GE WattStation and 2015 Leaf issues

We used our GE WattStation wall charger for two years with our 2012 Leaf and had no probs. After we got a 2015 Leaf, the charging station started smelling (burning odor) and finally tripped the breaker. GE sent us a new one. After a week using it, same thing. They're now sending a third one. Have had the Leaf checked out, no issues with it. No wiring issues (house) per our electrician.

Apparently there's a compatibility problem. Has anyone had this experience with a GE or other charging station with your 2015 Leaf?

Found out the PDM got damaged, but Nissan doesn't know HOW it got damaged. They're covering it under warranty this time, but if we use another GE charging station and it happens again they most likely won't ($1,800 part). So we're stuck between GE and Nissan. It's an $1,800 gamble to use a GE charger.

And GE will not refund us for the station. Neither will take responsibility. Apparently GE stations are made for all types of EVs, and the one Nissan recommends will work only with Leafs. And GE claims the problems are only with Leafs.

Anyone else having this experience?

Even an "SL-trim" 2011 LEAF has only a 3.3KW onboard charger, whereas your 2015 LEAF may well have a 6.6KW one, unless it's the most basic "S" trim with no other options. I'd suspect that your 2015 is pulling much more current than the 2011. Now, if the EVSE can't handle the higher current, it should be telling the car so by providing the appropriate duty-cycle signal via the J1772 pilot line. But maybe the early-model Wattstations cut some corners and only tested against the cars available at the time. Or maybe your car's not interpreting the "please don't draw more than this" signal correctly. It would be nice if there were testers for the J1772 interface that would help sort these things out, but, lacking those, you'll have to get creative. One possibility would be (and this is only if you're sure that your 2015 LEAF's got a 6.6KW charger) to find another LEAF with the 6.6KW charger, and try having IT charge through your Wattstation. Assuming that it's unlikely for two LEAFs to have the same unusual impairment (inability to recognize the current-available information), if the second LEAF also evokes smoke from the Wattstation, suspicion falls on the Wattstation.

marshbum said:

Found out the PDM got damaged, but Nissan doesn't know HOW it got damaged. They're covering it under warranty this time, but if we use another GE charging station and it happens again they most likely won't ($1,800 part). So we're stuck between GE and Nissan. It's an $1,800 gamble to use a GE charger.

And GE will not refund us for the station. Neither will take responsibility. Apparently GE stations are made for all types of EVs, and the one Nissan recommends will work only with Leafs. And GE claims the problems are only with Leafs.

Anyone else having this experience?

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Whoops; sorry for replying to your first post before this news came in. Under the circumstances, it doesn't sound like a terribly good idea to expose another LEAF to the Wattstation.

This is an intolerable situation. General Electric should not have to compile a list of "compatible EVs", and Nissan should not be blathering about which EVSEs are compatible and which are not. Each should simply warrant that they adhere to and meet the J1772 interface spec. And there should be independent 3rd party test equipment to validate those claims. SOMEBODY's equipment isn't meeting spec, and that somebody, or those somebodies, should pay for the repairs, assuming it's a simple case of faulty equipment that at least was designed correctly. If either side's equipment has a DESIGN defect such that most or all of its instances don't meet the spec, then whatever standards body (SAE?) that failed to sue the offending manufacturer for fraudulently claiming to meet their spec should be held accountable.

Levenkay,

Thanks for your responses. Do you have any specific recommendations for how I should proceed? I feel like I'm being forced to buy a Nissan-recommended charging station.

There is a known issue with the Wattstation and the Leaf. When the power fails while they are connected and the car is charging, the car can get damaged. GE maintains that this is Nissan's fault - that the code they use isn't exactly compatible with the J-1772 standard. If I were you, I'd switch to Clipper Creek or another reputable brand. All of the issues seem to be with GE.

Sell your WattStation on eBay and get a Clipper Creek charger. I've not heard of a single person on this forum or the i-MiEV forum* have a problem with them. I might even file a complaint with the Consumer Product Safety Commission (http://www.cpsc.gov/) since the WattStation should NOT go up in smoke on a failure!

* There was a fix Mitsubishi had to put on the i-MiEV in 2012 to fix a compatibility issue with the Clipper Creek EVSEs, but it would just prevent charging, not go up in smoke.

I've not heard of a single person on this forum or the i-MiEV forum* have a problem with them.

Click to expand...

In the interest of accuracy, I had a problem, when I first got it, with the L-1 Clipper Creek station we've been using for 2 years now. It was a third party refurbished unit that had originally been used for the test Mini Cooper EV, IIRC, and the original plug had been replaced with a J-1772. That one and a few others like it wouldn't work with the Leaf while the Charge Timer was active in the car. Clipper Creek fixed the issue for free, and shipped it back to me at their expense. No problems with it since.

I have a 2013 with the 6.6kw charger, and before that, a 2012 with the 3.3kw charger. No problems at all with over 3000 chargings between both cars, all with the GE wattstation. We have had power outages also.

Just adding my experience to this topic: I have a 2013 Leaf (6.6kw charger) and a GE Wattstation. Over the last 4 months, the Wattstation has popped 3 fuses. Today it popped the fourth fuse and completely fried the fuse holding prongs off the circuit board. GE is replacing under warranty, but it's very disconcerting to hear similar stories, especially hearing that the problems continue after replacement...

addendum (1/4/16):

I received a new GE Wattstation under warranty (very easy process through GE). Upon installing it, I immediately noticed that the new one operates differently from the old one. No longer does the relay make a loud CLACK turning on, no longer does it buzz while the relay is engaged. Now it's an almost silent 'click' and absolutely no buzzing coming from the unit. After a week there's been no issues.

An update to my situation. We're on our 3rd GE WattStation now. GE replaced the first and second ones that got fried. We've had it for some weeks now, and so far so good. But we only plug it in during waking hours when we're home. I'm afraid to take the chance of using it while sleeping.

It would be nice if GE would let us know what, if any, changes they've made and what, if anything, they've discovered about what the problem may be. Each station has appeared slightly different, as far as weight (it's getting lighter) and design (the part that plugs into the car has changed a bit).