New cheaper options for 240 charging. Esp. for Lease folk

[jsongster]

Clipper Creek has introduced a new EVSE that like ingineer's conversion works at 20amps and uses L6-30 for a plug... which means that for folks on a lease who don't feel comfy modding their 120 volt included with the car Nissan branded EVSE. ( I know he also sells a new Panasonic for over a grand which might be better or worth it, I am not qualified to judge their merits...)

They can instead buy a $550 Clipper Creek LCS-25P with the L6-30 locking plug that could easily mate with the adapters that ingineer sells to plug into most any RV park,welder plug or dryer plug. A much better emergency charger to have in the trunk if you should run out of charge on the road.

Hopefully this helps reluctant lease folks to have a more useful, versatile car.

http://clippercreek.com/store/product/charging-station-lcs-25p-nema-l6-30-2/

http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=product_info&cPath=7&products_id=17

I did note in the 2014 manual that Nissan does not recommend using adapters to charge the car... but I'd guess the locking ones like these are solid.

 

[davewill]

Not new, the LCS-25 has been out a long time. There are a few downsides vs. the upgrade:

No 120v operation, meaning you'll still need to carry the Nissan brick for that.
No control of output level, so you'll only be able to connect it to a circuit of 25a or larger. No 20a air conditioner outlets, or "Quick220" lashups.

For a lot of folks, these aren't a big deal, and if you're just using it at home instead of as a portable unit, they probably aren't concerns at all.

Leasing isn't really much of an issue. It's fairly easy to get someone to swap with you before you turn your car in, and the EVSE upgrade folks will happily do so if you can't find anyone else. However if you find someone on your own, you could probably get them to throw in a little cash, too.

 

[RonDawg]

Not new, the LCS-25 has been out a long time.

The LCS-25 has been out for a while. The LCS-25P (with a factory-installed plug) was only recently offered however. Clipper Creek offers these with a variety of plugs and not just the L6-30.

 

[LeftieBiker]

Also, neither unit is a charger. They are both EVSE units.

 

[cwerdna]

Not new, the LCS-25 has been out a long time.

The LCS-25 has been out for a while.

Yep. From http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=26&t=4383" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, it came out in 2011.

 

[Randy]

They did, however, recently introduce a 240v 30a EVSE "full size" model HCS-40 that is a little bit physically larger than the previous series...
They're selling it for $590, and it has a 3 year warranty and a 25' cable....

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/11/clippercreek-introduces-low-cost-level-2-home-charger-for-590/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[EVDRIVER]

They did, however, recently introduce a 240v 30a EVSE "full size" model HCS-40 that is a little bit physically larger than the previous series...
They're selling it for $590, and it has a 3 year warranty and a 25' cable....

http://green.autoblog.com/2013/12/11/clippercreek-introduces-low-cost-level-2-home-charger-for-590/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Which is only 240 and can only be used on a 40A or greater outlet which not easy to find nor is it very portable.

 

[asemeco]

The price on the LCS-25 came down to $495.

Also, they have the LCS-25P and HCS-40P, which can be plugged to dryer or welder outlets.

 

[jsongster]

Also, neither unit is a charger. They are both EVSE units.

Damn, and I was being so careful not to call them that... I know the difference and it even matters sometimes... I wish Nissan would upgrade the onboard charger again... I am mostly ok with 4 hours to full from empty 6.6ish... but why not go to 7.2 (like most of the EVSEs are capable of passing ) or even 10? Are there technical reasons why it would be a bad idea or is it like so many things just about the money.

Thanks for the correction... gotta try to be as accurate as we can to cut the misunderstandings.

 

[dhanson865]

I wish Nissan would upgrade the onboard charger again... I am mostly ok with 4 hours to full from empty 6.6ish... but why not go to 7.2 (like most of the EVSEs are capable of passing ) or even 10? Are there technical reasons why it would be a bad idea or is it like so many things just about the money.

Money and battery degradation, although they could easily move the on board charger up to 10KW without changing the battery degradation as much as Chademo charging does.

here is a comparison of charging rates I posted on another thread

1.44 KW Nissan Leaf on 120v / 12a
3.84 KW Nissan Leaf on 240v using evse upgrade 16a (2011 and 2012)
4.8 KW Nissan Leaf on 240v using evse upgrade 20a (2013 and 2014 assuming they have the "6.6 KW charger")
6 KW Nissan Leaf with "6.6 KW charger" on a 27a or higher j1772 charger.
9.6 KW Tesla Model S on UMC 240v 40a
~20 KW Tesla Model S with dual chargers on a HPWC
44 KW Nissan Leaf quick charge port (Chademo)

0-90KW Tesla Model S if you are on a super charger and are sharing with the car in another spot and/or have enough charge that your charging rate has been decreased
up to 90 KW max Tesla Model S 85 with older battery on newer supercharger when you are the only one there
up to 105 KW max Tesla Model S 60 with newer battery on newer supercharger when you are the only one there
up to 120 KW Tesla Model S 85 with newer battery on newer supercharger when you are the only one there