Level 2 charger electrical question

I just bought my leaf a week and a half ago. A few days ago I found good deal on a portable level 2 charger but didn't consider that my only 220 outlet is a 50 amp appliance outlet and the charger is, I think. 16 amps with a different connector. Can I buy an adapter or do I need an electrician?

You should be able to get an adapter. eBay is a good start.

webeleafowners said:

You should be able to get an adapter. eBay is a good start.

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Oh yes! A good quality 240VAC adapter is easy and works! I always said that's the nice thing about standards, we have so many to choose from!

John Kuthe...

It's like plugging a lamp into an outlet: the EVSE (charging station or charging cable), like the light, only draws as much current as it's designed to draw. The charger, BTW, is built into the car. L-1 and L-2 EVSEs just provide a safe connection that supplies the car's charger with house current, either 120 or 240 volts.

Chuck763 said:

I just bought my leaf a week and a half ago. A few days ago I found good deal on a portable level 2 charger but didn't consider that my only 220 outlet is a 50 amp appliance outlet and the charger is, I think. 16 amps with a different connector. Can I buy an adapter or do I need an electrician?

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My I suggest that either you, or a handy friend help you, purchase a wall mounted box and 240v outlet where you want it next to your new EVSE, then connect it to the wires in your existing 50a appliance outlet. That way you still have the appliance outlet available. As long as you are not using that outlet while the Leaf is charging there is no problem. You could even "Hardwire" your EVSE to the wires feeding the 50a appliance outlet. jmho.

Also, I do believe that one day soon you will wish you had purchased an EVSE that will allow you to charge at the full 6.6kw rate. That requires a 40a circuit to run a 30a EVSE. It will charge your car in half the time. Not needed overnight, but we find that when we get home and plug in, often we will need to use the Leaf again soon. Since we leave it set for 80% charge, getting it back up to 80% quickly helps give us all the range we need for the extra trips in the evening.

One thing that I forgot to note: in the interest of safety, you will want to replace the 50 amp breaker on the appliance outlet with either a 20, 25, or at most 30 amp breaker. The existing breaker might allow a small fire to start in the wiring of a small EVSE before it tripped. You can keep the old breaker and swap it back in if you ever get a 40 amp charging station.

http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=index&cPath=7

Chuck763 said:

I just bought my leaf a week and a half ago. A few days ago I found good deal on a portable level 2 charger but didn't consider that my only 220 outlet is a 50 amp appliance outlet and the charger is, I think. 16 amps with a different connector. Can I buy an adapter or do I need an electrician?

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If you have a 50 amp 220VAC plug-in available that is perfect for you and your Level 2 charger.

John Kuthe...

That's 240 volts, folks, not 220, at least in the US. It's been that voltage for decades now. And 120 volts, not 110.

Graffi said:

Also, I do believe that one day soon you will wish you had purchased an EVSE that will allow you to charge at the full 6.6kw rate. That requires a 40a circuit to run a 30a EVSE. It will charge your car in half the time. Not needed overnight, but we find that when we get home and plug in, often we will need to use the Leaf again soon. Since we leave it set for 80% charge, getting it back up to 80% quickly helps give us all the range we need for the extra trips in the evening.

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Which Leaf did you get Chuck763? A 3.3kW (16amp on 20amp circuit) EVSE is all you need for most Leaf S's and all 2011 and 2012 Leafs since they only have a 3.3kW charger. But Graffi is right that if you have a 6.6kW charger Leaf why not go for a 6.6kW EVSE especially if you already have a 50amp outlet?

Why don't we get some clarification:

1) What EXACLTLY is the wall outlet? NEMA 6-50R, 14-50R, 10-50R, etc.

2) What EXACTLY is the plug on this 16 amp charger (is it one you got from us at Quick Charge Power?). Is it an L6-20P, 6-20P, or something else?