06-06-2021, 01:41 PM | #1 |
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Dino Electric EVSE Charger - Project
This is a project I worked on during the pandemic. Made a level 2 charger as cool as the BMW i3 It's in my driveway. With gas prices in Los Angeles over $5/gal in some places, I'm starting to get a lot more questions about this and my i3. I tell people I fill up at home with the sweet sweet joules of electricity.
This my 2021 Dino Electric EVSE Pump Its a 1940's Bowser & Co. gas pump (restored in Dino apparel) with a 32A ChargePoint and customized plug / handle. The pulling up on the handle actuates the J-1772 latch when attached to the vehicle. Having that actually functional is my favorite thing about this project. Anyways, this is how I charge my i3 everyday Hoping the attention it gets inspires more people to make the switch to electric. Here are some older photos from before I changed the decals to Electric *I know - I need new pictures with the car actually clean. On the ToDo's. |
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06-06-2021, 06:52 PM | #2 |
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I have wanted to do this very thing myself, but with a newer 1970's mechanical gas pump. I've got watches programmed on most of the local swap sites for a pump to convert.
Dumb question - Where did the J1772 nozzle come from?????
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06-07-2021, 10:47 AM | #4 |
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The handle looks heavy... I might be concerned about the long term effect of that on the charge port.
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06-07-2021, 12:54 PM | #5 |
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It can't be any heavier than some of the Level 3 charger connectors/cables that I've seen.....
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06-07-2021, 01:20 PM | #6 |
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That's true, but their use is much less frequent than daily, like a Level 2.
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06-09-2021, 12:31 PM | #7 | ||
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Quote:
Quote:
The handle is aluminum so its really not very heavy. The metal lock latch on the J-1772 keeps it reasonably secure against the car. The cord weight hanging down has more downward impact force than the handle itself. |
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06-09-2021, 02:21 PM | #8 |
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If anyone else wants to build one, here are a few close up photos of the handle bit. A lot of effort was put in making the new J1772 end waterproof. At least where the internal electrical terminations, switch, and resistor are. It helps that original nozzles held gasoline and thus liquid tight. This was probably not needed because the J1772 cord I started with was differently not waterproof. It was water resistant at best, but it was super suspect when I tore into it. Still, I can sleep easier knowing water isn't going to get inside the connector or cord.
Aside from the custom nozzle. A new receiving piece was needed on the pump side to hold the J1772 end in place. I referred to this as my cod piece. There was a lot of trail and error getting this right. Originals were cast iron. I may or may not cast this piece some day. Though keeping the plastic is safer electrically speaking. Without it the nozzle wouldn't stay upright in my pump. It's also needed to keep too much water from getting in the nozzle hole. Last edited by TimeFor; 06-09-2021 at 02:29 PM.. |
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06-10-2021, 04:09 PM | #10 |
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Very nicely done.
Dont have a fancy one like that, but my callbox is plenty good enough to provide 11Kw charging. I just put fuel in my bike yesterday at what would be $7.6 a gallon for you, though some days of the week I can get it almost a dollar cheaper a gallon. Makes the i3 really cheap to run, think I have put about $120 in electricity in it since November (3500km/2175mi).
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06-11-2021, 05:39 PM | #11 |
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Ouch, yeah if there was ever a case for than i3 that's it. Gas is about $4.50 - $4.70 for regular here right now. Put premium gas in the i3 yesterday for over $5. But at least that only need 2 gallons.
My Tundra gets like 12mpg on a good day so I haven't been driving it at all lately. Got the Rivian and F150 Lighting on order to replace it. Whichever shows up first wins I guess. |
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06-12-2021, 02:05 PM | #12 | |
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My M5 averages 18mpg and the 850 is same as yours, 12mpg. The Ducati gets 47mpg so thats great. The i3 has definitely become my "go-to car" for office commute and shopping. Covid has also reduced my need for driving a lot, pretty much been working from home since April 2020, virtually eliminating my annual 5500mi office commute.
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09-24-2021, 04:01 AM | #14 |
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Really cool "charging" station.
I would be a bit worried around electricity safety due to the handle being conductive, and not made from plastic/ABS... |
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09-28-2021, 09:59 PM | #15 |
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The metal handle is attached to the cable's ground wire. It would trip the charger's internal GFCI if either L1 or L2 made contact. But all of the contact points are inside the ABS portion of the handle, not the metal side. So I didn't think this was a high risk.
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10-14-2021, 12:01 AM | #16 |
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Original idea!
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