Chargig from Low Current Supply

[thefishnets]

I tow a caravan in Europe and use sites with an electrical 'hook-up' system. The output of the 220V electrical supply points is sometimes limited to 16 amp and sometimes limited to 10 amp. The limit is 'enforced' by having a circuit breaker designed to trip at the 16/10 amp level in the circuit.
Would it be possible to overnight charge the Outlander (using the Mitsubishi supplied 3pin charging cable + suitable outlet adapter) from this power source or would the demand be likely to trip the circuit breaker? I know it can be charged from a solar array 6amp supply but the current limit is then the limited output of the array but is there a way of telling the onboard charging unit not to demand more than 10 amps?

 

[twosout]

I am interested that you mention charging from solar. I was not aware that it was possible. Do you know how?

As far as mains charging is concerned, I'm sure you could plug the generic (EVSE) 'brick' charger in to recharge. The manual outlaws the use of "extensions" but an adaptor may be different. Even so, I cannot think why it would not work. That's different to being 'approved'. I'd try to make the three-pin connection within a waterproof container. You would be charging at 10A because that's all the 'brick' will allow. So long as the breaker is not less than 10A, you should be fine. The only problem I can think of is a site owner who considers that you're taking liberties!

If you look at the type2 connector to the car, you will see that it has five pins. Within the 'brick' there is some electronic wizardry that communicates with the car to charge it safely and the extra pins are necessary for those communications. You cannot connect mains to the car directly. If you have a home charge point, it may be capable of supplying up to 32A but the car can only take 16A this way. Again, the home charge point has three wires in and five out. It has similar electronics to communicate with the car and control the charging process.

 

[jaapv]

The supplied charger will not take more than 10A, often less. You will need a 3-pin/Schuko adapter.
On the Continent you can only charge at 16A from a dedicated charger using a type1-type2 cable (not supplied with the car).
Are you sure the camping grounds can supply 10/16 A (240 V) ?
Often the outlets on a camping site are limited to 6A.

 

[anko]

Often the outlets on a camping site are limited to 6A.

Indeed. This is why I used one of these: https://www.ratio.nl/nl/catalog/e-mobility/mobiele-laders/enkel-fase-type-1/31313/groups/g+c+a+nr+view

16 amps at home.
10 amps at friends and family
6 amps on camp sites

 

[elm70]

Often the outlets on a camping site are limited to 6A.

Indeed. This is why I used one of these: https://www.ratio.nl/nl/catalog/e-mobility/mobiele-laders/enkel-fase-type-1/31313/groups/g+c+a+nr+view

16 amps at home.
10 amps at friends and family
6 amps on camp sites

What happen with your DIY charger for handle multiple cars with limited power from home network ?

Any advice for make a cheap DIY charger .. it would be nice to have a fully configurable 6amp to 16amp J1772 charger ...

For solar .. 110v x 6amp ... does need less then 1kw power from solar panels ... opening space for cheaper inverters

 

[anko]

http://www.stegen.com/nl/ev-produkten/66-smart-evse-controller.html
http://www.stegen.com/nl/ev-produkten/83-smart-evse-controller.html
http://www.stegen.com/nl/ev-produkten/92-current-transformer.html

 

[karl]

There are also charging "cables" where you can select 6/10/16 A mode. I suppose it's just a signal to the onboard charger on how much current it can draw.

Charge Amps Ray is one product - a bit on the expensive side.

Using the supplied standard 10A charge cable with the control box and connecting it to a Solar array output "box" rated for 6A might cause some trouble.
Specifically, if there is no load limiter, I suspect either the power supply can brown out, or the power unit might overheat, or both. Both scenarios could be potentially damaging and potentially a fire hazard.

In order to do safe solar charging directly from an off-grid solar array, you probably need something more intelligent, probably a DC-DC Direct charger connected to the ChaDemo port. That seems to cost around £ 10.000 so not really worth it...

It's possible that the onboard charger handles 100-250 volt (or probably less), and the off-grid solar array can't deliver anything near 6A before it either browns out or shuts down, so nothing will catch fire, but I wouldn't feel totally comfortable about the scenario.

Regarding extension cables, a sustained load of 10A might be a bit much for the connectors. There are heavy duty variants that claims to handle 16A.
Stay of cheap no-name cables in that case, and check the connector temperature a few times the first hours in use.

 

[davebodger]

I tow a caravan in Europe and use sites with an electrical 'hook-up' system. The output of the 220V electrical supply points is sometimes limited to 16 amp and sometimes limited to 10 amp. The limit is 'enforced' by having a circuit breaker designed to trip at the 16/10 amp level in the circuit.
Would it be possible to overnight charge the Outlander (using the Mitsubishi supplied 3pin charging cable + suitable outlet adapter) from this power source or would the demand be likely to trip the circuit breaker? I know it can be charged from a solar array 6amp supply but the current limit is then the limited output of the array but is there a way of telling the onboard charging unit not to demand more than 10 amps?

I've charged my PHEV from a caravan using the standard brick charger when the van was plugged into a 16A blue outlet so you should be fine.
The supplied 10A EVSE brick or "granny charger" actually draws 9.5A @ 240V as I have measured. I guess it may draw more current at lower voltage but I have not tested that.
If you are on a 10A supply then you have no real overhead to have anything else turned on while charging the car.
If you are on a 16A supply then you should be OK with lights, TV and fridge but not much else. Putting a 2KW kettle on would trip it and a microwave is probably marginal.