2018 Nissan portable EVSE manual/wiring instructions

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nerk

Well-known member
Joined
Sep 18, 2017
Messages
60
Hi everyone,

Just looking for some information on how to wire this NEMA 14-50 plug for the new portable EVSE that comes with the 2018 Leafs.

Do you wire it 3 phase? 6 or 8 gauge etc?

Is there any documentation or manuals around it? I may be picking up the car on Monday... Would like to get the work done this weekend so its ready to be charged once it hits my driveway.

Thanks,
 
I would ask your local building inspector for some advice and have them check your work. Or hire an electrician.

Wiring this incorrectly could result in a fatal shock or your house burning down. Asking about 3-phase for this circuit indicates a lack of understanding about the basics of house wiring. No offense, but you could be seriously hurt or killed if this is done incorrectly and I don't think you are qualified to do the work.

If you insist on doing it yourself, you will need to run 2 hot wires from the breaker box to the outlet, plus a neutral and a ground. The required wire gauges are specified in your local building code or the NEC and depend on the wire type and which wire is being considered. Eg, the required gauge for the neutral or ground may be different than the 2 supply lines. If this doesn't make sense to you please do some homework first or hire someone to help.
 
Honestly, if you know so little about electrical wiring that you have to ask this, you probably shouldn't be doing it. However, I always approve of learning so here's the best FAQ I know of on the web for this subject. Because it's Tesla oriented some of the info won't apply, but much/most of it will.

https://teslamotorsclub.com/tmc/threads/faq-home-tesla-charging-infrastructure-q-a.12615/

I would add that the FAQ assumes that your 14-50 will be on a 50a circuit because the Tesla plug in EVSE assumes that. The LEAF EVSE only needs a 40a circuit. You can certainly use a 50a circuit, and I would recommend that if you're pulling new wire. However, if your panel is limited in capacity, you might have room for 40a, but not 50a.
 
Sorry, I asked the wrong question... interpreted incorrectly from my electrician... and yes, it will be inspected, i'd never take the risk...

I'm not doing the job myself, rest assured...

I think he was just asking to see if there's anything different than a standard 240v jack for an EVSE... I've read a couple different ways for a flo EVSE, single phase or 3 phase, which is where the phases part of the question might of came in... I was wondering if the Nissan portable EVSE had a required specification...

He's done pools, and house wiring, but never for an EVSE...

Just want to make sure we got things done right...

Thanks,
 
Depending if your Leaf supports 3.3kW or 6.6kW charging, it will pull either 15A or 30A continuously from the wall respectively. If you have 6.6kW charging on your Leaf I think it will have the larger DCFC socket under the charge door as well.

Your electrician should know this but for a 30A continuous current the circuit should be sized for 40A. Hence the 40A plug and wire sizes. If you ever plan to get an EV that will charge at > 30A, you could up-size the circuit now so it will handle the future equipment. You will also need to have EVSE to support the larger charge rate as well. If you only want to charge your Leaf for the foreseeable future, your electrician should just install a generic 40A, 240V circuit to your EVSE. It will be similar to the circuit for an electric range.
 
nerk said:
Sorry, I asked the wrong question... interpreted incorrectly from my electrician... and yes, it will be inspected, i'd never take the risk...

I'm not doing the job myself, rest assured...

I think he was just asking to see if there's anything different than a standard 240v jack for an EVSE... I've read a couple different ways for a flo EVSE, single phase or 3 phase, which is where the phases part of the question might of came in... I was wondering if the Nissan portable EVSE had a required specification...

He's done pools, and house wiring, but never for an EVSE...

Just want to make sure we got things done right...

Thanks,

Tell him that it is wired like a standard 50amp RV plug. There is nothing special about it.
 
One possible source of confusion is the fact that an EVSE doesn't need or use a Neutral wire. Unless your charging station will be hardwired, though, you want a standard 240 volt circuit WITH Neutral, so other 240 volt appliances can safely plug into that outlet.
 
What ever you do tell the electrician you have an RV and you need a 14-50 outlet installed, If you say it is for your EV than the electrician thinks you made his yought payment! Large RV's use a 14-50 at 240 VAC so the request is not unusual.
 
ok great...

Then should be a simple install, my electrician is a cousin of mine, so he already knows I'm getting an EV, gave him a heads up months ago..., but like I said, the EVSE thing was foreign to him...

If its the same as an RV, shouldn't be problem...

Thanks, I'll pass along the information...
 
Hopefully an electrician will weigh in, but I'm pretty sure you would use only 2 of the 3 hot phases and a ground. You can't use a 3-phase EVSE with a Leaf. Ideal output would be 208V @ 32A, to supply the maximum charging rate that the LEAF OBC can handle.
 
Nix01 said:
Installing @ my work
We have 3 phase, does that change anything?

Not for wiring the plug/EVSE. The two pole breaker in the panel only connects to two of the three phases. The voltage may be lower, 208 instead of 240, which means it may charge just a little bit slower.
 
Nix01 said:
Installing @ my work
We have 3 phase, does that change anything?
Just make sure the 3 phase is 120v/208v and not 277v/480v :shock: Basically no N. American EVSEs operate off 277v, max voltage is something like 260v.
Like at home to use the maximum charging rate(with a 6.6kwh Leaf charger) you'll need a minimum 40a breaker with minimum 8 gauge wire, 50a breaker and 6 gauge being best.
 
I'm not an electrician either but I would guess 3-phase has the phases 120 degrees apart instead of 180 degrees like a typical house 240 circuit.

I would contact the EVSE vendor and ask them before trying to hook up the unit to 2 legs of a 3-phase circuit. It doesn't seem like a good idea to me :shock: Better yet, get an electrician to weigh in on the subject.
 
goldbrick said:
I'm not an electrician either but I would guess 3-phase has the phases 120 degrees apart instead of 180 degrees like a typical house 240 circuit.

I would contact the EVSE vendor and ask them before trying to hook up the unit to 2 legs of a 3-phase circuit. It doesn't seem like a good idea to me :shock: Better yet, get an electrician to weigh in on the subject.

Check the manual for the EVSE--most will work fine on 208 volts using 2 phases of a 120/208 3-phase wye system. The LEAF onboard charger will draw more current at 208 volts (if allowed by EVSE) so the charging power is almost the same as at 240 volts. Use 2 phases, neutral, and ground to wire the NEMA 14-50 receptacle.
 
Personally, I would have 2 concerns. One is whether the 3 phase wiring is actually a wye connection or some other 3 phase system. The other is whether the loads would become unbalanced to the point where this would cause issues for any 3 phase equipment in use (eg a precision or high power motor). It's possible none of this is an issue for this installation but I would contact an electrician unless I was certain.
 
jjeff said:
Nix01 said:
Installing @ my work
We have 3 phase, does that change anything?
Just make sure the 3 phase is 120v/208v and not 277v/480v :shock: Basically no N. American EVSEs operate off 277v, max voltage is something like 260v.
Like at home to use the maximum charging rate(with a 6.6kwh Leaf charger) you'll need a minimum 40a breaker with minimum 8 gauge wire, 50a breaker and 6 gauge being best.

Some Tesla Destination chargers are 277V.
 
The wiring instructions are easy.

1) I hire a licensed and qualified electrician
2) Have them properly install a 14-50 oultet
3) Plug the car in

It's crazy how much banter and poor information is being discussed on something so basic. Anyone that does not know these answers off the top of their head including, wire sizes, phases, etc has no business doing anything but hiring a qualified professional This goes for any EVSE. It could not be more straight forward and it's no different than any other EVSE with a plug today.
 
goldbrick said:
Personally, I would have 2 concerns. One is whether the 3 phase wiring is actually a wye connection or some other 3 phase system. The other is whether the loads would become unbalanced to the point where this would cause issues for any 3 phase equipment in use (eg a precision or high power motor). It's possible none of this is an issue for this installation but I would contact an electrician unless I was certain.

That's a good point. Consider using an AC voltmeter before connecting or better yet an o-scope, i.e. the peak voltage (not RMS) could
be a problem requiring use of an o-scope.
 
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