KillaWhat said:
This is great Info.
I would LOVE to upgrade to the larger charging system that will be installed in the new 2013 Leaf.
The physical swap seems to be pretty easy based on these pics.
I guess we will have to see.
I see a couple of things happening here 3rd party for charging in the Leaf.
1. Someone reverse engineers the onboard charger so it can be modified to 6.6KW or at least higher than the 3.3KW. (And why not 7.2KW for that matter?). The charger should be physically large enough to accomodate the larger capacity components. Plus since it is water cooled the amount of power going though it could be much much larger. This might entail new wire harness that goes underneith from the J1772 inlet to the charger and to the battery. Not impossible for a DIY conversion but not simple either. A "trade" program, send in, upgrade, and return along with an updated harness for say $2499. This should also include some instructions that could be done by any automotive repair shop or the DIY. Maybe 8 hours of labor at $50/hour = $400 for the install.
2. A self contained, portable 10KW CHADEMO compliant charger, like a Manzinita Micro PFC40 with a CHADEMO interface module and connector. On the input side would be a 75A capable J1772 plug along with a more generic NEMA 14-50 type of connector (or something interchangable). Then if your planning on a longer trip where you need a faster charge inbetween, you just toss the charger in the back and take it with you. If at home, you just charge 3.3kW like 80% of the time, but if you need a faster charge you just whip out your ChadaManz and plug that in. PFC-40 - $3100, Chademo interface - $300, Chademo Cable - $500, J1772 75A and ability to have others - $400: Total about $4300.
All this is just a WAG, but I am sure others besides myself are more than willing to pay up for faster charging.
The latter is more expensive, but completely doable and no more complicated than just plugging things in. No modification to the car would be needed. Also a larger charger like a PFC75 could be used for 18KW charging. 0%-80% in ~1.5 Hours for less than $6K.