To upgrade home charging or not...

I work 5 miles away from home.
My work building has a L2 Charger that is free for tenants. So far, I have seen maybe 2 other electric vehicles using the charging station and it's maybe 1 per week.

For obvious reasons, it is very convenient for me to just charge my car while I'm working. Even going from almost zero to full is only 6 hrs or so.

So... I am undecided about what, if anything, to do at home. I think my boyfriend (who actually owns our home) wants to get a home charging system but the cheapo in me thinks "why?... I should just charge at work and we can get that if/when it is ever actually needed!" (like if I change jobs.) However... it would be nice to be able to top off quickly on the weekend, especially if I want to go on a longer trip.

I've always had a different perspective on public (work) chargers, probably because of where I am located..
While I'm seeing more and more EVs, it's still very very common for some chargers to be available.
While that's great, I would really hate for someone to think "Hey, people aren't really using this. Let's shut it down."
While that seems extreme, there was just an article in one of our papers about some of those sites not being used much and how much "tax payer dollars" went into it..

Not sure everyone cares about the psychology of having the chargers..

So as long as the charger isn't super busy and you're not just filling up there all day for no real reason, I wouldn't feel bad at all about using it.
I wish my work had that option.. ;-)

As for whether or not you need / want an L2 at home and when, that's a valid question.
Some people say the EVSE that came with the Leaf is only and "emergency charger" and shouldn't be used long term.
I don't think I buy into that, and have read from lots of people who have just done L1 for years.

I think I will go L2 soon-ish, but more because I am bumping up against the ability to finish the charge at night.
If i wasn't, I might stay L1.

However (I know, I just said otherwise.. I'm like that...), there is definitely something to be said for having a permanently mounted charging unit so you don't have to mess with the L1 all the time.
Do you leave the L1 plugged in all the time? Some type of switch? Take it with you in case? Every day?

So, regardless of need, having a built-in charger is very nice. And if you're going to do that, L2 makes sense (although they do have some L1 built-ins.).

Then it might just come down to cost. For instance, I think my state still has a 25% credit or something on the EVSE equipment.
There's the FED one, that expired, but they renewed (at the last minute) thru the end of last year.
Will they renew that again?
Might make it a good idea to do that when those incentives are still around.

Of course, the flip side is the cost of the equimpment and possibly running the plug/wiring.
Depending on access, that might make this point mute...

So... end result...

er..

I haven't helped at all... Hmm.. I swear I thought I had a leaning one way or the other when I started typing..
Sorry.. ;-)

Good luck

desiv

Inara220 said:

I work 5 miles away from home.
My work building has a L2 Charger that is free for tenants. So far, I have seen maybe 2 other electric vehicles using the charging station and it's maybe 1 per week.

For obvious reasons, it is very convenient for me to just charge my car while I'm working. Even going from almost zero to full is only 6 hrs or so.

So... I am undecided about what, if anything, to do at home. I think my boyfriend (who actually owns our home) wants to get a home charging system but the cheapo in me thinks "why?... I should just charge at work and we can get that if/when it is ever actually needed!" (like if I change jobs.) However... it would be nice to be able to top off quickly on the weekend, especially if I want to go on a longer trip.

Click to expand...

I would tend to side with the "why now?" view. L1 seems to work for you, L2 at work is a nice perk. If things change, put in an L2. As long as you are reasonably confident that the "things changing" will takes a couple weeks so you can get an electrician in and install it. Not like if you leave your job on a whim one day and now you are stuck with a dead period of no way to charge faster than L1 and need the full range of L2.

Inara220 said:

I work 5 miles away from home.
My work building has a L2 Charger that is free for tenants. So far, I have seen maybe 2 other electric vehicles using the charging station and it's maybe 1 per week.

For obvious reasons, it is very convenient for me to just charge my car while I'm working. Even going from almost zero to full is only 6 hrs or so.

So... I am undecided about what, if anything, to do at home. I think my boyfriend (who actually owns our home) wants to get a home charging system but the cheapo in me thinks "why?... I should just charge at work and we can get that if/when it is ever actually needed!" (like if I change jobs.) However... it would be nice to be able to top off quickly on the weekend, especially if I want to go on a longer trip.

Click to expand...

Your situation is ideal for getting an EVSEupgrade done. Then it's a simple 240v. electrical outlet in your home and the EVSE is portable for road trips.

Get into the mindset that this isn't an expense, it's an investment into the future enjoyment of your LEAF.

You haven't made clear if you are charging at home with the L-1 Nissan EVSE or not. If so, the cheapest option is to just make a weatherproof cover/holster for it. If not the 240 volt outlet and EVSE upgrade for the Nissan EVSE are the next cheapest options, unless you find a cheap used Clipper Creek or similar L-1 home charging station like I have. Then you could easily charge at home, albeit at a rate of 5% charge added per hour.

Echoing some other responses, check your state for any limited time perks. For example, IL offers 50% state rebates on an EVSE installation including parts and labor through April 15. I've used this program twice including a panel upgrade.

Other factors to consider include the level of difficulty that may sway you. If your breaker box is in the garage and has the capacity, it could be a fairly inexpensive upgrade.

I vote No L2 @ Home, Keep charging @ work.

We have 2 L2 @ work, and ~4-5 EV's Three Full time 5 days a week, 1 3days a week (Night Shift). I live/work few miles from work also, so I don't need to charge every day, If we have 4 EV during the day we do the noon parking space shuffle. We just work it out. (1 Company in the building).

When we just had two EV's our security manager wanted us to park in the Charger space even if we did not charge. so the ICE cars would not park in them , (He would then have to go enforce the no parking for ICE Cars then.)

They are not "Prime" spots, but good ones... But to keep the ICE cars out he like to keep the spaces used.

Home charging costs:

1) Build, Purchase or Upgrade - Between $250 to build open-EVSE to $700 for a commercial L2 EVSE.
2) Installation - $50 to $150 if you do it yourself (may not be allowed in your town), $500 to $1200 for an electrician to do it right, depending on the electrician, the wire length, and the circuit breaker box openings.

Do those costs scare you? If not, buy a finished L2 and have it installed by an electrician.
If it's borderline, consider something like the EVSE upgrade and installing a 240V outlet yourself or from an electrician.
If it's too much money, then keep using the Nissan EVSE as is.

But if you don't do anything, every time that you're running low on charge and want to go somewhere, or when the charger at work is out of order or in use and you need it, you'll kick yourself for not having an L2 available at home.

Whichever way you go, be very careful about high-current electricity. The Leaf EVSE draws ~12.5A from an outlet. That's serious current. Even a simple 120V outlet can be a fire hazard when constantly plugged and unplugged and used at high current. Replace your home outlet with a new commercial grade outlet. It will last longer and not get as hot. You will probably still notice a little heating, but not enough to cause problems.

If you go with a commercial L2 EVSE, now you're talking 24A at 240V, so even more possible issues. Each connector, circuit breaker, and cable should be carefully installed and inspected. A casual error could lead to your house burning down or someone getting seriously hurt. Yes, I'm being paranoid, but the consequences are really that high.

Bob

Inara220 said:

I work 5 miles away from home.
My work building has a L2 Charger that is free for tenants. So far, I have seen maybe 2 other electric vehicles using the charging station and it's maybe 1 per week.

For obvious reasons, it is very convenient for me to just charge my car while I'm working. Even going from almost zero to full is only 6 hrs or so.

So... I am undecided about what, if anything, to do at home. I think my boyfriend (who actually owns our home) wants to get a home charging system but the cheapo in me thinks "why?... I should just charge at work and we can get that if/when it is ever actually needed!" (like if I change jobs.) However... it would be nice to be able to top off quickly on the weekend, especially if I want to go on a longer trip.

Click to expand...

in your very specific situation you would not need to have L2 charging at home, the only caveat is would be the guarantee of access to the workplace EVSE

Thanks for the input!!! Desiv... loved the long post... echoing my thoughts.

A little more info: We live in Wisconsin (I will look up later what our state does for credits but ever since Walker took office... well... let's just say that I'm pretty sure if he had an opportunity to kill that credit he would have by now)

The cost really isn't "scary"... just as someone trying to pay off two degrees worth of student loans, it feels silly to spend money unless it is truly needed. But yeah, either one of us could probably very easily pay to have L2 charger installed.

Right now I hardly ever charge at home. Most of the time the connector the car came with and a heavy duty extension cord are all neatly coiled up in my trunk. I will occasionally trickle charge on the weekend if I find I have been using the car a lot and feel like bothering to plug it in (we have to use the outlet on the exterior of the garage since the ones inside are not grounded). AT MINIMUM... we will be upgrading the indoor outlets to be fully grounded so I can at least trickle charge with the garage fully locked up (right now the cord has to run through the person door). I have also been known to go into work on the weekends for a few hours (I'm salary) to fully charge instead of waiting for the home charger. We have talked about "dropping the car off" at work on the weekends to charge it but so far that seems like more hassle than it's worth. (plus... driving the gas car sort of defeats the whole purpose of "free charging")

So... installing a L2 charger "proactively" (reactive would be if the work one went down or suddenly there was an influx of people using it) would maybe give me peace of mind and allow me to charge it faster on those weekends I use up more than the full charge I leave work with on Friday.

As Bob said: "But if you don't do anything, every time that you're running low on charge and want to go somewhere, or when the charger at work is out of order or in use and you need it, you'll kick yourself for not having an L2 available at home."

I guess I'm just hemming and hawing about cost vs. that "kicking myself" for not having it.

As long as you aren't hogging a charger that other people may need in order to get home, then I'd say wait it out--the longer you wait L2 EVSEs just get cheaper and cheaper. That said, I am using a 120V outlet today for the first time in months and the stated 11.5 hour charge time seems crazy. L2 definitely makes EV ownership less stressful, but perhaps not so much when you only have a 5 mile commute and it sounds like you have reliable L2 access. Around my place, I can't count on public charging availability at all and my 40 mile commute is a bit much to rely on 120V charging.

Home L2 definately handy on weekends, plus any other time you're not working, vacations, holidays, etc.

Would make a nice Valentines Day gift from your boyfriend.

DNAinaGoodWay said:

Would make a nice Valentines Day gift from your boyfriend.

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HA! My birthday is also this month but I was rather hoping for a spa gift certificate...

Your commute is almost identical to mine. I mounted the L1 in the garage and only put it in the car for out of town adventures (hmmm, the last one was 6 months ago). I set my timer to charge weeknights from 12:30 to 4:30 and 12:30 to 8:00 on the weekends. That is usually enough to replace all of my day's driving miles, heat consumption, and then some. I drive all around our community without having the EVSE in the car (and no public stations in town either). Since you're in WI, I'd imagine that you would like to preheat before leaving. If you're not parking inside the garage and preheating, then you're missing out on one of the best features of an EV. Since you can also charge at work, I wouldn't bother with getting L2 or upgrading the EVSE. The only downside is that preheating on L1 is limited to 1.2 KW (it's a bit like trying to preheat your car with a hair dryer.) It works fine until around 20 F, at which point the car is only moderately warm.

It looks like you can manage OK without it, but I guarantee that if you had L2 at home, you would get good use from it. For me personally, I wouldn't be without home L2, but I see nothing wrong with waiting until the need crystalizes (or doesn't) for you.

Bob said:

Whichever way you go, be very careful about high-current electricity. The Leaf EVSE draws ~12.5A from an outlet. That's serious current. Even a simple 120V outlet can be a fire hazard when constantly plugged and unplugged and used at high current. Replace your home outlet with a new commercial grade outlet. It will last longer and not get as hot. You will probably still notice a little heating, but not enough to cause problems.
the consequences are really that high.

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I know this has been echoed here many times about the current draw, but has anyone noticed that the L1 EVSE that come with the new Leafs only draw 10 amps now? I have the new EVSE from a 2015 Leaf and my older one from my 2013 Leaf and it is a measurable difference between the two. Did the newer L1 EVSE get smarter (maybe draws based on voltage level to avoid fire overloading) or did Nissan just down the current to a safer 10amp level?

Reddy said:

Since you're in WI, I'd imagine that you would like to preheat before leaving. If you're not parking inside the garage and preheating, then you're missing out on one of the best features of an EV.

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It's hard for me to get into the habit of doing this. I leave at all different times depending on if i'm working out or not so it would involve using the app on the phone, which by the time I remember, I'm usually already walking out the door.

I'm a hardy German gal used to a 2001 Camry... so it's difficult for me to get used to all this luxury.

Inara220 said:

I'm a hardy German gal used to a 2001 Camry... so it's difficult for me to get used to all this luxury.

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:lol: I have a little trouble as well. Give it some time. One friend turns on the car with her smart phone before she gets in the shower. Ahhh, 1st world problems.

My other vehicle (1992 beater) didn't even warm up by the time I would get to work so I would always be bundle up for full winter while driving. I bicycle about half the time now anyway (down from >95% when I was younger). Even though I have a 2011 Leaf with the energy hog heater, it's still luxurious in comparison.

The only downside is that preheating on L1 is limited to 1.2 KW (it's a bit like trying to preheat your car with a hair dryer.) It works fine until around 20 F, at which point the car is only moderately warm.

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If you give the climate control timer priority (and maybe even if you don't) the heater will draw the full amount needed if activated remotely or by the timer, while the L-1 EVSE is charging the car at the rate of 1.2kw. The car warms as much as with L-2, but you lose charge it does. 5 minutes of preheating costs about 2% charge in this scenario.

We have a FREE solar sponsored L2 station 2 miles away in a an outdoor mall area with restaurants, shops & stuff. Charges at 30amps - its really nice.

We used the 110v EVSE that came with the Leaf SV for a couple weeks and it was suspenseful to say the least (wife & I both use the car for work, so we have 2 hours here, 3 hours there/... to charge.

We went to that Free station a LOT.

I just installed a Clipper Creek HCS-40 in the garage - and now we can charge to 100% in a couple hours any time we need to. Having a L2 at home is a GAME CHANGER!

Now we charge at home all time durig OFF peak (7pm - noon - .06 cents kwh) and use the free charger if we need to charge during ON Peak hours (noon-7p) which rarely ever happens.

BUTT.... charging for FREE is always great.

Installation can eat up a lot of cash if have to hire the work out. But even then, its like having a gas pump in the garage for an ICE.

Here are my numbers.

- Clipper Creek HSC-40 = $600 with the holster
- 40 amp breaker - Home Depo - $5
- 40ft 8/2 Romex = $60
- 1" conduit & box = $20

TOTAL = $685
However
- I upgraded my main panel to 400 amps 6 years ago - so I had the space
- installed it myself - its easy - just have to do your research for safety as others have said - its 30amps!
- Was able to run wires through attic & down the wall in conduit

Either way - EVSE at hone is the best thing ever!