Charging timer

Hello I have a 2015 Leaf with the cheap stock radio, no navigation unit. I recently signed up for time of use electrical metering at my house and get cheaper power between 10PM and 5 AM. Since I don't have the nav system I can't figure out how to plug in the car during peak time and have the car wait till 10PM to start charging.

I studied the instructions for the basic built in charging timer, it seems very limited, and it doesn't seem to do what I want: start charging at 10 PM regardless of when I initially plug it in.

I have the Nissan level1/level2 EVSE with the removable 120V plug on top of the 240v plug. This EVSE is pretty dumb, can't be programmed,

My simple thought is to have the EVSE connected to a 15-50 receptacle controlled by a 240V contactor controlled by a 24 Hr timer relay thingamabob so the EVSE only gets powered when the contactor is closed. Another option is to use a 120v Christmas light on off timer or a 240v swimming pool pump timer.

Am I missing a timer function on the car that simply starts charging at a pre-programmed time? This seems like a very basic capability that should be part of the basic vehicle.

Thanks

BillyA said:

Am I missing a timer function on the car that simply starts charging at a pre-programmed time?

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Yes, there is a function in the car's charging menu that can be used to set the start time indirectly. The timer function allows you specify a time that the car will be fully charged and then the car will start charging based on the capacity of the EVSE it is plugged into and its current SOC. For example, you can set the timer so that the car will be fully charged at 8AM. The car will then calculate when to start charging based on the current SOC and the amount of power available from the EVSE. AFAIK, there is no way to stop the charging before 100% so unless you unplug the car at 5AM or charge to 100% every night, this feature won't be very helpful.

If you have the know-how to construct a device with adequate contactors and a relay and timer to drive them then that would work. Or you could sell the OEM EVSE you have and buy another EVSE that has better controls. OpenEVSE is one source that can do this but I'm sure there are many more.

Thanks for the response!