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My dealer in Canada informed me that the GLE450e charging cable provided with the vehicle (Webasto) is only a level I. I watched many reviews online and most of the reviewers unboxed a portable charging cable which had both a level I and level II plug adapter. Can anyone confirm if theirs has both connectors or only the level I.
Dealer is saying I don't need a level II.....but I disagree and think it should be standard...like VW, Ford...all provide both plugs in their kits....and all made by Webasto.
My 450e was delivered with a kit that looks exactly like yours with two power supply pigtails. One is for use with 120 volt regular household receptacles (that is level 1). The other is for use with a 240 volt circuits for level 2 charging, much faster. The 240 pigtail on mine connects to a NEMA 14-50 receptacle which I also use for my wall mounted charger in my garage. Go to the Webasto website for more details.
Your dealer is full of crap. A level I charger won't be able to charge your battery overnight. A level II can probably do it in 6 hours. Lots of tax rebates in the US for the purchase and installation of home auto chargers. Don't know what Canada offers.
My dealer in Canada informed me that the GLE450e charging cable provided with the vehicle (Webasto) is only a level I. I
Mine came with two, The 110 and 220 pigtails. From zero charge it takes about 24 hrs and if 220 about 3.5 hrs. I've yet to use the Webasto but use a Tesla charging cable so far. It input a supposed 7.5kwh off the 220 and about 1,2 kwh off the 110, The Tesla cable is connected to a 'clothes dryer' socket of 220 vdc.
Seems the Canadian dealer is wrong but maybe being in Canada, that's the way they do things.
Also with a lot of people buying a wallcharger as well, it's less of an issue....and I will do the same as I will most likely never charge on the road for the limited range it gives me. Still think it sucks that MB corporate thinks that Canadians are OK with being shortchanged...did I say we are too nice.
I did contact MB Canada corporate via email....they said to find a solution at the dealer level, not something they would involve themselfs in...so much for listening to the customer.
Thanks everyone for the heads up on wall chargers, so some of the replies leads me into the next question. Since MB agreed to Tesla charging connections in the future and Ford is offering a free ccs to teslsa adapter...where is MB on this issue. Will we all see MB providing us with free Tesla adapters similar to ford? and I also wonder how soon MB will be changing the plug in new builds...since mine is not scheduled to be built until April 11th.
I have obtained a Bosch wallbox for $200...should be all I need.
Also with a lot of people buying a wallcharger as well, it's less of an issue....and I will do the same as I will most likely never charge on the road for the limited range it gives me. Still think it sucks that MB corporate thinks that Canadians are OK with being shortchanged...did I say we are too nice.
I did contact MB Canada corporate via email....they said to find a solution at the dealer level, not something they would involve themselfs in...so much for listening to the customer.
They seem to be related to **** ants. Hope my words didn't offend anybody other than the people you talked to.
I only have 30A breaker, so trying to figure out which wall charger to go with ... I realize this means a max of 24A to follow the 80% rule. Am I understanding correctly that most wall chargers are adjustable to 24A if need be? I know if I choose to plug it in rather than hard wire it in I need a Nema something-30 to be by the code, correct?
Our Volvo XC90 T8 doesn't onboard charge over 16A so we just changed the wall plug to fit the plug shape of the Volvo included charging cord, but I think hardwired is a better route to go now?
Still mad at my electrician ... and myself ... for not running higher than 30A wire. I asked him to future proof me as best as possible, but I guess he didn't know enough to know what that meant at the time ... which is on me for not verifying and learning more myself.
I only have 30A breaker, so trying to figure out which wall charger to go with ... I realize this means a max of 24A to follow the 80% rule. Am I understanding correctly that most wall chargers are adjustable to 24A if need be? I know if I choose to plug it in rather than hard wire it in I need a Nema something-30 to be by the code, correct?
Our Volvo XC90 T8 doesn't onboard charge over 16A so we just changed the wall plug to fit the plug shape of the Volvo included charging cord, but I think hardwired is a better route to go now?
Still mad at my electrician ... and myself ... for not running higher than 30A wire. I asked him to future proof me as best as possible, but I guess he didn't know enough to know what that meant at the time ... which is on me for not verifying and learning more myself.
You are correct, a 30amp breaker is going to limit you to 24a of charging. The Emporia charger (I’m sure others do as well) - I mentioned above does allow you to change the charging rates based on the CB size (to go above 50a it does require going through passcode procedure just to verify it’s wired correctly - it’s pretty simple). I would just bite the bullet and have it rewired for 60amps then you can set the charger for the lower rating when you need to charge the Volvo.
You are correct, a 30amp breaker is going to limit you to 24a of charging. The Emporia charger (I’m sure others do as well) - I mentioned above does allow you to change the charging rates based on the CB size (to go above 50a it does require going through passcode procedure just to verify it’s wired correctly - it’s pretty simple). I would just bite the bullet and have it rewired for 60amps then you can set the charger for the lower rating when you need to charge the Volvo.
We will be getting rid of the Volvo. It seems like a tough go to run a different gauge wire that whole way doesn't it? We have two plug locations and will utilize the one not utilized now since it's better for where the plug is located on the 450e.
Uncertain how to best choose a wall charger in this situation.
Not sure what "Plug" you have at your house...but if you have a NEMA 14-50 then you're all set for a wallcharger level II.
The GLE is limited to it's ability to accept a home Type II wallcharger speed....so, here is some info about the home plug you would require:The NEMA 14-50 plug is a 240-volt plug with 50 amps of maximum amperage, which is needed for a 40-amp home EV charging station to be safely used. This plug type is commonly found in RV parks and mobile homes.
With the right Level 2 EV charger, electric vehicles can be fully-charged in under 6 hours.
Mobile chargers often have a NEMA 14 50 plug, which means they can be directly plugged into an outlet without the need for hardwired installation.
For safety reasons, only 80% of its maximum power is allowed for continuous use. So, your charger shouldn't produce more than 40 amps when plugged in.
Not sure what "Plug" you have at your house...but if you have a NEMA 14-50 then you're all set for a wallcharger level II.
The GLE is limited to it's ability to accept a home Type II wallcharger speed....so, here is some info about the home plug you would require:The NEMA 14-50 plug is a 240-volt plug with 50 amps of maximum amperage, which is needed for a 40-amp home EV charging station to be safely used. This plug type is commonly found in RV parks and mobile homes.
With the right Level 2 EV charger, electric vehicles can be fully-charged in under 6 hours.
Mobile chargers often have a NEMA 14 50 plug, which means they can be directly plugged into an outlet without the need for hardwired installation.
For safety reasons, only 80% of its maximum power is allowed for continuous use. So, your charger shouldn't produce more than 40 amps when plugged in.
I have a NEMA 6-20 plug currently because it matches the male end of the included Volvo charger. And the onboard equipment on the Volvo doesn’t allow it charge any faster anyhow.
I doubt I will go to the trouble of pulling out the wire for the 30A we currently have, so I’ll likely hardwire a wall charger in our other port (we hardwired the house for two car chargers) and make sure I set it to charge at a max of 30A. I just want to make sure I get the right wall charger that can be set for a max of 24A.
Your dealer is full of crap. A level I charger won't be able to charge your battery overnight. A level II can probably do it in 6 hours. Lots of tax rebates in the US for the purchase and installation of home auto chargers. Don't know what Canada offers.
The dealer may be full of crap but if you install a L2 charger it has its own cable. Thus cable is to connect to a 240v outlet such as used for a dryer.
Most of the level II chargers max out at 7.2kw per hour...so, just under three hours which is fast enough. This is with a 40 amp breaker on a Bosch hardwired charger. We just came back from a road trip to San Diego and very painful using a level l charger...as it's just over 1 KW per hour...so, take a full day to charge. Did not use any public level II chargers, as who wants to sit by one of these for 3 hours? But we did do it at the house we werer staying in, for when we were not going out and got the 100km range or just under. The rest of the road trip, I just put in it Hybrid mode and worked great...around 7.2 litres of fuel per 100 km...or 33 mpg (usa gallons) We got the car May 4th and now have just over 7,300 km on it....4500 miles.
Most of the level II chargers max out at 7.2kw per hour...so, just under three hours which is fast enough. This is with a 40 amp breaker on a Bosch hardwired charger. We just came back from a road trip to San Diego and very painful using a level l charger...as it's just over 1 KW per hour...so, take a full day to charge. Did not use any public level II chargers, as who wants to sit by one of these for 3 hours? But we did do it at the house we werer staying in, for when we were not going out and got the 100km range or just under. The rest of the road trip, I just put in it Hybrid mode and worked great...around 7.2 litres of fuel per 100 km...or 33 mpg (usa gallons) We got the car May 4th and now have just over 7,300 km on it....4500 miles.
I have had the same experience. My L2 charger is 6.6kw because of our 30 amp breaker size. I am in a condo and we installed a charger network that measures the overall demand and adjusts the charging rate to limit electricity consumption to the building's capacity. At the moment we have more chargers than electric vehicles (planning ahead) so for now chargers are always at full capacity. Also under 3 hours to charge.
When at our cottage I use L1 charging, using a regular 120v outlet. It does take a day to charge, but we are usually here for more than a day. Besides, if we need to leave earlier, that's why we have a PHEV... no range anxiety. I had a visitor at the cottage last weekend with a Tesla. He was panicking for hours about whether he could reach a high speed charger with the range he had left. Using L1 for him was like refilling a bathtub with an eye dropper.
I keep the GLE in E mode all the time. When the battery is drained it goes to H mode automatically, and when plugged in and charged, it goes back to E mode automatically. No fiddling with modes necessary. On the highway I get 100km +/- electric range. Best to date was 102km, worst was about 95km.
No concerns on repeatedly driving your battery to zero charge?
It's a good question. I could not find any MB sourced info on this.
But I have found that when I drive in E mode and run the battery down until it switches to H mode the battery is not actually fully depleted. The vehicle operates like every other hybrid, turning the ICE off and on, charging and depleting the battery continuously.
Hybrids have been functioning in this manner for 20 years without battery impact.
Without any supporting evidence I believe EV's are not intended to run to zero because they would be stranded. In contrast a PHEV has an ICE range extender, becoming a traditional Hybrid once the battery range has been consumed.
I expect the MB has engineered a different charge management system for the PHEV than an EV would have.
Would love to have MB officially chime in.
On the other end of the battery life discussion I will never use high speed charging exactly because I have an ICE range extender and will never be range dependent on charging. High speed charging kills battery life.
02-22-2024, 12:52 PM
