Avoiding buried cable to detached carport?

[AthLeaf]

Hey again everyone. I just finished my first post about S vs. SV. My next question is about what we need to do at home to support charging. I mentioned before that my wife & I live in a small college town and our combined commute is about 30 miles per day. We have a 1-car garage that holds our collectable jeep (84 Scrambler), so we will be parking the Leaf in the detached carport. I'm hoping to avoid the cost of running a buried cable, which is why I talk about heavy-duty extension cords below. (We have a wooded lot, no kids, and could potentially safely support an above-ground cable) Also, I'm assuming 120v is sufficient based on the combination of our low mileage commute with the fact that we generally have at least 12-hrs charging time each night. So my first ideas are below. Please let me know your thoughts:

• For starters, could I just connect the built-in trickle-charger and connect it to a heavy-duty extension cord running to an outlet on the deck?
  If not, could I buy a 120v EVSE that has a standard pigtail and connect it to the same heavy-duty extension cord running to an outlet on the deck?
  If a dedicated outlet is required, can I have an electrician terminate it to an outside outlet and then run a heavy-duty extension cord?

Thx,

Todd

 

[TimLee]

First, carefully review the nine page post about the $10,000 fortunately non-fatal garage fire of a person that took the easy approach and used 120V charging for three months.
Link to their post accident summary is http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=27&t=15784&start=70#p361401" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.
Some people have done what you are considering doing for three years without accident.
But there are risks which is why Nissan recommends NOT routinely using 120V and using extension cords even if short high quality 12 gauge cords just increases your risk.

 

[RonDawg]

While you could rely on just 120 volt current for your limited commuting distance, having a 240 volt charging station does increase the versatility of the car. I relied on 120 volt for the first 9 months as my commuting needs are even less than yours, but I found (like many new Leaf owners) more excuses to use it for other activities too. I occasionally found myself having to choose between taking the car for a long drive at night, or being able to do so the following morning. Having a 240 volt EVSE now allows me to do both.

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

One way to lower the cost is to dig the trench yourself. I did that for my ground mounted solar and saved $1000.

 

[smkettner]

Run the buried cable.

 

[QueenBee]

The easy question is you can use the EVSE that comes with the car or another one without issue. Now as to if you should add power to your garage/carport. Obviously digging the trench yourself would save money. Another option might be overhead lines.

A dedicated GFCI circuit connected to a high quality extension is a solid solution that should serve you well. When you first get the car the non dedicated circuit if it's sound and GFCI should work. Longer term it might be worth considering adding 240 volts to the garage for extended daily range and improved charging efficiency and increased safety.

 

[Nubo]

What is the distance? If you were to do this long-term (which I wouldn't recommend), I'd go with a 10-gauge cord of the shortest length necessary to get the job done. The outlet should still preferably be on a 20A dedicated circuit. Use a high-quality receptacle and have the conductors attached to the screw terminals (not the stab-in type). Use a GFCI receptacle so that the exposed run is protected. If this causes nuisance trips, live with it or find a GFCI receptacle with a higher trip point. The outside outlet should be in a weather-proof enclosure.

The connection from the EVSE to the extension cord should also be inside a weather-tight box, raised off the ground to avoid standing water. Similarly, the brick should also not be on the ground. The cords should be situated so that both connections are free of any appreciable weight from dangling cords or the EVSE brick (i.e., support the brick's weight with something else, don't let it pull down on the connector). Inspect everything frequently for any signs of damage and check for heat at the connections during charging.

Again, I don't recommend it but if you do it anyway, make it as safe as possible.

 

[AthLeaf]

Thanks everyone for the helpful info and feedback. I will definitely be contacting an electrician and having him run a dedicated 240/30a to the carport. Great suggestion about digging my own trench to save $.

The next thing I need to figure out is which EVSE to get. I like the idea of an external pigtail for portability as well as the inclusion of a timer so that I can adjust for off-peak hours (we are getting the S, which doesn't have that). I know theres info about that in other threads, but does anyone have an immediate answer for the best choice for such a combo?

 

[johnrhansen]

Whenever I wire anything, I always overbuild. For instance, when I built my garage 15 years ago, I ran a 100 amp sub panel instead of the 2 circuits of 20a 120v. I was really glad I did that years later when I got my electric car. It doesn't cost that much more to run bigger wires and a sub panel out there, then you will have more power circuits if you need them. If you dont do that, at least run a much bigger conduit than you need if you bury your cable. You can run more wires through it later if you need to.