Where should the Charging Port be ?

[evnow]

Ford has determined that the front left fender is the best place for the charge port on an EV.

http://media.ford.com/article_display.cfm?article_id=34698

There was also a question in the recent Nissan survey on that. What did you guys write / what do you think ?

I didn't like Leaf's front port earlier. But now i like it. It is out of the way.

If the port is like in Focus EV, once you plug in, it would be very difficult to walk next to the car (in between the cars if the EV is to the right etc) in narrow garages. But, Ford chose the side of the car.

Feedback also indicated the location should be kept out of areas with high risk of damage in the event of small crashes. This was a driving factor in the choice of the side of the vehicle rather than the front or rear.

 

[Randy]

I think it makes perfect sense where it is on the Leaf. I like the fact that it is symmetrically located on the front of the car. If it was on the side, then it would be less convenient (depending on the location of the EVSE), and could block walking traffic as you pointed out...

The front is where it's at for me....

 

[Spies]

I for one love having the port in the front center of the vehicle after having an EV with the port on one side of the vehicle. It reminds me of my old Mercury that had the tank inlet dead center on the back of the vehicle behind the license plate. I never had to think what side I should be on when pulling into a fueling station and the same is true for the Leaf.

 

[Spies]

I suspect one of the real driving factors of having it on the side is that it closer to the onboard charger which means less cabling and perhaps smaller gauge cabling resulting in lower manufacturing costs.

 

[91040]

Having the port in the front:
saves space by keeping parking spot widths narrower;
avoids damage by people walking between cars hitting the plug;
avoids damage from a car pulling in next to you hitting the plug;
allows charging when parallel parked.

How often do you charge vs. having a front end collision?

(I will be driving very carefully today! :lol

 

[evnow]

Insurance companies.

The insurance industry funded agency that safety tests cars for crashes (IIHS), also gives a rating based on how much money it will take to repair a car in a low speed crash. I bet that had something to do with this decision by Ford.

http://www.cleanmpg.com/forums/showthread.php?t=22707

 

[walterbays]

It should be in the front. For garages where the best location for the EVSE just happens to be on the left wall, Ford's location is great. For garages with the EVSE on the right wall, you'd have to drag the cord around the tires and up - if it would reach - or drape if over the hood of the car, risking paint scratches from grit picked up from the garage floor. With the port in the front it works fine from either side.

 

[Anonymous]

It should be in two places of the vehicle. Front and back, or left and right side. That would be the most convenient, because then it doesn't matter which direction your parking.

As I pointed out in another thread, I really wish the Leaf had a duplicate port on the rear of the car somewhere. For our garage, my wife now has to BACK into the garage so that it's more convenient for charging. If she pulled in forward, it would still work, but it would be harder to get to the charging port due to the bikes and whatnot. Plus, from our living room window we can see the "front" of the garage, which means that IF she backs in we can look out the window to see if she remembered to plug in. We wouldn't be able to do that if she pulled in forward.

Having the port on the left side would mean that my wife would HAVE to pull in forward to have the EVSE on the same side as the port, OR the cord would have to travel around the car to the other side if she backed in. I don't like that. If it's only going to be in one place, I think the Leaf has the most convenient position (not the most convenient hatch-opening mechanism, but the most convenient location) for most situations. But I think it should be in two different places on the vehicle.

 

[Spies]

evnow, you are probably right about the insurance company aspect but I wonder how much it is going to cost when you are parallel parked and charging your car with the plug sticking out in traffic and someone hits it. I have no idea if this is going to be more or less common than a fender bender but my moms outside rearview mirror was completely taken out by a passing vehicle not that long ago and I have experienced my outside rearview mirrors being hit but surviving without much damage as a result of being foldable. We have yet to experience a fender bender thankfully.

My gut tells me that the likelihood of having the port damaged as a result of it being on the side is more than having the risk of a fender bender damaging the port on the front. I suppose as more and more plug in vehicles are on the road this will become more apparent.

 

[KeiJidosha]

I like having it on the driver side of the car. This is an issue for me right now as I'm thinking about the BMW ActiveE and it's port is on the right rear. I'd have to relocate the charger AND open the garage door every time I plug or unplug the car. Nose location is good for public charging but is a pain if you have cabinets or bicycles hanging at the back of your garage. You have to have access to the driver side of the car to get in and out, and cord is a visual reminder that you need to unplug when you go to get in the car.

 

[LALeaf]

Not directly related, but yesterday as my wife and I were filling up a ICE rental car (we should getting her Leaf next week), we had to reposition the car because the gas cap was on the right side (our cars have them on the left). At the same time we saw a Versa which also had the gas cap on the right and my wife said 'so Nissan's have the cap on the right, I guess I'll have to get used that', then she paused for a bit and said 'except I guess I won't being going to gas stations anymore, wow'.

 

[RikiTiki]

Inductive charging from under the car is the best of all ideas for car charging locations.
The Nissan leaf front parking block idea is my favorite.

Though yes two port locations is best since its *just a wire* front & side incase one gets damaged. =)

RikiTiki

 

[Anonymous]

Not directly related, but yesterday as my wife and I were filling up a ICE rental car (we should getting her Leaf next week), we had to reposition the car because the gas cap was on the right side (our cars have them on the left). At the same time we saw a Versa which also had the gas cap on the right and my wife said 'so Nissan's have the cap on the right, I guess I'll have to get used that', then she paused for a bit and said 'except I guess I won't being going to gas stations anymore, wow'.

Ha! That's awesome. I love the double-take.

Not all Nissans are on the right (or front). My 05 Murano is on the left.

Most, if not all, vehicles have a little arrow right by the fuel indicator. On the gas gauge there is a picture of a gas pump, and right under or on the side of that is an arrow pointing left or right. That tells you which side of the car the fuel port is located.

Guess the Leaf should have an arrow pointing "up" by its "fuel" gauge, huh?

 

[TRONZ]

IMHO, I have always been concerned about left side charge ports. Parked curbside, people are going to get sideswiped while plugging in their car. It will happen for sure. We just don't have the street side public chargers yet to trigger these accidents. These parking situations will be very awkward for left side charging, people WILL get hit, they will sue and manufacturers will eventually end up putting ports anywhere but on the "traffic" side of their cars.

 

[EVDrive]

IMHO, I have always been concerned about left side charge ports. Parked curbside, people are going to get sideswiped while plugging in their car. It will happen for sure. We just don't have the street side public chargers yet to trigger these .

I agree, I like the front port, it seems safer. For me, it makes it easy to park in front of my garage and plug in my L1 evse (my only charger) without using an extension chord. If it was on the side, I would have to always use an extra extension chord.

I think a front port plus an inductive charger on the front underside are the future and the right way to go.

 

[TomT]

Most ICE cars in the U.S. have the gas filler on the left side since it is away from the side of impact in a crash involving a left turn and thus safer.

Not directly related, but yesterday as my wife and I were filling up a ICE rental car (we should getting her Leaf next week), we had to reposition the car because the gas cap was on the right side (our cars have them on the left). At the same time we saw a Versa which also had the gas cap on the right and my wife said 'so Nissan's have the cap on the right, I guess I'll have to get used that', then she paused for a bit and said 'except I guess I won't being going to gas stations anymore, wow'.

 

[gbarry42]

Designing a car involves thousands of pieces and decisions. I think it would be folly to focus on the charging port as the item that determines how everything else is going to fit together. Apparently, a big concern of the automakers is that the opening required for the charge port creates a weak spot in the body. This is a big deal when it comes to crash safety. And this is what the objection is to adding a second charge port (our beloved CHAdeMO) as opposed to an all-in one version.

My feeling about crash damage to the charge port is that something is always going to get crunched. I don't see that connector as being particularly exotic. And since it has no power unless it's properly connected to an EVSE, there isn't really much risk in squashing it. I hadn't thought about the location, but in the front is working out well for me.

 

[avanti5010]

The reason European cars have the gas filler on the right is that a lot of their gas stations are set up close to the road (usually only one pump island) and it is more convenient (and safe) to fill the car on the right side.

 

[SanDust]

Having the charger port in the front is probably marginally more convenient but that's offset by the fact that Nissan is apparently worried about rain so the J1772 port has an additional flap. It's a pain. Toss is the frontal impact cost of repair and the better idea would be to put it on the driver's side. Not that of a big deal though. Must be a slow news day.

The bigger problem with the Leaf charger design is where they put the charge door release. It's located in a far too inconvenient place. It's fine to locate a the gas tank release under the dash, you use that maybe once a week. But putting the charge door release, which could be used multiple times a day, that far away is a design mistake.

 

[jwatte]

Inductive charging from under the car is the best of all ideas for car charging locations.

Inductive charging seems cool and all, but it is lossier than copper wiring, and you might also start worrying about actual magnetism issues (de-magging credit cards? etc).