Here's someone who just got a 2013 S for much less:jaydoc said:
http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=22341#p466870
Looking to buy a used Leaf, need advice
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http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=22341#p466870
jaydoc
Member
Hi all
My wait for a Nissan Leaf may be over. Found a 2014 SV with both QC and Premium package with approximately 27k miles on it for around 11k. The car went through inspection at the local Nissan dealer and I am told that the battery is still in great condition. I think this is the best deal I could find in my city.
I had a 4 prong 240v outlet installed in my garage, but unfortunately the breaker its connected to says 30 on it, so I am guessing its rated only for 30 amp? I am thinking of sending the Level 1 charging cable to EVSEupgrade to get it upgraded to level 2. If I do that do I need to have the circuit breaker upgraded to 40 (maybe 50) amps?
Also is this upgraded unit truly portable? All I need is to plug it to the 4 prong outlet (with a higher amp rated circuit breaker) and then plug in to the charging port? No wall mounting is necessary?
Thanks
My wait for a Nissan Leaf may be over. Found a 2014 SV with both QC and Premium package with approximately 27k miles on it for around 11k. The car went through inspection at the local Nissan dealer and I am told that the battery is still in great condition. I think this is the best deal I could find in my city.
I had a 4 prong 240v outlet installed in my garage, but unfortunately the breaker its connected to says 30 on it, so I am guessing its rated only for 30 amp? I am thinking of sending the Level 1 charging cable to EVSEupgrade to get it upgraded to level 2. If I do that do I need to have the circuit breaker upgraded to 40 (maybe 50) amps?
Also is this upgraded unit truly portable? All I need is to plug it to the 4 prong outlet (with a higher amp rated circuit breaker) and then plug in to the charging port? No wall mounting is necessary?
Thanks
This had better mean all 12 capacity bars showing!
The EVSE Upgrade unit is more or less the same EVSE physically as the OEM portable EVSE that came with the car. It is fully portable, and you can get plug adapters for any 240 volt outlet. As for the amperage of your circuit, you can safely charge at 24 amps with that setup, and should be able to adjust the EVSE Upgrade unit for that amperage. Actually, I think it has a maximum setting of 20 amps...? In either case you'd be fine.
Take a picture of the outlet and circuit breaker (make sure everything is in focus and visible, there are lettering on each that are useful) and send it to EVSEupgrade. They can help you out. Another option is QuickChargePower (Tony Williams). Also, if you can positively ID your outlet here it would help:jaydoc said:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEMA_connector
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:NEMA_simplified_pins.svg
jaydoc
Member
That is the breaker.
That is the outlet. Its only about a couple of feet away from the breaker box. I think its a NEMA 6-20R based on the pictures I have seen. The breaker is rated for 30 amps. The outlet/receptacle seems to be 20 amp. I called EVSEupgrade already. They told me that
a) a 20 amp outlet should not be connected to a 30 amp breaker
b) If the wiring was 10 gauge I could just switch the receptacle to a 30 amp which would fit the upgraded EVSE cord I get back from them, and
c) If the circuit wiring was more than 10 gauge (i.e thinner), then I would need to change the breaker to 20 amp and then let them know so they can put a 6-20 instead of a 6-30 connector on the EVSE.
I am not sure what gauge of wiring I have. I realize now that there are so many different outlets, receptacles, breakers and wiring options. Not sure which of these is ideal for a Leaf level 2 charging. The electrician I used to get this 220v outlet installed seems to have little clue about what would be needed.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=14600. Based on that post from @planet4ever it looks like the 20 amp outlet is fine. However from what EVSEupgrade tech support said, since the electrician I hired installed a higher rated breaker than the outlet, I will have to get him to change it the appropriate one.
Yes with that 20a outlet you should really have a 20a breaker not 30. It's also correct that you should pull the outlet out and inspect the wiring, if it's 12 gauge you should really replace the breaker with a 20a one, if it's 10 gauge(or thicker(smaller gauge number) then all you have to do is replace the outlet with a L6-30r, the same end as comes on new EVSEupgrade units.
As was mentioned above the maximum a EVSEupgrade unit will put out is 20a, which would be fine with a 30a breaker, #10 or thicker wiring and lastly a 30a outlet like the L6-30r.
Another option might be to leave your breaker and outlet alone and simply purchase(or make) a outlet adapter that goes from your current outlet to a L6-30r and in this case don't set the output current of your EVSEupgraded EVSE to more than 16a.
As was mentioned above the maximum a EVSEupgrade unit will put out is 20a, which would be fine with a 30a breaker, #10 or thicker wiring and lastly a 30a outlet like the L6-30r.
Another option might be to leave your breaker and outlet alone and simply purchase(or make) a outlet adapter that goes from your current outlet to a L6-30r and in this case don't set the output current of your EVSEupgraded EVSE to more than 16a.
jaydoc
Member
jjeff said:
@jjeff. Thanks. So I talked to the guy who installed this outlet for me and he insists that it is a 30 amp outlet, and says it just "looks" like its a 20 amp outlet. He also says "one" of the wires is a 10 gauge and the rest are "200 volt gauge" wires. Nothing he said makes sense to me, so I may as well find a different electrician who is competent at this kind of work and tell him to change it to a complete 30 amp circuit/outlet.
Say I want to "future-proof" the outlet for newer EV's down the years. What outlet and circuit breaker should I go for?
Thanks
That guy should not be allowed to touch wiring.
Yes what he says doesn't make sense. No matter if it has a 30a breaker, that outlet is only rated for 20a and not sure what he means by 200v "gauge" as that makes no sense, gauge will be something like 12, 10, 8, etc. Now wiring comes in different voltages, the most common I believe being 300v and 600v, both of which are fine for our 240v EVs.jaydoc said:
AFA your future proofing question, I was faced with the same dilemma and decided on a 14-50r. At the time the 14-50r was being touted as being the "Tesla" standard as mainly Tesla used EVSEs that would need that type of current. Since then I've added a couple other outlets and went with either the L14-30r or L6-30r(the standard which EVSEupgrade has settled on). The advantage of L14-30r is for uses other than EVSE's as it also has a neutral wire for 120v use, the "6" outlets are 240v only while the "14" also has provisions for a neutral wire required for 120v operation.
Unless you plan on a Tesla my guess is the vast majority of EVs will use chargers <30a in which case the L6-30r or L14-30r(if you want the neutral) would suffice for years to come. Stepping up to a 50a setup will require much thicker wire and plugs are rather cumbersome. You could also go with a standard 30 or 40a range plug but I much prefer the "L" or locking outlets/plugs as female plugs are readily available for making converter cables to allow you to plug your EVSE into various different outlets you may find in the wild. I guess if you only plan on using your L2 EVSE at home it wouldn't matter so much, again other than if you go with a EVSEupgrade option, thats what they've standardized.
macnut
Active member
Hate to say it, but I think the electrician is correct, at least partly.
A NEMA 6-20P plug wouldn't fit into that receptacle. A 6-30P plug would, so it must be a 6-30R receptacle.
What the wiring is can only be guessed at, but with a 30A breaker and appropriate wiring it could be a 30A dedicated circuit.
Usually a 6-30R for a welder or something looks more heavy-duty than that though.
A NEMA 6-20P plug wouldn't fit into that receptacle. A 6-30P plug would, so it must be a 6-30R receptacle.
What the wiring is can only be guessed at, but with a 30A breaker and appropriate wiring it could be a 30A dedicated circuit.
Usually a 6-30R for a welder or something looks more heavy-duty than that though.
jaydoc
Member
I will ask for a different electrician to tell me if the outlet is indeed a 30 amp rated outlet. Thanks all.
macnut
Active member
Agree that a 240V 30A single receptacle is usually black and larger.
But doesn't a 20A one invariably have the combination flat and upright slots to take either a 15A or 20A plug?
That ivory colored one certainly looks more like a 240V 15A receptacle than a 20A receptacle, so if anything, 2 steps back from what was expected.
Can't find any of the major manufacturers that make a 240V 30A one in ivory, so I take back my initial assertion.
But doesn't a 20A one invariably have the combination flat and upright slots to take either a 15A or 20A plug?
That ivory colored one certainly looks more like a 240V 15A receptacle than a 20A receptacle, so if anything, 2 steps back from what was expected.
Can't find any of the major manufacturers that make a 240V 30A one in ivory, so I take back my initial assertion.
Correct, the outlet pictured is a 20a 240v outlet and can accept either a 15a plug or 20a plug, a 15a outlet lacks the ability to accept a 20a plug into it(a similar thing happens with a 20a 120v outlet, it can accept both a 15a plug and 20a plug but 15a 120v outlet will not accept a 20a plug).macnut said:
I guess I haven't really seen a 30a ivory outlet either but I'm not saying they aren't available, just haven't seen one
powersurge
Well-known member
I think that the important thing her is that the poster has 240v service to that outlet.... Since this person has invested so much time and money on purchasing this new car, you need to do things RIGHT from the start, not half assed....
If you try to buy an EVSE that will work on the wiring you have already, you will be cutting yourself short every time you plug the car in to charge... You will be kicking yourself, "why am I only charging with 20 amps and not 30 amps?".. 1) Buy the "nicest" 30amp EVSE you want (which will charge the car at its limit of its charger 6.6KWH). 2) Spend the $100, $200, $300 to get an electrician to put a 40 amp breaker, and at least a 30 amp receptacle AND PLUG (for the EVSE, which usually does not come with a cord with a plug). He would also check that the wiring is rated for the 30 amp constant load of the EVSE. Most EVSEs (like mine) require a 40 amp breaker so that the initial Powersurge (LOL) when you connect it will not trip the breaker.
It is worth the investment in time and money to do it right, and you will be happy and trouble free as long as you own the car...
PS - I live in NY and I am sure that other states also do this. On my state taxes, I got back 50% of the cost of the installation, AND THE PRICE OF THE EVSE CHARGER!!! I had my garage rewired by an electrician and he installed the entire thing!. I paid $1500 to do the whole job, and the entire out-of-pocket expenses for EVSE AND wiring cost me $750!! Look into that before you do anything...
If you try to buy an EVSE that will work on the wiring you have already, you will be cutting yourself short every time you plug the car in to charge... You will be kicking yourself, "why am I only charging with 20 amps and not 30 amps?".. 1) Buy the "nicest" 30amp EVSE you want (which will charge the car at its limit of its charger 6.6KWH). 2) Spend the $100, $200, $300 to get an electrician to put a 40 amp breaker, and at least a 30 amp receptacle AND PLUG (for the EVSE, which usually does not come with a cord with a plug). He would also check that the wiring is rated for the 30 amp constant load of the EVSE. Most EVSEs (like mine) require a 40 amp breaker so that the initial Powersurge (LOL) when you connect it will not trip the breaker.
It is worth the investment in time and money to do it right, and you will be happy and trouble free as long as you own the car...
PS - I live in NY and I am sure that other states also do this. On my state taxes, I got back 50% of the cost of the installation, AND THE PRICE OF THE EVSE CHARGER!!! I had my garage rewired by an electrician and he installed the entire thing!. I paid $1500 to do the whole job, and the entire out-of-pocket expenses for EVSE AND wiring cost me $750!! Look into that before you do anything...
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