EVSE options for 2013+ Leafs

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I'm about to have a Type 2 installed here at the house...

Was looking for input on model preferences. Anybody have any recommendations?

If there is already a post on this, please feel free to point me there. I'm relatively new here and learning my way around.
 
caross said:
I'm about to have a Type 2 installed here at the house...
Actually, the correct terminology is "Level 2", often called L2.

caross said:
Was looking for input on model preferences. Anybody have any recommendations? If there is already a post on this, please feel free to point me there.
Thousands of them, probably! There are quite a few in this thread. First decide how fast you need to be able to charge the car at home. For many people the answer is "overnight". If so, any L2 EVSE will work. Some others, like Redjr who posted earlier in this thread, can save money if they charge in a short window, so would want nothing less than a 30A EVSE. The second consideration is the electrical capacity of your home, and you will probably need an electrician to analyze that for you. In a few cases it may cost thousands of dollars to upgrade your system for a high amperage EVSE (you need a 40A circuit for a 30A EVSE), while you could install a lower power unit for far less (a 16A EVSE can run on a 20A circuit).

Once you have decided on EVSE amperage, then you can start comparing models, their features, perceived quality, and price.

Ray
 
Thanks. Level2 it is. :) I have finally started to use EVSE and not "charger". Always new terminology within new segments of technology.

We just built a house with lots of "green" (I hate that overloaded term) features. One being a 6.6kWh photo voltaic solar array on the roof. At that time I had expected that I would be getting an EV and had them run a 8-2 50A wire to the garage on a dedicated 40A circuit breaker. It is terminated in the garage as a 50A socket.

I have been looking around at various options on Amazon and found quite a few GE, Seimens, AV, Levitron, as well as a few other names I have not ever heard of.

It was my understanding that Level 2 EVSE was in the range of 4hrs for a 2013 Leaf - so I suppose that would be my charging time. I have already figured out how to have the Leaf "charging timer" set for when "the sun is on" :)

I suppose what I was after was the opinion of people that have model XXX or manufacturer YYY. Often times you hear that one has issues and is not worth the price, etc.
 
I have a Nissan labelled Aeronvironment EVSE, and one of the not brand new model Blink's.
(and an EVSE upgraded to Level 2)

The new Blink / Bosch / Delta units look really nice, but no performance data available yet.
The price sure is right.
I prefer the look of the Blink version of the new unit.
If I were starting from scratch, I'd get one of the New Blinks, and an EVSE upgrade.



As far as your PV array, and setting charging timers for during sunlight, I assume that you are "grid Tied" and that shouldn't make charge time as relevant.

I'd love to see the solar install sometime.
I'm dying to do one (didn't want to do it the same tax year as the Car :roll: )
And was hoping PA would "find" their subsidy funds again.



 
caross said:
It was my understanding that Level 2 EVSE was in the range of 4hrs for a 2013 Leaf - so I suppose that would be my charging time. I have already figured out how to have the Leaf "charging timer" set for when "the sun is on" :)
.

You have TOU metering out there? I assume you have net metering right?

We don't here but with or without I think the optimal charge timer setting is to charge at night so that the car completes before you need it and before peak power usage. By charging during outside peak times you can optimize your impact on the grid. The idea being that the grid's base generation is greener than what is needed to handle peak loads.

By using just an end timer you also keep the battery at an average lower SOC which helps with degradation caused by storing the batteries at a high SOC.
 
For all people considering the EVSE Upgrade; we now stock most common outlet adapters, so in a lot of cases it's a simple plug-n-play operation. Even if you go with another unit for home charging, the upgrade makes a great back-up unit as well as being portable. Get the NEMA 14-50 adapter with your upgrade, and you can swing into almost any RV park and grab a charge!

Most homes also have a dryer outlet, so in a pinch you can grab a quick level 2 boost with a simple dryer adapter.

If you already have a Blink unit, and it's plug-connected, all you need is the 6-50 adapter, and you have a simple plug-in backup should your blink ever be on the blink!

-Phil
 
Ingineer said:
Most homes also have a dryer outlet, so in a pinch you can grab a quick level 2 boost with a simple dryer adapter.
This dryer adapter will not fit the receptacle on any house built after 2000. Newer houses require a four-prong plug for the dryer.

http://homerenovations.about.com/od/electrical/a/artdryeroutlet.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
TomHuffman said:
Ingineer said:
Most homes also have a dryer outlet, so in a pinch you can grab a quick level 2 boost with a simple dryer adapter.
This dryer adapter will not fit the receptacle on any house built after 2000. Newer houses require a four-prong plug for the dryer.

http://homerenovations.about.com/od/electrical/a/artdryeroutlet.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Yes, those newer dryers are NEMA 14-30, however if you have a 14-50, just remove the bottom fourth "neutral" pin. Now, it can be used in both.

NOTE: DANGER, DANGER, WILL BURN DOWN YOUR HOUSE WARNING !!! If you have a Tesla or Rav4 EV Gen II, those cars can exceed 24 amps (80% of 30 amp circuit), and therefore you could inadvertently plug a modified 14-50 into a 14-30 and pull too many amps.

If you have anything that uses Tesla chargers (Roadster, Model S/X, and Toyota Rav4 EV Gen II), I do not recommend modifying the connector unless you actually know what you are doing. For LEAF and other EV's currently on the market, it's not a problem; modify away!! They can't pull more than 30 amps.
 
TomHuffman said:
This dryer adapter will not fit the receptacle on any house built after 2000. Newer houses require a four-prong plug for the dryer.

http://homerenovations.about.com/od/electrical/a/artdryeroutlet.htm" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I can assure you this is not a hard rule. Even though NEC grounding requirements want to see a NEMA 14-30 outlet for the dryer, many contractors still install 10-30's. Even so, I'd say over 90% of our customers have homes older than 2000.

That being said, we will soon have the 14-30 adapter in stock as well. In a pinch you can simply saw off the bottom prong (neutral) from our 14-50 adapter and it will then fit 14-30, 14-50, and 14-60 outlets and operate safely.

-Phil
 
KillaWhat said:
I have a Nissan labelled Aeronvironment EVSE, and one of the not brand new model Blink's.
(and an EVSE upgraded to Level 2)

The new Blink / Bosch / Delta units look really nice, but no performance data available yet.
The price sure is right.
I prefer the look of the Blink version of the new unit.
If I were starting from scratch, I'd get one of the New Blinks, and an EVSE upgrade.


As far as your PV array, and setting charging timers for during sunlight, I assume that you are "grid Tied" and that shouldn't make charge time as relevant.

I'd love to see the solar install sometime.
I'm dying to do one (didn't want to do it the same tax year as the Car :roll: )
And was hoping PA would "find" their subsidy funds again.

Here is a shot of the roof. It is a 6.6kW system with 26 Yingli Solar YL 235 P-29b panels.
wUJlHNC.jpg


We are using a SMA SunnyBoy Inverter,

And they have a pretty decent Web Interface as well.
5n8Ph4S.png


If you are looking to do an installation I can recommend our crew. They were very professional, clean, and cost competitive. The company was called Eclipse Solar and they are out of DE. They service pretty much the whole NE. PM me if you want a point of contact.
 
QueenBee said:
caross said:
It was my understanding that Level 2 EVSE was in the range of 4hrs for a 2013 Leaf - so I suppose that would be my charging time. I have already figured out how to have the Leaf "charging timer" set for when "the sun is on" :)
.

You have TOU metering out there? I assume you have net metering right?

We don't here but with or without I think the optimal charge timer setting is to charge at night so that the car completes before you need it and before peak power usage. By charging during outside peak times you can optimize your impact on the grid. The idea being that the grid's base generation is greener than what is needed to handle peak loads.

By using just an end timer you also keep the battery at an average lower SOC which helps with degradation caused by storing the batteries at a high SOC.


Yes, we are tied to the grid, so it really does not matter on the times... purely a mental thing for me. I feel like if I am charging during peak solar times I'm "buying local". :)
 
I'm planning to install a 14-50 outlet with a new 40A circuit in the garage and plug in some EVSE. Ideally the EVSE will cover the outlet as an added safety measure for my young kids.

I'd welcome suggestions on the available L2 EVSEs. I have a 2013 Leaf with the 6.6kw charger.

  • Blink - Sounds like there isn't one available. Going to be available in the summer. No details on pricing other than starting at $699.
  • Bosch - Going to be available in June sometime (this month). Starts at $450 but gets comparable to others with the longer cord and 30A. I haven't been able to find more details.
  • Siemens Versicharge $850 20' cord.
  • GE Watt station $850 16' cord. This unit looks large in the picture and may be hard to fit where I'd like under a cabinet.

Those are the ones so far that I think can plug into an outlet or don't say.
Any recommendations? What do you look for? Why are these so expensive when they seem like glorified switches? I'm sure prices will drop dramatically as these become more mainstream. For these sorts of prices I wish they'd connect WiFi and tell me all sorts of stats about how the charge is going.
 
So I looked at the page for the Blink $699 hasn't been released yet EVSE. They say it includes a $100 credit for public charging. The fine print says:

"*Your $100 Blink Network credit can be used on any publicly accessible Blink charger and is valid for six months from the time of activation."

Is that in anyway realistic to use $100 of public charging in 6 months?


:?:
 
altoklez said:
... Is that in anyway realistic to use $100 of public charging in 6 months? ...
Well, since Blink's new price for DCQC has been announced at $5 per charge event, you could do it by quick charging 3-4 times per month.
 
dm33 said:
I'm planning to install a 14-50 outlet with a new 40A circuit in the garage and plug in some EVSE. Ideally the EVSE will cover the outlet as an added safety measure for my young kids.

I'd welcome suggestions on the available L2 EVSEs. I have a 2013 Leaf with the 6.6kw charger.

  • Blink - Sounds like there isn't one available. Going to be available in the summer. No details on pricing other than starting at $699.
  • Bosch - Going to be available in June sometime (this month). Starts at $450 but gets comparable to others with the longer cord and 30A. I haven't been able to find more details.
  • Siemens Versicharge $850 20' cord.
  • GE Watt station $850 16' cord. This unit looks large in the picture and may be hard to fit where I'd like under a cabinet.

Those are the ones so far that I think can plug into an outlet or don't say.
Any recommendations? What do you look for? Why are these so expensive when they seem like glorified switches? I'm sure prices will drop dramatically as these become more mainstream. For these sorts of prices I wish they'd connect WiFi and tell me all sorts of stats about how the charge is going.
I think the plug in models come with a 6-50 plug so you may as well match to spec. No neutral is needed.
If I was pulling wire to a 50a outlet it would be 50a wire and 50a breaker.
I am partial to Leviton and Schneider. Possibly Clipper Creek.
Yes we have been waiting over 2 years and prices have barely budged.
 
Hey guys, I just got a 2013 Leaf yesterday and this is my first post in these forums and my first question...

I bought the Siemens 30a Versicharger from Amazon and it arrives tomorrow. My question is do I set the charger to the MAX setting or do I set it to say, 75% since the charger puts out more amps than the Leaf requires? I am not sure if that would damage the batteries or charger in the Leaf and I am having a hard time finding the info. You would think there would be a Leaf settings page on Siemens website or something to make this easy. Thanks!
 
loomis2: The Leaf's on-board charger should not draw more current than it can handle, so it doesn't matter whether you have the 3.3kW or 6.6kW on-board charger (or what is the maximum charging rate of the EVSE). An EVSE signals to the on-board charger the maximum charging rate it can deliver, and the charger should draw its current accordingly to not exceed that (or its own limitations).

I think dialing the VersiCharger "maximum charging rate" down is only intended if it is calculated that your service can't handle a full 30a charging session along with all of the other household loads that may be on -- regardless the Install Manual requires a 40a circuit breaker (just in case the VersiCharge begins to allow 30a charging in the future either inadvertently or perhaps because the homeowner dials the charging rate back up).
 
The EVSE tells the charger in the car what it can supply. The charger only takes what it needs. My 2012 Leaf only has a 16A charger and that is all it will draw. It does not matter what the EVSE has available. It could be Tony's 75A EVSE but it still only would take 16A.
 
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