A tale of two chargers

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Wavebender

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 7, 2021
Messages
67
Location
Boise ID USA
Newbie Dave again, trying to get my wifey’s “new” 2016 set up.

The car came with the standard cable, model number 29690 3NF2E with regular 120v input.

On EBay I bought her what I thought was the same model (from a fellow in GeorgiaJ to keep in her trunk to use at her workplace, a residence with an outdoor 120v outlet next to where she parks. What I received, though, was model number 29290 3NF0E with a larger input plug that looks like the one a dryer might use, plus a short adapter cable to standard 120v. There is what looks like a factory sticker that says:

Input Voltage (Unit Automatically Adjusts)
100-140V - 16A (typically 12A / 1.44kW)
200-250V - 24A (typically 20A / 4.80kW)
AC only 50/60HZ - Use on dedicated circuit
Warranty void if unit tampered with or abused

So my question is, can I plug this “new” charger into my dryer circuit and get faster charging? Is this “Level 2” charging? Or is this charger an international model for use outside the USA?
 
What you are calling a 'charger' is an EVSE.

Sounds like you bought a newer generation EVSE that supports both 120 and 240 volts. NICE
Is this Nissan branded ?

If memory serves, these newer Nissan branded EVSE end in a 14-50 plug so you would need an adapter to mate your dryer receptacle to your 14-50 plug. The newer dryer receptacles are 14-30 and the older ones are 10-30. A 10-30 receptacle requires an 'EV compatible' adapter.

If you want to continue using the receptacle for other duties besides EV charging (e.g., to power a dryer) then check out the dryer buddy at
https://www.bsaelectronics.com/collections/dryer-buddy-plus-auto

The designations are NEMA.
 
Yep, it’s a branded Nissan part. I can’t upload photos so here’s the text on the big plug:

NEMA L630P
Yung Li YP-52

That Dryer Buddy is an interesting solution, pricey though.
 
Just unplugged the dryer and the plug says X46EA and is a big square four pronged style while our ESVE is a rounded three prong, so we definitely cannot simply plug in our ESVE. Our house was built in 2000. Looks like a Dryer Buddy and an electrician are in our near future.
 
200-250V - 24A (typically 20A / 4.80kW)

That's unusual! In US spec leafs, the dual voltage EVSE that comes with the Tech package draws the full ~28 amps a Leaf can use, and is thus unsuitable for 30A dryer circuits. You seem to have gotten lucky and gotten a Euro spec version that draws a safer 24 amps.
 
Cool! So does that imply that all I need is a simple plug adapter to mate this EVSE to my dryer outlet? I would really rather not spend $400 for a Dryer Buddy. We are a very small family and use our dryer maybe once a week. A post-it on the dryer that says UNPLUG CAR BEFORE DRYING! would be perfectly adequate. I assume if someone forgot to unplug the car while it’s charging it would just flip the circuit breaker. Our laundry room shares a wall with the garage where wifey parks, so running a second outlet should be a simple job for an electrician. The dryer outlet and the garage wall are about four feet apart.

But is it worth it? Will we get more efficient charging as a result?
 
Wavebender said:
But is it worth it? Will we get more efficient charging as a result?

The efficiency will be very slightly better since it will be faster but otherwise the main improvement will be the car will charge faster. Only you can say whether that is worth it. And yes, this would be L2 charging since that usually implies a 240V supply.

If you get an electrician to add an outlet in the garage, I doubt any reputable one would put it on the same circuit as the dryer. It might be possible to install an appropriate switch that energizes one outlet or the other but I'm not sure what the code requirements for that type of setup would be.
 
We’re thinking we’ll have an electrician install a 50A circuit. Might as well future-proof it. Who knows what our next EV will require?
 
No. Your earlier post said you have an L6-30P (male plug). You need an adapter that has an L6-30R (female receiver) that changes to whichever male plug fits your outlet. As previously said, probably either a 10-30P or a 14-30P. The plug/receiver numbers must match.
EVSEs use 3 wires, two hots and a ground. The adapter will either tie the neutral and ground together or the neutral will not be connected. I don’t know which the code requires.


Wavebender said:
 
Good catch, 91040. This would be a lot easier if I could upload photos. I may have to upgrade my membership!

It’s kind of moot now since we’ve pretty much decided to get an electrical contractor out here and run a dedicated 50A line to the garage.
 
You can link photos that you've uploaded to a image hosting site (or for that matter almost any photos on any webpages) by highlighting the url for the image in your post/edit window, and selecting "Img" from the editing options. The image will then appear here.
 
LeftieBiker said:
You can link photos that you've uploaded to a image hosting site...

True, but the support I’m getting here makes it worth buying in. Also, those photo hosting sites seem to disappear an awful lot, so I don’t trust them. We will have this car and its successors for many years. I have no doubt we will have many questions (and maybe even some useful answers) as time goes by.

Edit: I just upgraded to Goldmember! :D
 
I have a 2013 Nissan branded EVSE that was upgraded in the aftermarket to also support 240v. I think it also has the same plug as you report, so perhaps you have the same ?

It doesn't really matter though since you know the specs.
 
SageBrush said:
I have a 2013 Nissan branded EVSE that was upgraded in the aftermarket to also support 240v. I think it also has the same plug as you report, so perhaps you have the same ?

It doesn't really matter though since you know the specs.

Does yours have a white sticker on it with the text I reported? It’s definitely a different Nissan part number. The sticker is on the left side of the stock spec box.
 
Wavebender said:
SageBrush said:
I have a 2013 Nissan branded EVSE that was upgraded in the aftermarket to also support 240v. I think it also has the same plug as you report, so perhaps you have the same ?

It doesn't really matter though since you know the specs.

Does yours have a white sticker on it with the text I reported? It’s definitely a different Nissan part number. The sticker is on the left side of the stock spec box.
Here is a link to photos I took of my upgraded EVSE. The upgraded spec changes a little depending on the exact Nissan model #
https://photos.app.goo.gl/5PudkP1UiN5NTmMr7

My EVSE was upgraded by a company no longer in business called evseupgrade.com. Their old webpages can be accessed via the wayback machine at https://web.archive.org/web/20180815150625/http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=2
 
Wavebender said:
SageBrush said:
I have a 2013 Nissan branded EVSE that was upgraded in the aftermarket to also support 240v. I think it also has the same plug as you report, so perhaps you have the same ?

It doesn't really matter though since you know the specs.

Does yours have a white sticker on it with the text I reported? It’s definitely a different Nissan part number. The sticker is on the left side of the stock spec box.
Yes, it sounds like you have an EVSEupgrade, upgraded EVSE that was done by an original MNL member(iEngineer). You'd send in your 120v OEM Leaf EVSE, his company would upgrade it to L2(240v) and promptly ship it back, I believe I paid around $300 and mine still works well to this day. He had various upgrades over the years, the first ones maxed out at 24a, some 20a(like mine and I believe yours) and the last ones maxed out at 16a due to Nissan cheaping out on the J1772 cable making it only 14 gauge instead of 12 gauge.
You can certainly add a 14-50 RV/Range plug/circuit to your garage and I wouldn't argue against doing it, it would future-proof you to the maximum charge any current car really draws. You'd still need an adapter cord to convert from your L14-30 to 14-50 but they are pretty cheap and easy to find on Amazon, I have several as I also have a 14-50 outlet in my garage. Note you still won't get getting the maximum charge rate your Leaf can draw(27.5a) as it sounds like your EVSE maxes out at 20a, still a vast improvement over the puny 12a @ 120v that a standard EVSE provides.
If you did install a 14-50 plug in your garage you could purchase any number of 30a L2 EVSEs, starting around $400 on Amazon. If on the other hand you wanted to go the least expensive route just purchasing a ~$50 adapter to go from your dryer plug to new EVSE and only use either your dryer or EVSE at the same time, you'd probably save a $1000 or more, it's your choice. Note depending on your tax situation you may be able to deduct part of the cost of any new EVSE and labor/materials required to install a new EVSE, I was able to take advantage of this a few years back and it helped me save several hundred dollars off my taxes.
32a portable EVSE-https://www.amazon.com/Orion-Motor-Tech-Portable-Heavy-Duty/dp/B08P1Y3SP9/ref=sr_1_2_sspa?dchild=1&keywords=level+2+ev+charger&qid=1618148387&s=automotive&sprefix=level+%2Cautomotive%2C288&sr=1-2-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUFOQk9HUzdIVkZBU0YmZW5jcnlwdGVkSWQ9QTA3MzUyOTQzVjZMV0o2RFRBQUlWJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAzNjU4MTIxTEgzMVBOSjhISzVLJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ==
32a wall mount EVSE-https://www.amazon.com/Blink-Electric-Vehicle-Charger-Charging/dp/B00IOT4RSA/ref=sr_1_5?dchild=1&keywords=level+2+ev+charger&qid=1618148464&s=automotive&sprefix=level+%2Cautomotive%2C288&sr=1-5
I just linked a few EVSEs off Amazon, they sell hundreds of different models/brands. Some wall mount ones are hard-wired some have a plug, personally I'd suggest a plug-in model with the very common 14-50 end as if you start having issues with the EVSE it would be easy to plug in another like the one you have for testing purposes. Note I have no personal experience with either of the EVSEs I've linked, I believe the Blink you hardwire but they may make ones with a plug, which again I'd probably suggest but both look pretty decent, I'd suggest reading reviews.
 
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