Why do I need a Charging Station ?

Why? Because the portable unit isn't (as others have already pointed out) designed for permanent primary use. And because (unless they've improved them since the one that came with my 2018), there is no way to set the maximum current for level 2 mode, which is a problem if your 240V power socket is, say, only 30A. And because there are very reasonably priced chargers out there (see my post in the "Grizzl-E" thread) that are very well suited for charging a car that's parked outdoors.

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, work for United Chargers. I'm just a satisfied owner of one of their Grizzle-E units.

hbquikcomjamesl said:

Why? Because the portable unit isn't (as others have already pointed out) designed for permanent primary use. And because (unless they've improved them since the one that came with my 2018), there is no way to set the maximum current for level 2 mode, which is a problem if your 240V power socket is, say, only 30A. And because there are very reasonably priced chargers out there (see my post in the "Grizzl-E" thread) that are very well suited for charging a car that's parked outdoors.

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, work for United Chargers. I'm just a satisfied owner of one of their Grizzle-E units.

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I currently have 3 of the 120/240v Nissan OEM EVSEs. One from my totaled 2019 SL, one that I bought on eBay for only $209 and the one that came with my 2020 SL. . I have never unwrapped the one that’s in the storage bag in my 2020SL trunk. The eBay one is permanently mounted in the shed at my vacation cabin. It has been used very often and it seems to be bullet proof.

For a short time I had a Clipper Creek LCS-30 24 amp version in my vacation cabin shed but it failed within 2 weeks so I returned it and bought the eBay Nissan OEM for $209.

The Nissan one is not rain proof so it stays permanently mounted in thecshed, out of the weather, and the cord exits under the shed door.


Here’s the Clipper Creek right before it failed.



Here’s the leaf plugged in with cord exiting under shed door.

And here’s the Eaton permanently mounted, hard wired, L2 EVSE that’s been used for over 5 years now in my main home garage.

hbquikcomjamesl said:

Why? Because the portable unit isn't (as others have already pointed out) designed for permanent primary use. And because (unless they've improved them since the one that came with my 2018), there is no way to set the maximum current for level 2 mode, which is a problem if your 240V power socket is, say, only 30A. And because there are very reasonably priced chargers out there (see my post in the "Grizzl-E" thread) that are very well suited for charging a car that's parked outdoors.

Disclaimer: I do not, in any way, work for United Chargers. I'm just a satisfied owner of one of their Grizzle-E units.

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While the Grizzl-E is probably a good unit, the Nissan portable unit is definitely suitable for daily use as long as the receptacle and power circuit are correct for it. Also, the Nissan unit will not operate on 208-volt circuits. It will allow the car to draw up to 30 amperes at 240 volts so it needs a minimum circuit rating of 40 amperes with a NEMA 14-50 receptacle. I would routinely use the one that came with my 2019 SL+ if I did not already have an AeroVironment unit installed in June 2011 at home and a Clipper Creek unit at my workshop garage.

The real problem with the Nissan unit is that while it isn't exactly designed for Unicorns, the kind of circuit it needs is relatively rare in residential garages and even homes. They stupidly imply that you can plug one into a dryer circuit, but you'd really have to plug it into your electric range outlet, and have a cold dinner.

Ok: enough of the FUD on the Nissan branded (Panasonic OEM) EVSE. I've used a (EVSE Upgrade modified) unit plugged into a (dedicated) electric dryer outlet in my garage as a daily charger for over 10 years now. Otherwise @GerryAZ said it all: won't operate on 208-volt circuits...delivers up to 30 amperes at 240 volts so it needs a minimum circuit rating of 40 amperes (my old Leaf doesn't even draw half that)...the J1772 handle is sturdy/good quality.

No FUD from me here. It's a good, robust unit, but they let Leaf drivers down with the design parameters. If it were either 24 amps or adjustable to 24 amps, it would be a great unit.

LeftieBiker said:

No FUD from me here. It's a good, robust unit, but they let Leaf drivers down with the design parameters. If it were either 24 amps or adjustable to 24 amps, it would be a great unit.

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100% agree, I don't understand why Nissan decided to add 240V charging (great), yet failed to recognize that being able to adjust the current draw was useful functionality. I think that capability, along with supporting supply voltages of anything between 110V and 240V, should be standard on all L2 EVSEs, implemented as a DIP switch - just like Grizzl-E has chosen to do. Safe, yet flexible.

To add insult to injury, I've seen Nissan ads that mention dryer outlets.

@Stanton and I own unicorns: The NIssan branded EVSE that has been upgraded by Ingineer's now defunct company. As part of the upgrade, 240 volt charging was enabled *and* the EVSE is switchable to a range of voltages so it is easy to use with a dryer outlet.

I've never used mine in 240v mode, and I don't think I ever will. I've thought about selling it to someone who is stuck with a dryer outlet but unfortunately the end of the safety tongue is broken off and I've never felt comfortable enough to sell it. Back in the day I sent the EVSE to ingineer's company to repair the handle and they ended up doing nothing. They said a repair of the handle would break the units water resistance, while a replacement of a new cable/handle would be too expensive.

I also have two of the original Nissan units upgraded by EVSE Upgrade (Ingineer's company) and they are both high-quality units. One is their original generation upgrade which is 12 amperes at any voltage (purchased as a backup and to use with my generator, if necessary, when my 2011 was almost new) and the other is the original from my 2011 that I sent in for upgrade after the car met its demise. The second one is adjustable from 6 to 12 amperes at 120 volts and 6 to 24 amperes at 208 or 240 volts, if I remember correctly. I suppose I could sell the 12A unit if someone needs one.

This Ebay sale
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-OEM-2014-Nissan-LEAF-EVSE-110V-240V-24-amp-charger/254882995808?hash=item3b5835de60:g:3OQAAOSw0KJgOvWV

of a Nissan branded EVSE is interesting. It appears to take both 120v/240v and is limited to 24 Amps on L2.
The electronics box looks smaller in the photo compared to what I have, so perhaps that is why the Amp limit is lower.

I don't recommend putting these mobile EVSEs to daily use for the reasons I wrote earlier but it is a cheap solution up-front. And to the couple of people who are sure that such use is fine because they do it and have not had any problems, I'll regale you with the story of my Grandmother who heavily smoked her entire adult life and did not die from cancer or heart disease.

GerryAZ said:

I also have two of the original Nissan units upgraded by EVSE Upgrade (Ingineer's company) and they are both high-quality units. One is their original generation upgrade which is 12 amperes at any voltage (purchased as a backup and to use with my generator, if necessary, when my 2011 was almost new) and the other is the original from my 2011 that I sent in for upgrade after the car met its demise.

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Truth be told, I (only) have the original EVSE Upgrade that is 12a @120v and 16a @240v, not the second generation one that allows for adjustable charge rates. However, it may never matter to me, because my Gen 1 Leaf (only) charges @3.6 kW rate--and I'm getting very close to upgrading my 24 kWh pack to a 40 kWh pack...which means I may never need (or be able) to charge above that rate!

SageBrush said:

This Ebay sale
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-OEM-2014-Nissan-LEAF-EVSE-110V-240V-24-amp-charger/254882995808?hash=item3b5835de60:g:3OQAAOSw0KJgOvWV

of a Nissan branded EVSE is interesting. It appears to take both 120v/240v and is limited to 24 Amps on L2.
The electronics box looks smaller in the photo compared to what I have, so perhaps that is why the Amp limit is lower.

I don't recommend putting these mobile EVSEs to daily use for the reasons I wrote earlier but it is a cheap solution up-front. And to the couple of people who are sure that such use is fine because they do it and have not had any problems, I'll regale you with the story of my Grandmother who heavily smoked her entire adult life and did not die from cancer or heart disease.

Click to expand...

I believe the first EVSE upgrades would go to 24a, I believe they were non-adjustable? 24a was kind of pushing the limits of the J1772 wire but was probably just code. The next generation of EVSE upgrades was 20a max and adjustable, that's the generation I have for my '13 Leaf and it works great to this day. My only complaint is it only does 12a @ 120v, they did make one that did 16a @ 120v but it cost more and I didn't think I would use it at the time. I also have a first-gen non-adjustable upgrade that does 20a on both 240v and 120v, because of this I don't really use it on a standard 120v outlet as it would be more than the breaker would allow for continuous use, I have used it with an outlet adapter on a TT-30 outlet to get quite a bit faster 120v charging than the regular 12a gives me.

jjeff said:

SageBrush said:

This Ebay sale
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-OEM-2014-Nissan-LEAF-EVSE-110V-240V-24-amp-charger/254882995808?hash=item3b5835de60:g:3OQAAOSw0KJgOvWV

of a Nissan branded EVSE is interesting. It appears to take both 120v/240v and is limited to 24 Amps on L2.
The electronics box looks smaller in the photo compared to what I have, so perhaps that is why the Amp limit is lower.

I don't recommend putting these mobile EVSEs to daily use for the reasons I wrote earlier but it is a cheap solution up-front. And to the couple of people who are sure that such use is fine because they do it and have not had any problems, I'll regale you with the story of my Grandmother who heavily smoked her entire adult life and did not die from cancer or heart disease.

Click to expand...

I believe the first EVSE upgrades would go to 24a, I believe they were non-adjustable? 24a was kind of pushing the limits of the J1772 wire but was probably just code. The next generation of EVSE upgrades was 20a max and adjustable, that's the generation I have for my '13 Leaf and it works great to this day. My only complaint is it only does 12a @ 120v, they did make one that did 16a @ 120v but it cost more and I didn't think I would use it at the time. I also have a first-gen non-adjustable upgrade that does 20a on both 240v and 120v, because of this I don't really use it on a standard 120v outlet as it would be more than the breaker would allow for continuous use, I have used it with an outlet adapter on a TT-30 outlet to get quite a bit faster 120v charging than the regular 12a gives me.

Click to expand...

The EVSE I linked to does not appear to be upgraded. The label looks OEM

SageBrush said:

jjeff said:

SageBrush said:

This Ebay sale
https://www.ebay.com/itm/Used-OEM-2014-Nissan-LEAF-EVSE-110V-240V-24-amp-charger/254882995808?hash=item3b5835de60:g:3OQAAOSw0KJgOvWV

of a Nissan branded EVSE is interesting. It appears to take both 120v/240v and is limited to 24 Amps on L2.
The electronics box looks smaller in the photo compared to what I have, so perhaps that is why the Amp limit is lower.

I don't recommend putting these mobile EVSEs to daily use for the reasons I wrote earlier but it is a cheap solution up-front. And to the couple of people who are sure that such use is fine because they do it and have not had any problems, I'll regale you with the story of my Grandmother who heavily smoked her entire adult life and did not die from cancer or heart disease.

Click to expand...

I believe the first EVSE upgrades would go to 24a, I believe they were non-adjustable? 24a was kind of pushing the limits of the J1772 wire but was probably just code. The next generation of EVSE upgrades was 20a max and adjustable, that's the generation I have for my '13 Leaf and it works great to this day. My only complaint is it only does 12a @ 120v, they did make one that did 16a @ 120v but it cost more and I didn't think I would use it at the time. I also have a first-gen non-adjustable upgrade that does 20a on both 240v and 120v, because of this I don't really use it on a standard 120v outlet as it would be more than the breaker would allow for continuous use, I have used it with an outlet adapter on a TT-30 outlet to get quite a bit faster 120v charging than the regular 12a gives me.

Click to expand...

The EVSE I linked to does not appear to be upgraded. The label looks OEM

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No that label is defiantly not OEM, it says 100-140v 16a (12a typical) and 200-250v 24a (20a typical) 50/60hz.
Not sure whats up with the "typical" wording, I mean does it max out at 20a or 24a @ 240v? same with 120v, 16a or 12a? I'd guess it's an early EVSEupgrade'd EVSE. If it goes for the current $135 + shipping it's a good deal, the OEM Panasonic EVSE is a good rock-solid EVSE, of course, it could get bid up.

I don't recommend putting these mobile EVSEs to daily use for the reasons I wrote earlier but it is a cheap solution up-front. And to the couple of people who are sure that such use is fine because they do it and have not had any problems, I'll regale you with the story of my Grandmother who heavily smoked her entire adult life and did not die from cancer or heart disease.

Click to expand...

You don't understand the risk factors here. Plugging a good portable EVSE in and leaving it plugged in, sheltered from the weather, makes it just as durable as an inexpensive wall-mount charging station. The hardware is virtually the same. The only risks in using a portable EVSE as a home charging station have to do with moving it around constantly, or using it with no protection from rain for long periods.

I agree, you could use it permanently. If I recall correctly it is supposed to take some rain and such but not being drenched in water, I would not mount it outside. I take mine on road trips and plug it in when camping and have a permanently mounted charger but I always tell new people to wait a little while before they spend on the electrician to make sure they like it.

You can mount them outside, as long as they have some protection from the rain. Ours have done fine with just the garage eave protecting them - except for the one that failed, which was a wall mount unit and fully weatherproof.

SageBrush said:

The Nissan mobile EVSE was not designed for the way you are thinking about using it.

Water is one problem,
Frequent connect/disconnect is another,
Frequent use at 240v is a third

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@SageBrush The Nissan OEM 120/240v EVSE is a UL Listed robust device. UL Listed devices UL listing ensures Safety and Longevity under normal wear and tear.

I’ve worked to get some 50amp 240v devices UL Listed and CSA Listed. UL doesn’t approve unless they are confident that the products are safe and robust.

I will agree that a poor quality 14-50R receptacle can get loose with constant plug and unplug usage and cause problems. Ask anyone who camps with a camper requiring. 50 amp connection. Good quality receptacles fair much better than inexpensive ones.

We actually provided a 14-50R receptacle to customers before delivering and installing our equipment. We provided either Bryant or Hubble. Leviton Was not first choice.