2018 Leaf EVSE question

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lavalanguage

New member
Joined
Jun 15, 2018
Messages
2
Howdy forum.

I am an electrician and was recently asked to install a charging location in a customer's garage for their
2018 Leaf, which arrived yesterday.

While I have not personally seen the charging cord that came with the vehicle, the dealership
tells me it is a 14-50 plug with an adapter for 5-15, 120V charging.

The customer does not want a new circuit run, but we discussed and after some research,
we decided to install an isolation switch on his dryer circuit close to the garage. The dryer is fed from a 30 amp breaker
with #10AWG CU wire. So from the isolation switch we can bring power to the garage.

I was obviously concerned about burning his house down by installing a 14-50 receptacle and then the vehicle pulling 50 amps when charging,but after searching it seem the Leaf can only max out at around 26 Amps when 240V charging. Still, doesn't seem wise.

So I called EVSE upgrade and they said I could swap out the 14-50 charger with one of their L630R twist locks and that the unit
they will send us will limit charging to 20 amps. This seems much better but I kinda want the customer to keep the 14-50 charger
in case they find a place while traveling to use it.

So my question:

-Is the EVSE upgrade charger and what the Panasonic unit Nissan sends out stock similar? Identical? Can I just get an adapter and somehow limit the stock charger to only charge at 20 amps or 24 amps....?

Whats the current best practice?

Any help appreciated....thanks.
 
The evse sends a pilot signal to the vehicle to limit the amps based on the evse capacity and the supply circuit. Ortherwise it is just a control box that closes a relay and allows power to flow to the vehicle. The signal can limit amps from 6 to 80 depending on conditions and prevent overload. There are some evse that have an adjustable signal or you just buy the correct one to match the circuit. In this case I would install the Clipper Creek brand LCS-30 with a NEMA 14-30 plug and will limit charging to 24 amps or 80% of the circuit capacity as NEC required for continuous service appliances.

https://store.clippercreek.com/level2/lcs-30p-nema-14-30

Or a hardwired version:

https://store.clippercreek.com/level2/lcs-30-24-amp-ev-charging-station
 
lavalanguage said:
Howdy forum.

I am an electrician and was recently asked to install a charging location in a customer's garage for their
2018 Leaf, which arrived yesterday.

While I have not personally seen the charging cord that came with the vehicle, the dealership
tells me it is a 14-50 plug with an adapter for 5-15, 120V charging.

The customer does not want a new circuit run, but we discussed and after some research,
we decided to install an isolation switch on his dryer circuit close to the garage. The dryer is fed from a 30 amp breaker
with #10AWG CU wire. So from the isolation switch we can bring power to the garage.

I was obviously concerned about burning his house down by installing a 14-50 receptacle and then the vehicle pulling 50 amps when charging,but after searching it seem the Leaf can only max out at around 26 Amps when 240V charging. Still, doesn't seem wise.

So I called EVSE upgrade and they said I could swap out the 14-50 charger with one of their L630R twist locks and that the unit
they will send us will limit charging to 20 amps. This seems much better but I kinda want the customer to keep the 14-50 charger
in case they find a place while traveling to use it.

So my question:

-Is the EVSE upgrade charger and what the Panasonic unit Nissan sends out stock similar? Identical? Can I just get an adapter and somehow limit the stock charger to only charge at 20 amps or 24 amps....?

Whats the current best practice?

Any help appreciated....thanks.
The leaf on board 6.6kW charger will draw 27A @240V.
I would highly recommend to the cust to run a new ckt c/w #8 conductors with 2P 40A breaker on it terminating in a 14-50R.
New 2018 electric code (soon to be implemented) in Canada requires what is called a EVEMS (electric vehicle energy management system)
new rule 8-500 and sub-rules 8-106 (11) and (12) c/w a new table, when using an existing lower than required ampacity ckt. such as the dryer outlet
http://www.electricalindustry.ca/latest-news/3739-2018-canadian-electrical-code-part-i-top-15-changes

Sound expensive, I have no experience utilizing this new type of equipment but I assume it does NOT include an adjustable EVSE (will find out later this year at the update seminar)

Check if the codes in your area will allow for this and price one out, I'll bet its cheaper to run a new feed.
 
The 120/240v EVSE that comes with the 2018 Leaf is a 12a/120v and 30a/240v if plugged into a 14-50R. It requires 40 amp Service to the 14-50R.

EVSE upgrade sells 20 or 24 amp 240v versions but without exchange they are $879. Not cost effective.

Better to buy a 24a/240v Clipper Creek LCS-30P, w/14-30P plug or hard wired for about $500 and wall mount it if you want to share the dryer 30a/240v with isolation switch.
https://store.clippercreek.com/lcs-30p-nema-14-30?search=lcs-30

Even better yet, talk the homeowner into installing a new 14-50R 40 amp circuit and use the Nissan OEM Charger.

Here’s the label from a 2018 Nissan OEM EVSE

bE2ytril.jpg
 
lavalanguage: The 2017 NEC under article 625 appears to me to specify that a non-locking receptacle shall be used for a portable EVSE. To use a locking receptacle (normally of use only when vibration is present, say from a generator) not only presents an enhanced tripping danger but also more of a danger of pulling the receptacle apart if the plug is constrained when subjected to a large pulling force.

Secondly, I would, like Nissan, recommend a 50A dedicated circuit be run, not only because the heavier gauge wire is safer, but because portable EVSEs of the near future may require it. Also I currently see no reason to run a neutral wire. Thirdly, suggest running enough excess wire so that it would be easy to convert the circuit for a direct wired EVSE in the future for greater safety.
 
MikeD said:
Secondly, I would, like Nissan, recommend a 50A dedicated circuit be run, not only because the heavier gauge wire is safer, but because portable EVSEs of the near future may require it. Also I currently see no reason to run a neutral wire. Thirdly, suggest running enough excess wire so that it would be easy to convert the circuit for a direct wired EVSE in the future for greater safety.

Although an EVSE on 240 volts may not need the neutral, the 14-50 receptacle certainly does.

Like a couple of previous posts, I recommend a new circuit with 14-50 receptacle to take advantage of the Nissan EVSE. If Code allows in your jurisdiction, the 30-ampere dryer circuit with selector switch would support a Clipper Creek LCS-30. This might be the best option because the customer would be able to keep the Nissan unit in the car for portable use without packing it up every day. If the customer elects to get the plug in version (LCS-30P) with 14-30 plug, you should wait to install the receptacle until you have the EVSE because the supply cord is only 12 inches long including the plug (UL requirement) so the receptacle needs to be positioned where the cord will reach after determining the mounting position on the wall.
 
lavalanguage said:
Howdy forum.

I am an electrician and was recently asked to install a charging location in a customer's garage for their
2018 Leaf, which arrived yesterday.

While I have not personally seen the charging cord that came with the vehicle, the dealership
tells me it is a 14-50 plug with an adapter for 5-15, 120V charging.

The customer does not want a new circuit run, but we discussed and after some research,
we decided to install an isolation switch on his dryer circuit close to the garage. The dryer is fed from a 30 amp breaker
with #10AWG CU wire. So from the isolation switch we can bring power to the garage.

I was obviously concerned about burning his house down by installing a 14-50 receptacle and then the vehicle pulling 50 amps when charging,but after searching it seem the Leaf can only max out at around 26 Amps when 240V charging. Still, doesn't seem wise.

So I called EVSE upgrade and they said I could swap out the 14-50 charger with one of their L630R twist locks and that the unit
they will send us will limit charging to 20 amps. This seems much better but I kinda want the customer to keep the 14-50 charger
in case they find a place while traveling to use it.

So my question:

-Is the EVSE upgrade charger and what the Panasonic unit Nissan sends out stock similar? Identical? Can I just get an adapter and somehow limit the stock charger to only charge at 20 amps or 24 amps....?

Whats the current best practice?

Any help appreciated....thanks.

Do yourself and your customer a favor, and do a correct install of a new circuit and a 14-50 plug (or whatever plug matches the EVSE he wants mounted in the garage). If the customer is not willing to let you do it right, then just walk away and let someone else deal with it. Yes, there are solutions available to utilize a dryer plug. As the electrician, are you comfortable accepting the liability that will come with installing one of those?
 
GerryAZ: What would you advise in any of the following?:

In looking for a relatively simple installation approach with priority regard for safety I noticed that Carlon E9801FN is a 25 cu in single gang PVC box that appeared to me to be great for surface mounting on a cinder block wall and for enclosing a 14-50R receptacle together with a locking non-metallic cover (like Hubbell Taymac MM410C whose cover can be fitted (ground down) to closely accommodate the 2018 Leaf EVSE plug cable). This approach provides a 14-50 receptacle without a casually touchable metallic ground at the receptacle itself, together with some protection for overly curious young children.

However, this box's volume is very slightly too small to meet NEC box fill requirements if using NM 6/3 cable -- but not for NM 6/2. Trying to use a 2-gang PVC box causes problems in mounting the receptacle without exposed grounded screws, because you can't use the receptacle's top and bottom center mounting points like you can with the 1-gang box above.

(BTW it is also important to mention this circuit should be additionally protected by a 50a GFCI breaker!)
 
If you don't want to run a neutral conductor, use a 6-50 receptacle (commonly used for welders). The Clipper Creek EVSEs can be ordered with either 14-50 or 6-50 plugs. The other alternative would be to just install a junction box and hard wire the EVSE. Check the EVSE manufacturer recommendations before purchasing and installing the circuit breaker. Some 208/240-volt EVSEs are not compatible with 5 mA GFCI breakers (my AeroVironment 30-ampere unit, for example).
 
MikeD said:
In looking for a relatively simple installation approach with priority regard for safety I noticed that Carlon E9801FN is a 25 cu in single gang PVC box [ . . .]

However, this box's volume is very slightly too small to meet NEC box fill requirements if using NM 6/3 cable -- but not for NM 6/2.
Yup, that box is good for one receptacle and one cable that is 8/2, 8/3, or 6/2, but not 6/3. So you can install a 6-50 receptacle on a 40 amp breaker (using 8/2 NM) or on a 50 amp breaker (using 6/2 NM), or you can install a 6-50 receptacle on a 50 amp breaker (using 6/2 NM). For a 14-50 receptacle on a 50 amp breaker wiring with 6/3 NM, you'll need a bigger box.

But as cars that can actually charge at over 32 amps are pretty rare, using a 40 amp breaker for a 32 amp EVSE is a practical choice.

MikeD said:
Trying to use a 2-gang PVC box causes problems in mounting the receptacle without exposed grounded screws, because you can't use the receptacle's top and bottom center mounting points like you can with the 1-gang box above.
Exposed screws are not considered a safety hazard, as long as they are properly bonded to the EGC.

MikeD said:
(BTW it is also important to mention this circuit should be additionally protected by a 50a GFCI breaker!)
The GFCI breaker improves safety only for the in wall wiring and the short (max 18") cord to the EVSE. As such the NEC does not require a GFCI breaker. I think it is important not to let the perfect be the enemy of the good. So you certainly can elect to use a GFCI breaker for a modest improvement in safety, but I would not say that one "should" use a GFCI breaker.

Cheers, Wayne
 
MikeD said:
lavalanguage: The 2017 NEC under article 625 appears to me to specify that a non-locking receptacle shall be used for a portable EVSE. To use a locking receptacle (normally of use only when vibration is present, say from a generator) not only presents an enhanced tripping danger but also more of a danger of pulling the receptacle apart if the plug is constrained when subjected to a large pulling force.

Secondly, I would, like Nissan, recommend a 50A dedicated circuit be run, not only because the heavier gauge wire is safer, but because portable EVSEs of the near future may require it. Also I currently see no reason to run a neutral wire. Thirdly, suggest running enough excess wire so that it would be easy to convert the circuit for a direct wired EVSE in the future for greater safety.

Compared to the labor adding the forth wire (neutral) is cheap. That way the receptacle is wired normally. Yes the EVSE does not require a neutral but many other things (Like an RV) do.
 
Thank You all for the responses. I have learned so much about evolving reality of installing EVSE.

I think the Clipper Creek 30 model hard wired to the isolation switch sounds ideal and I have no reason
to think it should be a fire hazard. I was planning on testing the resistance of the #10 run back to the panel to make sure its not damaged.
 
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