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Really considering putting in a DC fast charger at home

5259 Views 97 Replies 13 Participants Last post by  R.I.P.
The L1 charging rate is pathetic and understandable. Capping the L2 charging rate at pretty much the L1 rate is not. So at this point I've been really considering putting in the Setec 10kW fast charger for home.


Theoretically this would give me the ability to charge from 0-100% in about 90 min. Maybe a bit longer if the charge rate starts to taper when near full.

What I find happen with my usage is I go out for a spirited ride, come home, and my battery level is low enough it really inhibits my ability to use the bike until the next day unless I just want to putter about locally and keep the speeds low. So basically the bike becomes a one and done for me unless I seek out an L3 charger which I don't have near me and sitting around for 40-50 min the hot Texas sun, is not how I want to spend my day.

So I've been seriously looking into the Setec. It has the ability to dial back the max charge rate from 10kW down to almost nothing. So I can balance how quickly I need to charge with the additional wear of the battery pack. Regardless it will still be less stress than going to a normal L3 charger which from what I understand the LW can only take a max of 25kW charge rate anyway.

So basically I could add about 1% charge per minute at max input. Or basically about a mile for every minute of charge based on my overall riding energy usage. This is a game changer for how I could use the bike. At home all I would need to do is replace one of my Tesla charges with this Setec and use my CCS adapter to charge the smaller Tesla. It would charge faster than the mobile charger I am using so a win/win.

The price is $2790 shipped to my door with a 2 year warranty. Even that isn't as bad as it seems. The electric vehicle charging station credit is back in the IRA bill that just passed. So I can deduct 30%, up to $1k, off my taxes. That puts me at about $1953 net to do this. I won't have to do any rewiring of my existing install. I already have a 60 amp circuit in place.

So it seems like a good option to circumvent the lack of faster L2 charging without a lot of additional stress on the battery pack. I can dial it up or down as I need it. This should significantly expand the usability of my bike by reducing the charging window when needed. When I have time, I'll just dial the charge rate back to 2kW or so. When needed a quicker top off, just dial it up.
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I'm very curious about it.
That makes it about the same cost as a regular L2.
I feel like I'm missing something since I hear regular DCF chargers can easily cost 20-50K or more depending on what's installed.
It is only a 10kW "portable" charger. Portable in the sense that you don't have to wall or floor mount it. I have asked Setec if they give any sort of quantity discounts for more than one but we need at least 5 and then only a $100 discount per unit. So no real benefit there.

They quoted me $2400 for the charger and $390 DHL shipping to the US. As mentioned upstream the total is $2790. They can ship other places than the US but would need a quote for that area. For less than 2k all in after EV charging credit, I am going to do it. It will work with my Tesla and if I buy an Energica down the line as well.
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I will. I am doing a lot of traveling over the next few weeks so I'll order when I know I'll be back home and have time to set it up. So hopefully all done by mid-Oct.
tcypher alerted me to this thread. I just want to make sure you know what you're getting. Yes, the SETEC units work as advertised, but I'm concerned you don't fully understand what that means. The 10kW output figure is based on a 500vdc vehicle. The actual charging brick inside the unit outputs 20 amps. No more. At 500vdc, 20 amps would indeed be 10kW. The LiveWire does not operate at 500vdc.

The LiveWire operates, if memory serves, somewhere around 275vdc. At 20 amps output you're likely to see a max of 5-6kW from this unit. Are you ok with that for $2k?
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A lot of unknowns here re how the Setec might work with the Livewire. It will be interesting to hear how it handles handshaking.

But, the actual Setec charge rate will also be interesting to observe. The Livewire pack voltage is 275'ish, but per Livewire the bike can handle 200-500vdc at a max of 200A. The bike and charging station interface to adjust V and A to bring the pack up to full charge per Livewire's charging profile.
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I guess we'll only know how it performs, handshakes, and all the goodies when someone releases a chunk of their change to educate us on its real world use. :)
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Watching this thread to see what the actual experience is like with the charger.
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But, the actual Setec charge rate will also be interesting to observe. The Livewire pack voltage is 275'ish, but per Livewire the bike can handle 200-500vdc at a max of 200A. The bike and charging station interface to adjust V and A to bring the pack up to full charge per Livewire's charging profile.
Pardon my French but what in tarnation are you talking about? The LiveWire absolutely cannot handle 500vdc at any amperage, much less 200. Heck, the max charge rate on it is capped at 80 amps and that's low in pack voltage, like under 40% before the charge algorithm drops it to 60.

I am telling you I have personal experience with it and it will perform exactly as I said it will. Between 5-6kW. It's a 20 amp unit. This is what it does.
Pardon my French but what in tarnation are you talking about? The LiveWire absolutely cannot handle 500vdc at any amperage, much less 200. Heck, the max charge rate on it is capped at 80 amps and that's low in pack voltage, like under 40% before the charge algorithm drops it to 60.

I am telling you I have personal experience with it and it will perform exactly as I said it will. Between 5-6kW. It's a 20 amp unit. This is what it does.
Livewire is spec'd as stated, per the company.
You are egregiously misreading something, my dude.
You are egregiously misreading something, my dude.
Nope! A direct talk about charging rates and max charging voltages.

I can't imagine anything pushing 200A into the Livewire, even for a short time, but stranger things!

I can though, see it accepting above 280 vdc, for at least a short period in the charge cycle.

But it would all be linked to charge profile and handshaking. And who knows what a simple Setec could manage.
Who knows? Me. I know. I've used the damn thing. I feel like I'm going insane

edit- just checking but this is you, right? You wrote the following post?

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Who knows? Me. I know. I've used the damn thing. I feel like I'm going insane

edit- just checking but this is you, right? You wrote the following post?

True. Per the Livewire tech info.
thanks for all the insight. If I can get a consistent 5kW to 6kW, I am good. it is still worth it for me. Time is the one resource I don’t have enough of.

In the end it isn’t that much more than the charge tank would’ve been on a Zero.
True. Per the Livewire tech info.
Do you have a link handy?

thanks for all the insight. If I can get a consistent 5kW to 6kW, I am good. it is still worth it for me. Time is the one resource I don’t have enough of.

In the end it isn’t that much more than the charge tank would’ve been on a Zero.
Then this will be ideal for you. It'll also work on any EV that uses CCS. They're also an option for a portable track-day charger for some of these bikes, because race tracks often have NEMA 14-50 hookups for the RV crowd.
enough arguing,
here's the info straight from the Service manuals:
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I don't think I would ever buy this but it would be really cool to know. This price isn't horrible. So full charge in like 2.3 hrs?
I don't think I would ever buy this but it would be really cool to know. This price isn't horrible. So full charge in like 2.3 hrs?
I by NO MEANS am good at math, but doesn't 6kW (on the high end) seem more like 4.6 - 5hrs?
granted, that's nothing to smirk at, considering the typical 11-12 hrs.
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