newb - any apps or tools where I can see how much $ I spend to charge my Leaf at home?

[overflowing]

Hi,

I'm a newb. I got a Leaf and a Level 2 charger at home. I was wondering are there any apps, tools, or devices where I can see how much $ I spend to charge my Leaf at home over the days / weeks / months.

I'm pretty happy with my purchase. A friend and brother in law have been raving about them so I finally took the plunge.

 

[inphoenix]

Hi,

I'm a newb. I got a Leaf and a Level 2 charger at home. I was wondering are there any apps, tools, or devices where I can see how much $ I spend to charge my Leaf at home over the days / weeks / months.

I'm pretty happy with my purchase. A friend and brother in law have been raving about them so I finally took the plunge.

I can think of couple of ways.

1. You could install a sub-meter.
2. Some connected EVSEs can generate reports which tell you your daily/weekly/monthly usage. You could use that to calculate the cost.

 

[mhramr]

The OP said he already owns an EVSE so the better option at this point I would assume would be to install a meter on it.

If you get into the tools on Nissan's website for the leaf you can find some energy usage information there as well: https://owners.nissanusa.com/nowners/user/home
Select: NissanConnect EV
There is also a handy cost estimator, with emphasis on "estimator". Good enough for me though considering the overall low cost to run the leaf.

This however does not tell you how much juice you actually put in the car at your EVSE.

cheers

 

[Stanton]

If you're EVSE is a plug-in type (not hard-wired), you can use something called a Modlet; you basically want something they make for the old window-style A/C units. Follow this link http://shop.thinkecoinc.com/products/wifi-smartac-kit#.VtruKOb4X7x
I had a matching 20A plug, but you can build cables/adapters for other plug types (I made an adapter for a dryer outlet in my garage).

 

[Levenkay]

Each month's bill I get from my power utility shows, in bar graph form, my power use for each month over the preceding year. Assuming yours does likewise, isn't that close enough?

 

[GerryAZ]

Look at your monthly power bill and see what the total cost per kWh is including tax (look at off peak rate if you have time of use rates and charge off peak). If you drive a mixture of highway and city and charge at L2 (208 or 240 volts), you can estimate 3 miles per kWh from the wall (CarWings or Nissan EVConnect will show higher, but unrealistic numbers). Using these numbers to calculate your charging cost will give you numbers accurate to within a few percent. You can get a revenue-accuracy meter from ekmmetering.com for a reasonable cost if you want really accurate information. I have the Omnimeter Pulse 4 which costs a little over $200 with current transformers and record every charge, but my average efficiency does not vary much so I can estimate consumption if I charge away from home. LEAF Spy will give you energy consumption/charging information, but it is limited by the accuracy of the car's CAN Bus data.

As an example, I drive between 1,200 and 1,500 miles per month on about $25 to $30 dollars worth of electricity.

Gerry