Overheating EVSE plug

[davewill]

Bring the EVSe to an electrician to see If you and plug the 240 volt plug into a 120 volt (or has it been modified in the box) EVSE box. Also, they can check how many volts are actually being given out at the end of the J1772 plug. Just get a new charger that is made for Europe man...

Most electricians will have no clue how to test the EVSE in any meaningful way. Checking the output voltage won't be very useful since no EVSE ever changes the the input, it just turns a relay off and on, and you usually need a car emulator to in order to get the EVSE to close the relay and energize the plug.

Even if you decide to replace the EVSE, OP, check that outlet. It may not be the EVSE at all.

[smkettner]

Probably been upgraded if it has a large plug. NEMA 5-15 would be standard 120vac only. NEMA 6-30 or 6-50 would be upgraded to 208-240v service. Need to post the exact plug to know for sure. Could be something else.

Example:
http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=28

In this case I assume it is your adapter that is weak and getting hot.
I would remove the plug and add a Schuko as I assume that will plug in direct. This may draw close to 26-30 amps so maybe you have a different connector. Circuit should be rated close to 40 amp supply.

And your Nissan dealer appears to be clueless. There is no such thing as metric electricity.

[shroud]

As I said, there are some third parties that modify it for 240/230v use, which may have happened here. It may also be an EU model that was designed for 230v. You should be able to tell by looking at the sticker on the back.

When I said handle I mean the actual "nozzle" that you plug into the car, which is what I thought was getting hot. If it's getting hot at the wall socket, then you need to check the connections inside the wall socket and/or inside the wall plug. I believe the wall plug on that model has a temperature sensor which could be tripped either way. I'd start by taking the cover off the outlet and looking. If that is overheating, I'd expect to see some evidence of that, probably discoloration.

Thanks again! The sticker on the back definitely says 120V 12A 60Hz both input and output. Now I have found the model number so I can say it is exactly this one:

https://www.google.fi/search?q=panasoni ... xGhmHsDqJM:

[shroud]

Bring the EVSe to an electrician to see If you and plug the 240 volt plug into a 120 volt (or has it been modified in the box) EVSE box. Also, they can check how many volts are actually being given out at the end of the J1772 plug. Just get a new charger that is made for Europe man...

Thanks! Be sure that getting a new EU charger was my first thought The problem was that when I went to our local Nissan certified dealer, they told me I CANNOT that they cannot provide themselves an official Nissan charger for a USA car + EU power outlet, and that there is no guarantee that any third-party charger would work... so rather than spend 1000e on a charger that may not work, I am thinking about spending 1500e to get a home charging station.

[GerryAZ]

Can you post photos of your EVSE (include a photo of the label on the back), the input plug on the EVSE, your adapter, and your outlet so we can get a better idea of what all has been modified from the original USA unit?

[shroud]

Can you post photos of your EVSE (include a photo of the label on the back), the input plug on the EVSE, your adapter, and your outlet so we can get a better idea of what all has been modified from the original USA unit?

The plug and label are EXACTLY identical to those in the 2 pictures I posted in my previous post.

The adapter is a simple passive component as far as I can tell, it looks like it could be this model:

[jlv]

Rather than posting pictures from the Internet, you might be better off taking and posting a picture of the EVSE you are having the problem with (and the adapter your are using). That's the best way to help us determine if it's been modified.

[davewill]

The plug and label are EXACTLY identical to those in the 2 pictures I posted in my previous post.

The adapter is a simple passive component as far as I can tell, it looks like it could be this model:

In that case, it sounds like someone just spun the prayer wheel that it wouldn't explode when they tried plugging it into 230v power. Plus, you can now add the adapter as a possible source of the overheating. I'd still check out the outlet to make sure it's ok, but I no longer think you should continue to use this solution at all. Stop using it ASAP, and get a proper charging station.

[smkettner]

OK you said the plug was big and then show a picture of a standard small 5-15 plug and everything says rated 120 volts.
At this point you can ask the seller what you have or just get a home charging unit.

[shroud]

I've discussed with someone from EVSE upgrade and concluded that at least the EVSE wasn't modified by them. They told me that the original (unmodified) Nissan EVSE does in fact work "normally" up to 240V of power supply albeit limited to 12A, but there are at least some surge parts inside not rated for 240V, so there is in fact a danger involved although not immediate (in fact, this EVSE has been used by previous owners for years).

Anyway, I obviously want to be safe, so I'll be buying a new EVSE that is certified to work with our country electricity network. Despite of what the local Nissan dealers told me, I have found different EVSE that don't cost 1000e but they are rather in the totally acceptable 350-500e range, and as they are sold by local shops I have the possibility to just go there and try them out to make sure they actually work with my car.

By the way, I have also found this interesting piece of information related to charging voltages:

https://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa ... -batteries

The articles at some point says "The 2013 Nissan LEAF boasts innovative features such as 240V charging that is nearly twice as fast as the previous model, as well as a broader range of trim levels starting with the even more affordable S grade, moving up to the SV model and graduating with the top-of-the-line SL."

Can I safely assume that this is also the case for all Leafs manufactured after 2013?