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Vanlife house batteries charged using car charging stations?

pouncepounce

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May 20, 2021
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I'm new. I have stupid questions. Lots.

TLDR: Any reason a person could not use car charging stations to charge house batteries for RV or Van's etc?

I am considering all the variables with adding onboard battery storage for a van. One of the variables is charging. If I can eliminate a cost like solar maybe I can add more battery. If I need a charging source on the road it can be hard to find an agreeable location sometimes. I thought, why not try to charge at a car charger. I can see that one can buy the correct sockets, but I'm not sure what might be needed to manage the charge and if there was some communication protocol in the chargers that ensure they are only supplying power to cars.

No way I am the first person to think of this, but I wasn't able to find any threads. Anyone seen this before?
 
Anyone know if the MPP all in one units can handle 240v AC input? The manual I have doesn't state. Just says AC. I'm guessing no... but that would be nice.
 
Anyone know if the MPP all in one units can handle 240v AC input? The manual I have doesn't state. Just says AC. I'm guessing no... but that would be nice.
The euro models would be rated 240vac on the all-in-ones grid input...
If you want to let the magic smoke out real quick try that on the solar inputs...boom...hehe

FYI, those auto charging stations are NOT just high voltage/current outlets. They are advanced power stations that want to "talk" to whatever device is asking for power and if they do not like what your device says...no juice for you.
 
I would still get 200+ watts solar and simple controller. May not seem like much but it is out there every day working for you. It adds up.
 
I would still get 200+ watts solar and simple controller. May not seem like much but it is out there every day working for you. It adds up.
Yea. Just trying to work out whether this could work as an option. Part if me thinks it would be amusing to plug in an ICE van at a charging station.
 
FYI, those auto charging stations are NOT just high voltage/current outlets. They are advanced power stations that want to "talk" to whatever device is asking for power and if they do not like what your device says...no juice for you.
Yes. I think there are a few products on the market to spoof them. Mostly there are testers and simulators. The link above is a plug with the circuits to simulate an EV to pass the AC.
 
It's a +12v -12v square wave.
Yes and how many amps will it signal for. Just curious how much power will come through this thing. Some J1772 connectors could easily melt that cord. Typical EVSE can supply 6 to 7 kW.

OK maybe I have that wrong. The charger will limit the amps but what would be the available wattage to drive a charger without melting the cord?
 
Yes and how many amps will it signal for. Just curious how much power will come through this thing. Some J1772 connectors could easily melt that cord. Typical EVSE can supply 6 to 7 kW.

OK maybe I have that wrong. The charger will limit the amps but what would be the available wattage to drive a charger without melting the cord?

Ah, I assumed you had this clever idea to pull off the 12v :)

I would think that you could only connect one leg off the socket and get only 120v, but I do not know what the charger would do. Maybe it would sense it? So if I can get 120v off the J1772 it just makes it easier to then connect whatever charger like an MPP without having to step down.

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OK so I googled the C13 and looks like 15 amps max. I would assume it provides 240 or 208 depending on the supply.
I would limit the charger to 12 amps max input.
 
I checked out a Chargepoint location nearby. They are $1 an hour for the first 3 hours. $6 an hour after 3 hours and they are 6.6kW level 2. Free charging at stations in many parks including Yellowstone. I may have to throw down a few hundred to see if I can reliably use the major charge stations to give me AC power without an EV.
 
I am just going to continuously update here.

I think I have found that the level 2 output is 240 and single phase. I do not think I can take one leg for 120v at least so far it looks like its 240v on pin 2.

A possible solution is a Victron autotransformer. Based on the datasheet I think it can take the 240v and even drop it to 2 phase 120v. I think it can also provide up to 32a on one 120v leg (assuming the 32a model).

 
208 is also very common as these EV charging stations are connected to three phase commercial power. Two 120v legs on three phase = 208 volts.
I would get a charger with universal power input. Some go 90 to 250. Victron has some.
 
208 is also very common as these EV charging stations are connected to three phase commercial power. Two 120v legs on three phase = 208 volts.
I would get a charger with universal power input. Some go 90 to 250. Victron has some.
Thanks. Any suggestions for model?
 
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