Best 240VAC charging cable for 2013 Leaf

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JohnKuthe

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 15, 2017
Messages
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I am having a real tough time navigating this website so I'm sure there's a better place for this question but this is where I'll be looking for answers to my question!!

I just bought a new to me 2013 RED Nissan Leaf and am having a 240VAC line run to my garage, and I need a good quality 240VAC charging cable for my Leaf! One that plugs into a standard 240VAC jack on the garage wall.

What's the current wisdom here on the best cables for doing this? NOW!

John Kuthe...
 
Asking 5 people will give at least 6 answers.
I made-do with the 125-volt trickle charger for the first couple years - there might be plenty of time for you to look around.
I found one on e-Bay from a guy who had found he didn't need two He had planned to use the second one at RV-campgrounds while travelling cross country in his RAV-4 EV. It was made by https://emotorwerks.com/ and is called the JuiceBox, and comes with the NEMA 14-50P plug. They sell a bunch of adapters so you can plug it into a dryer outlet, etc.
Since I purchased mine, many other manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon.
Be sure to get one with a long enough cord. Our EVSE is on the right hand wall of the 3-car garage. After buying the LEAF, we bought a Volt with the jack on the Left bumper. The Volt can only be charged if it is on the right-most spot in the garage. The Leaf needs to snuggle close to the Volt to be plugged in with my rather short cord. Can be a challenge to get out of the Volt's driver seat.
 
What kind of "standard 240v" outlet? A new circuit you're planning to put in or an existing one? Are you interested in cheap, quick, or quality? You can't have them all.
 
davewill said:
What kind of "standard 240v" outlet? A new circuit you're planning to put in or an existing one? Are you interested in cheap, quick, or quality? You can't have them all.
Click to expand...

The kind my licensed electrician guy will instal in my garage for me. Good heavy duty 240VAC wiring and plenty of current capacity. Gonna have 3 of then installed as it's a 3 car garage.

John Kuthe...
 
2011RedLeaf said:
Asking 5 people will give at least 6 answers.
I made-do with the 125-volt trickle charger for the first couple years - there might be plenty of time for you to look around.
I found one on e-Bay from a guy who had found he didn't need two He had planned to use the second one at RV-campgrounds while travelling cross country in his RAV-4 EV. It was made by https://emotorwerks.com/ and is called the JuiceBox, and comes with the NEMA 14-50P plug. They sell a bunch of adapters so you can plug it into a dryer outlet, etc.
Since I purchased mine, many other manufacturers have jumped on the bandwagon.
Be sure to get one with a long enough cord. Our EVSE is on the right hand wall of the 3-car garage. After buying the LEAF, we bought a Volt with the jack on the Left bumper. The Volt can only be charged if it is on the right-most spot in the garage. The Leaf needs to snuggle close to the Volt to be plugged in with my rather short cord. Can be a challenge to get out of the Volt's driver seat.
Click to expand...

Wow!! WAY more information than I need! But thanks!

John Kuthe...
 
Oils4AsphaultOnly said:
If you're handy and can DIY the EVSE, I prefer supporting these guys instead of a commercial provider: https://www.openevse.com/
Click to expand...

What's IN those charger boxes? Any type of electricity converting circuitry or what? I would assume so as I doubt a Leaf would take straight 240VAC! Or 120VAC for that matter. I know the batteries are DC after all. So some heavy duty rectifying will be needed. (I'm an Electrical Engineer by degree!)

John Kuthe...
 
An EVSE doesn't do any voltage or AC/DC conversion. It simply detects the presence of the car, communicates maximum available current with the on-board charger, and then closes a contactor/relay to initiate the charge. The charger in the Leaf handles rectifying from AC to DC for the battery pack.
 
JohnKuthe said:
Oils4AsphaultOnly said:
If you're handy and can DIY the EVSE, I prefer supporting these guys instead of a commercial provider: https://www.openevse.com/
Click to expand...

What's IN those charger boxes? Any type of electricity converting circuitry or what? I would assume so as I doubt a Leaf would take straight 240VAC! Or 120VAC for that matter. I know the batteries are DC after all. So some heavy duty rectifying will be needed. (I'm an Electrical Engineer by degree!)

John Kuthe...
Click to expand...

Actually, the Leaf does take 240VAC!! You have to keep in mind that EVSE stands for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. The "charger" is actually in the car. The only role of the EVSE is to communicate with the car's charger and connect/disconnect the AC line when the car is ready to accept the current.

The kits that are sent consists of a hard plastic enclosure + bolts, the assembly instructions, the EVSE communications circuit board, some relays, a J1772 connector + cable (if ordered), and a GFCI sensor (to detect shorts). That's it! These components are no different from the commercial products. I have a Bosch EVSE that I bought (before I learned of openevse.com), that I've taken apart before to upgrade the length of the cable (it came with a 15' and I needed a 24').

The kit I bought was a less-featured version of this: https://store.openevse.com/collections/frontpage/products/openevse-50a-charge-station-combo-with-enclosure (check the 3rd picture)

As I said, you have to be handy and like DIY, because you have to assemble the kits yourself. They also sell pre-built ones, but are more expensive.
 
Oils4AsphaultOnly said:
JohnKuthe said:
Oils4AsphaultOnly said:
If you're handy and can DIY the EVSE, I prefer supporting these guys instead of a commercial provider: https://www.openevse.com/
Click to expand...

What's IN those charger boxes? Any type of electricity converting circuitry or what? I would assume so as I doubt a Leaf would take straight 240VAC! Or 120VAC for that matter. I know the batteries are DC after all. So some heavy duty rectifying will be needed. (I'm an Electrical Engineer by degree!)

John Kuthe...
Click to expand...

Actually, the Leaf does take 240VAC!! You have to keep in mind that EVSE stands for Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment. The "charger" is actually in the car. The only role of the EVSE is to communicate with the car's charger and connect/disconnect the AC line when the car is ready to accept the current.

The kits that are sent consists of a hard plastic enclosure + bolts, the assembly instructions, the EVSE communications circuit board, some relays, a J1772 connector + cable (if ordered), and a GFCI sensor (to detect shorts). That's it! These components are no different from the commercial products. I have a Bosch EVSE that I bought (before I learned of openevse.com), that I've taken apart before to upgrade the length of the cable (it came with a 15' and I needed a 24').

The kit I bought was a less-featured version of this: https://store.openevse.com/collections/frontpage/products/openevse-50a-charge-station-combo-with-enclosure (check the 3rd picture)

As I said, you have to be handy and like DIY, because you have to assemble the kits yourself. They also sell pre-built ones, but are more expensive.
Click to expand...

Aha!! Good to know! Thanks! Yeah I was not sure what was IN those charger boxes! Just need a basic one to adequately communicate with the Leaf's onboard charger then! I'd rather have a good reasonably great commercially made one, than to have to build it myself (which I could do but I have the $$ not to have to!)

John Kuthe...
 
JohnKuthe said:
Aha!! Good to know! Thanks! Yeah I was not sure what was IN those charger boxes! Just need a basic one to adequately communicate with the Leaf's onboard charger then! I'd rather have a good reasonably great commercially made one, than to have to build it myself (which I could do but I have the $$ not to have to!)

John Kuthe...
Click to expand...

Oh well, just glad to have another leafer on board! :D
 
Oils4AsphaultOnly said:
JohnKuthe said:
Aha!! Good to know! Thanks! Yeah I was not sure what was IN those charger boxes! Just need a basic one to adequately communicate with the Leaf's onboard charger then! I'd rather have a good reasonably great commercially made one, than to have to build it myself (which I could do but I have the $$ not to have to!)

John Kuthe...
Click to expand...

Oh well, just glad to have another leafer on board! :D
Click to expand...

Thanks!

So which commercially available 240VAC charger do you recommend for my 2013 Leaf?

John Kuthe...
 
OP, terminology first:
240v run: three wires large enough to support the Amps you want
Outlet: The socket that terminates the 240v run. They come in many flavors, and match the wiring and breaker in terms of max Amps
EVSE: the intermediary between the power outlet and the car

EVSE come in two varieties in terms of the wall: plug-in or hard-wired.
Plug-ins can be 'mobile,' meant to be used infrequently and removed after each use*; or plug-in one time and leave.

It would be unusual to buy three EVSE units -- they are not cheap. I think most people would place the EVSE in a central location with a long enough cable to reach any needed place in the garage. I installed a 14-50 outlet since it is well supported now, is likely to be in the future, is the recommended outlet for my future Tesla, and was part of my desire to set up a 9.6 kW outlet for future-proofing. It only cost a few dollars more than a lower Amp rated package since the major cost was just calling the electrician out to my home. I paid ~ $200

Regarding EVSE choices -- there are many
The people looking to save ~ $200 buy a generic, non UL listed box from a company like Juice (there are others)
As mentioned, handy people buy open source kits
Clipper Creek (CC) and Charge Point are two well known, established and reputable companies that charge about $600 for the EVSE. I bought the CC since I was looking for the most highly regarded amongst the vendors. I am usually quite frugal, but I try not to be pound foolish.


*though I gather some people leave them plugged in at the wall. This is not recommended because it is too easy to pull them part way out and cause a short.
 
SageBrush said:
OP, terminology first:
240v run: three wires large enough to support the Amps you want
Outlet: The socket that terminates the 240v run. They come in many flavors, and match the wiring and breaker in terms of max Amps
EVSE: the intermediary between the power outlet and the car

EVSE come in two varieties in terms of the wall: plug-in or hard-wired.
Plug-ins can be 'mobile,' meant to be used infrequently and removed after each use*; or plug-in one time and leave.

It would be unusual to buy three EVSE units -- they are not cheap. I think most people would place the EVSE in a central location with a long enough cable to reach any needed place in the garage. I installed a 14-50 outlet since it is well supported now, is likely to be in the future, is the recommended outlet for my future Tesla, and was part of my desire to set up a 9.6 kW outlet for future-proofing. It only cost a few dollars more than a lower Amp rated package since the major cost was just calling the electrician out to my home. I paid ~ $200

Regarding EVSE choices -- there are many
The people looking to save ~ $200 buy a generic, non UL listed box from a company like Juice (there are others)
As mentioned, handy people buy open source kits
Clipper Creek (CC) and Charge Point are two well known, established and reputable companies that charge about $600 for the EVSE. I bought the CC since I was looking for the most highly regarded amongst the vendors. I am usually quite frugal, but I try not to be pound foolish.


*though I gather some people leave them plugged in at the wall. This is not recommended because it is too easy to pull them part way out and cause a short.
Click to expand...

Good words, thanks!!

I'm only having three 240VAC jacks installed. Let people get their own charger for their own electric vehicles. I'm getting one for my 23013 Nissan Leaf!

John Kuthe...
 
To quickly chime in, please see http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=332668#p332668 re: EVSE vs. charger. For L1 and L2 AC charging over J1772, the charger is on-board the car. Diagram at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=262630#p262630 may help.
JohnKuthe said:
davewill said:
What kind of "standard 240v" outlet? A new circuit you're planning to put in or an existing one? Are you interested in cheap, quick, or quality? You can't have them all.
Click to expand...

The kind my licensed electrician guy will instal in my garage for me. Good heavy duty 240VAC wiring and plenty of current capacity. Gonna have 3 of then installed as it's a 3 car garage.
Click to expand...
As for "standard 240v" outlet, I count 16 of them at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEMA_connector#/media/File:NEMA_simplified_pins.svg. That pic is from from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEMA_connector#Nomenclature. If you count countries outside North America, there are even more 200+ volt outlet standards.
 
JohnKuthe said:
Oils4AsphaultOnly said:
JohnKuthe said:
Aha!! Good to know! Thanks! Yeah I was not sure what was IN those charger boxes! Just need a basic one to adequately communicate with the Leaf's onboard charger then! I'd rather have a good reasonably great commercially made one, than to have to build it myself (which I could do but I have the $$ not to have to!)

John Kuthe...
Click to expand...

Oh well, just glad to have another leafer on board! :D
Click to expand...

Thanks!

So which commercially available 240VAC charger do you recommend for my 2013 Leaf?

John Kuthe...
Click to expand...

Are you going to "charge" those who use it? If so, chargepoint. They make commercializing evse's easy.

If not, then I'd just go with any solution really. I've had my Bosch (bought from amazon) for almost 4 years now, and it's never had a problem (even after I took it apart). I'd lean towards the automotive suppliers though (bosch, siemens, aerovironment, leviton), since they've had experience with products sitting outdoors for long periods of time.

Having said that, I just remembered one important thing to look out for! Make sure the J1772 connector has a metal latch!! The 120v evse that comes with the leaf has a plastic latch that can break the plastic trigger hinge if dropped "just right" (personal experience - TWICE!). Terribly annoying! The ones that come with metal latches are more likely to have a metal hinge pin that would be more durable. Or just buy a whitebox evse and replace the J1772 connector + cable with this one: https://store.leviton.com/products/30-amp-j1772-level-2-electric-vehicle-charge-connector-with-20-ft-cord-a2034-pev?variant=18215948867

Hope this helps!
 
Oh and about those "jacks" (aka receptacles), go with the standard one for residential dryers (NEMA 14-50r), as they're sold in greater quantities so benefit from both higher quality AND cheaper prices.
 
Oils4AsphaultOnly said:
Oh and about those "jacks" (aka receptacles), go with the standard one for residential dryers (NEMA 14-50r), as they're sold in greater quantities so benefit from both higher quality AND cheaper prices.
Click to expand...
Agree, for highest amperage outlets the 14-50 is the best. For just a 30a circuit, which would cover all but the highest amperage EVs, I might suggest the L6-30 locking 240v(no neutral) outlet. The advantage to the L6-30 is female variants are easy to find, making adapter cables relatively cheap to make and it will fit in a standard outlet box. Personally I like the L6-30 due to it's compactness, the 14-50 is a LARGE bulky plug, although since Tesla has kind of standardized on it for compatibility it might be the one to go with......note having 3 of these outlets off your panel would require (3) 50a circuits :shock: if your panel can handle it your fine, otherwise (3) 30a circuits are probably more manageable :)
If purchasing L6-30 outlets and such use Amazon and not B&M where parts may be 3x the cost :x
 
JohnKuthe said:
Oils4AsphaultOnly said:
JohnKuthe said:
Aha!! Good to know! Thanks! Yeah I was not sure what was IN those charger boxes! Just need a basic one to adequately communicate with the Leaf's onboard charger then! I'd rather have a good reasonably great commercially made one, than to have to build it myself (which I could do but I have the $$ not to have to!)

John Kuthe...
Click to expand...

Oh well, just glad to have another leafer on board! :D
Click to expand...

Thanks!

So which commercially available 240VAC charger do you recommend for my 2013 Leaf?

John Kuthe...
Click to expand...

I would get the GE DuraStation from Home Depot. It is only $399, so three would not be unreasonable to install. It can be hardwired, or have a cable with a plug attached. If you are only going to install outlets, use the NEMA 14-50 like they put in RV parks. It will allow for the highest output EVSE available.
 

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