24 hours in, help me love my leaf

[joetesta]

i traded my 05 altima for an (orphan) '11 leaf lease. after the trade, basically it works out that the lease will cost not much more than monthly gas expense was.

why i love it: not buying gas? LOVE. it goes fast if i need it to, it's fun to drive, lots of cool features of a typical 21st century luxury car.

why i hate it: is my life now looking for somewhere to plug in? Until I get a 240v charger installed, I'll be charging all night every night. To maintain my range, I have to drive like my grandma.

where i screwed up: the metro station near me, where I naively assumed that because they are listed as having electric charging, I'd be able to get a charge, no their chargers a) don't work and b) are not compatible with my car even if they did work.

why it's not that bad: I can still make it to work and back, with a few miles to get some lunch, on a single charge.

Hopefully I will get used to this car... because I know I am used to not stopping at the gas station already

 

[GeekEV]

Welcome to the fold! As for getting a 240v EVSE installed, you should check out evseupgrade.com. It's much cheaper than a dedicated unit and portable to boot...

(links also in my sig)

 

[cracovian]

How many miles do you drive??? We put close to 1500 miles/month (way above average but still only ~50/day) and charging at 120V is fine for us. I'm also using the timer to hold it back at 80% because it charges too fast I just don't understand why people freak out so much...

EDIT: I have the upgraded EVSE and used it a couple of times in the pinch (not using daily since the extension cord is annoying)

 

[adric22]

why i hate it: is my life now looking for somewhere to plug in? Until I get a 240v charger installed, I'll be charging all night every night. To maintain my range, I have to drive like my grandma.

It sounds like your problem is primarily a lack of a 240V charging station. That is easily enough remedied. I feel your pain, though. When we first got ours we went 2 weeks without one and used only the 120V. Just like you, we were charging from 6:00 in the evening until 6:00 in the morning just to cover driving 40 some odd miles per day.

 

[defiancecp]

If you've got the upgraded EVSE, probably the easiest solution is to get a 240v plug installed in your parking location. Should be much cheaper than a full EVSE install, and you don't have to worry about the "early adopter fee" a lot of installers are charging

 

[adric22]

If you've got the upgraded EVSE, probably the easiest solution is to get a 240v plug installed in your parking location. Should be much cheaper than a full EVSE install, and you don't have to worry about the "early adopter fee" a lot of installers are charging

Getting a plug installed isn't really much less work than installing an EVSE. You can buy a wall-mount EVSE for around $800. Since the 120V EVSE is the only way he has to charge right now, I doubt he'd want to send it off for upgrade. So it makes sense just to go ahead and get a nice 240V EVSE mounted on the wall.

 

[defiancecp]

He said he's already got the upgraded EVSE. Depending on where his electrical box is, and whether it's got 'room' for an additional 240v circuit, having a single 240v plug installed might very well be <$500. Having done electrical work myself, installing an EVSE would definitely be just as easy, but we've all seen that electricians are charging a premium anyway. So add a couple hundred to the install, add 800 for the evse, and you've gone from 500 to 1500 - tripling your cost.

Again, this is all on the assumption that he's already got the upgraded EVSE - but assuming that's true, this could be a very quick/easy/less expensive way to get to level 2 and completely elminate this problem

*EDIT* - nevermind, someone *else* said they had the upgraded EVSE - I misread entirely You're right, sending it off would generate a whole new set of issues to deal with. Still, if one could find a 120v evse to borrow for a few weeks, upgrade +240v outlet would still be easier on the wallet. If anyone is in the Arkansas area and wants to bum mine for a couple weeks for that purpose, let me know *edit again* - actually, I just read that the evse upgrade guys do an 'advanced' replacement where you buy the evse upgrade, deposit $800, they ship you the unit, then you ship back your stock one and they refund the deposit. So that's another way around the problem.

 

[garsh]

I just read that the evse upgrade guys do an 'advanced' replacement where you buy the evse upgrade, deposit $800, they ship you the unit, then you ship back your stock one and they refund the deposit.

Yep, that's the way to go if that is your only charger.

Another option: can you use an electrical outlet at work to charge during the day? If you could have it charging all evening and during the day, that might be enough.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

you will definitely be less stressed once you get the 240V. the 110 is basically for emergency purposes, some people do make it work but they don't drive much. and after you've moved up on the charging ladder it will be quite exhilarating to eventually be able to use the Quick charger, an 80% charge in 30 minutes is quite something to see after taking 15-16 hours on L1!

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

putting your location should be REQUIRED (hopefully someone is paying attention to this)

we have a guy Phil who can mod your 120 Volt charger. he already has one ready for you and if you are close enough to him you might be able to do a hand to hand exchange. he is in Silicon Valley area (SF bay area)

after that, getting yourself set up is as easy as determining which 240 volt plug you will use in your garage. it might be swaping plugs with the dryer as a temp measure until you can install something else

now, i was lucky in that my house came with an unused 240 plug in the garage (my dryer is in the house. in WA its common...much warmer for doing laundry)

now, i am a renter and yes, that plug did play a part in what house we chose.

 

[LEAFer]

where i screwed up: the metro station near me, ... b) are not compatible with my car even if they did work.

Which Metro station ? Some of those locations are yet to be upgraded to the new J1772 ...

 

[Ingineer]

This is why we offer the Advanced Replacement service. You can order an upgraded unit which will be sent out to you, while you keep your existing 120v only unit, then once you are up and running with the upgrade, you simply send us back your original 120v unit. We charge a deposit, but it's fully refundable if you return the unit in good shape. (No PayPal fees on the deposit either)

If you don't have an existing 240v-capable outlet where you park, and are hesitant to have one installed, you may be able to get a "Quick220" device that allows you to safely obtain 240v from two standard 120v outlets as long as they are on opposite circuits. We have literally hundreds of customers charging daily using this method, no electrician or permits needed!

Please feel free to give us a call or an email, we will be happy to discuss your situation with you and offer suggestions.

(Our phone number/email contact is on our website.)

-Phil

 

[joetesta]

Thanks for all the replies everyone!

How many miles do you drive???

I work 25 miles away, up and down a couple of mountains (southern california, simi valley area)
Assuming I drive at lunch, I do about 60 miles per weekday.

I just don't understand why people freak out so much.

I left for work on thursday with a full charge. Got home almost empty and plugged in right away. By morning, when it was time to leave for work, I did not have enough charge to travel as far as I did on Thursday. I didn't feel too good then so called in sick today. Next week I may need to take a gas car on Tuesday and Thursday to make it work.

putting your location should be REQUIRED (hopefully someone is paying attention to this)
we have a guy Phil who can mod your 120 Volt charger.

I've read about it, and sounds like that's the way to go. I found that I have an old 10-30 electric dryer outlet in my garage. My dryer now is natural gas, so that plug is idle, but I don't even know if it's still connected at this point. Assuming it works, then I just need the upgrade and an adapter & I should be good.

Which Metro station ? Some of those locations are yet to be upgraded to the new J1772 ...

Chatsworth - it's under construction, so I will pray that they put in J1772's soon. It's only a mile from where I work, so I could walk there if they hook it up.

 

[EVDrive]

Charge to 100% everyday and get the 220 ASAP. I used the 120v charger for 3 months and boy was that hard. Not recommended at all if you have a 50 mile commute. I drive 100 miles a day as I work 50 miles away from home. I also like to drive 70-75 mph (no compromise) so I charge 2X a day. I have spent so little on electricity compared to gas that the inconvenience of not being able to go everywhere I want to go has been a trade-off that I have been happy to make.

Every time I drive by the gas station I say haha. Especially now when premium is $4.45 a gallon. Suckers

The performance of the car is great. Enjoy and welcome to the future

 

[Ingineer]

I've read about it, and sounds like that's the way to go. I found that I have an old 10-30 electric dryer outlet in my garage. My dryer now is natural gas, so that plug is idle, but I don't even know if it's still connected at this point. Assuming it works, then I just need the upgrade and an adapter & I should be good.

Our upgraded units use the NEMA L6-20 plug. You can either swap your outlet type to an L6-20 (the best solution) or use an adapter from 10-30 to L6-20. Neither option is expensive or difficult.

Since you probably don't want to be caught without your ability to charge on 120v, for a nominal fee, we can send you an already upgraded unit to your specifications, then once you receive it you can send us your original unit back. We can send you the 5-15 to L6-20 cable so you still have the option of standard 120v, and we also sell bare-ended L6-20R pigtails so you can easily buy a 10-30 male plug at your local store and screw it onto this to complete your adapter. (But I still recommend that the safer and more reliable option is to swap your 10-30 outlet for an L6-20)

The upgraded unit is fused internally, so there is no problem with using it on a higher amperage circuit. Your LEAF will only pull a maximum of 16A when used on 240v in any event.

Feel free to email or call us if you have any questions.

-Phil

 

[joetesta]

Since you probably don't want to be caught without your ability to charge on 120v, for a nominal fee, we can send you an already upgraded unit to your specifications, then once you receive it you can send us your original unit back.

Thanks much Phil, I'm actually contemplating keeping the original and buying a new unit from you guys so I'd have a spare.

(But I still recommend that the safer and more reliable option is to swap your 10-30 outlet for an L6-20)

Definitely appreciate the advice. waiting to hear back from the electrician now, so we can find out if this outlet is alive.

Feel free to email or call us if you have any questions.

thanks - you will be hearing from me soon!

 

[Ingineer]

Thanks much Phil, I'm actually contemplating keeping the original and buying a new unit from you guys so I'd have a spare.

Yes, many of our customers choose this route. Many of them even have the second unit upgraded so they can not only have a backup, but have one in the car for Level II opportunity charging. (Usually with an adapter or "Quick 220")

Definitely appreciate the advice. waiting to hear back from the electrician now, so we can find out if this outlet is alive.

While of course I cannot be sure, it's unlikely your outlet would have been disconnected. Worst case is probably a switched off breaker if anything.

thanks - you will be hearing from me soon!

Looking forward to another happy fast-charging Leaf owner! =)

-Phil

 

[joetesta]

(But I still recommend that the safer and more reliable option is to swap your 10-30 outlet for an L6-20)

so the electrician said we probably shouldn't plug a 20 amp device into a 30 amp outlet, and that to switch the receptacle to an L6-20 he'd have to change the wiring around. does that sound right?

I told him I thought your charger could handle the higher amps and that if the outlet's working, we just need an adapter to go from 10-30 to L6-20 - he said if it works, that would be the cheapest option.

 

[Ingineer]

so the electrician said we probably shouldn't plug a 20 amp device into a 30 amp outlet, and that to switch the receptacle to an L6-20 he'd have to change the wiring around. does that sound right?

I told him I thought your charger could handle the higher amps and that if the outlet's working, we just need an adapter to go from 10-30 to L6-20 - he said if it works, that would be the cheapest option.

As I mentioned, the EVSE has it's own internal fuse, so it can be connected to any outlet (almost). Code requires that a 20A max outlet be protected to no more than that rating, so since the outlet is a 20A max, you can't technically leave the 30A breaker there if you swap the outlet, so you'd swap in a 20A breaker to be legal. The wire is rated for at least 30A so is fine and actually nice for it to be overspec.

If you use an adapter from 10-30 to L6-20, technically you are doing the same "overspec" thing that violates code, except that there is limiting in place inside the EVSE. Not so if you were to plug a 20A compressor into that outlet/adapter for instance. So this is why adapters are not technically legal, and also why we don't sell them. A technically compliant adapter would have internal 20A fusing, and I've never seen one available.

Again, the best solution is to change the outlet to an L6-20, and the breaker to a 20A. Then you are 100% compliant.

-Phil

 

[joetesta]

OK thanks for all the advice Phil, I just went over it with the electrician in person, and put my order in on your site.