Where do you keep your L1 charger?

[sirfergy]

It takes up a lot of trunk space and while hanging on the hook it's directly in the way of getting our stroller in. Has anyone found alternative locations for storing the L1 charger? I noticed in addition to the hook on top, there is a strap on the bottom which could potentially be useful.

 

[HighDesertDriver]

Some people have reported just putting the charger behind the front seats when all the trunk room is needed. Of course, this doesn't help much if you have rear seat passengers who want to put their feet there, but if you have a stroller, you probably also have a kiddo car seat where the floor is available.

 

[adric22]

I keep mine in the back hatch. For a while we had an OEM cargo organizer back there and the charger bag stayed in one of the compartments. but eventually I decided to ditch the organizer so now it is back to the way it was originally.

The funny thing is, I have only ever used it twice and in both cases it was not really needed, but simply added an extra level of cushion to our range for the ride home. But since we have an L2 at home, we never really need to take the L1 out of the car. So it might as well stay there for emergency use.

 

[sirfergy]

I only keep for emergencies too, since the likelyhood of L1 being useful w/o a significant charge time is low.

 

[DarkStar]

It takes up a lot of trunk space and while hanging on the hook it's directly in the way of getting our stroller in. Has anyone found alternative locations for storing the L1 charger? I noticed in addition to the hook on top, there is a strap on the bottom which could potentially be useful.

The strap on the bottom is for looping through the hole in the carpet.

 

[DTB]

When I need to bring a stroller, I have to take the L1 bag out, put the stroller in, and then set the bag on top of the stroller. One day I am going to accidently leave it on the ground of some random parking lot.
The intended spot (looped to the carpet and clipped to the hook) seems like such an afterthought. I don't know why they didn't integrate it into the hatch somehow. The little area on the passenger side (across from the jack) would have been a perfect location, there is room there but the bag just isn't the right shape. Or they could have made a molded plastic organizer (similar to what some cars have to hold the lug wrench etc) that holds everything flat under the floor (would have taken up maybe 4 inches of depth).

 

[davewill]

...Or they could have made a molded plastic organizer (similar to what some cars have to hold the lug wrench etc) that holds everything flat under the floor (would have taken up maybe 4 inches of depth).

Sounds like you could use a cargo organizer. My L1 (plus assorted other hardware) lives in the smaller bin (right), and I've got storage in the larger bin, plus a large flat area on top to stow bigger stuff like your stroller.

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/gallery/view/accessories_gallery/2#/leaf-electric-car/gallery/view/accessories_gallery/2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[EricBayArea]

I wonder if there's a place under the hood that could hold it. It's not like there are many moving parts or parts that get hot....

 

[Mx5racer]

i keep mine in the closet up-stairs.
If I need to stress about needing it I would take the ICE
I guess I am not that brave.

 

[EricBayArea]

i keep mine in the closet up-stairs.
If I need to stress about needing it I would take the ICE
I guess I am not that brave.

You're probably right. The only times I have actually used it are times when I know I am going to charge at my destination. I have never used it without first knowing I would be using it.

On another note, I tried to see if I could put it under the hood and couldn't really find a good place for it. Too bad because there's so much unused space, just not of any usable dimensions.

 

[palmermd]

Mine is mounted to the wall in front of the parking space in the garage. It is upgraded by evseupgade.com and it serves as the only EVSE that has ever charged my car since March. I've taken it down off the wall twice when attempting long drives into potential range issue situations, but so far the car has done quite well on these trips and I've not needed to get any opportunity charging done away from home (but it is nice to know I had it in the trunk if needed). At first I thought about purchasing a second unit to keep in the trunk, but at this point I've proven to myself that permanently keeping it in the trunk is not necessary.

edit: I suppose my answer can also be changed to....I no longer have any L1 charge cable because mine was upgraded to L2. Or it is now L1/L2 at this point.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

mine is a conversion from Phil so it stays in the garage plugged in with the business end sitting in a basket so it does not get damaged.

i have taken it with me on 4 different occasions (and its a hassle since the cord is strung behind the shelf rack system i have) for camping and stuff. in those situations, i put it whereever it will fit as the car is usually packed like sardines

**edit** ah Michael!! beat me by a minute!. but to add. in my "area" i consider to be within 30 miles, over 100 L2's have been added so the need to carry a plug only really applies in certain situations and those situations are shrinking every day.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Presently mine is sitting on top of my Blink which stopped working again and did not charge my car the other night. I wish the Blink had a lip on the top to keep the modified EVSE from slipping off but they likely missed that feature when making the stylish giant box to hold the cutting edge electronics.

 

[youngr3]

I keep mine in the designated spot. And I use it frequently, especially while playing tennis so I can program the heater to have the car toasty warm when I am finished even if I do not need the charge for mileage....it is cold outside now.

 

[HighDesertDriver]

Mine is mounted to the wall in front of the parking space in the garage. It is upgraded by evseupgade.com. ...snip... I've taken it down off the wall twice when attempting long drives into potential range issue situations.

Same for us. We've taken it with us only once.

 

[Reddy]

I leave my un-modified L1 cable in the garage plugged in 24/7. I have my timer set to charge from 12:30 to 4:30am. Some nights I don't even bother to plug in. However, it has been very nice to have the CC timer warm the car before leaving the house (14 degrees this morning).

Reddy.

 

[Electric4Me]

...Or they could have made a molded plastic organizer (similar to what some cars have to hold the lug wrench etc) that holds everything flat under the floor (would have taken up maybe 4 inches of depth).

Sounds like you could use a cargo organizer. My L1 (plus assorted other hardware) lives in the smaller bin (right), and I've got storage in the larger bin, plus a large flat area on top to stow bigger stuff like your stroller.

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/gallery/view/accessories_gallery/2#/leaf-electric-car/gallery/view/accessories_gallery/2" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

You could probably do something similar to what I do for a collapsing chair that I have to keep in the car. I set the chair on top of the charger hump and use a strap with a quick release buckle to the center child seat tether mount. The EVSE may fit there, attached to any unused tether mount with its own clip or a separate strap...

 

[palmermd]

**edit** ah Michael!! beat me by a minute!. but to add. in my "area" i consider to be within 30 miles, over 100 L2's have been added so the need to carry a plug only really applies in certain situations and those situations are shrinking every day.

I have zero. Yes I've counted them more than once. Zero charge stations within 35 miles of my home.

Actually that is wrong. There is one at the Nissan dealer 2 miles from here, but it is in an area I never go and so I've never plugged in there. I might as well go home it is so close. I realize this is an unusual case, and for most people there are plenty of places to opportunity charge without using the supplied L1 that the need for it is diminishing rapidly.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

**edit** ah Michael!! beat me by a minute!. but to add. in my "area" i consider to be within 30 miles, over 100 L2's have been added so the need to carry a plug only really applies in certain situations and those situations are shrinking every day.

I have zero. Yes I've counted them more than once. Zero charge stations within 35 miles of my home.

Actually that is wrong. There is one at the Nissan dealer 2 miles from here, but it is in an area I never go and so I've never plugged in there. I might as well go home it is so close. I realize this is an unusual case, and for most people there are plenty of places to opportunity charge without using the supplied L1 that the need for it is diminishing rapidly.

Micheal; i do thank you for your contribution in getting the EV word out there. my area has been EV friendly for quite a while. i have been using the existing L1 charging system since 2007 and it was there a long time before that. we also have a few L2's that have been around long before the Leaf showed up and i did wonder as to what they were used for back then as well.

 

[BrainDonor]

I am away from my LEAF now, but I was wondering... if I get the EVSE upgrade, will the updated unit still fit in the L1 pouch, along with the additional L1 cord?