outdoor charging option?

hi, I should be picking up my new leaf this week and was planning on charging it outside with the unit that came with the car at the office and home. seeing that the car will be parked and charged outdoors all the time (garage not an option) I was wondering if the charger that came with the car can be used outside in all types of weather or is it only indoor rated? if only indoor rated i will be forced to buy the level 2 outdoor chargers !

would I be better served by the EV turbo power cord or a fixed level 2 charger?

Can you plug in the evse that comes with the car indoors and run the cable out to the car? That's perfectly fine.

The portable EVSE is designed for use in all weather. Still, putting it in some kind of open-bottomed bag or box probably wouldn't be a terrible idea.

It is outdoor rated but I would try to avoid using it in the rain. Think of it like an "extension cord". Would you leave an extension cord laying outdoors when it was raining?

As an aside, it takes an extremely patient person to only charge an EV at only 120V. You will probably only gain about 1-2 miles per HOUR in range that way. :roll:

dsinned said:

As an aside, it takes an extremely patient person to only charge an EV at only 120V. You will probably only gain about 1-2 miles per HOUR in range that way. :roll:

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Unless the OP only needs to drive the car a maximum of 30 miles/50 km between charging sessions, 120 volt charging is not feasible, as the car won't be able to recharge quickly enough. And if the OP lives in a climate where winter temps fall below 40 F/4.5 C, even 30 miles could be pushing it, as more battery will be used due to heating needs, presence of snow/slush/standing water, etc.

My commute is less than 20 miles a day and having an L2 EVSE really improves the usability of the car.

As far as EVSE's themselves, note that TurboCord is only rated for a maximum of 16 amps at 240 volts, so if you have anything other than a base model Leaf S with no options, you're not taking full advantage of your car's recharging speed. If you need the ability to plug in on the road, EVSE Upgrade is cheaper (about $300) and for the 2013+ models will allow up to 20 amp capacity if your Leaf has the 6.6 kW (6.0 actual) on board charger. If you don't need the ability to plug in on the road, there are fixed and plug-in EVSEs of equal or superior capacity to the TurboCord for less money, like the Clipper Creek series.

Simple enough, but I'm going to say it anyway. If at all possible avoid mounting anything electrical facing south or west (northern hemisphere). It's better to have a drain hole than to try to seal it off. Water will get in no matter what you do. Give it an opportunity to get out. But you should still seal it up.

dsinned said:

It is outdoor rated but I would try to avoid using it in the rain. Think of it like an "extension cord". Would you leave an extension cord laying outdoors when it was raining?

As an aside, it takes an extremely patient person to only charge an EV at only 120V. You will probably only gain about 1-2 miles per HOUR in range that way. :roll:

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Only if you drive like a drag racer. 3-4 miles per hour of charging (5%) is more like it.

dsinned said:

As an aside, it takes an extremely patient person to only charge an EV at only 120V. You will probably only gain about 1-2 miles per HOUR in range that way. :roll:

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No need to guess Tony Williams did the science for us. Expect 5 miles of range @ 60 mph for every hour of charging. http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=101293" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So assuming you are home 14 hours a day level 1 would give you continuous every day 70 miles of range @ 60 mph ignoring climate, elevation, weather, etc.

LeftieBiker said:

The portable EVSE is designed for use in all weather. Still, putting it in some kind of open-bottomed bag or box probably wouldn't be a terrible idea.

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Probably wouldn't be a good idea to do that. The only part of the panasonic EVSE that needs protecting is the plug itself. The OP did not mention if the EVSE will be plugged into a receptacle on a building/etc. which if so would presumably have a suitable receptacle for outside use. If the receptacle has GFCI protection this will help ensure that if there were any issues between the receptacle and the EVSEs GFCI protection they will be handled properly

If the OP is going to be using an extension cord using something to add some protection to where the EVSE plugs into the extension cord would be a good idea. Something like this (Though this was just the first thing to come up on Amazon so this is not an endorsement to this production or style) http://www.amazon.com/Stanley-39387-Outdoor-Power-Protect/dp/B0036DEC0W/ref=pd_sbs_lg_1?ie=UTF8&refRID=055MZ17YGZEQS82XVDXD#productDetails" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; Additionally ensuring that the receptacle is GFCI protected.

I charged my car outside with the EVSE that comes with the car until I had the line for my Level 2 installed. I charged it in the rain and in the snow (lots of snow at times). It didn't burst into flames, and the sky did not fall. I hung the cable so that the brick wasn't sitting in water or snow, and I used a good outdoor outlet cover that could close with the EVSE plugged in. I also went back to using the 120v EVSE for 7 months after I moved. It's nice having Level 2, but I did just fine with Level 1. It may not work for everyone, but unless you get in late and have a long commute in the morning, it's not that big of a deal.

Level 1 charging will cost you more because it uses more power. The car is awake longer during its charge cycle.

Level 1 charging will cost you more because it uses more power. The car is awake longer during its charge cycle.

Unless you are in a location with very high electricity rates, the difference isn't huge.

It should be noted that the OP mentioned he would be using the 120V unit at home AND at the office. Which means he can get significantly more charge per day than somebody just using it at home. He should reliably be able to plan for up to a 60-mile round trip if he can charge at home AND at work with the 120V unit. (although if it were me, I'd probably buy a second 120V EVSE to reduce the hassle)

thanks for tall the replies and suggestions, here is my daily routine:

2015 leaf SV

daily drive ~48km (workday), shopping etc is all close by 1-2 km and on the way home so no real extra distance if needing to stop

charge 120v at home and at office - office 9-10:30 + 2:00-5:30 times for charging. at home will program 7pm to 7am, ALSO there is a level 2 charger for free use about 2 km from me and work so I can "top up" and make some office calls at the same time.
my main concern would be winter......

I might just try the 120v L1 charge for a few weeks/months to see how it goes as this is all new to me and don't want to rush out and buy an L2 charger .......

I got my leaf! Let me say that I LOVE this car!! I don't think I can go back to an combustion engine car after being in an electric.
So, after 2 days of travel here is my charging experience:
day 1 - pick up at dealer: 94% charge 119km range
got home 74% charge 109 km range

DID NOT CHARGE

day 2 initial 73% charge 109km range
drove to work, remote site then to mall and had 68% charge
plugged in to a L2 charger for 1 hour , carvings said 3 hours for full charge...
left with about 80% 120km range....drive to work, few errands
got home with 66% charge 102km range

CHARGED WITH L1 , programmed 7pm to 7am, actual start time 7:30pm carvings said 11 h 30 min to charge. by 3:15am car was 100% charged .

some observations: windows down create lots of drag and saw the effect on the range where as using the AC seemed to have less of an impact. can anyone verify this?

bps88 said:

I don't think I can go back to an combustion engine car after being in an electric.
some observations: windows down create lots of drag and saw the effect on the range where as using the AC seemed to have less of an impact. can anyone verify this?

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I agree completely, the LEAF has ruined me.

Certainly makes sense, the AC is cold and pretty efficient.

bps88 said:

I don't think I can go back to an combustion engine car after being in an electric.
some observations: windows down create lots of drag and saw the effect on the range where as using the AC seemed to have less of an impact. can anyone verify this?

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The AC may peak at 2-3kW, but I've noticed it averages about 300W. At 55MPH, your traction motor uses average 5.1kW, so another 0.3kW is barely noticeable.

Wind resistance is pretty horrible. In fact, at 55MPH, you're using about 5.0kW just to fight the air. Rolling down your windows will just increase that.

mctom987 said:

bps88 said:

I don't think I can go back to an combustion engine car after being in an electric.
some observations: windows down create lots of drag and saw the effect on the range where as using the AC seemed to have less of an impact. can anyone verify this?

Click to expand...

The AC may peak at 2-3kW, but I've noticed it averages about 300W. At 55MPH, your traction motor uses average 5.1kW, so another 0.3kW is barely noticeable.

Wind resistance is pretty horrible. In fact, at 55MPH, you're using about 5.0kW just to fight the air. Rolling down your windows will just increase that.

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doing the math: 5.1 KW for one hour nets you 55 miles distance that's 10.78 miles per KWH! At that speed, I usually get about 4.3 miles per KWH. That's about 13 KW used...

johnrhansen said:

mctom987 said:

bps88 said:

I don't think I can go back to an combustion engine car after being in an electric.
some observations: windows down create lots of drag and saw the effect on the range where as using the AC seemed to have less of an impact. can anyone verify this?

Click to expand...

The AC may peak at 2-3kW, but I've noticed it averages about 300W. At 55MPH, your traction motor uses average 5.1kW, so another 0.3kW is barely noticeable.

Wind resistance is pretty horrible. In fact, at 55MPH, you're using about 5.0kW just to fight the air. Rolling down your windows will just increase that.

Click to expand...

doing the math: 5.1 KW for one hour nets you 55 miles distance that's 10.78 miles per KWH! At that speed, I usually get about 4.3 miles per KWH. That's about 13 KW used...

Click to expand...

mctom987 must have meant 55MPH on a slight decline.