Used 2012 Leaf - Level 2 charging

Just purchased it Saturday . Looking to be delivered ( from another city ) Monday or Tuesday .

Does that model year have the 3 something kw charger or the 6 something kw charger ?

Trying to decide what amperage EVSE to buy ?

I am a semi - retired electrician , so installing a new 240 VAC circuit is not a big deal for me .

Considering a # 8/2W/G & 40 amp circuit breaker install . And an EVSE with a N-14-50P cord . I read some RV parks have that receptacle .

God bless
Wyr

The NEMA 14-50 receptacle is a good choice for now and in the future. I suggest you run No. 6 wire so that you could replace the 40-ampere breaker with a 50-ampere breaker in the future if you ever need the full capability of the 50-ampere receptacle. Most L2 EVSEs use the two hot lines and ground (no neutral) so you could use a 6-50 receptacle, but the 14-50 with all 4 wires is more common since that is what RV parks have.

Your 2012 has the 3.3 kW onboard charger which will draw a little under 4 kVA (or kW since power factor is about 1.0 during most charging conditions) from the wall at 240 or 208 volts. A 30-ampere or 32-ampere EVSE (40-ampere circuit) is a good choice since it is enough to let a newer LEAF charge at the full rate of the 6 kW charger in case you ever get a newer car.

Gerry

WyrTwister said:

Just purchased it Saturday . Looking to be delivered ( from another city ) Monday or Tuesday .

Does that model year have the 3 something kw charger or the 6 something kw charger ?

Trying to decide what amperage EVSE to buy ?

I am a semi - retired electrician , so installing a new 240 VAC circuit is not a big deal for me .

Considering a # 8/2W/G & 40 amp circuit breaker install . And an EVSE with a N-14-50P cord . I read some RV parks have that receptacle .

God bless
Wyr

Click to expand...

You have a couple choices, one is to have your OEM EVSE upgraded by EVSEupgrade(~$300) which will give you the maximum charge for your '12 Leaf(this option comes only with a L6-30p) or another option would be to purchase a 16a L2 EVSE. On Amazon they start ~$300 shipped. I have the Ebusbar which along with 240v also charges 16a @120v, you need to supply the converter plugs though. I have one and ended up cutting off the supplied old dryer plug end and installing a L6-30 plug because they are easy to find in the female versions for converter plugs. You could also install a 14-50p but portable female versions of that style are harder to find. For my other EVSE(60a Juicebox) I went with the 14-50p and for converter plugs I purchased 14-50r pigtail converter plugs, cut off the non 14-50r end and installed the plugs of my choice. Amazon sells nice L14-30p to 14-50r pigtail converter plugs for ~$15, I cut the L14-30p end and installed other various plugs to fit whatever outlet I might want to plug into.
Amazon also sells a few other ~$399 EVSEs(none UL listed) as well as the more popular Clipper Creek(UL listed) models starting at ~$120 more but has a longer cord.
I'm using my Ebusbar in both my '12 and '13 Leaf and it works just great. I agree with Gerry, for the little extra cost of wire I'd suggest 6 gauge wiring and also while your at it, run a neutral, I didn't and while I didn't need it for my EV I did for something else and I sure wish I had from the get go.

I ordered a GE Wattstation from Newegg.com It comes ( I think ) with a NEMA 6-30P male , but it is rated at 30 or 32 amps . Maybe will arrive tomorrow ?

I plan to run # 8 / 2 w/g romex , which is rated for 50 amps ( will check at work ) . # 6 is rated for 60 amps .

Will put it on a 40 amp Circuit Breaker .

If I have the 3.3 kw charger on the 2012 , all of this will be more than this model Leaf will draw .

I can easily make an adaptor so I can plug it into a NEMA 14-50R RV receptacle .

God bless
Wyr

WyrTwister said:

I ordered a GE Wattstation from Newegg.com It comes ( I think ) with a NEMA 6-30P male , but it is rated at 30 or 32 amps . Maybe will arrive tomorrow ?

Click to expand...

Make sure that Leaf you're getting had the software/firmware update to deal with flaky GE Wattstations.
Not knowing what version of either (car or EVSE), just giving you a head's up. The problem resulted in a trip to the dealer/repair.

I wouldn't want to use a GE Wattstation for home unit on any '11 or '12 Leaf.

Google for these, for example:
nissan leaf "ge wattstation" diode
site:mynissanleaf.com diode wattstation

I take it , this problem has not been resolved ?

If the symptom is a brownout , Could a work around be to install an under voltage relay ?

I received the Watt Station yesterday afternoon . Now I need to run the Romex for it and for a 120 VAC 20 amp duplex receptacle , through the attic .

God bless
Wyr

WyrTwister said:

If I have the 3.3 kw charger on the 2012 , all of this will be more than this model Leaf will draw .

Click to expand...

Yes, but the circuit should be sized for your EVSE, not the car.

WyrTwister said:

I take it , this problem has not been resolved ? If the symptom is a brownout , Could a work around be to install an under voltage relay ?

Click to expand...

It has supposedly been resolved with one of the software updates that you get through a dealer. So it would be a good idea to see a dealer so that they can check if the car has received all the updates to date prior you start using your EVSE. Safest option is to avoid using a GE Wattstation though.

As I understand it, the Wattstation-Leaf problem results when the power is interrupted and then restored, as in a thunderstorm or brief blackout. If you can install a relay to cut the EVSE out of the feed circuit when the power is lost, with no automatic reconnect, that may allow you to prevent the problem by unplugging the car. Maybe.

Valdemar said:

...

It has supposedly been resolved with one of the software updates that you get through a dealer. ...

Click to expand...

P3227
Fixed the LEAF charging software to elimimate charger failures with some EVSE.

Also changed capacity bars accuracy from plus or minus 10% to 0% to 4%.

Also adversely degrades regenerative braking. May just be an unintended software side effect from changes in battery impedance Hx measurement.

The Watt Station has a 40 amp contactor . If I was to install a under voltage relay , I would probably wire it in series with the coil circuit on the contactor .

A time delay relay could also be added to keep the under voltage relay from short cycling the contactor ( if the under voltage relay does not already have that feature ) .

Maybe like this ;

https://www.grainger.com/product/MACROMATIC-Voltage-Sensing-Relay-23NV47?functionCode=P2IDP2PCP

It seems to have up to a 10 second delay .

What , if anything , would Leaf Spy tell about the software updates , in the car's computer ?

God bless
Wyr

If you're seriously thinking about adding this relay an easier option could be to just return the WattStation and get a different EVSE, perpahs one of the ClipperCreek variety.

I think there is an effort underway to have LeafSpy report software revisions from different modules, however it is not immediately clear if one will be able to easily decipher them and figure out what updates are installed.

http://mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=44&t=11676&start=130#p463562

I just finished ( with some help from youngest son & grand daughter ) wiring the Watt Station . The Leaf is now charging on 240 VAC , for the 1st time , for me . It is down to about 9 miles on the GOM . Says it will take 4-1/2 hours to charge .

Should shut off , by itself , when it is complete ?
God bless
Wyr

Yes, no worries. Operates same as L1 just faster.

TimLee said:

Valdemar said:

...

It has supposedly been resolved with one of the software updates that you get through a dealer. ...

Click to expand...

P3227
Fixed the LEAF charging software to elimimate charger failures with some EVSE.

Click to expand...

It's unclear if it resolves failures that involve/implicate GE Wattstations.

I wish I could find the post where someone had difficulty in getting the fix applied at all, possibly proactively.

As I said before, I would NEVER want a GE Wattstation at home if I had an '11 or '12 Leaf. There are just so many other choices out there.