[Cr0nis]

Hi All,

I'm anxiously awaiting our van and keep thinking about how i will charge. We will install a 40 am 220 volt outlet in the front of our townhouse that's lockable (something like this).

Since we live in a community I don't necessarily want the cable out in the open or exposed to the elements. I was thinking about actually installing the charger inside a hose reel.

This will allow the actual cord to stay locked (can't be unplugged) but give me a way to keep the cables and such in an enclosure that can keep rain out with the ability to wind the cable easily.

Do you see any issues with this type of setup?

Thanks in advance.

 

[tslice98]

Have you looked at the TurboCord?


TurboCord EV Charger ? AeroVironment, Inc. Online Store

 

[Mike]

Our charger will be outdoors as well, we're planning on getting the Flo. https://flo.ca

It's lockable at the handle and the cord has a silicone-based cover which will hold up to the elements and not get brittle like rubber and plastic do in the cold which is important since I'm in Canada. It's a charger that is designed to be outdoors through a Canadian winter so it's tough. I've seen them in person and they are sold and the cord won't get stiff in the cold.

As a bonus it looks cool and has a cord wrap thing.

 

[Cr0nis]

Have you looked at the TurboCord?


TurboCord EV Charger ? AeroVironment, Inc. Online Store

i was looking at a similar portable charger but its 24 vs 16 amps.

The outlet is not conveniently located which is why I was thinking about the hose reel since it would bring the charger to a convenient spot.

Does anyone see any technical issues with what I'm looking to do?

 

[tomsaffell]

Does anyone see any technical issues with what I'm looking to do?

Well.. don't charge the car with half the cord coiled around the spindle of the storage unit - you'll make an electro-magnet! (not much chance of that with a 25' cord..)

 

[TMaclay]

Hi All,

I'm anxiously awaiting our van and keep thinking about how i will charge. We will install a 40 am 220 volt outlet in the front of our townhouse that's lockable (something like this).

Since we live in a community I don't necessarily want the cable out in the open or exposed to the elements. I was thinking about actually installing the charger inside a hose reel.

This will allow the actual cord to stay locked (can't be unplugged) but give me a way to keep the cables and such in an enclosure that can keep rain out with the ability to wind the cable easily.

Do you see any issues with this type of setup?

Thanks in advance.

The plug type you show is a NEMA 14-50R 4 pin which connects the two hot leads, the neutral and the ground via the plug. In looking at the various chargers some use 6-50 3 pin (two hots and ground) and some use the 14-50R you show. I ran across something in the GE plug-in WattStation which uses 6-50 and said it wasn't suitable where the load involved a ventilator fan (or pump?). Presumably, a running motor would trip the ground fault protection in that unit. I'm still puzzling through how/whether that applies to the Pacifica. Of course, I'm taking it for granted that Chrysler's unit will work. Some on the forum have suggested the Chrysler station will be a rebranded AEROVIRONMENT and that appears to use the 3 pin 6-50 plug. It all boils down to whether you can use a 3-conductor feed or a more expensive 4-conductor feed for power to the charging station.

At this point, I believe the hard-wired types of charging station (as opposed to plug in you show & I'm talking about above) also require a service disconnect outside with the unit as they are considered an appliance. I don't know for sure but the plug receptacle might be more convenient and that is, of course, a service disconnect. The service disconnect is a little fuse box with a pull out so a technician can isolate power to equipment like outdoor A/C units without having to go inside the home.

Also, coiling the wires tightly over one another as a power reel will do may lead to the the charging cable overheating within the coil/enclosure. You will want to look the rating/literature of the coil unit to make sure it will work properly if some of the cable remains tightly coiled on the reel while in use. If it's loosely coiled and outside an enclosure like most charging stations, overheating is not a problem.

Good luck with it.

Oops. Edited to say AEROVIRONMENT ILO Versicharge. This is listed as the OEM part but it looks like the hard-wired version not plug-in.

This is the sort of reel you should consider. It has slip rings for the reeling aspect. It'll probably handle your Learjet while you're out enjoying the Pacifica.
http://khindustries.com/wp-content/uploads/2014/09/KH-RTI_RTM-Cord-Reel-Manual.pdf

 

[JPhi]

This will allow the actual cord to stay locked (can't be unplugged) but give me a way to keep the cables and such in an enclosure that can keep rain out with the ability to wind the cable easily.



Do you see any issues with this type of setup?



Thanks in advance.

Using the hose reel as a storage box is fine, but you're not going to be able to wind anything... with a hose reel, the hose connects to the spool so everything spins around together. You would have to "start" the spool with the loose charger end and roll it up backwards. The size of the charger handle would make that impossible I think. So, others mention heat and magnets as a problem but I don't think you'll get that far!

 

[csnyder]

Also, if you haven't already, you might want to reach out to your landlord/condo association/etc. to ask about EV charging. Even if they can't/won't install one just for you, it wouldn't hurt to let them know that the demand is there.

 

[toelke]

The outlet is not conveniently located which is why I was thinking about the hose reel since it would bring the charger to a convenient spot.

Does anyone see any technical issues with what I'm looking to do?

The box with the brains for the EVSE is on a fairly short cord that goes to the outlet.

The outlet-side-cord is usually very short (~3')

The car-side-cord is usually 18' to 25'.

Where are you going to have the EVSE box/brains? If you're planning to put it inside that hose reel box, then the hose reel box will have to be right next to the outlet.

I'd probably plug it in, mount the box to the wall as far along the wall in the desired direction as I can.
Then I'd have the 25' cord going along to where I want to store it. And I'd use a EVSE charge cord cradle and/or holster for storing the cord when not plugged into my vehicle.

If you really like with the hose reel type look, I would plan on just removing the reel. And when you're storing the cord, just loop the cord by hand like you do with an extension cord and drop it into the top of the box.