110V vs 220V in efficiency?

[fanbanlo]

Given that charging time doesn't matter, would the 110V charger that comes with our EV be more efficient (slower, less heat?) or would a 220V EVSE be more efficient in charging up the EV battery? :roll: I wonder.

 

[irfca]

Given that charging time doesn't matter.

Ah, but it does matter ... there is a fixed overhead of approx 300w for charging. From the Batteries and Charging discussions on EVSE Upgrade:

The Soul's 120V EVSE can be upgraded to 240V @ 12A through EVSEupgrade, providing ~2.9 kW of charging power compared to 1.44 kW stock.

Because there is a fixed overhead in the car of about 300W when charging, the 240V upgrade would slightly more than double the actual charging rate to the battery pack.

Expect about 3-4 miles of charge per hour at 1.44 kW and a solid 8 miles of charge per hour at 2.9 kW, generally plenty fast to recharge the car overnight.

Even just charging at 120v@16A using a different 120v charger provides ~1.62 kWh of charging vs 120v@12A providing just 1.14 kWh, after overhead ... almost a 40% increase in charging rate vs just a 33% increase in power supplied.

 

[mtndrew1]

Even just charging at 120v@16A using a different 120v charger provides ~1.62 kWh of charging vs 120v@12A providing just 1.14 kWh, after overhead ... almost a 40% increase in charging rate vs just a 33% increase in power supplied.

I'm very curious as to whether or not the Soul will let 120V charging happen at 16A on a 20A circuit. Does anyone have an OpenEVSE with 16A/120V functionality to test? Tesla and BMW accept this but Chevrolet does not.

I feel as though the EV market has really ignored the viability of 16A 120V charging for apartment dwellers and workplace installations. Super inexpensive to install and a totally viable for most people.