How is level 1 charging? 3 to 4 miles per hour?

[blzabub]

Question for anyone with an R2 that has charged it on Level 1 (mobile connector, 120v/12amp), what kind of rates are you getting? I'm hoping to get Tesla Model Y equivalent of 5 miles per hour on level 1. Thanks in advance!

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[CharonPDX]

Level 1 is generally considered to be 120V, 12A (80% of a 15A circuit.) That's 1.4kW. It doesn't matter what vehicle, you're going to be sending 1.4kW from your wall to the vehicle.

Take the vehicle efficiency of ~3.5 mi/kWh for the R2 with road all-season tires, multiply that by 1.4kW, and you get ~5 miles per hour. Less with off-road all-terrains.

Really what you're asking is "is the R2 as efficient as Model Y?" - according to the EPA, yes. According to the few "mixed driving" customer reports, yes. According to "high speed highway" tests, no. (The boxier shape makes more of a difference at highway speeds.)

 

[Thebandit]

Level 1 is generally considered to be 120V, 12A (80% of a 15A circuit.) That's 1.4kW.

Take the vehicle efficiency of ~3.5 mi/kWh for the R2 with road all-season tires, multiply that by 1.4kW, and you get ~5 miles per hour. Less with off-road all-terrains.

You're not factoring in overhead at all, which is probably a few hundred watts, or more if cold. Less relevant when charging at higher L2 or DCFC, but pretty significant on L1. Probably about 3-3.5 mph on 1.4kW.

 

[emroch]

You're not factoring in overhead at all, which is probably a few hundred watts, or more if cold. Less relevant when charging at higher L2 or DCFC, but pretty significant on L1. Probably about 3-3.5 mph on 1.4kW.

In another thread we deduced that the overhead is anywhere from 400-1000W, so you're only putting about 0.4-1.0kW into the battery. Simply stepping up to a 5-20 (20A) plug can nearly double that because the overhead stays constant. Converting a 5-15/20 (120V) outlet to 6-15/20 (240V) is also pretty easy (assuming a dedicated circuit) by using the neutral as the second hot.

 

[blzabub]

In another thread we deduced that the overhead is anywhere from 400-1000W, so you're only putting about 0.4-1.0kW into the battery. Simply stepping up to a 5-20 (20A) plug can nearly double that because the overhead stays constant. Converting a 5-15 outlet to 5-20 is pretty easy (assuming a dedicated circuit) by using the neutral as the second hot.

Interesting...I've lived with level 1 charging for years now. If I could squeeze out 6 to 7 mph that might be enough for me. Getting a level 2 charger in my home would cost over $10k due to the distance from panel to garage.

 

[PlugAndPlay]

I’m getting 2 mph when using Level 1 with a newly purchased Tesla portable charger with mine.

 

[VandalSibs]

Interesting...I've lived with level 1 charging for years now. If I could squeeze out 6 to 7 mph that might be enough for me. Getting a level 2 charger in my home would cost over $10k due to the distance from panel to garage.

$10k? That's insanely inflated, unless you live in a house the size of a city block.

I had tohave a 27-foot run done from my panel (in the basement of my house) thru a 27-foot trench to my detatched garage. I saved about $800 by digging the trench myself. The rest of the job was about $1000.

Find a different contractor and get a more realistic quote (again, unless your house is insanely massive).

 

[Thebandit]

Interesting...I've lived with level 1 charging for years now. If I could squeeze out 6 to 7 mph that might be enough for me. Getting a level 2 charger in my home would cost over $10k due to the distance from panel to garage.

You don't have a circuit you could convert to 240v with existing wiring? You could get 7-8 that way, with zero wiring changes. Just swap out the breaker and outlet.

 

[VSG]

Just buy an Aptera, then you'll get 10 "miles per hour".

 

[UnsungZero_OldTimeAdMan]

Interesting...I've lived with level 1 charging for years now. If I could squeeze out 6 to 7 mph that might be enough for me. Getting a level 2 charger in my home would cost over $10k due to the distance from panel to garage.

Aside from the rolling sperm, Aptera, your problem isn’t the car. It’s your home’s existing circuit. 10k even if not hardwired L2? Is the meter close enough to where you park? https://connectder.com/products/ev-meter-socket-adapter/homeowners

Even a plugged 40A L2 is significantly better than L1.

 

[VSG]

Like @emroch and @Thebandit said, a 6-20 costs just a few dollars to install on existing wiring (new breaker + new outlet), but will triple your charge rate over a standard 5-15 outlet. Worth considering. Search the forums if you want to learn more about this, but it's not a Rivian-specific solution, this will work with whatever EV you own.

 

[blzabub]

Like @emroch and @Thebandit said, a 6-20 costs just a few dollars to install on existing wiring (new breaker + new outlet), but will triple your charge rate over a standard 5-15 outlet. Worth considering. Search the forums if you want to learn more about this, but it's not a Rivian-specific solution, this will work with whatever EV you own.

I'll look into it, thanks!

 

[CrazyOne]

$10k? That's insanely inflated, unless you live in a house the size of a city block.

I had tohave a 27-foot run done from my panel (in the basement of my house) thru a 27-foot trench to my detatched garage. I saved about $800 by digging the trench myself. The rest of the job was about $1000.

Find a different contractor and get a more realistic quote (again, unless your house is insanely massive).

I don't know where you are, but connecting a EV charger was $800 minimum with permit fee and before taxes. I think this was with Rivian partner contractor, forgot the name. Others were similar or higher. I ended up paying $900- $1000 with some upgrades like higher gauge cable. The cable length was 10 feet at most, with charger about 5 feet from the charger, in the garage. Mine is as easy as the job gets.

I spoke to an Uber driver in MY who skipped install because he couldn't find anyone to do the job for less than $3000. His job needed to go through walls, no digging.

 

[BigSkies]

I don't know where you are, but connecting a EV charger was $800 minimum with permit fee and before taxes. I think this was with Rivian partner contractor, forgot the name. Others were similar or higher. I ended up paying $900- $1000 with some upgrades like higher gauge cable. The cable length was 10 feet at most, with charger about 5 feet from the charger, in the garage. Mine is as easy as the job gets.

I spoke to an Uber driver in MY who skipped install because he couldn't find anyone to do the job for less than $3000. His job needed to go through walls, no digging.

I'd be careful of the referral partner contractors. I know some of those referral partner contractors pay significant money to get the referral in the first place, which gets passed along as part of the project costs.

I don't know if that's the case here, but the rule of getting multiple quotes always holds.

 

[CrazyOne]

I'd be careful of the referral partner contractors. I know some of those referral partner contractors pay significant money to get the referral in the first place, which gets passed along as part of the project costs.

I don't know if that's the case here, but the rule of getting multiple quotes always holds.

I got several quotes and went with a different indie electrical who did some work for me before. But those are the usual prices in the area. A family member spent significantly more effort to find an independent electrician to save $200 or so. I have cancelled a few projects because of the costs.

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