Quote:
Originally Posted by tiburonh
Hi Rapcat et al-
I'm trying to decide which EVSE to install for my i3 that arrives next week. I was planning to do the Schneider 30 amp, 7.2kw -- but then my electrician suggested I should move up to the Leviton one that is 32 amp, 7.7 kw. He says the i3 charger can go up to 7.7kw (not 7.4) and so I would get a significantly (though not extremely) faster charge through the Leviton unit than through the Schneider unit. Of course the Leviton unit is more expensive (by about $300) than the Schneider one.
I would greatly appreciate any advice you might have to offer on this. Thanks!
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I don't have direct experience with these units, but I did spend four years living off the batteries in my boat. The acceptance curve of the batteries is a big factor in getting a full charge. Once the state of charge (SOC) reaches about 80%, the charger will cut back the current to the batteries irrespective of supply (lead acid batteries on the boat would cut back much earlier). The last 20% can easily take 40% of the total charge time.
In practice there is no meaningful difference between a 7.2kW and 7.7kW charger. In the race to get to 80%, the 7.7 might win by 5min. Save your money.