How should you charge your leaf at home?

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ASepic

New member
Joined
May 13, 2018
Messages
2
Hi Leafers,
I just bought my first Leaf (a 2012) yesterday. I am completely in love with it and found myself laughing when I passed the gas station and was looking at the people at the pump. :-D

One BIG question I have right off the bat is how 'should' you charge your Leaf at home? The manual suggests a Level 2 charger at 220-240V for the 'normal' charging procedure at home. But the previous owner told me he's only ever used the trickle charger at home and never had a problem with it not being completely charged in the morning. The manual recommends not doing this as it would reduce battery life. I spoke to another friend who has a 2015 Leaf and he as well only uses a trickle charge at home and said he heard that the trickle charge is best for longer battery life.

SO what's the official Modus Operandi? What's the consensus on this?

Thanks!
 
ASepic said:
Hi Leafers,
I just bought my first Leaf (a 2012) yesterday. I am completely in love with it and found myself laughing when I passed the gas station and was looking at the people at the pump. :-D

One BIG question I have right off the bat is how 'should' you charge your Leaf at home? The manual suggests a Level 2 charger at 220-240V for the 'normal' charging procedure at home. But the previous owner told me he's only ever used the trickle charger at home and never had a problem with it not being completely charged in the morning. The manual recommends not doing this as it would reduce battery life. I spoke to another friend who has a 2015 Leaf and he as well only uses a trickle charge at home and said he heard that the trickle charge is best for longer battery life.

SO what's the official Modus Operandi? What's the consensus on this?

Thanks!

L2 charge rate is more efficient, but will take a decade to save you enough electric power to pay for the charger and installation.

L1 charge rate will work as long as you don't drive too many miles.

A lower charge rate is very slightly worse for battery life. Other factors, such as garage temperature, are far more important. The cooler the better in summer.
 
You can continue with the 110v charger if the charging time (or 5 miles of range per hour charging) meets your needs....

Only problem is that if you need 100% battery every morning, you will not charge at 110v overnight.

I love my 240v charger. I can charge 30-35 miles range per hour of plugging in. Definitely worth the expense of charger and installation.
 
There's HUGE amounts of info about stuff like this. You might read over this short thread for a better idea.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=25720

110v charging is fine, but take a long time.
220v is more convenient, but you may spend a fair chunk of change getting a 220v ESVE and an outlet. Set me back about $1100 when it was all done.
 
The biggest reasons I think Nissan discourages L1 except as a last resort are:

1. Reduced level of satisfaction with the car, because it takes forever to charge
2. Potential fire issues when using an existing garage outlet, unless you have had an electrician inspect it or your home is fairly new
3. High likelihood that your garage outlet is on a circuit with other outlets, and the EVSE really needs to be the only thing on that circuit

That said, my first 9 months with my Leaf I charged using L1. But I used an outlet that was not on a shared circuit (central vacuum system no longer working properly) and periodically checked it for signs of overheating. And my range needs were such that replenishing what I used the day before still took less than 8 hours even at L1 speeds.
 
Thank you Everyone for your responses.

Great to know that the previous owner didn't prematurely deteriorate the battery by only using the L1 charger. And to understand how you all approach your charging.

I think I'll take the route of installing my own 30amp external outlet to plug in an upgraded 220V EVSE to charge things at L2 and keep costs minimal. Perhaps I can even find one here on the used/for sale forum - https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=41&t=25297.
 
Therese days a 16A EVSE is cheap. You can find them on Amazon for well under $300. It is not like 2012 when I paid $1000 for a Litton 16A 240V EVSE. MANY OF THE CHEAP China EVSE's do not fully comply with the standards. They fail the GFCI test. they work fine but they are missing a safety test. Clipper Creek is a uint that passes all safety tests.
 
RonDawg said:
The biggest reasons I think Nissan discourages L1 except as a last resort are:

1. Reduced level of satisfaction with the car, because it takes forever to charge
2. Potential fire issues when using an existing garage outlet, unless you have had an electrician inspect it or your home is fairly new
3. High likelihood that your garage outlet is on a circuit with other outlets, and the EVSE really needs to be the only thing on that circuit

That said, my first 9 months with my Leaf I charged using L1. But I used an outlet that was not on a shared circuit (central vacuum system no longer working properly) and periodically checked it for signs of overheating. And my range needs were such that replenishing what I used the day before still took less than 8 hours even at L1 speeds.
Perfect info and advice, exactly what I would say, except that I've used L1 for nearly seven years. It works perfectly under my low use pattern (still under 50,000 mi).
 
flydiver said:
There's HUGE amounts of info about stuff like this. You might read over this short thread for a better idea.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=25720

110v charging is fine, but take a long time.
220v is more convenient, but you may spend a fair chunk of change getting a 220v ESVE and an outlet. Set me back about $1100 when it was all done.

You cannot be pound foolish by not getting the 240v L2 charger at home.... It opens up the car to be available 24 hours/ day.... With L2, you and your whole family can drive the car long distances round the clock, making the car as useful as a taxicab. 120volt L1 makes your car a brick, taking up space in your driveway for 12 hours per day, just to commute to work. When you get home from work, your car is DEAD for 12 hours....

The $1100 is not a high charge, when you are making a capital improvement on your home to fuel all your future electric cars.
 
From what I can tell, those of us who bought used Leafs are more likely than original owners to try to live with L1 indefinitely.

I'm at the one year point now and L1 has served me just fine: There have only been a few times when the lack of L2 left me with serious range anxiety, or made me drive a different vehicle. Every time I start thinking I should take the plunge, I feel like I can't really justify the expense.

Maybe someday when a gently used Model 3 lands in my garage. ;)
 
After 4 years I still have only the L1 for the LEAF at home. I can get away with that since I have access to a L2 at work and am able to charge the car most days of the work week. It wasn't until I got the S that I put in a NEMA 10-50 outlet (since the Tesla comes with a 40A capable mobile EVSE).
 
I understand there is about 300 watts overhead during charging. So if you charge 12 hours on L1 vs 3 hours on L2 you just used 2.7 extra kWh of power.
Do this most days for a few years and you might pay for the L2 station. The convenience and less worry about charging is a bonus.
 
jlv said:
After 4 years I still have only the L1 for the LEAF at home. I can get away with that since I have access to a L2 at work and am able to charge the car most days of the work week. It wasn't until I got the S that I put in a NEMA 10-50 outlet (since the Tesla comes with a 40A capable mobile EVSE).

Tesla redesigned the supplied EVSE. It is no longer 40A now it is 24A. This applies to all current cars. If I had to guess they had problems pushing the 30A Potter and Brumfield relay to 40A. They also substantially lowered the price. It is now in the 300's.
 
I guess if you really need 40A then there is Clipper Creek and OpenEVSE using the supplied J1772 adapter. I charge my Tesla based Mercedes B at 40A using A Quick Charge Power cable and an OpenEVSE using J1772. I think you can also purchase a high power JuiceBox but I have no experience with it.

All three fully comply with the J1772 specification including the GFCI test unlike many Chinese units.
 
GlennD said:
jlv said:
After 4 years I still have only the L1 for the LEAF at home. I can get away with that since I have access to a L2 at work and am able to charge the car most days of the work week. It wasn't until I got the S that I put in a NEMA 10-50 outlet (since the Tesla comes with a 40A capable mobile EVSE).

Tesla redesigned the supplied EVSE. It is no longer 40A now it is 24A. This applies to all current cars. If I had to guess they had problems pushing the 30A Potter and Brumfield relay to 40A. They also substantially lowered the price. It is now in the 300's.
The one that came with my car is the Gen1 mobile connector that outputs 40A, as I stated above.

The Gen2 mobile connector (which is indeed now the standard for all their cars) outputs 32A (using a NEMA 10-50) not 24A. It costs exactly $300.
https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/vehicle-accessories/model-s_x_3-gen-2-mobile-connector-bundle.html
 
GlennD said:
I guess if you really need 40A then there is Clipper Creek and OpenEVSE using the supplied J1772 adapter. I charge my Tesla based Mercedes B at 40A using A Quick Charge Power cable and an OpenEVSE using J1772. I think you can also purchase a high power JuiceBox but I have no experience with it.

All three fully comply with the J1772 specification including the GFCI test unlike many Chinese units.

And if price is the reason some are putting off buying a quality EVSE, Clipper Creek is now offering factory refurbished units, with a one-year warranty. Cost is $300 for the LCS series and $400 for the HCS series, regardless of power output.

https://store.clippercreek.com/used

So if you're lucky and can score a factory-refurbished HCS-60 (assuming you have the necessary 60 amp circuit as well), at $400 that's less than half the price of a brand new one. (For those not familiar with how Clipper Creek's nomenclature, the number refers to the required circuit capacity, and not the output. Actual maximum output is 80% of that, so an HCS-60 outputs 48 amps max, an LCS-25 20 amps max, etc.)

As availability varies, you have to call or email them, no web sales.
 
GlennD said:
jlv said:
After 4 years I still have only the L1 for the LEAF at home. I can get away with that since I have access to a L2 at work and am able to charge the car most days of the work week. It wasn't until I got the S that I put in a NEMA 10-50 outlet (since the Tesla comes with a 40A capable mobile EVSE).

Tesla redesigned the supplied EVSE. It is no longer 40A now it is 24A.
This is incorrect. It is rated for 32A continuous
https://www.tesla.com/sites/default/files/downloads/gen_2_mobile_connector_owners_manual_32_amp_en_US.pdf

As for the Model 3 OBC, it is rated for 32A - 48A continuous, depending on model

uc


So a properly installed 14-50 outlet with no home issues will charge a SR Model 3 at up to 32Amps (7.7 kW) and an LR Model 3 at up to 40 Amps (9.6 kW)
 
I have a 2018 leaf, and it comes with a cord that is either L1 (120) or L2 (240). Initially, my plan was to stick with the L1 and just plug it in. However, since the cord has all the electronics built in, I just need to add a 14-50 outlet in my garage. I am lucky that the wall is right behind the breaker panel. So...the cost will only be $200.

For me, it will be worth it for the increase in charge time. I can run it lower, and not have to charge so often.
 
Onbypass said:
I have a 2018 leaf, and it comes with a cord that is either L1 (120) or L2 (240). Initially, my plan was to stick with the L1 and just plug it in. However, since the cord has all the electronics built in, I just need to add a 14-50 outlet in my garage. I am lucky that the wall is right behind the breaker panel. So...the cost will only be $200.

For me, it will be worth it for the increase in charge time. I can run it lower, and not have to charge so often.

Make sure that you get a 40 amp circuit (a 50amp breaker is ok, and a 30 should work, as 40 amp breakers are harder to find) as the Nissan EVSE provides a bit too much current to be legal for a 30 amp dryer circuit.
 
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