Kia Niro Forum banner
  • Welcome to the Kia Niro forum! We discuss all models of the Niro, including the Hybrid, PHEV and EV versions. We are glad you stopped by. Feel free to browse the various topics, along with out FAQs. To enable posting, you need to register for a user account. There is no cost for this. Just click in the upper right corner where it says Login/Join. We look forward to your continued parcipitation.

2020 Kia Niro EV: Can I use a standard 220v/40A receptacle, with the UVO app

15K views 34 replies 9 participants last post by  Epowrd 
#1 ·
Just picked up a Niro EV Sunday, here in Oregon. Did an EA charge in Eugene, coming from Portland, to arrive about 1 hour further south, to home. I'm wondering if I can just simply install a 220/50A receptacle with appropriate outlet configuration, use a 220v EV hookup cable, plug in and use the UVO scheduling/monitoring/level app setting to level 2 charge at home? I plan on having a 'time' schedule with Pacific Power, where the rates for 'off peak' are .01 cents KWh, and I believe the UVO app can also handle that 'off peak' scheduling.

Seems that ought to work pretty straightforward, but I'm thinking I am missing something very basic. The app seems to replace the 'intelligent' portion of 'intelligent' EV setups, so why pay for something I may not need?

Thank you.
 
#3 ·
The EVSE that comes with the car is designed for 120v. That said, many people have used it on 240v successfully. Personally, I'd get an EVSE designed for 240v, connect it to the proper outlet in your garage, and leave the factory EVSE in the trunk in case you need it somewhere. The Niro EV has a 32 amp on-board charger, and while you can connect a higher powered unit, it won't draw any more than 32 amps. I use a 40 amp Juice Box on my PHEV, and it only draws 16 amps.

The charge scheduler in the car (and on the app) doesn't have the ability to enter off-peak preferred charging times. But you can schedule your charge and make it fall within the off-peak timeframe. For a penny a kW, I'd make the effort.
 
#6 ·
The EVSE that comes with the car is designed for 120v. That said, many people have used it on 240v successfully. Personally, I'd get an EVSE designed for 240v, connect it to the proper outlet in your garage, and leave the factory EVSE in the trunk in case you need it somewhere. The Niro EV has a 32 amp on-board charger, and while you can connect a higher powered unit, it won't draw any more than 32 amps. I use a 40 amp Juice Box on my PHEV, and it only draws 16 amps.

The charge scheduler in the car (and on the app) doesn't have the ability to enter off-peak preferred charging times. But you can schedule your charge and make it fall within the off-peak timeframe. For a penny a kW, I'd make the effort.
How can I convert everything to plug into dryer outlet. I have hot water.heater in garage, thatbi could use. Already has 40 amp circuit.
 
#10 · (Edited)
I have about the same setup you’re asking about: Niro EV, with a Juicebox L2 EVSE plugged into a 240 V, 40 A drier receptacle in the garage. I set the charging to come on at 10:00 PM, to take advantage of an Edison metered rate.

Since the wires and breaker are rated at 40 A, I set the Juicebox to max at a safe 32 A. I’ve been happy with this setup for years (Leased a Soul EV before this, and the Juicebox was from their original Kickstarter program).

It’s very unlikely that the factory L1 EVSE can be cost effectively converted to L2 The reason for this is that low amp L1 cables are much less expensive than L2 rated cables, so I’m guessing that the factory EVSE cable can’t handle more than about 20 A.
 
#12 ·
It’s very unlikely that the factory L1 EVSE can be cost effectively converted to L2 The reason for this is that low amp L1 cables are much less expensive than L2 rated cables, so I’m guessing that the factory EVSE cable can’t handle more than about 20 A.
Actually, the factory EVSE is only 12 amps maximum. Even if you double the voltage, it's still only going to send 12 amps out the wires. No safety issue there. But since the EV can accept around 32 amps, using the factory EVSE at 240 volts is still going to charge far, far slower than a "real" Level 2 EVSE.
 
#14 ·
Well, let's see if I can rephrase the question better. I was hoping to do without purchasing something like a Charge Point 240v setup by:

1) using a direct 240v/40A receptacle plug, to
2) plugin a standard charging cable into the 240v box
2) and just using the UVO app for the smart portion
3) and the Kia's internal charger engineering

That way no need for a ChargePoint type of gadget.
 
#17 ·
1. You can convert the standard Level 1 EVSE to a limited Level 2 version by wiring it for 240V operation. Here's a thread about it for the Niro EVSE
2. As @atc98092 said you will be limited to 12A @ 240VAC so just 2.9kW compared to a "true" Level 2 charger at around 7.7kW. This is the internal current limit for the Kia EVSE
3. If you leave the stock NEMA 5-15 connector and cable on the EVSE you will be technically running those parts above their wattage rating. Problem? Probably not. Warranty? Gone.

If you're cool with all of that, rock on. It won't be a true 30A Level 2 charger but if you are mostly charging overnight, that's probably ok.
 
#18 ·
I'm not understanding something. Using a dedicated 240v/40A (it's actually 50A breakers), w/a 14-50 receptacle. Wouldn't the Niro handle that at its max charging capacity? I think I was told 240 is the newer 220. The circuit is on 6 gage wire on the 50A breakers.
 
#19 ·
No, the current limit is set by the EVSE not the car or the circuit you plug it in to. The max current for the OEM cable is 12A regardless of the voltage. So if you connect it to a 40A circuit it will still only draw 12A. If you want more than that you'll have to buy a higher capacity charger.
 
#20 ·
Maybe another way to explain, from the thing you plug into the car (the plug we would call it, cable would refer to the wires) the car can determine Level 1, Level 2, DC high voltage.

The car will only draw a max 12 amps is what is being stated. Of course drawing 12 amps at 240 volts is different than drawing 12 amps at 110.

In the USA, where we have 110v utility outlets, you can get faster charging if you can take the L1 "charger" and connect it to 240v in some cases.

This was the case with my Fiat 500e EV, so you got a faster charge if you fed the 110v "charger" with 240... not approved by Fiat, but many people had success.

So if your supplied L1 charger can handle 240v and you connect 240v to it, then it should charge the car faster than on 110v, but this all ASSUMES that the car itself, where the "charger" really resides, does indeed allow 12 amps at 240v

Greg
 
#21 ·
Don't confuse L1/L2 charging and DCFC. Completely different things and not related, other than using the same connection (kinda, since DCFC has the two extra connections). For L1/L2 charging, the charger itself is contained in the car, and the cable (EVSE) is merely used as a connection. Each EVSE is rated at a maximum current level, regardless of what the vehicle can accept. The EVSE included with the car is only good for 12 amps, regardless of feeding it 120 or 240 VAC. You can buy inexpensive (under $200) EVSEs that are rated at 16 amps, which is the maximum level the PHEV can accept. With the Niro EV, the on-board charger can accept 32 amps, which at 240v is 7.6kW. But the EVSE included with the car is still limited to 12 amps, which at 120v is 1.4 kW.

Yes, the factory EVSE will charge faster if it's connected to 240v, but it's still limited to 12 amps. So you only get ~2.9 kW, which is far less than the 7.6 kW the car can accept. Faster than 120v, yes, by a factor of 2. But still much, much slower than a 240v EVSE that provides 32 amps.

That's why it takes so much longer to charge a PHEV/EV at 120v. Since the owner might only have 15 amp circuits in their garage, they won't include an EVSE that supports a higher rate. It's a safety issue. For any plug-in car, it's worth the investment to install at minimum a 16 amp 240v EVSE. I installed a 40 amp EVSE, even though my PHEV only accepts 16 amps, since I'll likely get a full EV when my lease it up and I wanted to be ready.
 
#23 ·
We've been using our stock Chevy Volt EVSE plugged into a dryer outlet (via a pigtail adapter) for 4 years with no problems. It charges roughly twice as fast as it would plugged into a standard 120V outlet. And there's a guy on this thread (Convert stock Niro L1 charger to L2? No) who's been doing the same with a stock Niro EVSE with similar results. A real L2 charger would charge a little bit faster than that, but it's not as big of a difference. Many people believe that the stock EVSE is likely the same as the ones they give to people in Europe, but with a 5-15 120v plug attached. If that's true, then it should be able to handle 240 volts just fine. As always, YMMV and proceed at your own risk.
 
#24 ·
We've been using our stock Chevy Volt EVSE plugged into a dryer outlet (via a pigtail adapter) for 4 years with no problems. It charges roughly twice as fast as it would plugged into a standard 120V outlet.
Twice as fast is still extremely slow for a BEV. :giggle: That's still only 12 amps, compared to the 32 amps the car can accept. It can be more than enough for a PHEV, absolutely. Just depends on your driving and charging patterns. Remember the original poster has the EV, not the PHEV.
 
#28 ·
Dan, in part of your post you admonish me to not get L1 and L2 confused.

Then you say the "charger" puts out 12 amps no matter if 120v or 220v ..

Clearly if 12 amps flows, the wattage into the car is DOUBLE on 220v....

Is there some confusion? If what you say is true, then the difference in charging time should be double between 120v and 220v....

Greg
 
#29 ·
Actually, I said not to confuse L1/L2 with DCFC. :) Yes, if you double the voltage with the same current, you double the wattage (Ohm's law). My point is the factory EVSE is limited to 12 amps, regardless of voltage. A Level 2 EVSE has at least 16 amp circuit, and that extra 4 amps makes a noticeable difference in charging times with the EV. Since your EV supports up to 32 amps, there's a huge difference in charging times between using the factory EVSE at 240v and a 32 amp Level 2 EVSE.
 
#32 ·
Sorry to butt into this thread. I just picked up a 2021 Niro EV. We already have a Tesla wall charger that is set to 80 amp output. Will the internals of Niro be able to deal with the 80 amps it gets offered? Does anyone have experience charging their Niro off of that with a Tesla to J1772 adapter?

Thanks for any insights you all can provide.
 
#33 ·
It doesn't matter how powerful the EVSE is. The Niro EV has a 32 amp on board charger, and that's all it will accept. I charged my Niro PHEV (16 amp charger) on a 40 amp Juicebox all the time. The charger in the car will only take the amount of power it can handle. Your Tesla EVSE is capable of 80 amps, but it only puts out what the car will accept.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top