Home EVSE From ChargePoint Now On Amazon

The electric vehicle (EV) charging network firm ChargePoint has released its first home charging station product — the ChargePoint Home — on Amazon.

The new home EV charging station is available for order on Amazon with a retail price between $499 and $749, depending on the specific specs chosen.

“Customers choose our stations for their reliability, connectivity and convenience. Now, EV drivers can access the power of ChargePoint from their own home,” stated ChargePoint CEO Pasquale Romano. “The future of our homes, our cars and our lifestyles will be smarter and more connected because of products like ChargePoint Home. This station is unlike any other on the market, and it will change the way people think about driving, home charging and smart energy management.”

Other features of the new charging station are: the ability to control operation of the station via a smartphone app; the ability to integrate the station’s operations with Nest products (energy use and cost tracking); tailored recommendations (based on the utility company used) concerning when to charge; and access to the ChargePoint network.

As one can probably guess, the higher-priced versions of the EV charging station are higher powered than the lower options. Individual configurations can be determined here (redirection to purchase options at Amazon follows on completion).

Here’s a basic overview of the options available:

• ChargePoint Home 12 EV Charger Bundle: 16 Amp Hardwire Station with 12′ cord: $499
• ChargePoint Home 12 EV Charger Bundle: 16 Amp Plug Station with 12′ cord: $549
• ChargePoint Home 25 EV Charger Bundle: 32 Amp Hardwire Station with 18′ cord: $649
• ChargePoint Home 25 EV Charger Bundle: 32 Amp Plug Station with 18′ cord: $699
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ChargePoint Home 25 EV Charger Bundle: 32 Amp Hardwire Station with 25′ cord: $699
• ChargePoint Home 25 EV Charger Bundle: 32 Amp Plug Station with 25′ cord: $749

“This Old House” Installs An EV Charger

Growing up the son of a contractor, there were two constants in my life; a never-ending series of home improvement projects, and watching reruns of “This Old House”. While Bob Vila hasn’t produced a new episode of “This Old House” in over 25 years, the show is still going strong online, where it has adapted to questions of modern convenience, like how to install a home EV charger.

You can check out the teaser above, though you have to go to the This Old House website to watch the entire episode. While I don’t doubt that many homeowners simply opt to pay a professional to install their home EV charger, a person with minimal electrical experience should find it a fairly straightforward process. Then again, I may be taking for granted the fact that I’ve been doing all sorts of home improvement-type work with my father for nearly 20 years (I was put to work at the tender age of 10, child labor laws be damned).

Doing the work yourself saves about $500 or so in labor cost, which buys a whole lotta electricity. With Level 2 chargers coming down dramatically in price and available for as little as $450 straight from the manufacturer, EV charging stations are bound to become a growing selling point for new homes. States like California are even mandating that all new homes must be “EV ready” and capable of accepting at least a Level 2 charger.

Once I get my first plug-in car though, I’ll be DIY-ing the install, now that I’ve seen just how straight-forward the whole install really is.

Tesla Wants To Be Your Home Battery Company

 

Tesla may be ready to unveil a home battery energy storage system soon. During a conference call with investors earlier this week, Tesla CEO Elon Musk let it slip that the design of the battery is complete and production could begin in about 6 months. “The long-term demand for stationary energy storage is extraordinary,” added JB Straubel, Tesla’s chief technical officer, during that call. “We’ve done a huge amount of effort there and have talked to major utilities and energy service companies.”

Home energy storage is potentially a huge market. As battery technology gets driven forward by the search for the perfect electric car battery, prices are dropping and performance is increasing. Nissan touts its LEAF as being a good backup power source for homes. The battery in the Toyota Mirai fuel cell vehicle can reportedly be removed from the car and brought inside to power a typical home for up to a week.

Volkswagen is conducting an experiment in Hamburg, Germany. It will donate 100 batteries from its eGolf cars to create a battery storage facility for the local utility company. A battery that is no longer serviceable for automotive use still retains 70% of its energy storage capacity. The VW plan will allow the electric company to store excess power during off peak times and draw on that stored energy during periods of peak demand. That allows the utility to generate electricity more efficiently, saving everyone money.

In a conference call last year, Musk made reference to his plans for home power storage. “We are trying to figure out what would be a cool stationary (battery) pack,” Musk said. “Some will be like the Model S pack: something flat, 5 inches off the wall, wall-mounted, with a beautiful cover, an integrated bi-directional inverter, and plug and play.”

Having a battery in the basement would be a huge benefit to people with solar panels installed on their residence. Now, instead of having to rely on the grid when the sun goes down, those panels could store electricity for use after dark or on cloudy days. If enough residences and business made and stored their own power, that would have a seismic impact on how electricity is generated and distributed everywhere around the world.

It’s entirely possible that the benefits to society would far surpass the utility of a a seven passenger electric car that can bolt to 60 mph in the blink of an eye. Hello, Elon? Where do I sign up?

ClipperCreek launches 240V 48Amp charging station starting at $899

ClipperCreek has added the HCS-60, a 48 Amp station paired with a highly durable rubber molded vehicle cable and connector, to the HCS series product line. The 240V level 2 electric vehicle charging station, rated for both indoor and outdoor use, is priced at $899.

Built to serve the residential and commercial markets, the HCS-60 packages all of ClipperCreek’s standard product features, such as a 3-year warranty, a fully sealed, rugged NEMA 4 station enclosure, and 25 feet of charge cable.

With 48 Amps available for charging, the HCS-60 is suited for vehicles that can take advantage of higher charging currents such as the RAV4EV, the Tesla Model S, or electric fleet trucks.

The high power charging cable provided with the unit is rubber over-molded for increased durability and superior cold performance

Sharp developing Intelligent Power Conditioner enabling EV batteries to be used as storage batteries for home power

Sharp Corporation has developed an Intelligent Power Conditioner that enables batteries in electric vehicles to be used as storage batteries for the home. Sharp will be conducting tests to confirm the safety and reliability of this system, with the aim of making this device commercially available in the near future.

Sharp Intelligent Power Converter. Click to enlarge.

The Intelligent Power Conditioner (power inverter/controller) is based on power control technology Sharp has developed over the course of developing power conditioners for PV generation systems. With the Intelligent Power Conditioner, solar cells and storage batteries operate in conjunction with utility power to supply electrical energy on a consistent basis. In anticipation of future DC home appliances, this system can also supply DC electricity.

The technology can make use of EV traction batteries as part of a residential power storage system. In proof-of-concept trials, Sharp succeeded in using a battery pack in a commercially available iMiEV to supply 8 kW of power—enough to power electrical appliances in an average household. In addition, the charge controller in the Intelligent Power Conditioner was able to deliver 4 kWh of energy to recharge the electric vehicle battery pack in approximately 30 minutes.

Sharp will be pursuing R&D aimed at the early commercialization of this Intelligent Power Conditioner.

In the context of making the Eco House concept a reality, Sharp is focusing on three themes: solar cells, storage batteries, and DC (direct-current) appliances.

Source: Green Car Congress

Toyota to bring Home EV chargers to market in 2012; expects to sell 50K PHEVs worldwide that year

The Toyota PHV

The Nikkei reports that Toyota Motor Corp. will start selling home battery chargers for electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles in 2012. Group firms Toyota Home and Toyota Industries Corp. will jointly develop the charger and will market it under the Toyota Home brand, through the sales channels of Toyota Home and its affiliate, Misawa Homes Co., according to the report.

The companies will produce two charger types, with one designed to extend from the exterior wall of a home and the other made for installation in a garage. The chargers will be compatible with non-Toyota cars, and will be priced between several tens of thousands of yen to 200,000 yen, including installation costs.

In 2012, Toyota expects to sell a total of 50,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles in Japan, the US and Europe, in addition to several thousand electric cars. It expects its sales of home battery chargers to reach 20,000 to 30,000 units during this period...The Japanese government wants 2 million regular EV battery chargers and 5,000 high-speed chargers to be installed across the nation by 2020.

Nikkei

Ford developed home charging station for the Focus with Leviton

Ford developed the home charging station for the Ford Focus Electric with Leviton, a leading North American producer of electrical devices.

The Ford charging station. Click to enlarge.

The charging station features a nonpermanent-style installation; The unit plugs into a 240-volt outlet instead of being hard-wired into the electrical breaker box. The nonpermanent-style design makes removal and replacement as simple as unplug and plug back in should the owner move.

Manufactured in the United States, the unit’s exterior housing is made out of up 60% post consumer recycled material. The unit also is compatible with all upcoming Ford plug-in vehicles.

The unit also has a larger power design than competing devices, allowing for faster charge times as vehicles accommodate.

Ford is working with consumer electronics leader Best Buy to sell the charging station and offer complete consultation and installation services through its Geek Squad subsidiary and third-party licensed electrical contractors. Based on current plans, the Focus Electric home charging station with standard installation is expected to retail for approximately $1,499, as much as 30% less than competitors’ systems. The unit also will have a limited 10-year hardware warranty.

Source: Green Car Congress

Ford Colaborates With Best Buy Offering 240V Home Charging Stations

Ford is working with consumer electronics leader Best Buy to offer a 240-volt home charging station for the Ford Focus Electric battery electric vehicle (earlier post) and future electric vehicles in the United States. Best Buy intends to sell the charging station and offer complete consultation and installation services through its Geek Squad subsidiary and third-party licensed electrical contractors.

After purchasing the all-electric vehicle, Focus Electric owners can work with their dealer to set up an installation appointment through Best Buy. Focus Electric charging stations also can be purchased through any of Best Buy’s nearly 1,200 stores nationwide or online. Since Best Buy’s Geek Squad is a fully owned, in-house service, customers can purchase the charging station and schedule installation from a single point of contact.

During the appointment, a Geek Squad agent will conduct a quick electrical audit to ensure the residence can support the 240-volt charging station. Once the residence passes the electrical audit, the Geek Squad agent will schedule a master electrician for a charging station installation.

The Ford Focus Electric charging station can be easily installed, replaced or upgraded without the use of tools due to its innovative design and mounting bracket. With the 240-volt home charging station, the Focus’s on-board 6.6-kilowatt charger allows for full charge at home in three to four hours.

Features of the Ford charging station include:

• Nonpermanent installation: The charging unit plugs into a 240-volt outlet instead of being hard-wired into the electrical breaker box, making removal and replacement a simple unplug and plug back in operation in the event the owner moves.
• Single point of contact for purchase and installation: Best Buy and Geek Squad will sell, deliver, install and service the home charging station, including contracting any additional home electrical needs for 240-volt service. Best Buy also will handle warranty and repair claims for the charging station.
• Lower price: Based on current plans, the home charging station with standard installation is expected to retail for approximately $1,499, as much as 30 percent less than competitors’ systems.
• Faster charging: With a maximum 32-amp charging capability, Focus Electric owners with the 240-volt home charging station can get a full charge in as little as three to four hours—charging in half the time as the Nissan Leaf.

Source: Green Car Congress

State of Hawaii and Nissan Form EV Partnership

2011 Nissan Leaf All-Electric EV

Nissan North America and the state of Hawaii formed a partnership to promote the development of electric vehicles, and an electric-vehicle charging network, throughout the state. The partnership, which was announced at the Asia Pacific Clean Energy Summit and Expo in Honolulu, marks Nissan’s first definitive agreement in the United States, the company said. The Nissan LEAF EV will be available in Hawaii beginning in January 2011.

Hawaii is providing a $4,500 state tax credit towards the purchase of an electric vehicle and a $500 state tax credit towards the purchase and installation of a home charging station. The state tax credit, paired with an available $7,500 federal tax credit, could bring the price of a Nissan LEAF, which carries a manufacturer’s suggested retail price of $32,780, to as low as $20,780 for Hawaii consumers.

As part of the agreement, Nissan and the State of Hawaii will develop plans to promote a charging infrastructure for EVs, as well as the deployment, operation and maintenance of a charging network. The partners also will work to coordinate the establishment of policies and help streamline the deployment of an EV infrastructure. Nissan is committing to bringing a supply of Nissan LEAF electric vehicles to Hawaii and readying the dealer body to sell and lease them to consumers.

This partnership personifies Hawaii’s commitment to a future powered by clean, sustainable sources of energy. In order to change the energy consumption patterns of our population, we have to offer drivers alternatives to vehicles that rely on imported fossil fuels. More than 90 percent of the fuel and energy we consume in Hawaii is the product of imported oil. Given our unique access to clean, renewable, energy sources, Hawaii should serve as a model of what is possible when government and business collaborate to plan a path forward into an energy efficient future.

—US Senator Daniel K. Inouye

Nationwide, more than 18,600 consumers have reserved a Nissan LEAF. Nissan is continuing to take reservations through its website, www.nissanusa.com. Interested consumers are encouraged to place a reservation, which entails a $99 fully refundable fee to secure a spot on the list to place an order. Consumers who already have reserved the Nissan LEAF online will be invited to place orders through their dealer for the vehicle in advance of market roll-out timing, allowing time for consumers to select a dealer and assess home charging needs.