Citicar: Modern Charger Options

Battery & Chargers
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I have recently acquired a 1975 CitiCar, and I’m looking to replace the original charger. The car has eight 6V lead-acid batteries wired in series for 48V total. Ideally, I’d like to be able to charge using J1772 and a normal 110V plug, assuming the cost isn’t prohibitive, and I’d like to be able to reprogram the charger for Lithium batteries, in case I choose to go that route once my existing batteries reach end of life.

I’ve looked into a few options, and Delta-Q, Elcon, and Noco have all looked like potential options, though I don’t think that the Noco will work for J1772 without something custom. I can’t get a solid answer from Delta-Q or their distributors about what is required to use a Quiq or IC charger with J1772, unfortunately. I have also seen a number of threads on here like this one for a custom J1772 solution.

Does anyone have suggestions?

Tom

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Hey Tom, I’m a Comuta-car guy here to get help with lithium conversion (BMS and charger). I’m also interested in charging options. It would be great to opportunity charge at 220volt input and 110 at home using J1772.

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Thanks for the reply, Tony. Not a lot going on here, apparently. There are four Facebook groups for CitiCars/CommutaCars, plus a groups.io community.

C-Cars
Vanguard CitiCar Registry
Florida CitiCar EV Club
EV Cruisin’ USA

As for the chargers, I was thinking of buying a QuiQ 1000 with a built-in DC-DC converter, but that looks pretty pricey. The Lester Summit II looks pretty good, as does the Delta-Q IC series.

I’m going try posting up on buggiesgonewild.com, too. They look to be a pretty active community.

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Tony: what do you have for tires on that beast?

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J1772 is the way to go.
Quiq chargers can be converted. Search @grantwest threads.

1 Like
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@Inwo: It looks like you were the one providing the J1772 adapters? I’m guessing that any charger could be modified to work with J1772, provided it accepts 110V-240V input?

I also see products like this that could be combined with a NEMA 14-50 cord to work with a given charger? https://www.evseadapters.com/products/j1772-to-14-50-adapter/

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I don’t see how it could work with J1772.
There is no power available at a J1772 port until handshake.
Yes any dual voltage charger, like the DQ.

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I have a brand new DQ that will charge at 20amps off a 220 circuit, 12amps off 110 if you are interested in it. I can program it for lead or lithium batts if you need.

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That does make sense. Were you providing the J1772 adapters in the @grantwest threads, or where did those come from?

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Yes, I put the components together. They are off the shelf J1772 modules.

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Well, if you would be willing to put a kit together, I’d definitely be interested. My hope is to purchase a charger that supports 120/240 and also allows for easy AC cord swapping. Then use 110V most of the time, but plug in the J1772 when needed - bonus points for adapting to Tesla Destination Charger, too.

Did I read something about a cord from 110V to the J1172 plug to make this simpler?

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This would be a complete kit.

Home charging station with 240v plug. Change the plug or use the 240 to 120 cord shown.

MVC-007F

J1772 wired vehicle port
IEC cord fits DQ and most charger inlets
Sealed enclosure and cord entry fittings
J1772 communication module (requires 12v from vehicle or charger)

MVC-008F

Complete kit shown $500

1 Like
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Thanks @Inwo. I don’t need the J1772 power supply, just the second but that would accept the j1772 plug and provide 240V out. (I’d use a normal 110V outlet at home)

What would the cost for just the portion that installs on the car be? I’m thinking I know a few fellow CitiCar owners that might be interested, but I don’t know how much work you’re looking for.

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You will only charge from public stations, or you have a J1772 station at home.

Parts in bottom picture $225

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Actually, I was hoping to have the J1772 adapter terminate in an IEC 60320 C13 plug, so I can plug it into the charger when I need to use a public station, then swap to a normal 110V plug when at home, leaving the J1772 adapter in the car, but disconnected from the charger. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/IEC_60320#C13/C14_coupler

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Yes, that’s what is in the picture.

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Test picture Connected to DQ and my J1772 charger.
J1772 kit

Box and connector for orange is in the package.
You save money by finishing it. When I sent Grant’s he took it apart and shortened the cables anyway.

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For anyone else looking at J1772 capability, I eventually found this option, which seems to work quite well: https://www.tucsonev.com/

Look for the “J1772 to Zero adapter”.

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