing happens. Some safety thing cuts in and prevents the bike from being charged up.
• The battery is charged, but it's no faster than when using 110 V.
• The battery is charged, and it's faster than using 110 V. (This is the ideal outcome!)
• The battery is charged, it's faster than using 110 V, but doing this will damage the bike or the battery in the long term.
• There's a nasty burning smell, and the battery charging circuit and/or battery are damaged or destroyed.
• There's a huge spark, and things catch fire or explode.

What do you think will happen?

[oml]

I will go with the "armageddon" option.

Seriously, am I right to assume that you plan to use a standard european electric outlet? (50hz, 220-240V, 10-...? A)
Im quite unsure what will happen then, myself, and Brammo does not exactly clear things up.
Do I need an extra charging station? What will it cost? Does any power supply, even in between lvl 1 and lvl 2 work, and if, only with lvl 1 or with optimum speed?

We could consider writting a mail to Brammo asking well-formulated questions about that.


oml

[FreepZ]

Seriously, am I right to assume that you plan to use a standard european electric outlet? (50hz, 220-240V, 10-...? A)

Not quite. There's a 240 V 20 A outlet that I could plug into for free along my 75 mile commute. It has a NEMA 6-20 socket. Leviton makes a charging station that you can plug into that kind of socket, so if I were desperate enough, I could carry that thing with me and plug it into the 240 V supply, and then plug the J1772 into the bike. However, I have no idea if all of that is really needed. Perhaps all that I need is to stick 240 V into the bike and it will work.

Also, I am curious about how are European friends are going to charge their bikes? Will there be a Euro-Empulse that can handle 240 V, or will it just work (like the charger on my laptop, which works with 110 V or 240 V)?

[protomech]

The charger almost certainly supports a wide input range of voltages, 85-260V AC or so. I'm 99% certain Brammo is not going to make a special Euro Empulse, though they will ship with a Euro cable for J1772.

I think a custom pigtail from NEMA 5-15 to NEMA 6-20 would work. The Empulse charger will draw no more than about 16A on 240V, probably no more than it will draw from 120V. The only concern I would have would be any electronics inside the EVSE cable that MIGHT be intolerant of 240V AC. A 240V Euro cable would be the safest bet ... but if I was Brammo, I'd make one cable assembly and then just replace the plug ends.

[Virtually Yours]

I've posted this website on another thread awhile back.

The EVSE (J1772 to 110 charging cable) upgrade allows users to send in their original 120V Level 1 charging cable in and have it safely converted to also operate at 240V, (Level 2). The upgrade consists of new internal components, as well as a new 240V capable plug on the unit. If you still will need 120V capability, an optional plug adapter cable is also available that allows you to still plug into a standard 120V outlet and charge at the (slow) Level 1 in the case where a 240V outlet is not readily accessible

http://evseupgrade.com/

Brammo should just make it that way...
Then I could get a 240 outlet installed where I'll park my bike at the house and I could bring the Optional High-Quality, UL Listed, EMI/RFI Shielded 120V adapter cord with molded end - standard NEMA 5-15P (Edison) plug to L6-20 receptacle with me just in case.

[Sorian]

According to the website for Empulse:

Recharge J1772 Level I and II
110V AC to J1772 Level 1 Adapter included

What that exactly means is anyone's guess.

[860]

According to the website for Empulse:

Recharge J1772 Level I and II
110V AC to J1772 Level 1 Adapter included

What that exactly means is anyone's guess.

That would be a short cord with a J1772 plug on one end that you plug into the Empulse, and a regular 110V 3-prong plug that you plug into an extention cord or directly into a wall socket.  It will basically push 13.5 amps of power at 110V through the J1772 plug as if the J1772 plug didn't exist at all and you were plugged directly into the wall socket. 

That is how you can have only one plug on the bike, and use 2 different power sources.  Otherwise they would have to add a second plug on the bike dedicated to just 110V.

[kingcharles]

It is probably something like this
This one is for allowing my Vectrix to charge at a level 2 station.
It cost me 300 Euro so it is very good that they include it with the bike!

[protomech]

Is that a Vectrix to Mennekes cord?

Brammo will probably include a cord that connects the J1772 inlet to whatever your country's mains plug looks like. For the US, that will be 120v** NEMA 5-15. For Europe or UK it will be some 240v plug.

To connect to a Mennekes socket (popular in the UK for curbside charging) you will need a carry a standard J1772 to Mennekes cable. Available here for £199.

** I keep typing 110v. As far as I can tell the US standard is 120/240v, though in practice mains is often lower.

Edit: Mennekes not Menneke

[kingcharles]

Is that a Vectrix to Menneke cord?

Yes

Brammo will probably include a cord that connects the J1772 inlet to whatever your country's mains plug looks like. For the US, that will be 120v** NEMA 5-15. For Europe or UK it will be some 240v plug.

To connect to a Menneke socket (popular in the UK for curbside charging) you will need a carry a standard J1772 to Menneke cable. Available here for £199.

In another topic it was explained that the EU Empulse would get the Mennekes socket in stead of J1772

After a quick search I found that my memory was wrong.
It was this post I meant

[860]

** I keep typing 110v. As far as I can tell the US standard is 120/240v, though in practice mains is often lower.

So the deal is that if you measure at most US outlets, they will read 120V plus or minus 6 volts.  That is the target range for US electricity.

If you look at the label on a lot of consumer electronics, the UL label will say "110V".  Some may say "110V/120V".   Either way, that means that the electronic device is rated to operate with a minimum voltage of 110V, and will work fine with voltages ranging from 110V to 120V.

So one is a measure of actual voltage of the power supply, and the other is a rating of minimum required voltage for a device.  Both refer to the same power system.


The US also historically half a century ago used to produce actual 110V instead of 120V, so that contributes to the confusion.  

[oml]

Well, I hope the cost of the non-R-empulse in germany, 15149 EUR / almost 19k USD according to http://www.lautlos-durch-deutschland.de/index.php?id=253&tx_lddproducts_pi2[product]=167 includes at least a lvl2 charging station and enough cable.

Cant wait for it to be buyable here.