GM shows off 120V and 240V chargers for 2011 Chevy Volt
Chevy Volt Home Chargers - Click above for high-res image gallery
As part of the massive media blitz being rolled out today by General Motors in preparation for the new 230-mpg Chevy Volt and some B20 biodiesel trucks (more on these later), we finally got to see the two chargers that will come with the Volt when it becomes available in November 2010.
With each Volt purchase you'll get one of these two chargers – either a portable 120V charging unit that can plug into any outlet in the house (or, more likely, the garage) and can also be carried along in the vehicle, or a dedicated 240V unit (seen above) that will require installation into a more powerful connection, just like a dryer. Of course, the 240V unit will charge up the Volt quicker than the portable unit, but GM knows that customers will have different needs and so wants to offer options. That coiled orange cord on the 240V unit might also be an option, along with a regular straight cord by next November. Read all about these chargers after the jump.
GM engineering specialist Gery Kissel explained that the 120V unit (seen right) has two charge rates. The normal rate is 12 amps, but if this causes circuits to break or other problems in the house, there is a user-selectable 8 amp charge option. The 240V charger has a 16 amp output, which is just over what the Volt's 16 kWh battery is suited for. The charger has three lights to indicate that the unit is receiving AC power, if there is a fault, like a ground fault circuit interrupter indicator, and whether or not there is a ground present. The now-standard J1772 connector had plenty of safety features built in. Kissel said that it will survive being driven over if it's left on the ground, for example. Another very useful feature: The Volt won't move if you leave it plugged in. This disabling feature is not dependent on whether there is current coming in or not. The car itself detects if the handle is plugged in, eliminating the possibility of a bright orange tail.
One extra that GM is adding to the J1772 is a flashlight that will light up whenever the release handle is depressed. Water and weather and sunlight won't be a problem for these chargers, either. Both chargers can be mounted outdoors, if needed, and the female connectors can be dipped in water or sprayed clean.
While the near-production units that GM displayed today are functional and have been used to charge up actual Volts, another step in the process will happen sometime next year when the first units are installed in GM employee homes for testing purposes.
You can listen to Kissel's presentation by clicking play below:
Gallery: Chevy Volt Home Charging Units
Photos Copyright ©2009 Sebastian Blanco / Weblogs, Inc.
You can check out the Home Charging 101 slideshow gallery below.
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 2)
nony 7:12PM (8/11/2009)
Any information on how long it would take to charge the car from about empty and from about 50% for 120V and 240V?
I'm glad that there is a standard for charging receptacles and connectors.
Reply
Val 7:53PM (8/11/2009)
If the battery is 16kWh, then 50% of that is 8kWh. So 120 volt, times 12 amps, means 1.44 kW (although for AC you probably need to take the RMS value, not sure, i have only dealt with DC powered chargers briefly). So at this charge rate, 8kWh should be done in 5 hours 30 minutes. Of course that assumes charge retention of 100%, which is never the case.
why not the LS2LS7? 9:21PM (8/11/2009)
The car never needs more than 8kWh for a charge, as GM only uses 8kWh from the battery, despite its 16kWh capacity.
GM says 8 hours for a full charge on 110V, 3 hours on 230V.
In the end, the charge on the battery doesn't determine the range, so if you only get an 80% charge before you leave in the morning, you can still leave for work on time and know you'll get there.
Judy Zik 9:23PM (8/11/2009)
A standard? Not so fast. This is what GM has developed. Now they are saying look everyone else this is our new system and we would like you all to adopt it as the standard. Let's not forget that charging stations already exist in some places as leftovers from previous EV projects. There is also two existing standard plugs out there in North America for lower and higher voltage (think your washer and your dryer). But we couldn't possibly use those. We need GM to save us with something new and proprietary.
The main question is just how many patents is GM holding on this charging system and what kind of licensing fees are they going to charge everyone else to use it. That will be the make or break of this "standard". If they really want everyone else to use it they should make the charger open source and not charge any licensing fees but we all know that isn't going to happen. So the odds are pretty good that the Nissan Leaf and Ford Focus will have different plugs.
why not the LS2LS7? 9:41PM (8/11/2009)
Actually, it's already been accepted as a standard (I believe). Allegedly the North American standard, although time will tell.
http://www.autobloggreen.com/2009/06/28/underwriters-laboratories-approves-sae-j1772-charging-plug/
Val 9:47PM (8/11/2009)
that makes sense, charging a battery to 100% SoC puts a lot of stress on it and shortens its lifetime.
daleam 11:16PM (8/11/2009)
Judy: Yes, Standard. Read the linked article. And it wasn't developed by GM. It was developed by Yazaki.
Ronman 3:04AM (8/12/2009)
Lets say everyone buys a Volt, Leaf or whatevereveryoneelsearegoigntocallit, and the demand on the Grid out ways supply and blackouts start to happen. how much time would it take to top up the batteries with the in car generator on while the car is parked?
now that is something I'd like to know. does the battery charge from the geny? or is the geny there to power the motors only when the batteries run out of juice?
why not the LS2LS7? 12:54PM (8/12/2009)
Ronman:
First of all, you charge these at night since it's cheaper. There is enough grid capacity for everyone to run what amounts to a hair dryer (1500W) at night without expansion.
Second of all, there is no NEED to plug this in. If the grid collapsed, you just have to put gas in more often, it'll charge itself up as you drive. It can do so indefinitely (unlimited range as long as you put gas in, just like a regular gas car).
Bobmarley 1:04PM (8/12/2009)
So it will take about 1hr of 120v charge to drive 10miles? Does that sound right?
And does is the government subsidizing these chargers for GM?
..And what about the extended range ICE engine? How many MPG's do you get when thats running? And does the ICE engine charge the batteries or does it just supply enough power to move the car?
Jeff Johnson 7:19PM (8/11/2009)
The thought that I have always had, is that for the billions invested in R&D, one relatively simple method of charging would be an auto charge feature. Follow me on this one, but say you pull into your garage and the charging unit located near by mounted on directional electric motors. Using RF or some sort of tiny reflectors, have the little robot roll under the car, flip open some contact patches with a small servo motor and have the charge be 100% automated. For the cost of some tiny servo motors, a cheap camera, and some creative programming, you would never have to plug in your car again.
Reply
Tourian A5 11:49PM (8/11/2009)
http://mindstorms.lego.com/
Val 7:46PM (8/11/2009)
Or, you can just get out of the car (on your own two feet) and plug the power with your own two hands, in less than a minute, and be done with it, thus saving precious money on research, which would go for some more meaningful things, like batteries and motors...
Randy 8:11PM (8/11/2009)
What would one do for exercise?
I'm still looking for someone to cut my food and stuff it in my face so I don't have to exert any energy or use any muscles for the rest of my life. Come to think of it, I'd like to become a bowl full of mush.
If you can't fuel your transportation, stay home. (Hey, we may be onto something. Get the lazy drivers off the road! Smooth sailing...!)
Rich 10:15AM (8/12/2009)
Robots? Oh good grief.
Ever heard of Nikolai Tesla?
I always felt a little gypped by the guys who're selling modified Elises under his name, because their vehicle doesn't use a wireless charger.
senatorcongressman 10:33AM (8/12/2009)
Automated charging is a great idea. Ever come home from a 10 hr work day with a kid from daycare and 5 bags of groceries? The last thing I want to worry about is plugging in the car when I already have my hands full.
Scott 11:38AM (8/12/2009)
"The last thing I want to worry about is plugging in the car when I already have my hands full."
So do you use full service gas stations as well then? Because it's the same thing, only plugging in would take *less* effort than filling up, since you don't have to deal with paying.
cdwrx 7:32PM (8/11/2009)
Remember this nugget about Hawaii going to a massive (as massive as Hawaii can get) electric car recharging network to "reduce its dependence on oil?"
http://www.autoblog.com/2008/12/03/better-place-gets-ok-to-electrify-hawaii/
Now check out where 75% of their electricity comes from. WTH?
http://www.autobloggreen.com/gallery/chevy-volt-home-chargers/#9
Reply
vetteracer 9:51PM (8/11/2009)
Judy Zik
9:23PM (8/11/2009)
A standard? Not so fast. This is what GM has developed. Now they are saying look everyone else this is our new system and we would like you all to adopt it as the standard. Let's not forget that charging stations already exist in some places as leftovers from previous EV projects. There is also two existing standard plugs out there in North America for lower and higher voltage (think your washer and your dryer). But we couldn't possibly use those. We need GM to save us with something new and proprietary.
---------------------
Wow nice propaganda you spout
Ever here of SAE or UL ? guess you translate to your language as proprietary
Thus was not done in secret by GM as a sudden shock to other nameplates as they have been in the same working groups as GM
In fact the japs are on more American standards then any other country and as the real BS is how they forced the death of RS232 for USB, they killed off "tube" TV and have on purpose held up for over 5 years the new standard for cars using 36 or 42 volt systems
How dare you whine that other's are not up to speed as GM is even when nissan just ripped us Americans off by almost 2 BILLION tax dollars obama gave them as the claim nissan had to have that money to compete against GM in these type of powerplants and then run around marketing how better the japs are in these designs.
Seeing your content as to not even knowing American standards on electrical plugs keep your nose out of our business and worry that your country is in the tank worse then us.
BTW the connector is not even American. .
The SAE standard J1772 charging connector for plug-in vehicles passed another threshold on its way to finalization this week.
Underwriters Laboratories has completed its certification testing on the connector developed by Yazaki.
The UL testing has verified the safety and durability characteristics of the 5-pin connector.
Virtually all of the automakers from the U.S., Japan and Europe are planning to use the standard plug on upcoming electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, including in the Chevy Volt.
Reply
why not the LS2LS7? 11:01PM (8/11/2009)
I want to speak for myself and probably many other EV fans and say please don't think ill of us all because of this guy.