Level 2 Charging

Good Day, All - I just purchased a 2013 Leaf S w/20K miles. In going through the Owner's Manual, with special attention to the charging information, I see Nissan recommends Level 2 (Normal) charging v. Level 1 (Trickle) charging. Is this the understanding you all have?

I have extensively researched EVSEs, and the Clipper Creek name comes up frequently. What is the experience of other Leaf owners re: purchase/use of their products. I am particularly interested in the LCS-20P, for it's relatively low price and portability.

As a new owner of a Leaf, I'm open to any input/advice/experience "old timers" may have. If you like, I can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected]


Thanks to All!

Goin,

Does the Leaf you purchased have the 3.3kw or the 6.6 kw charger?

We are happy with our HSC 40 hard wired on the side of our house. See my website for details.

We carry a Jesla for portable evse.

Paul

I have a Clipper Creek EVSE LCS-25P, plugged into a 30 amp, 220v circuit. It works quite well with my 2014 Leaf. I have the Quick Charge option, and with the 6.6kw charger, it will go from empty to full in about five hours.
Much more convenient than using the Level 1 charge cord that came with the car.

I don't think it matters what EVSE you buy, since they all do the same thing. I would get one with a name brand, but some tend to be overpriced with a big name. I have a Schneider Electric EVLINK 30 amp 240v which has worked fine for 2 years. I would personally stay away from units that are not UL listed, or are "open source", as I am not interested in trusting my $40k vehicle to a charger that some guys make in their basement. I will pay the extra $100 or so for a good brand EVSE, and then.... you can get up to 50% of the cost of the unit and installation back in your taxes... Remember that....

GoinStrong said:

Good Day, All - I just purchased a 2013 Leaf S w/20K miles. In going through the Owner's Manual, with special attention to the charging information, I see Nissan recommends Level 2 (Normal) charging v. Level 1 (Trickle) charging. Is this the understanding you all have?

I have extensively researched EVSEs, and the Clipper Creek name comes up frequently. What is the experience of other Leaf owners re: purchase/use of their products. I am particularly interested in the LCS-20P, for it's relatively low price and portability.

As a new owner of a Leaf, I'm open to any input/advice/experience "old timers" may have. If you like, I can be contacted by e-mail at [email protected]


Thanks to All!

Click to expand...

Nothing wrong with a Clipper Creek, quality built and the price is reasonable. My only issue with CC is, it is what it is. You purchase it for the amperage you want and thats it, it's also 240v only so if you ever think you want to use it on 120v your SOL. Now some people may be fine with a single purpose EVSE and thats fine, personally I like one with more versatility so I've avoided CC.
AFA name brand vs not so name brand or even custom build OpenEVSE type of EVSEs, I have no problem with purchasing from a smaller company. I've worked for larger companies and if anything they are going to be the ones cheeping out on parts to save a few pennies, after all they are selling 1000s and if they can save 50 cents by using a 30a relay instead of a 40a, they'll probably do it. A custom builder is more than likely going to say for the 50 cents they'll save, it just isn't worth their time to have a chance of a return or issue. Of course not all larger companies are penny pinchers and some like CC may slightly overbuild their products and I suppose some smaller companies may use the cheapest available parts to make it past the warranty period, but thats where word of mouth or reviews come in handy. If a company is making/selling complete junk the word would spread around fast, OTOH if they are making quality products people will probably sing their praise.
I've been very happy with my Juicebox(openEVSE type of EVSE) as well as my $299 16a Ebusbar EVSE, never an issue with either. I can't personally vouch for CC but have read enough good reviews and comments about them to believe they are top notch.

Something that may be of concern for some is whether or not the product is UL listed. Clipper Creek and some of the other larger manufacturers are, while some of the Chinese produced ones or open source ones may not be UL listed. Whether or not that matters may depend if you live in one of those places that gets overzealous with their permits.

Quick Charge Power LLC offers the following Level 2 charge options:

Go-Cable - $299

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/Go-Cable-is-THE-240V-20-Amp-J1772-portable-charging-solution-GC20.htm

Go-Cable is the super flexible and super lightweight low cost 240 volt / 20 amp portable charge cable (EVSE) for your EV sold in North America or Japan.

Full 25 foot cable length !!!

Optional adaptors for $29 each:

NEMA 14-50P (RV parks... this is the home outlet recommended by Tesla)

NEMA 10-30P (older dyers)


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JESLA - $899

JESLA(tm) is a 120-208-240 volt 40 amp (9.6kW) J1772 / Type 1 premium portable charging cable works at up to full power on every known J1772 equipped vehicle in the world.

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/JESLA-is-THE-40-amp-J1772-portable-charging-solution-JESLA.htm

JESLA has the following plugs available for your particular wall electrical outlet. JESLA will further limit the maximum power to whatever plug is used. You don't need to know anything about electricity; it's Just-Plug-N-Charge (TM) !!!

NEMA 5-15 ......Standard Outlet... 12 amps ... adds 3-4 miles per hour charging

NEMA 6-15 ...... Air conditioners..
12 amps ... adds 6-8 miles per hour charging

NEMA 5-20 ...... Motel A/C .......... 16 amps ... adds 4-6 miles per hour charging

NEMA 10-30......Older Dryers........ 24 amps (discontinued, we can make an adapter for NEMA 14-30) ... adds 15-20 miles per hour charging

NEMA 14-30......Newer Dryers...... 24 amps... adds 15-20 miles per hour charging

NEMA 14-50......RV Parks ............ 40 amps ... adds 25-30 miles per hour charging


NOTE: JESLA comes with a carrying case, and NEMA 5-15 and NEMA 14-50 plugs


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J-Wall - $999

J-Wall is based on the Tesla second generation HPWC "Wall Connector" and probably the most capable wall mount charge station on the market:

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/J-Wall-Premium-80A-Wall-Mounted-J1772-Charging-Station-JWALL80A.htm

1) Up to 4 units on one electrical circuit (they communicate with each other)

2) A simple rotary knob is used to program for 12, 16, 20, 24, 28, 32, 36, 40, 48, 56, 64, 72 and 80 amps

3) Lowest cost 80 amp capable unit on the market (there aren't very many anyway!)