New Purchase: Charging Questions

[PianoAl]

I bought a used 2016 Leaf S with only 500 miles on the odometer. I was very lucky to get it for $16,500.

I had to drive 400 miles to Portland, Oregon to get it, and I'm having it transported to my home in Northern California.

It has only a single orange cable toward the front under the hood, so I assume it does not have the quick-charge option. It has the 24 kwH battery.

My garage only has 110 V plugs.

1. Please tell me what electrical work I need to do in my garage, and what I need to buy to get the 4-7 hour charging as described in the manual.

2. Can I upgrade to a quick-charge system? If so, how and how much?

Thanks! I'll have many more questions soon.

Al

 

[LeftieBiker]

Look in the charge port compartment. If there are two ports, one large and one smaller, you have QC. If you have one port and a blank cover plate to its left, you do not have QC. QC is not easy to add.

If your garage has 240 volts at the service panel, all you need is a 240 volt circuit to either a hardwired charging station, or to a 240 volt dryer-type outlet. In most cases the hardwired installation is the better choice. A 30 amp charging station can provide all the juice you need. If capacity is limited by the service, then a 20 amp 240 volt station will still charge the car in about 6 hours from empty.

 

[inphoenix]

1. Please tell me what electrical work I need to do in my garage, and what I need to buy to get the 4-7 hour charging as described in the manual.

2. Can I upgrade to a quick-charge system? If so, how and how much?

Congrats on your purchase. The answer to #2 would be a no. Some people might suggest some experimental ideas but the short and sweet answer is no.

For #1, the usual recommendation is getting a 240 V outlet in the garage. In most cases a 40A outlet is enough to put a 32A system but some of us like the idea of future proofing our EVSE setup. That option would be a 50A outlet with a 40A system. Also, something to think about is if you want a connected EVSE that you can control from web or mobile apps or not? S trim does not have those bells and whistles and it depends if you care about them.

The usual EVSEs recommended around here are ClipperCreek, JuiceBox or GE (in no particular order). Get what fits your needs and budget. Can't go wrong with either of them.

 

[jjeff]

Unless things have changed, being a "S" model, unless it has the upgraded charger it will be limited to 3.6kwh(or ~16a) for charging. If this is the case then I'd suggest getting your stock EVSE upgraded by EVSEupgrade.com(actually either way I'd suggest this ~$300 upgrade). A upgraded OEM EVSE will put out 20a @240v but in the case of a 3.6kwh car charger it won't output anymore than that. Again if you have the 3.6kwh charger then I might suggest this $299(shipped) 16a EVSE from Amazon, I have one and it works just fine. The Clipper Creek models are also very well made but lack 120v charging, which may or may not be important to you.
http://www.amazon.com/Ebusbar-BEV-H02A10-Charger-Level-Volt/dp/B00TPSP760/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1463450632&sr=1-1&keywords=level+2+ev+charger

 

[LeftieBiker]

For #1, the usual recommendation is getting a 240 V outlet in the garage.

No, the usual recommendation is that people who already have a 240 volt outlet make use of that. Putting in an outlet just to plug in an EVSE adds another component to fail, and is slightly more expensive than a hardwired box for an EVSE. It only makes sense if you want your charging station to be portable, or have another use for a 240 volt outlet.

 

[smkettner]

Any chance your garage has an unused connector to plug in an electric dryer?
If you do a Clipper Creek HCS-30 will be easy plug and play.

If not you are looking at adding an outlet. 30 amp, 40 amp, 50 amp outlet is fine. You only need 30 right now.
Ask around for a referral on a good electrician. Cost will depend on distance to main breaker panel and general conditions for pulling the wire.

Looks like a good buy

 

[PianoAl]

Thanks, guys!

Too bad about the quick charge. So if I plug in at a public charging station, it will take me an hour to add about eleven hours. Yes?

How close does the 220 outlet need to be to the front of the car?

 

[RonDawg]

Before spending money on putting in a 240 volt EVSE, I would look at your daily range needs. If you expect to put relatively few miles per day on the car (let's just say 30 or less, though people have gotten away with more), and don't need a quick turnaround time, you might be able to get away with just 120 volt charging, assuming your existing outlet and wiring are in good shape and not shared with especially high wattage appliances like fridges and washing machines.

If you do still want to go to L2 charging, have an electrician come out and look at your wiring and make recommendations as to the largest additional circuit it can safely handle. If you only have a 100 amp main panel, don't be surprised if you're limited to 16 amps or even less especially if you have air conditioning or electric heat/dryer/cooking.

 

[PianoAl]

Before spending money on putting in a 240 volt EVSE, I would look at your daily range needs. If you expect to put relatively few miles per day on the car (let's just say 30 or less, though people have gotten away with more), and don't need a quick turnaround time, you might be able to get away with just 120 volt charging,

Here's what a typical week will look like:

Sun 16 mile trip
Tues 50 mile trip
Wed 16 mile trip
Thurs 55 mile trip
Sat 70 mile trip

So, I'm guessing we'll need more than the trickle charging. Yes?

 

[LeafMuranoDriver]

So, I'm guessing we'll need more than the trickle charging. Yes?

How long will it be on the charger each night?

 

[inphoenix]

How close does the 220 outlet need to be to the front of the car?

Check the length of the cable on the EVSE you plan to buy. Most are around 18' to 20' with some offering 24'. Having a longer cable gives you flexibility on where you park your car but on the flip side you have to "manage" that cable. I chose to get an EVSE with a 24' cable for the flexibility to be able to park my EV on either side of garage. Now that I have two EVs, I can charge them both (one at a time) without moving them around.

So, I'm guessing we'll need more than the trickle charging. Yes?

I would think so. Depends on your TOU plan. I prefer to charge between 11 PM and 5 AM to get best rates.

 

[Jedlacks]

I would add that you should request some of the charging cards that are local to you. Then look at which one(s) offer free Level 2 charging. The DCQC can negate the savings if you pay as you go, so finding out your options will be good. I did a 60 mile daily round trip on trickle, but I had to plug it in when I got home. Then when I go the 40A home charger, it cut down the charge time to 4 hour +/-.

Drive it around and you will notice that your driving style also affects range. I'm at 5.2 during the last two weeks since I bought my Leaf.

My electric company does not offer time of use (TOU), but I am still spending less than a $1 for my daily commute.

 

[PianoAl]

So, I'm guessing we'll need more than the trickle charging. Yes?

How long will it be on the charger each night?

All night. That is, as soon as it gets home, I could plug it in, although I'd want to prefer to not do it when the electricity is more expensive.

So, maybe trickle charge would work. I'm starting to get the hang of this stuff.

I also was happy to realize that I don't need the quickcharge charger, since there are no QC places anywhere around here.

Does using trickle charge cause less degradation of the batteries?

 

[smkettner]

The L1 does not help or hurt the battery compared to L2.

L1 does use more total power because the charging time is about triple compared to L2. Car has about 300 watts of wasted overhead while charging so the shorter charge times of the L2 will save electricity and money.

You may get by on L1 for a time while you sort this all out. You will be charging near continuous at times.
I originally ran mine on L1 the first five months averaging 50 miles per day. L2 at home is a much better solution.

 

[wvleaf]

Congrats! It looks and is equipped just like mine. The 240V service would be nice, but I actually just use 120V charging since I drive so few miles per day. I usually run it down to low battery warning (about 17% charge left) and then it takes about 14 hours to fully recharge (it seems to average about 6% capacity per hour of charging on 120V). Mine is garaged so I don't need to worry about pre-heating/cooling which would be another consideration for whether 120V or 240V is the better solution for you.

As far as charging efficiency, I've been tracking it from the wall using a Kill-a-Watt meter. I'm sure it's a bit less efficient than 240V, but for me it's fine. It costs less than $3 to fully recharge using WV electric rates and I only charge 1-2 times a week overnight. However, I did buy a second 120V Nissan EVSE for $200 on eBay so I could leave one plugged up in the garage and still have one in the car.

If you do use 120V charging frequently at home, make sure the outlet in your garage is in good shape, wired properly, and ideally on a 20A circuit to give you a bit more headroom for the continuous load. Mine is also protected with a GFCI.

Enjoy your new EV!

 

[PianoAl]

L1 does use more total power because the charging time is about triple compared to L2. Car has about 300 watts of wasted overhead while charging so the shorter charge times of the L2 will save electricity and money.

Good to know. You guys are great.

Our rates are high here ($.18/kwH at night). Also, since I have the time-of-day plan, things will be cheaper if I get the charging done at night.

Thanks.