Charge older Leaf with Lightning 240 volt EVSE?

[Cmahrle]

We have a 2013 Leaf and just got a Lightning, which comes with an EVSE that has adapters for plugging into 120- or 240-volt outlets. Before I fry anything, is it safe to charge this older Leaf with this EVSE in a 240-volt outlet? I don’t know why it wouldn’t be, but not sure if there’s some control that happens in a charging station that doesn’t happen in the EVSE.

 

[cornbinder89]

yes, the onboard charger (either 3.3 or 6KW) will take only that from the EVSE supply.

edit:
another way to look at it is if it has a SAE J1772 plug it has to conform to the SAE protocol, which both vehicles use.

 

[Cmahrle]

yes, the onboard charger (either 3.3 or 6KW) will take only that from the EVSE supply.

edit:
another way to look at it is if it has a SAE J1772 plug it has to conform to the SAE protocol, which both vehicles use.

Thank you!

 

[otsija86]

Hi, I'm asking in this post if anyone has charged a nissan leaf via a type1 socket using a modified sine wave inverter? Would a 230V modified sine wave be suitable there? ( I would use 6A current only there)

 

[knightmb]

Hi, I'm asking in this post if anyone has charged a nissan leaf via a type1 socket using a modified sine wave inverter? Would a 230V modified sine wave be suitable there? ( I would use 6A current only there)

I have not tried myself, but from what I read of others, using a modified sine wave inverter causes an error that prevents charging. When using a pure sine wave inverter (like what I use) works fine. My guess the same issue would stop a 240V modified sine wave inverter as well, but I don't recall anyone here trying either. You might get lucky, but I would not worry about breaking anything as either it will work or not work.

 

[knightmb]

We have a 2013 Leaf and just got a Lightning, which comes with an EVSE that has adapters for plugging into 120- or 240-volt outlets. Before I fry anything, is it safe to charge this older Leaf with this EVSE in a 240-volt outlet? I don’t know why it wouldn’t be, but not sure if there’s some control that happens in a charging station that doesn’t happen in the EVSE.

Just to further confirm as we all realize what it means to ask a stranger on the Internet...

The EVSE is a fancy safety switch. The real charging takes place inside the vehicle. The EVSE just supplies the power after doing a few safety checks and if something goes wrong, it disconnects the power as part of that safety system. You have nothing to worry about, if it works for the F150 Lightning, it will work the same for the Leaf. The only difference is the Leaf uses less power, but that's not an issue to worry about.

[edit] Ok, didn't realize this was an old posting, lol.

 

[coulomb]

I'm asking in this post if anyone has charged a Nissan leaf via a type1 socket using a modified sine wave inverter?

I would not expect it to work. The front end of the On Board Charger is a Power Factor Correction circuit that is expecting a sine wave. It's trying to modulate its current draw to be in phase and proportional in amplitude to the voltage, but no sine wave can remotely match a "modified" sine wave (really just a square wave with dead zones near where the zero crossings should be).

 

[BillAinCT]

Would e.g. a 5-6kW generator be OK? I was running my generator and thought why not trickle charge while it's running. But then I thought if it blew up the Nissan EVSE wouldn't I feel stupid?

 

[Chad E. Mo]

Modified sine wave is crap. I would only use it for running toasters and brushed motors.

 

[knightmb]

Would e.g. a 5-6kW generator be OK? I was running my generator and thought why not trickle charge while it's running. But then I thought if it blew up the Nissan EVSE wouldn't I feel stupid?

A mechanical generator should produce a true sine wave, should be fine. The EVSE is just a fancy safety switch, it really doesn't care about the wave properties in that it is looking for a consistent voltage, proper grounding, etc. before it switches it over to the EV. If a modified sine wave inverter were about to pass through an EVSE, the EV itself may not do anything if it senses something not right with the power coming in.