Alta Fast charger

[rtf]

This firmware update has been released. You can go to your dealer to get it done, free of charge.

Outstanding! How much of an effect did it have on charge time?

 

[Oded]

@Ireek

 

[Judaslefourbe]

Outstanding! How much of an effect did it have on charge time?

Charge time on 240V should be closer to 4 hours for a full charge.

 

[Gertech]

Regarding the fast chargers, I received shipping info on Friday that mine is on its way. Hopefully others who are waiting will be getting theirs soon, too!

 

[snydes]

Regarding the fast chargers, I received shipping info on Friday that mine is on its way. Hopefully others who are waiting will be getting theirs soon, too!

Excellent! Thanks for the heads up.

 

[snydes]

@Gertech curious if you got your fast charger yet?

 

[Speedkills]

Does anyone know of a J1722 adapter that would work to plug an SM in at a public charging station? I know these aren’t quite right but I am thinking something along the lines of J1772 to C-13 Adapter for Electric Motorcycle/Scooter or J1772 to 14-50 Adapter. I would love to be able to just keep a cable in my backpack and get a 240v fast charge on my SM when I am riding on the weekends.

 

[bluefxstc]

I am sure there are others, but here is one. J1772 Adapter | Home. Most of the j1772 public chargers will be 220v so you need to be aware of that.

 

[Ultratoad]

Does anyone know of a J1722 adapter that would work to plug an SM in at a public charging station? I know these aren’t quite right but I am thinking something along the lines of J1772 to C-13 Adapter for Electric Motorcycle/Scooter or J1772 to 14-50 Adapter. I would love to be able to just keep a cable in my backpack and get a 240v fast charge on my SM when I am riding on the weekends.

Correct me if I'm wrong.... You can NOT plug the current SM's in 220v.... The on-board charger is 110v only....

 

[Philip]

Correct me if I'm wrong.... You can NOT plug the current SM's in 220v.... The on-board charger is 110v only....

You need to update you firmware at the dealer, and then you too can charge the SM from 220-240V.

 

[Speedkills]

They said I should get 4 hour charge time on 220v, but unless I can figure out a way to get that out of the commercial charging stations I may not be able to test it out.

 

[ecd]

Is there any definitive recommendation on what to buy to be able to use a Fast Charger with a 110v outlet?

I might be getting a Fast Charger with an EXR this Saturday and only have a 110v in my garage, which is concerning. I'm not sure if they have Standard Chargers available

 

[snydes]

Is there any definitive recommendation on what to buy to be able to use a Fast Charger with a 110v outlet?

I might be getting a Fast Charger with an EXR this Saturday and only have a 110v in my garage, which is concerning. I'm not sure if they have Standard Chargers available

Contact Scott at Elite Motorsports, I believe he had some adapter cords made. There won’t be any other commercially available product you can buy. You can also change the plug on the charger pretty easily.

 

[Judaslefourbe]

Just to be clear: our onboard charger will not work with a J1772 public station because the protocols are different (they talk different language so to speak).

 

[Fod]

Just to be clear: our onboard charger will not work with a J1772 public station because the protocols are different (they talk different language so to speak).

Just imagine how much more desirable the SM and EX(R) would be with J1772 connection! Game changer in my opinion.

 

[Speedkills]

I’ve been begging them for this. Seems everyone is. It’s strange that they don’t even acknowledge it. Are there 100 silent SM owners out there who love the 110v only charging because I’ve probably unsold 20 of them by telling everyone who asks me about my SM that’s it’s fun but not worth buying until they work with public charging stations.

 

[Fod]

I’ve been begging them for this. Seems everyone is. It’s strange that they don’t even acknowledge it. Are there 100 silent SM owners out there who love the 110v only charging because I’ve probably unsold 20 of them by telling everyone who asks me about my SM that’s it’s fun but not worth buying until they work with public charging stations.

Yeah my buddy will pull trigger once the ex has that option. He was so hoping the new exr would have that option. I have a mxr so it's not really needed, but I would have to have it on a street legal bike.

 

[Philip]

Perhaps it might be the time to reach out to @MVetter from DigiNow. I heard their chargers can charge from almost any power source.

Also, Rapid chargers are taking way too long to catch up with the demand for them. Most of us still do not have anything faster than the Standard charger.

 

[snydes]

Perhaps it might be the time to reach out to @MVetter from DigiNow. I heard their chargers can charge from almost any power source.

Also, Rapid chargers are taking way too long to catch up with the demand for them. Most of us still do not have anything faster than the Standard charger.

I wonder if Scott @Elite Motorsports was able to work anything out with DigiNow...

 

[bluefxstc]

I am a little confused by all of this. First there are no public chargers, unless you count DC fast charging like the tesla supercharger, CHAdeMO or the DC combo plug. These are kind of like chargers in that the vehicle communicates with the permanently installed, land based charger, tells it what DC voltage and DC current it can accept, and then the equipment provides it. I am not sure about the Alta’s wiring and battery pack, but it doubt that it could accept the lowest level of current/power these devices can provide. These are high power (50-125kw) DC sources that would probably overwhelm our poor little Alta. Plugging into 50kw would give you a 6-7 minute charge time from completely empty. They do ramp the power and current down at the end of the charge cycle, so it may work, but they are not designed for this small a battery pack and you would need the vehicle communication equipment to tell the charger what to do.

J1772 equipment is not a charger, it is more appropriately called EV Support Equipment (EVSE). It is a source of power for the charger already installed in the vehicle. For safety it will not turn on until it is plugged into a vehicle, or a box that simulates a vehicle. Once it communicates with the vehicle, and finds the right signals, all it does is energize a large contactor to connect 120 Vac (Level 1) or 240 Vac (Level 2) to the box or vehicle. You can find the J1772 specs here on Wikipedia. J1772 should work fine with an SM that is enabled for 240Vac power, as long as you have a converter box that will accept the J1772 plug and tell the EVSE to close the contactor. Once the EVSE closes the contactor, it is just like plugging into a wall socket at home. The only issue would be that most public EVSEs are Level 2 (240 Vac) so you would need the firmware upgrade to enable that on a SM. The SM charger would still communicate with the Alta, just like it does when you charge at home, you would just be receiving power from the public EVSE instead of your house. Public EVSEs will do nothing for an EX or MX since it doesn’t have an onboard charger. To charge an EX or MX you would have to pack the charger with you (heavy).

I have installed J1772 on my 300ZX that I converted, and it is just a small board to provide the enable signal (about $50) and the J1772 female plug (about $100). It is easy to install and works good, but all it does is power the charger I have installed in my vehicle.