Electrical line noise while charging at 240V

[Christopher]

Bravo, you are one of the minority that actually understand why it is wrong to call an EVSE a charger other than the fact that it is not a charger in any way. People will continue to confuse this until proper terminology is used, even charge cable or charge dock

I tell people that it is essentially just a smart switch that turns the power to the vehicle on and off...

It would help a lot if we had a better term for it than "EVSE"! It's a horrid term for talking about things with people, particularly non-EV owners. If anyone's so inspired, you could start a new thread to come up with a more convenient and self-explanatory name.

 

[ElectricVehicle]

Bravo, you are one of the minority that actually understand why it is wrong to call an EVSE a charger other than the fact that it is not a charger in any way. People will continue to confuse this until proper terminology is used, even charge cable or charge dock

I tell people that it is essentially just a smart switch that turns the power to the vehicle on and off...

It would help a lot if we had a better term for it than "EVSE"! It's a horrid term for talking about things with people, particularly non-EV owners. If anyone's so inspired, you could start a new thread to come up with a more convenient and self-explanatory name.

Puhhhllleeeaaazzzeee..... J1772 just rolls off the tongue so much easier than EVSE and has instant consumer recognition, even among those that can't distinguish between a plug-in hybrid and an EV... :roll: :lol: :roll:

I guess since marketing departments can't tie the name up in endless patents and royalties, they didn't put much effort into consumer friendly terms.

Yes, the official terminology is horrible in terms of something consumers can latch onto. Good topic for another thread, for us to come up with reasonable names for these things and get them approved and in use by standards bodies, regulators and manufacturers... If I say level 3 near your daughter I'm probably more likely to get punched instead of recognizing that I'm takking about a high power EV charger!

Back on thread, the buzzing it's causing in the panel is just odd if it's loud at all. Obviously, I haven't seen or heard it in person. Can't wait for Nissan to come back with some more informnttion!

 

[QueenBee]

Yes, the official terminology is horrible in terms of something consumers can latch onto.

Which is why whenever I'm in the company of people I don't think will know what an EVSE is (Or I don't think they have an interest in learning what an EVSE is) I just call it a charger As far as a consumer is concerned does it really matter if the charger is in the car or in the EVSE? The effect is the same; if they want to charge they need the right "charger"/EVSE

 

[Herm]

its just an extension cord, with a fancy plug.

 

[garygid]

I describe it as a "safety extension cord" ... that connects the wall AC to the car's "plugin-place". Easier for most folks to grasp quickly, not get caught up thinking about, and pass on to the greater concepts like ...

"no gas", no stopping at gas stations,
typically charge overnight at home,
plug-in-anywhere adapters,
good stability, big battery down low,
tests drove through 2-foot deep water,
"no" noise (except tires and other traffic),
driving calmly gives better mileage,
headlights help airflow past side-view mirrors, and
it was designed to "resemble" a traditional car to make driving "easy".

 

[mwalsh]

I describe it as a "safety extension cord" ... that connects the wall AC to the car's "plugin-place". Easier for most folks to grasp quickly, not get caught up thinking about, and pass on to the greater concepts like ...

When my people engage in cleaning our carpets, we don't vacuum, we "Hoover". So maybe we should consider calling any J1772 EVSE a "Yazaki"? Just an idea.

 

[garygid]

We do not "Hoover" here, but we have a "copier" ...
that many used to call a "Xerox" machine.

 

[Ingineer]

The best term I've heard is "Charge Cord", and that's the term I use with most people.

-Phil

 

[Herm]

ok, a safety extension cord, with a fancy plug

 

[EVDRIVER]

The best term I've heard is "Charge Cord", and that's the term I use with most people.

-Phil

As I said in my post, charge cord or even charge dock, etc. Any member that has been reading this forum for some time should not use the term charger to describe an EVSE or suffer a direct shock from an L3 charger, which actually is a charger

 

[QueenBee]

The best term I've heard is "Charge Cord", and that's the term I use with most people.

-Phil

Yeah, I like charge cord except the silly Blink EVSE is so dang big you'd think there would be room for the charger in there

 

[QueenBee]

The best term I've heard is "Charge Cord", and that's the term I use with most people.

-Phil

Yeah, I like charge cord except the silly Blink EVSE is so dang big you'd think there would be room for the charger in there

 

[LEAFfan]

If anyone's so inspired, you could start a new thread to come up with a more convenient and self-explanatory name.

From the beginning, I've used 'charging station' or 'charging dock'. I tell them the 'charger' is in the car that uses 120/240.

 

[hill]

Unbelievable ... one teeny comment about the charger being on-board & folks are off & running ... and I thought MY A.D.D. was tough

Anyway, I've made a few RF chokes in my day ... for amateur & commercial radios ... can it be that hard ... comparred to sitting on our hands, waiting on Nissan?

 

[garygid]

Looking at a graph of the values from the EV-CAN buss that COULD be the "Battery Amps":

During driving it looks fairly reasonable.
During a 6-hour charge from 2 to 12 bars, it is about constant, but with about 20% "noise" on it.

Strange.

 

[TomT]

I'm an old-time radio guy too. I have some torroids from hell I'm planning to try... :lol:

Anyway, I've made a few RF chokes in my day ... for amateur & commercial radios ... can it be that hard ... comparred to sitting on our hands, waiting on Nissan?

 

[LEAFer]

Ok ... Nissan stopped by on Wednesday. Made an additional set of oscilloscope records with the unmodified LEAF demonstrating the noise. The noise, btw, is not a 60Hz hum, more like 4kHz plus harmonics. Then switched to their modified LEAF. More data recording.

Result: problem (basically) solved.

My house electrical system seems very sensitive to any outside influence, including GFCI and another EV charging making "noise" (bug zapper type). Even one of their measurement probes was not completely silent while recording off of a sub-panel, even with the modified LEAF. This contrasted to other test locations with the expected "silence".

So the most important bottom line: the modified LEAF has cured the original issue I discovered. And Nissan has figured out the TSB (Technical Service Bulletin) to implement an "upgrade" if it is necessary for any one particular owner's situation. However, be aware there are parts shortages, and so priority is given to current production, not already delivered LEAFs. Exact dates/VINs were not shared with me, but apparently LEAFs in production as of sometime in March already have the new "countermeasures" curing this noise issue. If I obtain VIN or Mfg Date info, I'll pass it along.

As Christopher commented, there are many variables, and many LEAF owners will never see a problem or symptoms. My situation was extreme and just the right amount of "wrong" circumstances conspired to make the issue very apparent here at home. But if you experience "noise" issues as discussed in this thread, bring it to the attention of your dealer's service manager.

Thank you, Nissan

 

[palmermd]

Good news LEAFer. Glad to hear the solution appears to be universal for all those effected.

 

[ElectricVehicle]

Ok ... Nissan stopped by on Wednesday. Made an additional set of oscilloscope records with the unmodified LEAF demonstrating the noise. The noise, btw, is not a 60Hz hum, more like 4kHz plus harmonics. Then switched to their modified LEAF. More data recording.

Result: problem (basically) solved.

Thank you, Nissan

Excellent news and good job Nissan, taking care of the problem! Thanks LEAFer for the follow up and further description fo the issue!

 

[TomT]

Yep, that would be consistent with a switched power supply... I'll let my dealer know and have them put in an official word with Nissan for my vehicle... It does also play heck with my Insteon home automation system, among other things...

Thanks for taking the lead on this!

Ok ... Nissan stopped by on Wednesday. Made an additional set of oscilloscope records with the unmodified LEAF demonstrating the noise. The noise, btw, is not a 60Hz hum, more like 4kHz plus harmonics.