David's 2001 Civic EV (80-100 mile range; 65+ MPH; 8 second 0-60)

[Cobb]

Now your talking. Dont forget some typical honda/mugen mods too to give it the exterior tuner touch.

[TheSGC]

I got my J1772 socket installed this past weekend:


I need to clean up some of the wiring in the back so I can install the AVC2 module that runs the J1772 signals before I can use the charge stations in my area.

This week I am testing different routes to work to find the best way I should take my EV. I am also going to do some highway run tests to get a baseline on the power I consume. With any luck I will be commuting in my EV in the next several weeks, assuming the weather warms up and the snow stops. This has been the worst winter I can remember, for the past month I've been needing my AWD 1-2 days a week just to make it home.

[mechman600]

I have been researching the whole J1772 thing and I am wondering what you ACTUALLY needed to do to make it work.
From what I understand in this pinout:

L1 - obvious
L2/Neutral - obvious
Chassis ground - yup, sure.
Proximity detection - turns the EVSE on; slightly shorter terminal than other terminals so the EVSE turns off before L1/L2 disconnects so there is no massive spark
Control pilot - Hmmmm....here's what my big question is about.

I read that this is a PWM (square wave) signal sent from the EVSE to tell the car's charger what current the EVSE is capable of delivering, so the charger does not draw too much current. On a car with a lower amp charger (<30A @ 240V), this pin can be ignored altogether because the EVSE doesn't actually do anything with this signal because it is for the car's charger to do something with. The EVSE will turn on without it.

Please correct me. My next EV WILL have a J1772.

[TheSGC]

You are correct, the only signal that we really need to work with is the Proximity. My charger only pulls 10A from a 240v socket so I don't have to worry about the Pilot signal as I cant change the current anyways.

[mechman600]

Originally Posted by TheSGC

I need to clean up some of the wiring in the back so I can install the AVC2 module that runs the J1772 signals before I can use the charge stations in my area.

What is the AVC2 module and what J1772 signals need to be run?

[TheSGC]

Originally Posted by mechman600

What is the AVC2 module and what J1772 signals need to be run?

The AVC2 module is the circuitry that came with my J1772 socket. It provides the Pilot signal to the charging station to activate the power. It also has a relay connected to the Proximity that can enable/disable the charger or car when the J1772 is being plugged in.

[mechman600]

Originally Posted by TheSGC

The AVC2 module is the circuitry that came with my J1772 socket. It provides the Pilot signal to the charging station to activate the power. It also has a relay connected to the Proximity that can enable/disable the charger or car when the J1772 is being plugged in.

Could you not ignore the included circuitry and hook it up in a much simpler way? I think a resistor between proximity pin and something else (chassis ground pin?) is all you need. If it's the challenge/project aspect (seeking to make the pilot signal work for your amusement), then I totally understand.

[TheSGC]

Originally Posted by mechman600

Could you not ignore the included circuitry and hook it up in a much simpler way? I think a resistor between proximity pin and something else (chassis ground pin?) is all you need. If it's the challenge/project aspect (seeking to make the pilot signal work for your amusement), then I totally understand.

You could wire up a few resistors in the required setup, but this module came with my J1772 socket so I'm going to use it.

[TheSGC]

I've really been lacking in motivation for my EV over the past year. I've been too afraid to drive it to work due to the distance, and my dad has been using it.

Well today I decided to finally just try it, and it went great!


My commute is 30.6 miles and I ended up using 60.1AH from the pack! My drive is 50% back roads (35-40 MPH) and 50% highway (55-60+ MPH). I was really pleased on how well it did, so pleased that my EV motivation has returned! I want to do a lot of cleaning up wiring, finish the J1772 circuit installation and install air conditioning. I have a list of things I want to do to it this year, but now I am back to using it as a commuter!

[Daox]

Woohoo, nice! 282 Wh/mile is pretty good too.