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Really considering putting in a DC fast charger at home

5262 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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My Setec is finally being built and with any luck I might have it next week. Did you wire yours with a NEMA- 14-50 plug on it? If so, what one did you use?

I am excited to finally get this and try it out of the weather will stay enough above freezing to ride.
Yes, I used a 14-50 plug from Home Depot. Let me know how it works!
The Setec has been built and will be shipping shortly. Unfortunately, it will likely come while I am on vacation. With any luck, I can have it operational by Feb 22 or so when I am back.
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Selling my spark EV, so I have a Setec unit for sale if anybody is interested in one.
$2,800 plus shipping. The unit is heavy, and the cables are bulky, so shipping is likely to be around $300.

Setec 10 kw. Connected to a 50 amp RV outlet the unit will output 9.6kw. Includes CCS1 connecting cables, 14-50 AC 240 connection, and a J1772 adapter which allows the unit to be powered off any existing public level 2 charger. The whole setup cost me $3,800 to put together.
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OMG I finally heard back from the place in Calgary that sells the same thing and they want $4500 USD! That's banana's!
OMG I finally heard back from the place in Calgary that sells the same thing and they want $4500 USD! That's banana's!
Yeah, they are not cheap hardware.

I would love to test my unit with a Livewire to know if I should market it here, anybody reasonably close to Southern Oregon that would like to help me test it?
Yeah, they are not cheap hardware.

I would love to test my unit with a Livewire to know if I should market it here, anybody reasonably close to Southern Oregon that would like to help me test it?
Man I am in PDX. I almost don't want to know. Could be very bad for my wallet. What you should do is sell it to paradise HD in Portland. Idiots. I would meet you in in Eugene. More then that is too far for the knowledge.
Some day Waves will give us the answer though... Any day now dude... Where are your priorities?
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Man I am in PDX. I almost don't want to know. Could be very bad for my wallet. What you should do is sell it to paradise HD in Portland. Idiots. I would meet you in in Eugene. More then that is too far for the knowledge.
I'll meet ya in Eugene, it would be a worth while experiment.
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Lets see what he finds first and of course when this crap weather clears up to the normal dreary winter.
I'll meet ya in Eugene, it would be a worth while experiment.
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Yeah I'm really eager to find out if this works as well. Hey RIP can you tell us how much the unit weighs?
Yeah I'm really eager to find out if this works as well. Hey RIP can you tell us how much the unit weighs?
Without putting it on a scale my guess is about 35 to 40 lbs.
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Uhoh.. If it works gonna be an bunch of livewires riding around with a big ugly box strapped to the passenger seat... L2->L3 baby! And people say my LWing is silly looking...
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If it does work and people are using LW's to ride around a lot during the day this makes a ton of sense. Ideally closer to $2K but whatever. If you need it you need it. If it maintains 6+kWh per hour it would certainly be a big deal. If it could do 10 like my Griz-E L2 in my garage and maintain it you have 2 hour charging. Be curious to see how it works for sure.
If it does work and people are using LW's to ride around a lot during the day this makes a ton of sense. Ideally closer to $2K but whatever. If you need it you need it. If it maintains 6+kWh per hour it would certainly be a big deal. If it could do 10 like my Griz-E L2 in my garage and maintain it you have 2 hour charging. Be curious to see how it works for sure.
Hooked up to a 10Kw L2 or a standard 14-50 outlet I have seen charging rates as high as 8.6kw. obviously you have to dial it down if plugged into a smaller supply such as a 6.6... it obviously cannot put out more than it takes in lol.
If it does work and people are using LW's to ride around a lot during the day this makes a ton of sense. Ideally closer to $2K but whatever. If you need it you need it. If it maintains 6+kWh per hour it would certainly be a big deal. If it could do 10 like my Griz-E L2 in my garage and maintain it you have 2 hour charging. Be curious to see how it works for sure.
Maybe a Uni-go trailer to haul it. Throw some camping gear in the trailer too and saddlebags or top box, then attempt a Cannonball using only FREE chargers and camping the entire way :) Super cheap vacation.

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Maybe a Uni-go trailer to haul it. Throw some camping gear in the trailer too and saddlebags or top box, then attempt a Cannonball using only FREE chargers and camping the entire way :) Super cheap vacation.

Oh I like the uni trailer. I rode 1700 miles from Portland to Tucson with a Bob trailer behind my bike. I wonder how hard the hitch installations are. Frick I can only imagine what moving the bike around is like. Have you ever ridden with one? I wonder how much range you would lose. Second battery pack? :)
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They are pretty light and aerodynamic. Trailer loaded would not be more than a passenger. Not sure how much a passenger kills range but this should be better. I saw one brand that connects right through the rear axle of the bike on just seconds. I believe that one was the "Trail Tail" brand.
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