Is included Lvl 1 charger under bumper to bumper warranty?

Just wanted to check if the Level 1 charger that comes stock with the Leaf under warranty if it for some reason dies? Would I be able to just go to Nissan and ask for another one if it for some reason stops working? Thanks

utgrad said:

Just wanted to check if the Level 1 charger that comes stock with the Leaf under warranty if it for some reason dies? Would I be able to just go to Nissan and ask for another one if it for some reason stops working? Thanks

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I am pretty sure it does, but maybe someone on the forum has had to take theirs into the dealer can share their experience. I do know that if you have opened it up and modified it, or tried to plug it into a 240v circuit the dealer will NOT cover it.

No, I'm just weighing the risk of using it A LOT (and risking it dies from high use and having to replace it at my cost-they seem to be expensive on ebay) to getting a Level 2 EVSE to use at home. I have not modified the stock Level 1 at all.

I think the un-modified 120V EVSE is covered by the 3 year / 36,000 mile warranty as long as it hasn't been misused but I am not 100% certain of this. Less certain whether any purchased warranty extension covers it.

But the bigger financial and more importantly safety risk is how potentially unsafe 120V charging might be. It depends on how lucky you are.
Very few garages have the correct properly installed high quality single outlet supplied by a single breaker.
Code only allows using 80% of the circuit rating for a long term continuous load.
So on a 15 amp circuit nothing else should be on the same circuit while the car is charging.
And a lot of 120V gets put in poorly using push in connections.
One person had a bad fire most likely from staples that had damaged the cable in the wall.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=15784&hilit=+fire#p352567" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

So whether going 120V or 240V it is safest to have a qualified person verify that what you are using is correct.
The fire the person experienced might not have been found if the damage was to the cable in the wall unless the entire cable run was inspected.

In general a proper new carefully done installation is much safer, whether 120V or 240V.
A lot of that cost is labor either way.
With the markedly faster charging, I think spending the additional ~$450 is the better choice.
But it is an individual decision driven by the OP's situation.

utgrad said:

No, I'm just weighing the risk of using it A LOT (and risking it dies from high use and having to replace it at my cost-they seem to be expensive on ebay) to getting a Level 2 EVSE to use at home. I have not modified the stock Level 1 at all.

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We were able to get a L2 installed and paid for by a CA state program when we got our Leaf so we only used the L1 for a couple of weeks. Now we can not imagine a life without the L2 EVSE. If someone could come out with a reasonably priced 20kw home Fast Charger I do believe we would be Very tempted to get it.

The difference in speed of recharge from L1 to L2 was amazing. Now if we could increase that to 20kw, WOW!

If money is an issue, you can get a DYI EVE that will charge the Leaf at the full 6.6kw capacity for a couple hundred dollars. Or you can get one already put together for a little more. I would go this route if I were to do it over and not have the free one from the state.

Initially we were thinking of something like the Jesla so we could use the Leaf for longer distance travel. However, we are finding ourselves using the full 15,000 miles per year with just local driving and charging in our own garage. Any trips would cost us $0.15 per mile for excess miles, and we can drive our ICE for less than that in gas.

I hope this helps.

Well I'm supposed to be getting a 2012 lease takeover (original lessee isn't using the car much so he's transferring it to me for the 15 months remaining on the lease). It has quick charge but as far as what I can charge on my own at home it's a 2012 so it's 3.3kw and I'll basically just be driving it to and from work so I can overnight charge for about 12 hours which should give me enough range for my 50 mile round trip commute (plus I'm trying to get them to let me plug in at work during the day). And I'm kindof trying out electric so I hate to put the money right now into a "future proof" 220 line of approx. 50 amps plus an evse that will do close to 6.6kw would be $590 (I'm hesitant to do the open evse diy even though I have electronics experience mainly because I don't want the thing to burn my house down and it will be installed outdoors is my main issue). I figure in 15 months if I get another electric car it will have 6.6kw onboard charger or more and 6.6 evses will be cheaper.

But if I have to worry about replacing the stock Lvl 1 evse myself because it's not under bumper to bumper warranty then I would rather spend the money on 220v lvl 2 of my own than have to spend $600 or whatever it would cost to replace the stock manufacturer-provided unit that I'll need to turn back in with the lease.

And I will be getting the 110v receptacle checked out and I can make sure they wired to the posts and not quick inserted the wires and used a quality plug, check the circuit it's on, breaker etc.

It would be an easier decision if the 2012 was a 6.6kw because I would just go ahead and do it right for the faster charging but figure for my situation I can get by with 120 lvl 1 for 15 months.

I have a 2013, but I thought that even the 2012 with quick charge was also 6.6kw charger. Anyone with a 2012 with quick charge want to enlighten us???

Graffi said:

I have a 2013, but I thought that even the 2012 with quick charge was also 6.6kw charger. Anyone with a 2012 with quick charge want to enlighten us???

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No. '13 model year was 1st model year of the Leaf w/a 6.x kW on-board charger as an option (optional on S trim, standard on SV and SL).

Yup, all '12s are 3.3.

You might want to get a brand new 120 outlet. If you're plugging and unplugging the L1 every day, wearing out the contacts could be a problem. The L1 itself should be OK.

In the 2013 warranty booklet, it's covered under the 5 year/60K mile warranty.

ELECTRIC VEHICLE (EV) SYSTEM COVERAGE
The EV System coverage period is 60 months or
60,000 miles, whichever come first.
This warranty covers any repairs needed to correct
defects in materials or workmanship.
EV System Coverage applies to components
listed below under the heading EV System, supplied
by Nissan, subject to the exclusions listed
under the heading WHAT IS NOT COVERED.
EV SYSTEM
Motor, Inverter unit, VCM, Reduction gear,
DC/DC converter, Onboard charger, Onboard
charger connector, and Trickle charge cable.

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The 2011-12 EVSE is built like a tank, likely the most durable EVSE made today, unless you have a bad outlet the chance of it failing is extremely low.