Typical Steps & Cost to go to 220/240v

[brett701]

What is the typical steps to go to 240V and what is the equipment required?


I have a 2013 sv with the 480 upgrade. I am assuming that means i have the 240v option as well. My next steps. Currently i charge into the wall at 120V with the portable trickle charger.


I was planning on

1. Borrowing a charger from my nissan dealership.
2. sending in my current charger to the dude that converts the 120's to 240. (about $300ish maybe + another $80 for connectors?)
3. Have an electrician come out and install the 240v(i have a new home) (electrician $220 + materials $100?)

And thats it? This is for the most part guessing. Any fine tuning or additional information would be great.

 

[Reddy]

Good luck with #1 :lol:

 

[brett701]

Good luck with #1 :lol:

I know the sales man. He told me he would give me one.

 

[dgpcolorado]

What is the typical steps to go to 240V and what is the equipment required?


I have a 2013 sv with the 480 upgrade. I am assuming that means i have the 240v option as well. My next steps. Currently i charge into the wall at 120V with the portable trickle charger.


I was planning on

1. Borrowing a charger from my nissan dealership.
2. sending in my current charger to the dude that converts the 120's to 240. (about $300ish maybe + another $80 for connectors?)
3. Have an electrician come out and install the 240v(i have a new home) (electrician $220 + materials $100?)

And thats it? This is for the most part guessing. Any fine tuning or additional information would be great.

All LEAFs have the ability to charge at 240 Volts ("Level 2"). Your SV with the charge package can charge more quickly at Level 2 than our older cars, 6 kW versus 3.3 kW. But, for home charging it really doesn't make much difference since it is easy to charge overnight. The faster charging, both Quick Charging at 440 Volts DC and Level 2, is handy for charging on the go at public charge stations.

EVSEupgrade.com offer an expedited replacement service, for a modest fee, where they send you a modified unit and then you return your unmodified one for a refund of your deposit. They also have a quick turn-around so if you can do without the unit for a week or so (charge at public stations?) you can just send yours in as usual. But, if you can really borrow one, that makes it easy.

The cost of installing a 240 Volt outlet depends a lot on the wiring in your garage. If your electrical panel is in or near the garage, or you already have an unused 240 Volt circuit, it could be fairly easy and inexpensive.

 

[brett701]

What is the typical steps to go to 240V and what is the equipment required?


I have a 2013 sv with the 480 upgrade. I am assuming that means i have the 240v option as well. My next steps. Currently i charge into the wall at 120V with the portable trickle charger.


I was planning on

1. Borrowing a charger from my nissan dealership.
2. sending in my current charger to the dude that converts the 120's to 240. (about $300ish maybe + another $80 for connectors?)
3. Have an electrician come out and install the 240v(i have a new home) (electrician $220 + materials $100?)

And thats it? This is for the most part guessing. Any fine tuning or additional information would be great.

All LEAFs have the ability to charge at 240 Volts ("Level 2"). Your SV with the charge package can charge more quickly at Level 2 than our older cars, 6 kW versus 3.3 kW. But, for home charging it really doesn't make much difference since it is easy to charge overnight. The faster charging, both Quick Charging at 440 Volts DC and Level 2, is handy for charging on the go at public charge stations.

EVSEupgrade.com offer an expedited replacement service, for a modest fee, where they send you a modified unit and then you return your unmodified one for a refund of your deposit. They also have a quick turn-around so if you can do without the unit for a week or so (charge at public stations?) you can just send yours in as usual. But, if you can really borrow one, that makes it easy.

The cost of installing a 240 Volt outlet depends a lot on the wiring in your garage. If your electrical panel is in or near the garage, or you already have an unused 240 Volt circuit, it could be fairly easy and inexpensive.

When i go in my house from the garage i have a 240v for the washer. However, it is meant for the washer and the outlet is behind the washer. I don't know if you can piggy back or anything but i would assume it needs its own line.

I would like to be able to charge quicker the 20 hours and I would like to consider the future and being able to potentially change cars in the future.

 

[dgpcolorado]

When i go in my house from the garage i have a 240v for the washer. However, it is meant for the washer and the outlet is behind the washer. I don't know if you can piggy back or anything but i would assume it needs its own line.

I would like to be able to charge quicker the 20 hours and I would like to consider the future and being able to potentially change cars in the future.

I presume that you mean a 240 Volt circuit for a clothes dryer, not a "washer", right? If you don't use that circuit for a dryer you could tap into it for an EVSE ("charge station") instead. But what you shouldn't do is have two outlets on the same 240 Volt circuit. You definitely do not want to run your EVSE and a clothes dryer at the same time.

Yes, having 240 Volt charging is a major convenience. In addition to charging the LEAF in just a few hours it will allow you to preheat it while still plugged-in in Winter; this doesn't work as well using 120 Volt Level 1 charging. Getting into a preheated car in very cold weather is quite pleasant!

 

[iamwjh]

brett701
lots of good info already posted for you in this thread. here are my $.02:

you could use the L2 EVSE on the dryer outlet in your house, but you would have to unplug the dryer. It's one or the other, not both at the same time.
Some folks use this option and run a heavy gauge extension cord.

My breaker box is in my garage and I plan to use my L2 upgraded EVSE in the garage and will employ a friend to do the electrical work, so i just pay for the parts (breaker, wire, socket) and maybe some adult beverages as barter for the labor.

 

[shortcircuit]

What is the typical steps to go to 240V and what is the equipment required?


I have a 2013 sv with the 480 upgrade. I am assuming that means i have the 240v option as well. My next steps. Currently i charge into the wall at 120V with the portable trickle charger.

I was planning on

1. Borrowing a charger from my nissan dealership.
2. sending in my current charger to the dude that converts the 120's to 240. (about $300ish maybe + another $80 for connectors?)
3. Have an electrician come out and install the 240v(i have a new home) (electrician $220 + materials $100?)

And thats it? This is for the most part guessing. Any fine tuning or additional information would be great.

Brett, the cleanest solution is to pay the electrician to install the 240V outlet and 40 A breaker. Your dollar estimate was exactly what they charged me (cost also depends on how far away you want your outlet from the panel. If you go with a second panel, cost is much higher). Then purchase a 6.6-7.2 kWh EVESE, which will run you about $850. I believe your total cost for equipment and installation is federally tax deductible (not 100% sure on that point so please double-check me).

The low-cost solution would be to do #2 above, then buy a Quick220 to combine two 120V outlets into a single 240V. The downside is you're limited to 20A and you have a rats nest of wires in the garage.

 

[Ingineer]

If you have questions, we can help... Give us a shout!

We have many people now charging in strange situations, such as apartments and rental properties where installing a 240v outlet may be problematic.

-Phil

 

[brett701]

What is the typical steps to go to 240V and what is the equipment required?


I have a 2013 sv with the 480 upgrade. I am assuming that means i have the 240v option as well. My next steps. Currently i charge into the wall at 120V with the portable trickle charger.

I was planning on

1. Borrowing a charger from my nissan dealership.
2. sending in my current charger to the dude that converts the 120's to 240. (about $300ish maybe + another $80 for connectors?)
3. Have an electrician come out and install the 240v(i have a new home) (electrician $220 + materials $100?)

And thats it? This is for the most part guessing. Any fine tuning or additional information would be great.

Brett, the cleanest solution is to pay the electrician to install the 240V outlet and 40 A breaker. Your dollar estimate was exactly what they charged me (cost also depends on how far away you want your outlet from the panel. If you go with a second panel, cost is much higher). Then purchase a 6.6-7.2 kWh EVESE, which will run you about $850. I believe your total cost for equipment and installation is federally tax deductible (not 100% sure on that point so please double-check me).

The low-cost solution would be to do #2 above, then buy a Quick220 to combine two 120V outlets into a single 240V. The downside is you're limited to 20A and you have a rats nest of wires in the garage.

I've googled: 6.6-7.2 kWh EVESE and i can't find anything but this exact thread lol.

$800 seems like a lot for a charger. I thought i could get the http://evseupgrade.com/index.php?main_page=products_all" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; that adjustment to my current trickle charger and it would be a custom made 6.6-72 kwh evese basically?

 

[DanBaldwin]

What is the typical steps to go to 240V and what is the equipment required?


I have a 2013 sv with the 480 upgrade. I am assuming that means i have the 240v option as well. My next steps. Currently i charge into the wall at 120V with the portable trickle charger.

I was planning on

1. Borrowing a charger from my nissan dealership.
2. sending in my current charger to the dude that converts the 120's to 240. (about $300ish maybe + another $80 for connectors?)
3. Have an electrician come out and install the 240v(i have a new home) (electrician $220 + materials $100?)

And thats it? This is for the most part guessing. Any fine tuning or additional information would be great.

Brett, the cleanest solution is to pay the electrician to install the 240V outlet and 40 A breaker. Your dollar estimate was exactly what they charged me (cost also depends on how far away you want your outlet from the panel. If you go with a second panel, cost is much higher). Then purchase a 6.6-7.2 kWh EVESE, which will run you about $850. I believe your total cost for equipment and installation is federally tax deductible (not 100% sure on that point so please double-check me).

The low-cost solution would be to do #2 above, then buy a Quick220 to combine two 120V outlets into a single 240V. The downside is you're limited to 20A and you have a rats nest of wires in the garage.

I've googled: 6.6-7.2 kWh EVESE and i can't find anything but this exact thread lol.

$800 seems like a lot for a charger. I thought i could get the http://evseupgrade.com/index.php?main_page=products_all" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; that adjustment to my current trickle charger and it would be a custom made 6.6-72 kwh evese basically?

The reason you couldn't find 6.6-7.2 kw rated EVSEs is because they are rated by current, not KW. You will be looking for a 30 amp EVSE. The EVSE upgrade for your '13 leaf is rated at 20 amps, so you will limited to about 4.8 KW, but Phil can confirm that.

 

[iamwjh]

Brett701

Try a google search for this instead: EVSE Level 1 or try this: EVSE level 2

IMO, you wont find a more cost effective method than the evseupgrade option. Suggest you take Phil up on his offer to help you out. I have no affiliation with them, i'm just a happy customer.

 

[Ingineer]

Yes, our $287 upgrade is going to provide about 8 amps less to a 6kW Leaf than a $800 solution. In reality that's usually a difference of mere minutes in charge time, but if you want the absolute full capacity you'll have to drop the big bucks, or suffer from possible reliability problems and drop the medium bucks. We end up with many new customers that originally got cheap (medium bucks) units from Home Depot or had free Blink units, and woke up to go to work only to find their car didn't charge that night. The one thing anyone who has our unit can tell you, it's it's extremely reliable!

Most LEAF owners eventually realize that it's a lot like your cell phone; you plug it in at night and as long as it's charged when your ready to leave you don't notice. Where the extra juice really matters is out in public where you'll be opportunity charging, and you want to minimize wait times. If your asleep at home, you aren't waiting!

Our first upgrade (Rev1) unit was limited to 12A on 240V, and we've got hundreds of those out there still acting as daily chargers. They are usually finished in 7-10 hours, so when we finally developed the 16A version (Rev2) which charged at the maximum for 2011-12 Leafs, only about half those customers took us up on the $48 upgrade-upgrade. That's because they figured out that 12A was fast enough for their needs, so why bother?

This is also why I developed the programmable amperage feature for our new high-power Rev3. Especially for those in warmer climates, they may want to opt for generating less heat in their batteries, so any time they want to, they can dial down the charge speed while still retaining a fast option.

Our upgrade on the 6kW equipped 2013 Leaf will give you a full charge in 3-5 hours. Less if you're doing 80%. Not slow at all!

Another feature I've included in Rev3 is advanced diagnostics which helps troubleshoot problems, such as AC power issues, car on-board charger issues, etc. Sadly, we ended up with quite a few customers after their cars got damaged by GE WattStations. Rev3 can now actually diagnose this unfortunate problem so you know what's going on if it were to happen!

I'm constantly looking to make better products for EV owners. EVSE Upgrade definitely practices "Kaizen"!

-Phil

 

[brett701]

Brett701

Try a google search for this instead: EVSE Level 1 or try this: EVSE level 2

IMO, you wont find a more cost effective method than the evseupgrade option. Suggest you take Phil up on his offer to help you out. I have no affiliation with them, i'm just a happy customer.

I am 95% sure i am going to get the upgrade. I just like to see what the extent of the work is being done and whether or not i can do it myself before i purchase. I am looking into the future and believe i will have electric cars for the long haul and I'd like to know as much as possible.

Thanks!. Ill check out those searches.

 

[Staque]

I went with the Clipper Creek, because it is compact, cheaper, and I end up with 2 EVSE's instead of one. (I can't tell you how that works out. I ordered yesterday.) It's not as cheap as EVSE Upgrade, but is in between that and a gigantic wall-mount 30A deal.