CLIPPER CREEK CHARGER HELP!!----2014 Leaf S with 3.6k

Hi Everyone,

We just purchased our first EV ever and got the 2014 Nissan Leaf S with the 3.6 kW onboard charger. I wish now that I knew better and got the 6.6 kW upgrade but it is what it is unless there is a easy way to upgrade the onboard charger??

Anyhow on that note I was looking at the EVSE below both from Clipper Creek.

So here is the EVSE I was looking at :

http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/charging-station-lcs-25p-nema-14-30/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

The wife will also be taking the charger with her when she visits her parents 40 miles away and charge while she is visiting. They have a older house with a 30amp dryer hookup. This should work fine if she plugs into the dryer outlet right?

Also what should I expect charging times to be from a very low battery like 5% left? Also is it safe to assume that when we hook the Leaf up to charge, and the batter is 55% full that it will take half the time to charge compared to charging from 5% battery level?

Thanks!

Yep that'll be fine. Just verify the plugs are the same and either persuade the in-laws to change out the dryer outlet and plug on their dryer if it's not (or make an adapter pigtail if they won't).

I don't remember if the 3.3kW charger in the 2014 pulls at more than 16A or not, but I don't think it does, so your time to charge will be the same as it is on any other L2 EVSE (since there are none/few out there that offer less than 16A).

MWalsh...Got you on the plug type I understand and I think it's the same as my home but will certainly double check before hand.

However I did lose you on the 16A that the 3.3kW pulls versus it being the same as any other L2 EVSE?? Aren't there EVSE out there that are 30A & 40A for the home? Would those work but just be Overkill is what your saying?

So what should I expect my charge times to be?

Thanks again!

MikeyDsLeaf said:

However I did lose you on the 16A that the 3.3kW pulls versus it being the same as any other L2 EVSE?? Aren't there EVSE out there that are 30A & 40A for the home?

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Yes, but your car will only ever pull 16A, so it really doesn't matter what the EVSE is rated at. Or at least that's what I think, and what certainly holds true for my 2011. All you're buying with a 30A or 40A unit, unless you have a 6.6kW LEAF, is future proofing.

However, in the back of my mind is something about the 2014 maybe being capable of 20A @ 3.3kW, but I don't know that to be true for sure, and may be the product of an overactive imagination. So what I'm saying about charging times is that IF you are charging at 16A no matter where, times should be the same no matter where you plug in.

Gotcha! Thank you! So where can I find the info regarding my 2014 Leaf S doing 20amps?

Can anyone on here help please

Thanks again!

No you are 16 amps max.

The OEM brick can be upgraded by EVSEUpgrade.com to give 20 amp 240 volt portable charging but your S with the 3.3kW charger will just pull 16 amps at 240 volts.
They can also sell an adapter to plug into that dryer outlet. You do need to know if it is the old 10-30 (3 wire) or the newer 14-30 (4 wire).
Many use the upgraded EVSE full time 100% for all charging.

Yes if the battery is half depleted it will take about half the time to charge. Although the last 10% might be a bit longer as the power tapers off as the battery approaches 100%.
My 2011 would give a conservative charge time right there on the dash.

The Clipper Creek EVSE you linked above is also a great solution for charging your vehicle.

BTW, http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=6&t=14728&p=332668#p332668" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and the links there might help you understand the various pieces and where the bottlenecks may lie (e.g. EVSE, on-board charger, line voltage, max safe amperage/wattage of circuit, etc.)

So I know my electrical pretty good. I think I can perform theupgrade on the L1 evse that came with car.

Do you all recommend this or would I get max amperage that Leaf can pull from the clipper creek 20amp charger?? Or b y updating the stock EVSE will that be max?
Thanks!

16A is the MAX your car (again, it's your 2014 S with 3.3kW on board charger that is the bottleneck, here) can ever use.

If what you're looking for is portability, the EVSE upgrade with your stock EVSE is the way to go. As others have mentioned, you can buy a pigtail/adapter for the dryer outlet and you're good to go at 240V/16A.

I would strongly advise AGAINST trying to modify the OEM brick on your own unless you know EXACTLY what you're doing (which doesn't seem to be the case here). Phil's (he goes by Ingineer, here) group has one of the best reputations in the EV community with thousands of satisfied customers. http://evseupgrade.com

MikeyDsLeaf said:

So I know my electrical pretty good. I think I can perform theupgrade on the L1 evse that came with car.

Do you all recommend this or would I get max amperage that Leaf can pull from the clipper creek 20amp charger?? Or b y updating the stock EVSE will that be max?
Thanks!

Click to expand...

The electric is easy. Close the dumb relay and let it roll.
But you need to understand the digital electronic controls to make it safe and not bypass the safety standards including at least GFI and pilot signal.
Far better to pay for the upgrade or get the Clipper Creek over self modifying the OEM brick.

z0ner said:

16A is the MAX your car (again, it's your 2014 S with 3.3kW on board charger that is the bottleneck, here) can ever use.

If what you're looking for is portability, the EVSE upgrade with your stock EVSE is the way to go. As others have mentioned, you can buy a pigtail/adapter for the dryer outlet and you're good to go at 240V/16A.

I would strongly advise AGAINST trying to modify the OEM brick on your own unless you know EXACTLY what you're doing (which doesn't seem to be the case here). Phil's (he goes by Ingineer, here) group has one of the best reputations in the EV community with thousands of satisfied customers. http://evseupgrade.com

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Ok wait am I missing something here? Are you saying instead of modifying the brick I can by a 120 to 240v adapter and connect it to the stock L1 EVSE and can be charging at a higher rate? If so is this safe and would it be at 16A or ???

Thanks!

NO. The OEM brick will not last long on 240 volts unless properly modified.

The mod is really kind of clever. It must have a neutral since the EVSE still runs on 120V. What they have done is pulled the I2 wire from the neutral connected it to the other 240V line. You still only get 12A and the stock Nissan EVSE has no idea you are charging on 240V since it still sees its normal 120V.

The only caveat is you must have a nuetral. A normal EVSE and ingineer's mod only require 240V and ground.

Ya nevermind I just saw on the back it's only 120v. So instead of opening something that was designed a certain way, so I'll just go with clipper creek.

If you don't want to modify the stock EVSE, consider getting the AV TurboCord instead:

http://www.amazon.com/TurboCord-Dual-Plug--Charger-Volt/dp/B00J8O1XQE/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1403934074&sr=1-1&keywords=av+turbocord+240+volt+plug-in+ev+charger" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's $100 more expensive than the Clipper Creek but does allow you to use a single EVSE for both 120 and 240 volt outlets. It appears to be more compact as well.

Disadvantage is that it only outputs 16 amps at 240 volts, but your particular car won't take advantage of a larger EVSE anyway.

Also, there are two models of TurboCord. The 240 volt-only version is about 50 bucks less.

RonDawg said:

If you don't want to modify the stock EVSE, consider getting the AV TurboCord instead:

http://www.amazon.com/TurboCord-Dual-Plug--Charger-Volt/dp/B00J8O1XQE/ref=sr_1_1?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1403934074&sr=1-1&keywords=av+turbocord+240+volt+plug-in+ev+charger" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It's $100 more expensive than the Clipper Creek but does allow you to use a single EVSE for both 120 and 240 volt outlets. It appears to be more compact as well.

Disadvantage is that it only outputs 16 amps at 240 volts, but your particular car won't take advantage of a larger EVSE anyway.

Also, there are two models of TurboCord. The 240 volt-only version is about 50 bucks less.

Click to expand...

For the same price you can get a new Panasonic cable and use it on any outlet:

http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=product_info&cPath=6&products_id=5" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Ohh that Panasonic is VERY cool!! I like it. The Clipper Creek 20A charger I was looking at is only $385 though. I'm not sure if double that is with it. Will have to think about it.

Fixed your post.

MikeyDsLeaf said:

Ohh that Panasonic is VERY cool!! I like it. The Clipper Creek 20A EVSE...

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For the purposes of L1 and L2 AC charging, it's important to distinguish between the (on-board) charger vs. an EVSE. The OBC is under the hood, part of the PDM stack (http://articles.sae.org/11993/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false.

So quick question regarding Clipper Creek EVSE's : They have a 15amp 240v EVSE that is a hardwired connection (I can put a 4 plug dryer plug on it) for $395 then they have a 20amp 240v with the plug already on it for $595.

Right now I'm not looking to future proof, just looking for the quickest most cost effective way to charge. Is the 20amp 240v overkill since the system maxes out at 16amp? Or is the 15amp , 1amp shy of 16 going to slow it down noticeably?

How long should these chargers take to charge?


Thanks!

The 15 amp 240v will charge fine and take about 6% longer.
Super low might be 7 hours so maybe an extra 20 minutes with the 15 amp.
More likely you will not be that low when you start chart charging.