Advertisement

Leviton Announces $1,049 DIY Install Electric Car Charging Station

 
2,546 views Jul 13, 2011
Follow Nikki

Leviton Level 2 Electric Car Charging Station

Leviton Level 2 Electric Car Charging Station

Related Photo Galleries


See more photos »

Electrical supply firm Leviton Manufacturing announced yesterday that it was now accepting orders for its $1,049 EVB22-3PM Level 2 charging station. 

Designed to provide up to 3.8 kilowatts to charge electric cars like the 2011 Nissan Leaf and 2011 Chevrolet Volt, the Leviton unit can be installed without any permanent modifications to a home’s electric wiring, and is a lower-powered version of the chaging station Leviton developed for Ford's 2012 Focus Electric. 

Unlike other electric car charging stations we’ve seen, the unit comes with a short 220V plug which enables it to be installed and used wherever an available 220V outlet already exists. 


Ideal for those who want to own an electric car but are unable to make modifications to their home such as renters, the unit can also be easily removed from its wall-mounting bracket, turning it into a portable but bulky mobile charging station. 

While the Level 2 charging station from Leviton is no cheaper than other electric car charging stations we’ve seen recently, it does do away with unhidden and costly installations charges for those with existing 220V power outlets in their garage. 

Leviton Charging Station Pre-Wiring Kit

Leviton Charging Station Pre-Wiring Kit

For those who don’t have a suitable power supply already in existence, Levition sells an pre-installation wiring kit for $80, complete with everything Leviton says is needed to install its charging station. 

We’re also pleased to see that Levition is actively encouraging DIY fans to install their own charging stations without the expense of employing expensive and approved charging station installers. The firm has even produced its own typical shopping-channel style infomercial detailing how to go about installing its unit in a home. 

Of course, for any DIY installers there is a caveat.  Laws governing who can work on home electrical systems vary from state to state, and you should check what the law is in your area as well as fully understand Leviton’s instructional videos before you attempt a DIY installation. 

For those looking for a charging station that doesn’t permanently mount, this new unit could be for you, but make sure you have all new circuits officially inspected to ensure they  comply with local building and electrical codes. 

 

[Leviton]






Tags:
Posted in:
 
Contribute
Send us a tip Comment Contact the editor
Follow Us

 

Have an opinion?

  • Posting indicates you have read this site's Privacy Policy and Terms of Use
  • Notify me when there are more comments
Comments (10)

  1. MichaelThwaite avatar Michael Thwaite Posted: 7/13/2011 9:00am PDT

    3.8Kw is enough to recharge enough to live with day-to-day. As a rule of thumb I've found that multiplying the KW rating by three gives you the re-charge rate in Miles-per-hour, so, in this case about 12mph or 100+miles overnight.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  2. fb_1792677598 avatar George Parrott Posted: 7/13/2011 9:41am PDT

    A step in the right direction, but from what I have seen in other reports of what is actually IN these things, it is still very hard to justify a price in excess of $1000 for the hardware. This is a line of hardware that should and will be priced more like $150-200 as soon a volume and more competition emerges. IMHO, of course.
     
    Post Reply
    +1
    Bad stuff?

     

  3. fb_100002544459353 avatar Ramon Leigh Posted: 7/13/2011 4:12pm PDT

    EXactly right - another reason the Feds are throwing our money away subsidizing at non-competitive prices.
     
    Post Reply
    0
    Bad stuff?

  4. fb_1470388190 avatar David Laur Posted: 7/14/2011 6:47am PDT

    agree with you 100% George. i did not buy the 240 volt EVSE mostly because my electrician friend said he could do much better for $500. as it is, i have the 240 votl 12 amp EVSE mod ($278) and a $43 meter (shipping included) with $12 worth of parts from Lowes. granted charges a bit slower but still gets me a full charge overnight (most times charging is done before 3 am) and that is all i need
     
    Post Reply
    +1
    Bad stuff?

  5. fb_100002544459353 avatar Ramon Leigh Posted: 7/13/2011 4:17pm PDT

    3.8 KW is pretty miniscule - a mere 15 amps or so.
    All your 240 circuits are dedicated, either 30 or 40 amps. But I believe you need to not exceed 80% for
    constant draw, making 24KW from 30amps possible, I think.
     
    Post Reply
    +1
    Bad stuff?

  6. jamcl3 avatar Jim McLaughlin Posted: 7/13/2011 7:25pm PDT

    That is a NEMA 6-20 outlet in the prewire kit, which accepts a 15 or 20 amp plug. Very similar to a conventional household outlet but 240 volts. These are commonly used for window air conditioners.

    Ramon must be thinking of the NEMA 14-40 and 14-50 outlets that are used for clothes dryers and kitchen stoves. Those are much larger. Or maybe he is thinking of welding outlets (I don't recall the designator).

    George, what makes you think that a connector rated for 10,000 cycles under harsh conditions and sophisticated high power safety electronics in a explosion proof box (required for UL approval due to gasoline fumes in garages) is going to come down in price so fast when quantities are small? Should they skip safety like Nissan does?
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

     

  7. fb_100002441833924 avatar George Parrott Posted: 7/15/2011 8:09am PDT

    Jim,
    From what I have seen as to the actual "internals" of these EVSE units, there is simply not that much complexity there to justify such pricing. My first laser printer, black only, 3 ppm, 300 dpi was $1400, now they are less than $60 with better specifications, same for notebook computers, etc. Pretty much anything electronic/electrical comes out at "YIKES" pricing and then drops. I still have a 1 gb compact flash format "microdrive" that cost $500. Now we get memory at more like $2/gb. Just projecting from past "electronics."
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  8. fb_1149637348 avatar Steven Vohl Posted: 7/14/2011 4:44pm PDT

    Will there be a weatherproof version for those of us without an enclosed garage?
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

     

  9. Roy_H avatar Roy Harvie Posted: 7/16/2011 4:23pm PDT

    At that price it will already be weatherproof. Most EV chargers on the market are weatherproof.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

  10. Roy_H avatar Roy Harvie Posted: 7/16/2011 4:23pm PDT

    I am very surprised this is legal. I understood that only wired in designs were legal.
     
    Post Reply
    Vote
    Bad stuff?

 

Have an opinion?Join the conversation!

Advertisement
Advertisement

Find Green Cars

Go!

Advertisement

More from High Gear Media

 
 
Green Car Reports
  • Follow Us
  • Twiiter
  • Facebook
 
 
© 2013 Green Car Reports. All Rights Reserved. Green Car Reports is published by High Gear Media. Send us feedback. Stock photography by Homestar, LLC.