[atc98092]

Jim, I don't agree it's worthwhile. The L1 EVSE that comes with the car has a limit of 12 amps. Doubling the voltage will of course reduce the charge time by about half of L1 speed (from 28 hours to 17 is what I could find online), but that's still far slower than the proper L2 EVSE that supports 32 amps at 220v. That will charge the car in about 8 1/2 hours. If you're going to the expense of wiring a 220v outlet, it may as well be a 40 amp circuit and use a properly sized EVSE.

 

[jmurphEV]

Jim, I don't agree it's worthwhile. The L1 EVSE that comes with the car has a limit of 12 amps. Doubling the voltage will of course reduce the charge time by about half of L1 speed (from 28 hours to 17 is what I could find online), but that's still far slower than the proper L2 EVSE that supports 32 amps at 220v. That will charge the car in about 8 1/2 hours. If you're going to the expense of wiring a 220v outlet, it may as well be a 40 amp circuit and use a properly sized EVSE.

I never said it was worthwhile, just that it would in fact cut the charging time in half vs Level 1. If I was buying a BEV I would definitely have a true Level 2 charger installed in my garage.

However, I can see a case where maybe you don't use all of the range daily but enough that Level 1 charging is prohibitively slow. In that case a DIY Level 2 charger might be a good solution if you already have a 220V circuit available but not a 40A one. For the cost of a new plug you get double the charging speed. Not a bad deal in that limited case.

 

[Peter McCartt]

I want to get a second 110v aka trickle or Level 1 "portable" cord for my 2019 PHEV Niro. KIA says it will cost $1100 - $1500 for a new one. On Amazon they sell them for $160 - $200. wtf? Did anyone buy a replacement "portable" aka 110v cord? If so, where did you get it and which one did you get?

 

[10556]

Buy the Amazon If you must have a level one instead of level two.

 

[Tina Cruz]

I am having probs building and sorting out the storage of the level 1 cord that came with the Kia Niro 2019 all Ev. Can it get wet? I had plug put in outside because my garage is too small for my new car!

 

[deltasmith]

The cord can get wet: that's completely waterproof. The part that connects on to the car can get wet: that's designed to prevent water from running up to the contacts and I think it's a pretty safe design in any kind of weather short of a hurricane (You might not want to have it plugged in during a storm where there is heavy rain and a lot of wind). But I'm not sure about the box that is part of the level 1 cord and has charging indicator lights on it: I don't know if that part is waterproof or not. If you can keep that part inside, you're probably good to go.

If you live in a cold climate and you have to charge outside, you might encounter some difficulties with opening and closing the charger door during icing conditions.

I imagine that some of our Canadian colleagues on this forum might know a lot more about this topic than I do. Here's hoping that they will respond to your question.

 

[Tina Cruz]

I am having probs building and sorting out the storage of the level 1 cord that came with the Kia Niro 2019 all Ev. Can it get wet? I had plug put in outside because my garage is too small for my new car!

The cord can get wet: that's completely waterproof. The part that connects on to the car can get wet: that's designed to prevent water from running up to the contacts and I think it's a pretty safe design in any kind of weather short of a hurricane (You might not want to have it plugged in during a storm where there is heavy rain and a lot of wind). But I'm not sure about the box that is part of the level 1 cord and has charging indicator lights on it: I don't know if that part is waterproof or not. If you can keep that part inside, you're probably good to go.

If you live in a cold climate and you have to charge outside, you might encounter some difficulties with opening and closing the charger door during icing conditions.

I imagine that some of our Canadian colleagues on this forum might know a lot more about this topic than I do. Here's hoping that they will respond to your question.

Thanks! Trying to figure out the housing for it!

 

[Spiritwalker2222]

I have a hoodie to charge my car outside. It isn't needed when it's snowing, but if there is freezing rain it should be used.

This is the one I have.

Eco-Dome Standard J1772 Plug Protector, Sports Collectibles - Amazon Canada

Eco-Dome Standard J1772 Plug Protector in Sports Collectibles.

www.amazon.ca

 

[AaronMSN]

It's also possible the AC outlet you are using isn't wired correctly, or has a broken or poorly connected wire (likely the ground wire). It might work fine with lower powered devices, but the EVSE is very particular about the power it is fed. I like Charles' suggestion as well to try using a lower power setting.

I am having an issue with my charger and at first it didn't work at all with the bottom socket of the outlet and worked on and off with the top. Just ran out with the multimeter and checked: 120v from Hot/Neutral, 98v from Ground/Neutral. Bottom socket wasn't even really powered! Guess I'll be replacing that outlet tonight!

 

[EdWretch]

We have a new Niro EV. The Level 1 charger cable included with the car shows "Fault" when it is plugged into a standard 120 volt socket, and the cable will not supply any charge to the car. See the photo below. Any suggestions?

I had the same fault when I connected my Kia L1 charging cable to my off-grid inverter. It turns out I needed to add a short between neutral and ground connector at the inverter output. This short bar is also called NG bond. Now it works just fine. I hope that helps someone. ;-)

 

[BarryP]

I had the same fault when I connected my Kia L1 charging cable to my off-grid inverter. It turns out I needed to add a short between neutral and ground connector at the inverter output. This short bar is also called NG bond. Now it works just fine. I hope that helps someone. ;-)

Welcome to the board Ed.

Your “fix” will work and reminded me of some safety addendums (I do this with my emergency propane generator):

• Make sure your isolated inverter’s output ground is connected to an earth ground rod via 6AWG wire or flat braid (preferred). This not only dissipates static discharge, but also helps in keeping your output from floating hundreds of volts above earth ground.
• Make sure there’s only one NG bond along the whole circuit so there won’t be ground loops.
• The NG bond should be at the source (output of inverter), followed by a GFCI. The GFCI will be useless if wired the other way around. The GFCI is needed in case someone connects the load from Hot to Ground. E.g., the EVSE falls in a puddle of water and leaks.

GFCI is nice for an L1 EVSE if outside or in a garage. Furthermore, NEC code since 1978 has suggested having all 120V garage outlets be on a GFCI.

-Barry