240 outlet for 2022 leaf EVSE question

[jjeff]

To avoid confusion, you can ask the electrician to install a 14-50 receptacle for RV use and keep the EVSE in the trunk until after the installation is complete.

This, or as others have said, have the electrician pull wiring for 50a(6 gauge) circuit but install a 40a breaker and leave you a 50a breaker in case you ever get an RV, EVSE or other device requiring over 40a into that outlet. Easier to just say the outlet is for an RV.

[Stanton]

Kind of funny that the "old" (Gen1) Nissan EVSE remains the simplest solution today--even if you have to create a NEMA 6-20 (or 30) to 14-50 adapter.

[91040]

That was the upgraded version of the portable EVSE. The one that came with the car was 120V only.

[wwhitney]

Thank you for the quick reply. I'm still confused why the EVSE would have a 14-50 plug on it if it can't be plugged into a 14-50 outlet. The 14-50 outlet can only be installed on a 50 amp circuit.

The bolded statement is not correct. If the circuit is dedicated to the 14-50 receptacle, the only restriction is that the breaker be no more than 50A.

And as others have approximately noted, if the EVSE is 30A continuous, then it would require at least a 37.5A circuit. That would mean a 40A breaker minimum. As such, unless your 30A dryer circuit was run with a larger than necessary wire originally, you can't use it for the Nissan supplied EVSE.

Cheers, Wayne

[wwhitney]

40 amp breakers exist. There is no specific receptacle for them, though, so if a 50A (14-50) outlet is used with a 40A breaker, the outlet should be labeled 40A Maximum.

Should as in "would be a nice heads up for the uninformed," there's no requirement to do so. I would say instead that if you see a 14-50, 10-50, or 6-50 receptacle, you should check the breaker supplying it to find out the circuit rating.

Cheers, Wayne

[alozzy]

I would genuinely appreciate an electrician explaining why the consensus is to run a new 50A circuit rather than to make use of the existing 30A circuit and an adjustable EVSE.

For many people living in a townhouse or an older home, a 100A main panel is standard. In such cases, the electrician will almost certainly want to upgrade the panel.

In contrast, using an existing 30A circuit, with a 24A limited EVSE, incurs no new wiring costs nor panel upgrades. It also allows the LEAF to charge at 87% of full L2 rate. Selling the Nissan supplied EVSE makes it a zero cost option...

I realize that cost isn't everything, but a $2000 unexpected bill (panel upgrade, wiring, labor, etc) for a new EV owner isn't fun and the pay back period isn't great either...

I see posts like this over and over again, so a sticky post by an electrician, covering the range of options, would be an excellent resource for future EV owners. It would also make it easier for MNL members to direct new members to the sticky post, like we do with LeftieBiker's excellent post.

[LeftieBiker]

Electricians want to wire circuits - they don't want to drive out, install a new outlet, and leave. EV enthusiasts want to "future proof" everything, and most of them have the financial means to do so. I agree with you: the first option to be considered should always be using an existing circuit, with an appropriate EVSE set to use it safely.

[SageBrush]

The electrician seemed to believe that I can’t plug in the EVSE to a 50 amp circuit because the EVSE says on the back “input 240v / 30 amps”. And since it says that, they won’t install a 50 amp circuit.

There was a misunderstanding somewhere between you and the electrician. The LEAF can most surely use a 14-50 receptacle in a 40/50 Amp circuit and breaker. Moreover, the supplied OEM EVSE should not be used in a "30 Amp" circuit because a circuit and its breaker has to be rated at 125% of the current drawn when EV charging so you need at least a 40 Amp circuit and breaker.

Call a different electrician.

Advice: if the upgraded circuit work is expensive, skip it and buy an EVSE rated for 24 Amp pull (30 Amp breaker) instead with the money you get from selling the OEM EVSE. You will get close to 90% of the OEM charging time solution.

[SageBrush]

This, or as others have said, have the electrician pull wiring for 50a(6 gauge) circuit but install a 40a breaker and leave you a 50a breaker in case you ever get an RV, EVSE or other device requiring over 40a into that outlet. Easier to just say the outlet is for an RV.

There is no problem at all with installing a 50 Amp breaker here. In fact, I think it is preferable since a visitor may presume that the circuit supports 50 Amps (or 40 Amps continuous) based on the receptacle.

[BillAinCT]

Call a different electrician.

That's the simplest answer.

A circuit breaker is required to protect the wires in walls and attics. Plugs keep one from plugging in something that could draw too much. Generally if you make an adapter, you're probably trying to do something you shouldn't be doing.

You don't have anything in your house that draws 15A or 20A yet your house is chock full of 15 and 20A breakers. You can have a 40, 50, 60, even 70A breaker on the right gauge wire running to your EVSE outlet to accommodate the Nissan EVSE.