L2 portable generator charging

[stevon]

Chevy plastic emblem, Korean Daewoo car!

My only brand new car ever!

It's also my first new car ever. After swearing never to get GM after bailouts, I end up with a Chevy? If this right-wing-nut-job scrooge gets a new car, and it's a Chevy and an EV to boot, I have to wonder if hell is freezing over. It has been chilly around So Cal lately, and I thought I saw a big bird that looks like pig...

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

Chevy plastic emblem, Korean Dawoo car!

It's GM Korea. Daewoo died in late 90's econ crisis. Btw, my cousin owned Daewoo Matiz back in 2001, the precursor to Spark. I was thinking how nice it'd be to have that car in US, and make it electric with NIMH battery. Fast forward 14 years, and GM finally comes out with one and make it better than I had imagined!

 

[stevon]

When I did a DOD contract job in Sicily Italy a girl there had a Matiz, couldn't figure who made it. I too was planning to build an electric car someday. With the 10K tax break and final price less than the parts to build an EV! Chose to purchase this car instead and avoid all of the engineering nightmares building it myself. Have a folder of plans, parts and designs over ten years old now.
Stephen

Chevy plastic emblem, Korean Daewoo car!

It's GM Korea. Daewoo died in late 90's econ crisis. Btw, my cousin owned Daewoo Matiz back in 2001, the precursor to Spark. I was thinking how nice it'd be to have that car in US, and make it electric with NIMH battery. Fast forward 14 years, and GM finally comes out with one and make it better than I had imagined!

 

[stevon]

How about a portable solar generator? I'm not sure how this would or wouldn't work (at night for example) or even if it would fit in hatch area

http://www.wayfair.com/Wagan-E-Power-Cube-1500-Collapsible-Solar-Power-Panel-
Array-with-Inverter-EL2546-WXY1028.html
These must be NASA grade solar cells! (the kind that converts 3 different wavelengths of light at the same time)
http://cleantechnica.com/2014/12/03/new-solar-cell-efficiency-record-set-46/
Quote "Such solar cells are complicated and are not used in residential or commercial applications… because they are incredibly expensive. They are used in space applications by the likes of NASA, where a bit of extra space (or, as it may be, less space via extra efficiency) can make a huge difference."
This product seems to be more of a dreamer's wish gimmick than a practical solution. Snake oil comes in all forms these days..........
Suppose anything is possible!

Overall Product Weight: 88lbs
Overall: 21.2" H x 15.5" W x 20.5" D

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

How about a portable solar generator? I'm not sure how this would or wouldn't work (at night for example)

It won't work. They have battery underneath to provide the power and small solar panel is used to trickle charge during the day. My guess is it's less than 100W solar with 3600W peak (1500W continuous) coming from battery.

At under $1K minus solar panels, I suspect battery is lead-acid and pretty small. It would have to be light enough to be carried on plastic wheels, so you can guesstimate how much capacity it could be. My guess is it's less than 1kWh (12V, 100Ah). Taking efficiency and deep discharge level, it would be good for less than 4 miles. It would also take days (or weeks) to charge the generator battery enough to get another less than 4 miles.

 

[stevon]

SparkevBlogspot,

Yeah, that's what I figured, looks more like a barbeque grill than a real solution!

Stephen

How about a portable solar generator? I'm not sure how this would or wouldn't work (at night for example)

It won't work. They have battery underneath to provide the power and small solar panel is used to trickle charge during the day. My guess is it's less than 100W solar with 3600W peak (1500W continuous) coming from battery.

At under $1K minus solar panels, I suspect battery is lead-acid and pretty small. It would have to be light enough to be carried on plastic wheels, so you can guesstimate how much capacity it could be. My guess is it's less than 1kWh (12V, 100Ah). Taking efficiency and deep discharge level, it would be good for less than 4 miles. It would also take days (or weeks) to charge the generator battery enough to get another less than 4 miles.

 

[stevon]

Planning ahead for a trip is always a good idea! I planned to plug in when I got to a friends house 56 miles away on a 240 volt plug. She or her neighbors did not have a 240 plug available. Ended up using the generator to recharge the battery to full. The Spark EV's 12A max at 120 volt would have taken 14 hours to recharge, I had 6 miles left on the car when I arrived. Generator was required to charge so I could get home in time for the next day (Monday). Next trip I'll use a cut 240 volt A/C extension cord

to wire to an available circuit breaker. Power distribution panels are often outside in SOCAL

If you are going to a friend's house 50 miles away, you probably should take a different car or just spend the night. If you did that, plugin to their 110 overnight is all you need.

Even though I know my Leaf can do 100 miles at leisure comfortable speeds, we do often visit relatives that are +50 miles away. So we plan to stay for the day for example. We drive out, not worry about range. Then plug into the 120v outlet outside and just charge the entire time we are there. After the visit, the vehicle has enough extra range to enjoy a leisure trip back. It's all about the planning really, the same one would do with a gas car. We all just take gas stations for granted, but until charge stations outnumber gas stations are like they do in Japan for example, it takes a little more effort to plan trips.

 

[ezryder]

My only brand new car ever!

It's also my first new car ever. After swearing never to get GM after bailouts, I end up with a Chevy? If this right-wing-nut-job scrooge gets a new car, and it's a Chevy and an EV to boot, I have to wonder if hell is freezing over. It has been chilly around So Cal lately, and I thought I saw a big bird that looks like pig...

Did you swear to never get a mortgage again, to protest the far-bigger bailouts of Wall St? Everybody bounced back - except the middle class, who got screwed. At least with the GM bailout we got the Spark EV - and the Bolt, coming.

 

[Sparkler]

You should have bought a Volt, lol.

Prius would be cheaper, but both suffer the same problem of Hybrid. You still need to take it in for gas engine service, especially if you drive more than battery range.

...

There are other benefits, such as white carpool sticker, no smog check, ...

Having both a Spark and a Volt, I think you are overstating the "gas engine service" thing. I have had to change the oil in the Volt exactly once so far since I got it in June of 2011. It's been 4 years, I've learned how to NOT drive over it's battery range, that's what the Sparkler is for.

Oh wait, it's June again, so it's been 2 years since it's last oil change which means it is actually due again, despite the oil life counter reading about 90% life remaining. Still no smog check required yet either, (ALL new cars get 6 years before needing a smog check now) I just put the 2016 tag on.

 

[NORTON]

.... to protest the far-bigger bailouts of Wall St? Everybody bounced back - except the middle class, who got screwed. At least with the GM bailout we got the Spark EV - and the Bolt, coming.

Yes, the far-bigger, no-questions-asked, bail out of the 'Too Big to Fail Banks'. They were going to be reformed, I thought. What happened to that idea.
And yet the right wing-wing nuts were all for letting GM fail, and all the Americans that work for that giant Based-in-America corporation should just get a decent middle class job somewhere else...
Yeah right...

I just don't get them. Some times their views seem very unpatriotic. Very anti-America.

 

[ezryder]

.... to protest the far-bigger bailouts of Wall St? Everybody bounced back - except the middle class, who got screwed. At least with the GM bailout we got the Spark EV - and the Bolt, coming.

Yes, the far-bigger, no-questions-asked, bail out of the 'Too Big to Fail Banks'. They were going to be reformed, I thought. What happened to that idea.
And yet the right wing-wing nuts were all for letting GM fail, and all the Americans that work for that giant Based-in-America corporation should just get a decent middle class job somewhere else...
Yeah right...

I just don't get them. Some times their views seem very unpatriotic. Very anti-America.

Ironically.

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

Having both a Spark and a Volt, I think you are overstating the "gas engine service" thing.

If you have to take it in for maintenance for gas engine, it's not overstating its hassle. When the repairs come, it will be for both gas and electric. 5 year no smog is true for all new cars (including gas cars), but many people keep their cars more than 5 years or buy used cars. Hybrids now need SMOG check, thanks to brain-dead politicians at Sacramento.

Having had Prius battery die after doing all the maintenance through the years for gas engine, which runs perfectly, I learned my lesson: no more hybrid (Volt is hybrid).

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

Did you swear to never get a mortgage again, to protest the far-bigger bailouts of Wall St?

Mortgage is backed by government (fannie/freddie), not banks.

Getting off topic: Not all banks wanted bailouts, they were forced on them. Read "too big to fail" or watch the movie (not as detailed as the book, but you get the idea). Unlike many banks, GM went to beg for tax money. If GM went bankrupt, who would've taken their place? Cars will still be around, so some company would have to make them even without GM. Toyota? Nissan? Tesla? Personally, I wish it could've been Tesla, but we'll never know thanks to bailout.

Yes, we got SparkEV as result of GM not dying. But what we don't see is what we didn't get. With far more demand, could Tesla have met the demand with even better car and make money doing it? Again, we'll never know thanks to the bailout. But I gotta admit, Tesla probably couldn't do whole lot better than SparkEV. GM, despite being GM, did a fantastic job. Kudos to their engineers, who could've been Tesla engineers without bailouts (and we'll never know).

And yet the right wing-wing nuts were all for letting GM fail, and all the Americans that work for that giant Based-in-America corporation should just get a decent middle class job somewhere else...

SparkEV is made in Korea, but so what? We benefit from great little car regardless of where it's made. Suppose GM had died and Hyundai took its place, what do you think they'd do with all the money (in dollar) they make by selling in US? They can't spend dollar in Korea, they have to buy something from USA that's exchangeable for dollar. That spending will directly benefit Americans. All this talk of artificially supporting crappy companies and banks through bailout is just more croney crapitalism and truly anti-American where we should be celebrating innovation and efficiency.

But as an American, I cannot help but cheer for Tesla; only if they make cars in my price range...

 

[NORTON]

>SparkEV is made in Korea,...
>>.... supporting crappy companies and banks through bailout is just more croney crapitalism and truly anti-American where we should be celebrating innovation and efficiency.

> Spark EV is 37% American content, Yo. The Drive Unit is from Maryland and the Battery Pack is made in the Detroit area. These are the meat of the matter!!!
( I still suspect this is the drive unit that will be in the Bolt. Why else would the Spark EV be so over powered?)

>> It's hard to 'celebrate' anything when millions of American middle class workers are out on the street with no hope of finding decent jobs.
I say it's Un-American to wish that on your fellow Americans.

 

[SparkevBlogspot]

> Spark EV is 37% American content, Yo. The Drive Unit is from Maryland and the Battery Pack is made in the Detroit area. These are the meat of the matter!!!

What makes motor unit or screwing together battery any more "meat of the matter" than the battery itself, which is made by LG of Korea (or A123 of China) and most expensive component of the car? Objectively, car is made in Korea. Making excuses for 37% by arbitrarily making something more subjective "meat" is wrong. Besides, there's nothing wrong with made outside of US; that dollar has to come back to US producers, unless Koreans burn the dollar in giant bonfire to cook Korean BBQ (yummmm... Korean BBQ...).

>> It's hard to 'celebrate' anything when millions of American middle class workers are out on the street with no hope of finding decent jobs.
I say it's Un-American to wish that on your fellow Americans.

Wishing for your fellow Americans to suffer crappy mind numbing jobs is sadistically un-american. I celebrate that they can't get such jobs. I don't want Americans to work in mind numbing jobs in manufacturing. My fellow Americans deserve better. As an aside, picking fruit under hot sun should not be American job, either.

I knew some guys who used to work in auto plants. It was mind numbing with some intermission. Pay was artificially high due to UAW. They liked the pay, but hated wasting time and mind. They were afraid what would happen if they got laid off in downturn as they were not learning any other marketable skill. Stuff like that could go to Foxconn of China (or GM Korea), and I'm glad for it. It's even un-human, but hopefully automation will bring relief to Chinese and Koreans, too. Animatrix, here we come!

 

[stevon]

At work they pulled the CEP construction power distribution hub and removed the container in the parking lot! Disconnected the other electrical connections as well. A little over reaction maybe?
Any ways, I'm allowed so far to use charge spot #2 but it is only a L1 connection. I'm still using free L2 but it is further away from my apartment. The electric mountain bike really helped me out today.

 

[stevon]

At my job #2 L1 charge spot is not allowed anymore A new spot may be available at work, they will let me know.

At work they pulled the CEP construction power distribution hub and removed the container in the parking lot! Disconnected the other electrical connections as well. A little over reaction maybe?
Any ways, I'm allowed so far to use charge spot #2 but it is only a L1 connection. I'm still using free L2 but it is further away from my apartment. The electric mountain bike really helped me out today.

 

[stevon]

FOR SALE

For Spark EV (or other EV) portable L2 2.4 kw generator with safety cables and lock. Includes adjustable current pilot signal OpenEVSE $700 plus shipping or stop by San Diego and pick it up. Will help install it if you bring your Spark EV with you. It is small and fits safely under hatch shelf.
I traded in the Spark for a Fusion Energi and no longer need the genset/ range extender. Contact me offline at [email protected] for more info and/or pictures
Stephen

Portable charging at L2. After getting stuck and towed 300 yards to my friends house decided I needed a portable emergency charge solution on board the car, sort of a spare tire which is another project. Looking for portable generators at 240 volt the list gets short here in America. Found one, a Pramac S2800 http://www.zoro.com/pramac-portable-generator-rated-watts2400-160cc-s2800/i/G8491594/?utm_source=google_shopping&utm_medium=organic&utm_campaign=Google_Shopping_Feed&KW3&gclid=CJmWyN-13cUCFQ8waQod5pwAhg&gclsrc=aw.ds
Desc:
Portable Generator, Rated Watts 2400, 160cc
by PRAMAC
Technical Specifications
Zoro #: G8491594 | Mfr #: S2800
Fuel Tank Capacity: 0.45 gal. Fuel Type: Gasoline
Run Time Hour Meter: No Cylinder Material: Cast Iron
Engine Alternator: Mecc alte Outlets: (1) 120V 5-20R
Voltage: 120 Engine Size: 160cc
Standards: EPA Height: 16-5/8"
Warranty: 3 Month Commercial Use Sound Level dB: 74
Run Time @ Full Load: 2 hr./Tank Run Time @ 1/2 Load: 2.6 hr./Tank
Circuit Breaker: Yes Width: 14-3/8"
Engine Brand: Subaru Engine HP: 6
Length: 21-3/4" Full Power Switch: No
Low Oil Shut Down: Yes Surge Watts: 2800
Rated Watts: 2400 Starter Type: Recoil
Amps @ 120/240V: 20/10 amps
Air Cleaner Type: Paper
Item: Portable Generator Zoro Number: G8491594
Mfr Number: S2800
Product Description
Portable Generator, Rated Watts 2400, Surge Watts 2800, Engine Brand Subaru, Voltage 120, 20/10 Amps @ 120/240V, Circuit Breaker Yes, Engine Size 160cc, Engine Alternator Mecc Alte, 2 hr./Tank Run Time @ Full Load, 2.6 hr./Tank Run Time @ 1/2 Load, Sound Level dB 74, Engine HP 6, 0.45 gal. Fuel Tank Capacity, Recoil Starter Type, Air Cleaner Type Paper, Low Oil Shut Down Yes, Length 21-3/4 In., Width 14-3/8 In., Height 16-5/8 In., Full Power Switch No, Gasoline Fuel Type, Outlets (1) 120V 5-20R
Some modifications were needed for my application, Unit arrives set up tor 120 volt only with both coil outputs tied together on a 1 pole 20A circuit breaker.

Removed the 20 amp circuit breaker and separated the generator coil outputs then rewired for 240 volt output. (see Mecc Alte Brushless diagram above)

Picked up a double pole circuit breaker: http://www.ebay.com/itm/201185736018?_trksid=p2060353.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT
Then added a right angle cable clamp from the hardware store to the back cover with a L14-20 female plug and some cable.
http://stevon.myevblog.com/wp-admin/upload.php
My calculations of load being 8 amps@ 240 volt + 1920 watts total. purchased a portable EVSE charging station kit
http://store.openevse.com/products/openevse-30a-standard-charge-station-combo

(clear cover my modification)
It accepts available input voltage from 100 to 250 volts, switches upon detecting voltage and communicates via the SAE J1772-2001 standard protocol through the J1772 cable. EVSE charger sets voltage and available amps on the vehicle's onboard charger. plugged in open EVSE charger, connected generator, set dashboard current to 8 amps for a test, started generator and let her rip!
N.G. Problem, generator voltage dropped to 200 volts and car disconnected EVSE. Gen sped back up, voltage returned to 248, car re-engaged charge, then 1 minute later, same scenario ~ loop! WTF! Looked into non-linear loads and harmonic distortion as the possible problem and solutions for it. Bad power factor? Harmonic Distortion?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Power_factor and a possible solution https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=worppwXhezI and https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dPFKcUxbNuQ . In order to solve this problem I needed precise information to make calculations and to arrive at precise values to purchase parts and design a solution. What was needed was a power analyzer like a Fluke 43B meter. At $1600 dollars a little pricey for one project. Decided on a used meter found in Bakersfield CA. for $300, He wanted cash only, face to face, living in San Diego 400 miles + away, that was impractical. Talked him into a postal money order and it arrived last Friday. As a test made a "bread board" for easier measurements See picture

hooked up meter, connected the car to house current then started a charge session with dashboard current set to 8 amps. Load seemed quite linear at 240 volts, 0.99 Power Factor with 12 percent THD. A puzzle, why did the generator overload? Second test, connected car, generator and openESVE charger, set dashboard current to 8 amps for the test, started generator and it loaded down again! meter read 14 amps @ 240v or 3360 watts! No wonder 2800 max watt generator bogged down. the open EVSE charge station allows you to program amps so I reset station from default 16a to 10a @ 240v and the car charged OK (no stalling) on the generator @ L2 2.4 kwatts. PF is 0.98 @ 12percent THD! SUCCESS :mrgreen: Next concern was that if involved in an accident Gen would cruise through the cabin if it was not secured. Chose vinyl coated 1/4 inch aircraft cable and a lock to secure generator to the car with an antitheft side benefit as well. Generator stock cradle had to be modified with some steel and welding.

Total cost in parts was less than $900.00 US

 

[ycdocs120]

https://youtu.be/n1u4QVkqhUE

 

[TheLondonBroiler]

As an aside, picking fruit under hot sun should not be American job, either.

I knew some guys who used to work in auto plants. It was mind numbing with some intermission. Pay was artificially high due to UAW. They liked the pay, but hated wasting time and mind.

Hopefully automation continues to increase, so no-one has pick fruit. For the ones that would have to, it would be great if a solar canopy would block sun for workers, power a fan, and move itself.

I'm a UAW auto worker that works on an assembly line, for one of the largest automakers. Your assessment of the work is spot on. Having decent people around you makes a world of difference (as it does at any job). Unfortunately, because it's not a "customer facing" job, it's perfect work for people with.... let's just say.... less than great social skills. I would love to do something else, but the pay, benefits, and the ability to not worry about anything at work once I walk out the door, really can't be matched by anything I've found (I do not have a college degree).

What was this thread about again? lol