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[Moidore]

I clicked into Zero website's accessory page and noted this paragraph on the J1772 charging adaptor/kit page:

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Please note, the SAE J1772 Charging Adapter will not speed up your motorcycle charge time, which is limited by the motorcycle's integrated charger.
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So unlike the CHAdeMO kit, the J1772 kit can only charge via the internal charger? Seems quite pointless!

[Justin Andrews]

Pointless?

No not entirely. If you are travelling then finding a regular plug socket at a service station is, tricky, at best. (Aka impossible here in the UK...)
J1772 adaptors are far more common (again here in the UK there is also a Euro equivalent just to complicate matters), sure you are still charging at Level 1 standard, but at least you CAN charge...


Frankly I wish the Zeros came with J1772 as standard, with an adapter for household sockets. I guess its a cost saving measure.

[ultrarnr]

Moidore,

I thought the same thing, especially when you consider how much difference an hour charging makes on the internal charger alone. However! I contacted Hollywood Electrics and they made me a J1772 adapter plug which allows me to connect not only the internal charger but I can connect two quick chargers as well. Yesterday I just strapped on one quick charger and went to the EV charging station at my local library. Plugged in both and it works well. The internal charger on the Zero's is fine for overnight charging but if you need to charge in the middle of a ride you really  need to have at least one quick charger. And the Plugshare app on your smart phone is very useful to.

[benswing]

+1 what ultrarnr said. 

Hollywood Electrics can also set you up with an even faster Elcon 2500W charger (or two) and you can recharge even faster using J1772 plugs.  I have 2 Elcon 2500W chargers and my charge time is down to 1.5 hrs from empty. 

Your original point is valid though.  There are plenty of external plugs "in the wild" and as long as you have permission to use one, then you are be able to charge just as easily with the regular cord instead of using a J1772 adapter with the onboard charger.

However, your life will change if you get some faster chargers...

[ultrarnr]

benswing,

How much did the ELCON 2500 watt chargers cost? With two of them have you ever had a problem pulling that much power from a J1772 plug?

Thanks,

[benswing]

Each one cost about $1,000 plus about $400 for the associated wiring (splitter, J1772 plug, etc.).  However, it has been amazing being able to ride out of the 'burbs, then get a charge, then ride the countryside with no range anxiety at all!  It means carrying some extra weight, but it is totally worth it!

The J1772 plugs can all deliver at least 6.2kW (usually 6.6kW, and sometimes 7.2kW) and the chargers draw just under 5kW max, so getting the maximum charge is always available.

I believe Electric Cowboy is working on a charger that would sit in the place of the Power Tank of the 2014 bikes.  That will be VERY interesting!

[Electric Terry]

I agree with what ultrarnr and benswing said.  I as well got a J1772 and Elcon Chargers from Harlan at Hollywood Electrics.  Hands down it is the most important upgrade you can do to your Zero. 

The J1772 outlet can deliver 6600 watts of power.  It is basically a fancy 208 volt, 32 amp plug with some protection circuits installed.  But is becoming the mainstream way to source power in the wild.

I liked it so much and found so many J1772 sources in pretty much every state in America, that I installed more than one J1772, and even more Elcons.  So I can pull 6600 watts from each socket I have on the bike.

Fast charging can let you go anywhere.  I can't imagine riding a Zero without that capability now, I am so used to it. 

The Elcons are rather expensive, but they are a much better price per watt than the Delta Q's.  And much better power output per pound than the delta Q Quiq chargers.   A delta Q is $599 and puts out about 850-900 watts avg and weighs 12 pounds.  An Elcon puts out 2 1/2 to 3 times that power and weighs only 4 pounds more (16 pounds total) for less than twice the price.

So for about $1000 for the charger and I think about $400 for the plug and cables and connectors Harlan makes (a heck of a deal for that price!) you have a motorcycle that just became amazing.  Go anywhere, do anything.  With just one Elcon charger and J1772 you can cut your charge time on an 11.4 + power tank by over 6 hours!!! And you can add another to cut it down even more if you want.  Everyone I know that got 1 Elcon from Harlan to start, later ordered another they loved it so much.  Jeremiah Johnson uses 2 Elcons he got from Harlan to fast charge his Zero at the racetrack between sessions. Seriously we all need to thank Harlan for putting together aftermarket kits for us like this and the size 6 Sevcon kit.  He is making the best electric motorcycles even better.

Download plugshare for your phone and you'll always be able to charge where ever you go quickly!  Once you try it, you'd give an arm or a leg before you'd give up your ability to charge fast.  Am I right Ben?

[benswing]

Agreed. 

Faster charging changes your ability to use the bike in more situations.  You can ride longer and faster and not worry about range, which is a beautiful thing!

[Doctorbass]

I am charging at 6.6kW ( 7.5kW max) with my ultra compact diy charger on my zero S 2012:

I also made a J1772 adaptor and it work really well !




Here is the video:


That's the real solution for travelling!

My equivalent charging speed is about 100km/h and optimum total equivalent speed ( travel at 75km/h + charging) is about 45km/h. not bad and better than the leaf and many other EV!

Doc




Here is the thread:
http://electricmotorcycleforum.com/boards/index.php?topic=3085.0

[Doctorbass]

Here are few specs I measured about mu diy compact charger:

TESTED results:

Fast Charger efficiency measured: 92.5% ( 6980W AC 6460W DC out)

Fast Charger Current consumption ( at max output power): 30.5A AC

Fast Charger max power output ( mean at end of charge) 6.60kW

Fast Charger Voltage output: 74.0V ( adjustable from 29 to 76.8VDC)

Fast Charger Current output: 91A (0.75C charging rate)

Fast Charger weight ( including connectors and harness): 13.4lbs

Fast charger dimensions: L 13.2" x W 5" x D 5"

Fast charger max temp ( case): 43 celsius

ZF9 battery temp at end of charge ( internal OEM temp sensor): 32 celsius

ZF9 Battery measured capacity (with  2 bar flashing on the gauge): 6600Wh

Doc

[Electric Terry]

This is awesome Doc!  For long trips this year I might try to get a setup like that to boost charging speed even faster as it is lighter.  But for every day charging where it rains sometimes I would be concerned about those getting a lot of water in them and still working properly.  Other than that I love it!  I wish there was an IP67 solution for those that added minimal weight of an enclosure and heatsink.  But then again that's basically what the Elcon 2500 is I guess.  Great work with this!

[protomech]

Size comparison between the chargers.

[Moidore]

...I contacted Hollywood Electrics and they made me a J1772 adapter plug which allows me to connect not only the internal charger but I can connect two quick chargers as well.

Can you paste a pic of your J1772 adaptor? Is there a retail available version or is it a once off build for you by Hollywood Electrics?

[Burton]

Each one cost about $1,000 plus about $400 for the associated wiring (splitter, J1772 plug, etc.).  However, it has been amazing being able to ride out of the 'burbs, then get a charge, then ride the countryside with no range anxiety at all!  It means carrying some extra weight, but it is totally worth it!

The J1772 plugs can all deliver at least 6.2kW (usually 6.6kW, and sometimes 7.2kW) and the chargers draw just under 5kW max, so getting the maximum charge is always available.

I believe Electric Cowboy is working on a charger that would sit in the place of the Power Tank of the 2014 bikes.  That will be VERY interesting!

I was looking for the cost of the Elcon earlier to post up a reply and came across evwest.com selling them for $730 but I assume the stock connector wouldn't work with our bikes which might explain the $270 difference.

I bet someone could squeeze a charger into the 2013 tank space as well and make in integrated. I think my charger is under there right now but wont know till the bike gets here around 4/10. ^_^

[Electric Terry]

Right, at Hollywood Electrics, they take each charger, and but two new ends on it, an Anderson connector and extension to fit the Zero motorcycle and a higher current connector, instead of the C13 connector, they install a higher amp C19 connector and give you the matching end on the J1772 side.  Then they also have each one programmed for the specific charging algorithm of the Zero, and fine tune and test it.   Buying the materials on your own to perform this operation yourself would easily cost more than the difference and there is no way you would do as professional a job as they do.  EV west is a cool place, but if you're going to get an Elcon for the Zero, get it from Hollywood Electrics.  The support you get from them on how everything works together on the Zero is always just a phone call away and they understand right away exactly what to tell you.  This is priceless in my opinion.