Installation Costs

[marccbr]

Vin944, see this thread for everything you want to know about the EVSE upgrade. I will be doing this soon, all those companies that are making the over priced EVSEs can keep them.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=3625

 

[fooljoe]

Yes I see the item now on ebay. Wish I would have gotten that and saved $500. But I am also interested in the small charger upgrade. Looks like I would have to send this one in but just want to make sure it is a viable proven method of 3.8kW charging. Why isn't Nissan designing these and giving with the car? Money for AV?

Yes it's a viable proven method for full level 2 charging. My primary charging set-up is the upgraded EVSE plugged into an unused 10-30 dryer outlet in my garage, and I've been charging away for 2+ months without a hitch.

You are correct that the wire on the EVSE is smaller than the AV unit, but that's only because the AV unit is spec'd to handle 6.6kw charging like the 2013 Leaf and other EVs will be able to handle, but it's overkill for the maximum 16 amps that the 2011-2012 Leaf draws. The 12awg wire that the stock (and upgraded) EVSE uses is rated for 20 amps, so it's just enough.

Also, those AV units on ebay are definitely the best deal out there for L2 charging right now. Yes, upgrading the EVSE is cheaper, but it if will be your primary charger then you'll probably want a 2nd one to keep in your car. I ordered a 2nd unit from parts.com, and that only cost $100 less than this AV unit. At least I was able to get my 2nd EVSE upgraded for free

 

[Volusiano]

At least I was able to get my 2nd EVSE upgraded for free

Oh, right! You're the one who won the banner contest, right? Congrats again!

 

[amtoro]

I just had my SPX installed yesterday by the community's resident electrician.

I bought all the components, breaker switch, receptacle, wire, cable covers, etc; I helped him to do the installation and he charged me $50 for his time (and asked me to give him a ride in the car when it arrives).

 

[davewill]

I don't see the AV EVSE 15' on ebay just some adapter cords. Could you give a link. Also about the evseupgrade.com. Is the J 1772 cable from the stock charger capable of handling the 16-17 amps? It is smaller gauge cable than the 8AWG coming from AV 240 that I have. And the AV EVSE 240V does get warm just below the J1772 connector. Also the contactor in the AV unit gets hot. You can feel it on the backside of the unit. It's a 40A contactor. What hardware is inside the small unit in that respect? Anyone have any real life experience with this? I would like to have this upgrade but I have reservations about it since it looks like an upgrade that will output a similar 4kW but on much smaller hardware.

Yes. The cable on the AV unit is sized for 30amp charging. The upgrade is sized for 12-16a, although Phil did torture test one at 24a (or something like that), checking for overheating. Phil checked the specs on the parts in the EVSE, and upgrades all that need it for 240v 16a use. My unit doesn't get hot at all when I use it.

 

[Volusiano]

The upgrade is sized for 12-16a, although Phil did torture test one at 24a (or something like that), checking for overheating. Phil checked the specs on the parts in the EVSE, and upgrades all that need it for 240v 16a use. My unit doesn't get hot at all when I use it.

I wonder what ambient temperature you use it in? Mine got pretty hot when I use it. But then my garage ambient temperature is in the low 100 in the summer time being in Phoenix, AZ. Even the J1772 cord gets warm.

 

[vin944]

I thought about that alot because when I used my AV 240V unit to charge an almost dead batt. (7 miles flashing) the cable at the J1772 was nice and warm. And that is 8AWG cable. For the life of me I can't vision the smaller and longer trickle cable powering that same load. Surely that will affect the stock charger MTBF. No?

 

[Volusiano]

I thought about that alot because when I used my AV 240V unit to charge an almost dead batt. (7 miles flashing) the cable at the J1772 was nice and warm. And that is 8AWG cable. For the life of me I can't vision the smaller and longer trickle cable powering that same load. Surely that will affect the stock charger MTBF. No?

You mean affecting the modified EVSE (not the stock 3.3kw charger), right? I think the 12 gauge cable, while running warm, should still be within spec, and as long as you don't coil it up to allow heat dissipation. Heat from the wiring should not affect the EVSE.

As for the heat from the EVSE, I asked Phil whether I should be concerned and put a fan directed at it to cool it down, and he said no need to, because the EVSE, even with that kind of heat, will still last longer than the lifetime of my Leaf.

 

[davewill]

I wonder what ambient temperature you use it in? Mine got pretty hot when I use it. But then my garage ambient temperature is in the low 100 in the summer time being in Phoenix, AZ. Even the J1772 cord gets warm.

Usually low 70s in my garage. Never felt anything more than warm.

 

[vin944]

Yes to follow up w/ Volusiano my concern about the heating cable is with the modified EVSE. The reason I'm concerned is because the 8AWG AV cable I have on the 240V got warm (toasty but not hot) just before it enters the J1772. And again this is the AV 240V unit built for this. Don't get me wrong I would love to mod my stock charger but the cable is so much thinner. If the big cable is getting warm what's that little one gonna do outputting similar power. Not to mention possibly accelerating the life cycle of the interior components in that little black box. But my main concern is with the cable.

 

[mitch672]

The cable may get a little warm, its not going to be an issue, 12 gauge is rated for 20AMPs continous.

You may have a defective connection at your AV J-1772 end, if you are getting excessive heat. Many people have run the modified 16A Nissans with no trouble or excessive heat.

 

[vin944]

OK I'm almost sold. I think I would like to opt for the 240V 12A mod. Kinda half way. Time is not critical for me but the versatility is. Price is very acceptable. Anyone have any comments on this before I commit? Thanks.

 

[N952JL]

I'm in the same boat. I have till Nov before I can even think of the car so I've got time. Since I am leasing my leaf I need to keep the EVSE original. I've been leaning towards the Power Express by SPX. It's transportable and can move from one garage to another. Further it can charge at 6.6kw in three years when I move to a newer leaf. If I decide to keep this leaf at the end of the leaf, I can always decide to upgrade the EVSE then, if the onboard charger upgrade is too expensive.

 

[mitch672]

I'm in the same boat. I have till Nov before I can even think of the car so I've got time. Since I am leasing my leaf I need to keep the EVSE original. I've been leaning towards the Power Express by SPX. It's transportable and can move from one garage to another. Further it can charge at 6.6kw in three years when I move to a newer leaf. If I decide to keep this leaf at the end of the leaf, I can always decide to upgrade the EVSE then, if the onboard charger upgrade is too expensive.

FYI, I think the best feature of the SPX Power Express is the ability to "match" the EVSE to your availble circuit. If you get the Aerovironment unit, you really need to install a 40AMP breaker withthe proper sized wiring, to support its 32A max capability.

With the SPX, you have the option of 12A (for a 15A circuit), 16A (for a 20A circuit), 24A (for a 30A circut), or 32A (for a full 40A circuit). So if you're current panel can only support a 20A breaker, just set it for the 16A setting, and you are done for a while, at least until a larger charger comes with a different EV or a later MY Leaf. Once you do get an EV with a faster/larger charger capbility, you can spend the money at that point to upgrade your panel, wire in the 40A breaker. You can also take the SPX with you on a road trip, it weighs #16, its not light, but its manageble.

I still like the modified Nissan unit from evseupgrade.com as well, thats good for a backup solution, and to keep in the Leaf. You can also outright buy an upgraded Nissan unit from them for $789 already modified for 240VAC (12A), or add in $48 more for the 16A rev 2 upgrade. Of course this is about the same price as the SPX as well... ($749 + $25 shipping)

 

[EVDRIVER]

I'm in the same boat. I have till Nov before I can even think of the car so I've got time. Since I am leasing my leaf I need to keep the EVSE original. I've been leaning towards the Power Express by SPX. It's transportable and can move from one garage to another. Further it can charge at 6.6kw in three years when I move to a newer leaf. If I decide to keep this leaf at the end of the leaf, I can always decide to upgrade the EVSE then, if the onboard charger upgrade is too expensive.

You can still upgrade your EVSE and lease. If you are concerned you can simply change the plug on the end and be done with it.

 

[mitch672]

I'm in the same boat. I have till Nov before I can even think of the car so I've got time. Since I am leasing my leaf I need to keep the EVSE original. I've been leaning towards the Power Express by SPX. It's transportable and can move from one garage to another. Further it can charge at 6.6kw in three years when I move to a newer leaf. If I decide to keep this leaf at the end of the leaf, I can always decide to upgrade the EVSE then, if the onboard charger upgrade is too expensive.

You can still upgrade your EVSE and lease. If you are concerned you can simply change the plug on the end and be done with it.

Yes, or as Phil says, "trade it to with someone for their unmodifed unit", I'm sure they will be glad to get a free upgraded unit, you can also outright buy an upgraded unit as well, that doesn't have to be returned (then use it on your next EV or sell it outright when you are done with Leaf V1) There's lots of solutions to this.

 

[Volusiano]

OK I'm almost sold. I think I would like to opt for the 240V 12A mod. Kinda half way. Time is not critical for me but the versatility is. Price is very acceptable. Anyone have any comments on this before I commit? Thanks.

If your EVSE 8 awg cable to the AV J1772 is "toasty" warm at 16A 240V charging, then maybe something is wrong. My Blink J1772 cable is "barely" warm in a hot AZ garage while charging, which is no concern at all to me.

And remember, they design those stationary J1772 cable at 8 awg only because there's a potential of running up to 30A through them, twice the current 16A max in the Leaf. So, at 30A (and actually the 8 awg should be able to handle up to 40A), there's a good chance that the 8 awg wire will feel "toasty" warm, too, just like the 12 awg wire at 16A. So there's nothing wrong with the 12 awg feeling warm at 16A because it's to be expected. It's designed to be able to withstand that current just fine. Just don't coil it up.

I think it's fine if you want to stick with the 12A mod, but don't stick with it because you're concerned about the 16A mod making the cable toasty warm. That's not a good enough reason.

 

[smkettner]

OK I'm almost sold. I think I would like to opt for the 240V 12A mod. Kinda half way. Time is not critical for me but the versatility is. Price is very acceptable. Anyone have any comments on this before I commit? Thanks.

I plan to eventually get just the 12a mod as it allows use at a house with a 6-15 connector that is available to me. Still twice as fast as L1 is good enough for me.

 

[smkettner]

Yes to follow up w/ Volusiano my concern about the heating cable is with the modified EVSE. The reason I'm concerned is because the 8AWG AV cable I have on the 240V got warm (toasty but not hot) just before it enters the J1772. And again this is the AV 240V unit built for this. Don't get me wrong I would love to mod my stock charger but the cable is so much thinner. If the big cable is getting warm what's that little one gonna do outputting similar power. Not to mention possibly accelerating the life cycle of the interior components in that little black box. But my main concern is with the cable.

If it was a wire issue it would be warm along the entire length. I think it is the connection in the AV connector causing heat. This should not have you alarmed with the Nissan unit. Might be worth dragging AV out on a warranty call. These things do not get better on their own. Maybe they would swap it for a test to see.

 

[vin944]

The warm cable only really happened when I got the batt low (<7mi.). It started to get warm almost immediately but then tapered off as I checked it periodically. Seems like it draws more when the batt is lower. Both ends of the cable got warm, where it enters the J1772 and also where it exits the AV charger. Maybe if someone has a chance to charge a really low batt they can check for heat.