Who out here only uses there level 1 charger

I'm thinking of just sticking with my level 1 because I don't have a 240 outlet in my garage and I usually just charge over night. Evseupgrade didn't interest me to much as I wouldn't be taking full potential of my 6.6kw charger.

There our 2 quick chargers around me both 1 mile apart and I have the ez charge card fees waived for the next 2 years.

Seems like everyone here has a level 2 charger. I'm I the only one that doesn't mind the level 1 trickle charger??

While most of us do have L2 EVSEs, some here do have L1 charging only. I did so for the first 9 months. You can stick with L1 charging provided that:

• You have a relatively short distance to drive between charging sessions, and can afford to leave the car plugged in for much of the day
• Don't need to simultaneously charge and pre-heat during winter
• The 120 volt outlet you will be using is of good quality and is connected to good quality wiring and is not shared with anything else

I used L1 charging for about 6 months. I wouldn't recommend it, but with the QC's nearby, you're set. The only other consideration I besides what RonDawg said is that L1 charging is quite a bit less efficient than L2 because of the associated systems like coolant pumps and the DC/DC converter are running for a longer amount of time and have a fixed overhead.

There are several topics on this. Search "Is it ok to slow charge only?" for one. I've done it for 2+ years, including while I had a 43 mile RT commute.

I have been using L1 for almost a year, with no problems. It fits my needs well. I measured efficiency by using a Radio Shack Kill a Watt to determine the amount of electricity coming from the wall plug. The % charge meter on the dash provided a measure of the increase stored in the battery. The average of six tests showed a 5% loss which seems reasonable. My conclusion is, if it fits the users needs go for it.

I've been L1 charging for four years tomorrow. The only "problem" is reduced pre-heating below about 40 F, pretty abysmal below 20 F, but that doesn't happen much inside my garage. The reason Nissan doesn't recommend it is because defective or loose receptacles can cause over-heating and, potentially, fires.

Been charging with the L1 OEM wall cord for two years now. Park in the garage at home. We only charge when out on long commutes and don't feel like taking out the gasoline powered vehicle. For reference my work is approx. 70 miles round trip.

My wife and I got a 2013 new and have been on L1 since I got it. For us the LEAF was a great value, so the thought of paying $1000 (parts + installation) for a charger that would handle maybe 2-3 times/year when L1 isn't enough (e.g. multiple long drives in a single day) is not good. We have a Civic as backup for any times the LEAF doesn't work. Without the Civic, the L2 charger would be a lot more appealing.

As I'm renting (and even if the landlord were willing, adding the 220 line in the garage would have required a panel upgrade ) I have been using primarily level one charging since I took delivery in May 2011 (over 4 years!). At that time there were maybe 2 (!!) DC quick chargers in the country, so the only other option was 220 level 2.

With a short commute I can get by just fine with level 1; If I need a "fill up" I know of at least 7 Chaedmo chargers within a few miles of my address.

2+ years on Lvl 1 at home. My commute is ~35 Miles round trip... There are a couple of Lvl 2's at my work (Blink), but I only use them if I forgot to charge the night before. This has only happened 5-6 times in the 2+ Years...

-m

For the first two weeks I had my Leaf I used just the L1 charger. My round trip commute is about 130km. I plugged in both at work and at home, so it was a bit annoying packing and unpacking the L1 charger on both ends. I could just do extra running around and get home with under 20km to spare on the estimate. Over the weekend I'd get back to full charge.

After installing a L2 charger at work, the L1 is all I need at home and I'm going to make my installation a little more permanent and get a second L1 to keep in the car, just in case I need it.

I only purchased a L2 EVSE for convenience rather than speed. I was doing the same dance as NavyCuda - constantly packing and unpacking the EVSE. So I got one to keep at home. At the time (2012), the cheapest option was a hardwired 15A/240V Voltec unit, so that's what I got. I would have purchased an L1 EVSE if it was cheaper, but none were available.

I wanted to keep the EVSE cord in the car just in case I needed it. The irony is that now that I'm comfortable with the car (plus more and more public L2s show up every year), I actually just leave the cord at home. For a while, I had two cords at home to charge my car.

I just purchased a 2015 CMax Energi to complement my Leaf, so the entire process has come full-circle. I now have two cords at home (my Leaf's L1 and the hard-wired Voltec L2) to charge both cars at once. I have yet to use the CMax's cord, but I plan to when I'm visiting family 250 miles away. That cord lives in the car.

For the OP, my recommendation would be to try to live with L1 at first. I suspect that you will find (like most of us) that driving the Leaf is such a joy that you'll want to drive it everywhere you can. But given your easy access to free QC for 2 years, that should be able to fill in the gaps nicely. After 2 years, you'll have a much better idea of whether you need L2 at home. And you can always install an L2 EVSE in your home at that time.

I have a 2011 Leaf SV and will have been driving it 4 years next month. I only charge with my supplied Level 1 charger in the garage. I understand that the longer charging time means longer use of other Leaf components, but I have a pet theory that the lower voltage charge is less of an insult to the battery, poses less stress, and might improve battery longevity. I have only 14K miles on the car with 12 capacity bars intact. The car is garaged in the coastal Bay Area south of San Francisco with a very even, temperate climate.

It's only been a month since I got my first Leaf, but it look like I'll be using only Level 1 charging for the duration as well.

I even bought a level 2 EVSE GE Charger but I'm going to return it.

My garage at work doesn't offer any dedicated EVSEs or parking spots, but their are high quality (20 Amp) outlets scattered throughout the garage. The garage manager said he is comfortable with my using them for trickle charge as often as I like. That's about 9 hours per day for me.

My commute is under 40 miles round trip. Right now (mild 70 degree weather), I've been able to not plug in at home at all, and still get back to a 100% charge by the end of my work day. Not bad. During winter I could see having to top off at home (probably running a deficit by the end of the week). But still not compelling enough to justify $400 for the EVSE plus approx $200 for installation.

Lugging the EVSE plug out every morning is kind of a pain, but the savings should be pretty sweet over time.

Been using L1 on a 2015 since December. Outdoor carport with new 20amp plug. Stock nissan evse. I get 6 to 6.5 per hour. I only seem to charge about every two to three days for 12 to 14 hours overnight. I have a fancy open evse with multiple adapters in the back. RV sites are all we have out here in the boonies.

Check out my GOM on steroids the other day.

mayo said:

I get 6 to 6.5 per hour

...

Check out my GOM on steroids the other day.

Click to expand...

Do you get a true 6-6.5 per hour, or is that a 6-6.5 "GOM on steroids" per hour? I plan on 4 mph in summer and 2 in winter when charging on L1.

GetOffYourGas said:

mayo said:

I get 6 to 6.5 per hour

...

Check out my GOM on steroids the other day.

Click to expand...

Do you get a true 6-6.5 per hour, or is that a 6-6.5 "GOM on steroids" per hour? I plan on 4 mph in summer and 2 in winter when charging on L1.

Click to expand...

It's a true 6-6.5, I've always been amazed since everyone seems to do less on the forum. Pretty sure the stock 2015 only runs at 12 amps. Mine might be a little more or my inverter might be somehow slightly more efficient. My L2 rates are higher than most also. No complaints here.

The picture is just an odd GOM from the other day. Not normal.

GetOffYourGas said:

I just purchased a 2015 CMax Energi to complement my Leaf

Click to expand...

Coming from a LEAF owners perspective, how do you like the CMax Energi? Do you find the gas engine comes on too frequently? How's cargo and seating compared to the LEAF? Is all-electric performance satisfactory?

kubel said:

GetOffYourGas said:

I just purchased a 2015 CMax Energi to complement my Leaf

Click to expand...

Coming from a LEAF owners perspective, how do you like the CMax Energi? Do you find the gas engine comes on too frequently? How's cargo and seating compared to the LEAF? Is all-electric performance satisfactory?

Click to expand...

I like the CMax Energi. I bought it to replace a Gen II Honda Insight as my wife's commuter (she typically drives only 5-10 miles/day with her commute and errands - the joy of living in a small city) and our family road-trip car. Around me, the charging infrastructure doesn't yet exist to support my frequent out-of-town trips with a BEV short of Tesla (which I simply cannot afford). So my field was limited to PHEVs. The CMax Energi has a larger trunk than my Insight (although it is smaller than the Leaf). So speaking for my "fleet" of cars, it is an upgrade in trunk space. Honestly, I would have preferred a Volt, but that would be a downgrade in trunk space. Plus my wife likes the car aspects of the CMax better, and it is her daily driver not mine.

The rear seating is better than the Leaf. We proved this over the weekend with my sister-in-law wedged between two car seats. We took the CMax out to the Finger Lakes (over 100 mile round trip, mostly highway), and later took the Leaf to a local park/playground for the kids. She said she was far more comfortable in the CMax, although the Leaf wasn't bad for short trips.

I have not had the gas engine come on except when I was playing with the car (I put it into all modes when I got it - EV Later forces it into hybrid mode regarding of the battery's SoC) or when I exceeded 20 miles in a trip. I will have to see what happens this winter, and if the gas engine comes on every day for heat.

The all-electric performance seems peppier than the Leaf from 0-30 (may be perspective, I haven't dragged them yet ), but slower from 30+. It is more than adequet for our typical driving.

mayo said:

GetOffYourGas said:

mayo said:

I get 6 to 6.5 per hour

...

Check out my GOM on steroids the other day.

Click to expand...

Do you get a true 6-6.5 per hour, or is that a 6-6.5 "GOM on steroids" per hour? I plan on 4 mph in summer and 2 in winter when charging on L1.

Click to expand...

It's a true 6-6.5, I've always been amazed since everyone seems to do less on the forum. Pretty sure the stock 2015 only runs at 12 amps. Mine might be a little more or my inverter might be somehow slightly more efficient. My L2 rates are higher than most also. No complaints here.

The picture is just an odd GOM from the other day. Not normal.

Click to expand...

I'm guessing that you drive more efficiently than most. I average around 3.8miles/kWh (on the dash) in the summer and 2.5 in the winter. On a really cold day (sub-zero), I'm getting 1.8-2.0 miles/kWh. I think our chargers are nearly identical.