Got the car - Tips & Best Practices....!!!

[echicago13]

Finally got the car - 2013 SV (+ LED/Quick Charger Port+Premium Package) and would like to know some of the best practices from current owners, for enjoying the car with long lasting healthy battery:


I also had some questions:
- Charger cable that comes with the car only supports 120V, what if I have dryer outlet which is 240V. Can I just buy the cable that supports 240V and hook to the "dryer" outlet and charger car at 240V? Or I still need to get EVSE installed?
- My car was charged 95% and showing 78 miles range. I drove to work which is 12 miles, the battery charge is 80% but the range is still 76 miles. Is this correct?
- I have set charging method to "long" so it only charges at 80%

any other ideas/tips will be highly appreciated. Thanks again.

 

[RonDawg]

Charger cable that comes with the car only supports 120V, what if I have dryer outlet which is 240V. Can I just buy the cable that supports 240V and hook to the "dryer" outlet and charger car at 240V? Or I still need to get EVSE installed?

NO!!!!!

You will destroy the OEM EVSE. And Nissan will know about it; they have instructed their techs to take the EVSE apart if a customer comes in saying it no longer trickle charges.

If you already have a dryer outlet, your best best is to have the OEM EVSE upgraded to allow dual voltage operation: http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

My car was charged 95% and showing 78 miles range. I drove to work which is 12 miles, the battery charge is 80% but the range is still 76 miles. Is this correct?

[/quote]

Welcome to the "Guess-o-Meter." It guesses your available range based upon recent usage.

 

[mwalsh]

Item 1 - evseupgrade.com to upgrade the standard brick to dual voltage.

Item 2 - you'll find there's a reason we "affectionately" call that display the "Guess-o-Meter"

 

[WetEV]

- Charger cable that comes with the car only supports 120V, what if I have dryer outlet which is 240V. Can I just buy the cable that supports 240V and hook to the "dryer" outlet and charger car at 240V?

Yes, you can get a EVSE cable from several sources that will plug into a 240V "dryer" outlet and charge your car. (The OEM cable is 120V only, unless upgraded) Only advantage to a hardwired EVSE would be a slightly faster charging rate.

- My car was charged 95% and showing 78 miles range. I drove to work which is 12 miles, the battery charge is 80% but the range is still 76 miles. Is this correct?

The range estimate is called a "Guess O Meter" or GOM. Best practice is to mostly ignore it, at least at first. A few people have put tape over it. If you coasted down hill for 12 miles, the battery charge wouldn't change much, and the GOM might guess that you could drive 130 miles. If you drove 12 miles up a steep road to the top of a mountain pass, the battery might still be at 50% or more, and the GOM might guess that you could drive only 12 more miles, not knowing that your next driving is down the other side of the pass. The car might complain that the destination is beyond range... Not knowing that you could coast to your destination as it is all downhill from there.

 

[echicago13]

thanks for the quick replies, really appreciate it.

but, now i am scared/confused about charging. let me try to clarify it:
1. i can use the car supplied 120v charger cable to plug in to regular socket -- i am assuming no issues
2. i can use the car supplied 120v charger cable to plug in to dryer socket -- complete no/no
3. get the 120v charger cable upgraded to support evse 240v and use with the dryer socket -- no issues, slightly reduced charging times
4. get the professional evse charging unit installed -- most preferred option

please correct if i am wrong, or missed out any other combinations...!!

thanks again.

 

[WetEV]

ut, now i am scared/confused about charging. let me try to clarify it:
1. i can use the car supplied 120v charger cable to plug in to regular socket -- i am assuming no issues
2. i can use the car supplied 120v charger cable to plug in to dryer socket -- complete no/no
3. get the 120v charger cable upgraded to support evse 240v and use with the dryer socket -- no issues, slightly reduced charging times
4. get the professional evse charging unit installed -- most preferred option

1) 3) and 4) work.

Never try to plug the car supplied cable directly into 240V.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I didn't see him trying to use the OEM EVSE for 240 - he wanted to buy a 240 portable EVSE.

The GOM gets more accurate as you drive on a given charge. It is usually wrong when you are at 100% or wherever you start, and close to correct when you are ready to recharge. Not really helpful, but not utterly useless, either...

 

[Reddy]

...any other ideas/tips will be highly appreciated. Thanks again.

Congratulations and welcome. Sounds like you got good, quick advice as is the norm around here. Best advice: Spend some time perusing the numerous older threads where all of this advice has been given before in just about every permutation possible. In a few months you will be an expert, just like the rest of us :lol:

If you need more advice, please let us know your approx driving distance, style, location, etc. These all play into how far you can travel and what type of charging you might need. For example, I drive about 10 mi per day, mostly in the winter and chose bicycling in the summer. I only charge for an hour or two nightly on L1 (120 V, 12 A regular receptacle). If you drive less than about 40 mi/day (less in winter), you can continue to use L1 (but make sure the receptacle is dedicated and a high-quality one). If you need more miles, then do http://www.evseugrade.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or have an electrician install any number of commercial EVSE units. Or if you are a DIY hobbiest, then try the OpenEVSE project.

As for efficiency and battery treatment, I keep my battery mostly between 4 and 6 bars (about 1/2 charge) and only charge to 80% or 100% when driving over 30 mi. Some believe this method will improve the lifespan of the batteries, while others don't. We have no long-term data for the Leaf battery and are extrapolating from other LiON battery technologies. If you are leasing, then you shouldn't worry about it. I also drive mostly in-town at <40 mph so the battery is never really rapidly discharged (acceleration) or charged (regen deceleration). However, I don't worry about it and do drive on the freeway at higher speeds, including uphill which really suck down the electrons. Again, mostly it's just a car to be used, so enjoy and drive like you normally would. If you need more distance, then slow down and learn hypermiling techniques (http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=5508&hilit=efficient+guide)

 

[gbarry42]

I don't believe the EVSEupgrade is any slower than a standard level 2 EVSE. The site says 30 amps, and that's 7.2 kW (of which the leaf uses 6.6--and that's if you ordered the faster charger with the car). If your dryer outlet can't handle the full power, the upgraded unit can be dialed down to a safe level.

One advantage not mentioned, if you buy another EVSE...you don't have to unplug the supplied one every day, if you like to keep it with you in the car.

 

[WetEV]

I don't believe the EVSEupgrade is any slower than a standard level 2 EVSE. The site says 30 amps

Yes, it is slower. The EVSEupgrade requires a 30 Amp circuit, but a 30 amp EVSE requires a 40 Amp circuit.

Confused? Read the details on this page:

http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Power output is 5kW maximum.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Anyway, the OP now thinks that the EVSE upgrade is only slightly faster than the L-1 cable, thanks to some of the above posts. It's actually about 4X faster than L-1 120 volt charging. Most people don't need more than that. For convenience, though, it's better to get one of the L-2 charge stations that comes with a plug, and specify a plug that will mate with the dryer outlet. Some of them mount in about 10 minutes, although you may have to install the input cord first.

 

[RonDawg]

thanks for the quick replies, really appreciate it.

but, now i am scared/confused about charging. let me try to clarify it:
1. i can use the car supplied 120v charger cable to plug in to regular socket -- i am assuming no issues
2. i can use the car supplied 120v charger cable to plug in to dryer socket -- complete no/no
3. get the 120v charger cable upgraded to support evse 240v and use with the dryer socket -- no issues, slightly reduced charging times
4. get the professional evse charging unit installed -- most preferred option

please correct if i am wrong, or missed out any other combinations...!!

thanks again.

1. Yes, but make sure that "regular socket" is capable of handling 12 amps continuously for many hours....up to 20 hours if the car is completely drained (or as far as the car's programming will let you drain it). That means that outlet you connect to should be of good quality, with good quality connections, and it is on a circuit not shared with anything else, particularly high wattage appliances like refrigerators and washing machines.

2. No do not do this without having the "brick" upgraded by someone like EVSE Upgrade. As supplied with your Leaf, it is NOT dual voltage capable.

3. Yes, if you don't want to buy a separate 240 volt EVSE for your garage. It's not "slightly reduced" charging times though...it will cut charging time from as long as 20 hours to as little as 6, depending on how many amps the dryer outlet is capable of supplying.

4. You can buy a dedicated EVSE for the home if you wish, but it is more expensive. However, if you need to use the OEM EVSE at another location (such as work) in order to make the Leaf work for your commute, it is more convenient to have a dedicated one at home, so you're only having to plug and unplug the OEM one at work (or wherever you need it) rather than there and at home as well.

As the Leaf does use a significant amount of electricity, assuming nobody will be home during the workday, and you'll be charging the car primarily at night and on weekends, ask your local power utility about TOU (time of use) rates. Depending on who that utility is, and what plan you choose, you get a considerably cheaper rate when you use electricity during a defined "off peak" period, but do have to pay more during the "peak" period. What times are considered "peak" and "off-peak" vary by utility and sometimes by area. Again this works best for people who tend to not use a lot of electricity during normal business hours.

 

[Phatcat73]

Congrats! Where r u in the city? If you're nearby I can plug in my leaf spy app to get you a battery baseline.

I have almost 20 k with zero battery degradation. Some of my habits:
Charge to 100% about 40% of time. Less is better, but charging to 100% every once in a while balances the battery. Charging to 100 seems to be less and less of an issue.
I have the Siemens versicharge evse which I use the 8hr delay start function almost daily after returning home from work. I try to keep the car under 80% if not driven for more than a day, and have the battery finish charging within a few hours of departure.

I definitely avoid charging if batteries show 7 or 8 temp bars. I'll let it cool using above methods.

I also suggest getting the evse upgrade. Great for multiple weekend runs.

 

[tlim]

To be honest, why is it worth it to do the upgrade? It voids your warranty on the trickle charger, sure.

But it almost seems to be a wash to just buy a good level 2 charger, and be done with it. It's a little bit more, but in the grand scheme of things, seems like a lot less hassle eh?

 

[LeftieBiker]

To be honest, why is it worth it to do the upgrade? It voids your warranty on the trickle charger, sure.

But it almost seems to be a wash to just buy a good level 2 charger, and be done with it. It's a little bit more, but in the grand scheme of things, seems like a lot less hassle eh?

They honor the remaining factory warranty at EVSE Upgrade, or give it one year if that's expired. That isn't on the website, but I was told that when asked. As for why do it, it's a good idea if you travel a lot and there are more RV parks than Level 2 chargers in your region, or if you have a relative or friend with a dryer outlet who will let you use it regularly..