Nissan LEAF in Portugal

[garygid]

Sounds like 200-240v and 6A, 10A, 13A, 16A settings are generally "needed" over there, and 12A is also needed for the USA. Future uses (faster L2 charger in the EV) would use 20A, 24A, 32A and maybe others.

So, any One-Current Control Pilot setting will not be suitable. The user needs to be able to "match" the EVSE to the current capacity of the source.

So, for EVSEs that are "movable" (or portable), like "brick on a cord" (or "soap on a string), as buyers we need to insist upon having user-settable "Max-Current" settings in the EVSE. Carrying 2, 3, or 4 different EVSEs is just not satisfactory.

 

[Norway]

The "trouble" is that while the plugs are standard for most of Europe ("Schuko" or the industrial variety), it is the fuses which are 16A or less - so merely having different plugs on the soap won't work. (Well, you can have a plug marked 6A, but it will look identical to the one marked 16A.)

I think the easy way of solving this is what they've done on some EVs in Norway - you set a switch inside the car to 10 or 16A.

My main objection til an EVSE is that it gets in the way, is clumsy and needs to be IP67 rated (waterproof) and salt-proof. It is a much neater solution to select charging current from inside the car.

 

[Vgomes]

So, for EVSEs that are "movable" (or portable), like "brick on a cord" (or "soap on a string), as buyers we need to insist upon having user-settable "Max-Current" settings in the EVSE. Carrying 2, 3, or 4 different EVSEs is just not satisfactory.

That would be JUST PERFECT.
That said, i don't believe they will do it.
Maybe future electrical cars can have this. But the problem may be bad use of it. If the process is not a straigth one (just plug it), accidents can happen more frequently than desirable.

 

[Vgomes]

Great, i think i found the right subject for my question..

I live in Sweden and think the Nissan Leaf will be perfect for me..

questions....

As I can understand, the standard charging is with a blue socket 230v 16A connector.. Is there other alternatives for charging?

Like a standard euro 2-pin "household" contact? ..

Is it possible to lower the 16A to 10A or 6A charging to be compliant with "motor heat" outlets in Sweden that is 6 or 10A ..

Regular standard 2 pin household contacts are fused at 10A in Sweden..

EDIT1:
One more question.. Will there also be any possibility to charge with 400v 16A (6,4kW?) at home? It would be nice to have that possibility

Hi from Norway,

The car will not "know the difference" between an industrial 16A 230V socket and a household 16A 230V socket (called "Schuko").

There is a "soap on a string" in the charging lead which tells the car whether to use 16A or 10A. I don't know whether it will go so far down as 6A, but I guess it could.

I think a 3-phase 400V charger would be interesting. Note though that it would be 11 kW! (3 x 16A x 230V).

Unfortunately the winter-version is not available until the end of 2011!

Hello,

On this[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=btoATQBxzuw[/youtube] short video I think there are 2 cords: one with car plug+industrial plug and the EVSE and another one with Industrial plug+shuko but without evse. I think that to use the shuko we must use both cords. I still have doubts that we can use 16A in Portugal without use the Mobi-e L2 charger or the Nissan L2 in our garages. My point is, how will the enve know how many Amps to use? I can't see any buttons on the enve, only leds. Maybe it's something inside the car like the electrical cars in Norway (Think?)
Hope to solve this issue on 1st DEC when I will test the car... finally.

 

[tps]

delete

 

[tps]

My point is, how will the enve know how many Amps to use?

The intention of the EVSE concept is that the EVSE will be permanently connected to a dedicated circuit in the garage, and thus can be set during installation to offer the EV an amount of current which will not trip the breaker. (The installer, of course, knows the breaker rating of the circuit on which the EVSE is installed.) When a portable EVSE is used, your point is valid. Not only does the EVSE not know the rating of the breaker, the EVSE does not know what other loads are on the circuit. Thus there is no foolproof way of knowing how much current it can offer to the EV without tripping the circuit breaker. This is why permanently installed EVSE is prefered to portable EVSE.

 

[garygid]

Yes, well described.

PROPER use of "portable" EVSEs will typically take a lot more thought.

Labeling some intended-use sockets will help, and even become normal practice on Dedicated sockets, perhaps: "20AB-D, 16A-C" or some such (20A breaker, dedicated-circuit for short term loads, 16A for continuous loads).

NOTE: For a short charge (1 or 2 hours) a standard USA 20A breaker should be able to handle a 20-amp load, right?

 

[Vgomes]

My point is, how will the enve know how many Amps to use?

The intention of the EVSE concept is that the EVSE will be permanently connected to a dedicated circuit in the garage, and thus can be set during installation to offer the EV an amount of current which will not trip the breaker. (The installer, of course, knows the breaker rating of the circuit on which the EVSE is installed.) When a portable EVSE is used, your point is valid. Not only does the EVSE not know the rating of the breaker, the EVSE does not know what other loads are on the circuit. Thus there is no foolproof way of knowing how much current it can offer to the EV without tripping the circuit breaker. This is why permanently installed EVSE is prefered to portable EVSE.

On this topic http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=255&start=30 there was a document were stated PT Leafs will get 6m cable, 16A, 309-2 plug

So I got this doubt now about Max Amps it will use and how. If there is any way to manage that.
With 230V in every socket i think most of us will try to not spend more money in a permanently installed EVSE. The car price in Europe is already 35 000€ before incentives.

Vitor

 

[tps]

[So I got this doubt now about Max Amps it will use and how. If there is any way to manage that.

The download specification sheet for this SPX unit states "32A maximum (field adjustable)". I assume the adjustment to be a jumper link, DIP switch, or screwdriver adjust potentiometer inside the box.
https://www.homecharging.spx.com/volt/Display.aspx?id=25&menu=13

And this Leviton 120V unit had a front-panel switch to select either 12A or 7A maximum charge rate.
http://www.leviton.com/OA_HTML/ibeCCtpSctDspRte.jsp?section=33397&minisite=10091