LEAF to get 6.6kW charger in 2013

[gsleaf]

I asked when cars would roll off the line in Smyrna. The answer, "We expect Start of production in December 2012."

Will they not make the 2013 model in Japan before the open the Smyrna plant?

 

[jkirkebo]

Yes, per Mark Perry, the charger is moving to a new location in MY 2013, but this has nothing to do with the 6.6 kW charger being drastically different. Aside from saving some money for not running a thicker wire harness all the way to the rear of the vehicle, Nissan might have had another motive to relocate the charger. I wouldn't want to speculate about this too much, and I would advise you to do the same. Obviously, it can be both fun and educational to talk about such things on a hypothetical level, but given the large audience of this forum, it might be best to focus on facts as they become available.

More trunk space should be motivation enough. That hump is in the way of most stuff I want to put back there.

 

[TonyWilliams]

Yes, per Mark Perry, the charger is moving to a new location in MY 2013, but this has nothing to do with the 6.6 kW charger being drastically different. Aside from saving some money for not running a thicker wire harness all the way to the rear of the vehicle, Nissan might have had another motive to relocate the charger. I wouldn't want to speculate about this too much, and I would advise you to do the same. Obviously, it can be both fun and educational to talk about such things on a hypothetical level, but given the large audience of this forum, it might be best to focus on facts as they become available.

More trunk space should be motivation enough. That hump is in the way of most stuff I want to put back there.

That hump isn't going anywhere. There's more stuff in there than just a charger.

 

[lpickup]

Lance, interesting post. At the same time, sorry, but this shouldn't be rocket science, and I wouldn't justify the cost that way.

If that's the case, then the market solution will be aftermarket by a company that specializes in those kind of retrofits. I just suspect it will not be Nissan. I know the charger itself is not rocket science, but think about all the effort that would have to go into creating a 6.6 unit in the same form factor as the 3.3 unit (I am assuming that the new position of the 6.6 charger is going to result in a different form factor), assuming the "guts" of the charger are already in place:
- Designing the enclosure (can the 3.3 case be re-used? I don't know)
- If a new enclosure is required, build the necessary infrastructure to manufacture it (plastic molds and any necessary injection machine upgrades)
- Testing and qualification of the new charger in the 3.3's spot (is additional heat generated affect the charger or other equipment around it?) What other regulatory standards must be met?
- Developing the necessary shop manual type instructions on how to install and test the new charger?

Sure, none of that is rocket science. But in order for Nissan to pull engineering resource off other projects that are more "valuable" in terms of ROI, they would have to show that they can reasonably get enough for these upgrades over the life to recoup those development expenses and then make some money. I just don't think an OEM like Nissan is going to see that as a wise business effort.

I don't work in the auto industry, but in the industry I do work in these kind of one-off solutions (I call it one off because I frankly see the total market for these as being in the 1000 range maximum) just don't make sense.

That's not to say that a company that specializes in aftermarket options wouldn't be well poised to take something like this on and be able to turn a profit.

 

[surfingslovak]

That's not to say that a company that specializes in aftermarket options wouldn't be well poised to take something like this on and be able to turn a profit.

Lance, my understanding is that it's not just the charger, it's the harnesses, the central onboard computer (VCM) and likely a few other parts, like the inverter board. All of these are interrelated. Given that quite a few things are changing in MY 2013, it might be challenging to make all this fit into older Leafs. Not to mention that the parts alone would incur significant expense if purchased new. I'm not saying that an upgrade is impossible or that it won't be done at some point, just that the barrier to entry is high enough to deter most interested owners. Well, at least initially, until used parts can be had and skilled third party shops decide to offer this type of service.

 

[KeiJidosha]

That's not to say that a company that specializes in aftermarket options wouldn't be well poised to take something like this on and be able to turn a profit.

Lance, my understanding is that it's not just the charger, it's the harnesses, the central onboard computer (VCM) and likely a few other parts, like the inverter board. All of these are interrelated. Given that quite a few things are changing in MY 2013, it might be challenging to make all this fit into older Leafs. Not to mention that the parts alone would incur significant cost if purchased new. I'm not saying that an upgrade is impossible or that it won't be done at some point, just that the barrier to entry is high enough to deter most interested owners. Well, at least initially, until used parts can be had and skilled third party shops decide to offer this type of service.

Like a car without Air Conditioning, you could add it, but most will just buy a new car that already has it.

 

[surfingslovak]

Like a car without Air Conditioning, you could add it, but most will just buy a new car that already has it.

+1

Well put, Matt!

 

[TomT]

There also appears to be a structural support in there that may be necessary to stiffen the car and/or meet impact requirements...

 

[dsr302]

As I was reading the discussions in this thread about the inclusion of the 3.3 vs the 6.6,the question came to mind, wouldn't the 3.3 charger be better than the 6.6 for battery longevity? This would be since the 3.3 would charge the battery slower.....and slower charge is better for battery life?

 

[TEG]

I wonder if this related thread should be merged? :

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=8652" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;


I think 3.3kW and 6.6kW are relatively slow (compared to the 50kW QC.)
I don't think there is much to worry about (battery health wise) from using 6.6kW vs 3.3kW.
The biggest thing to avoid is charging to 100% when it is hot.

 

[smkettner]

I would choose the 6.6 option but skip the QC.

Last thing I want to do is run down for a QC to make a local trip when I have perfectly good electric at my house.