Can a 3.3kw JDM ZE1 Leaf be Upgraded to take 6.6kw?

[SomewhereSouth]

Hi All,

Bit of a weird one as will mostly apply to Japanese imported NZ/AUS ZE1 Leafs and not ZE1s sold in UK/US/NZ/AU markets natively.

Most Japanese ZE1s run a 3.3kw charger as standard on their Type 1 plug, with very few cars outside of the E+ models having 6.6kw as standard.

I'm on the verge of getting a 2020 40kwh JDM Leaf with a standard 3.3kw set-up but may end up messing with it. It looks like I can get hold of an E+ inverter for reasonable money, which would in theory come with the capacity to take a 6.6kw charge (as well as letting me give it a bit of extra poke at some point).

The question I have is whether there is anything between the Type 1 connector and the inverter that would cause an issue (e.g. connector wiring) or whether these will be largely the same for the 3.3kw as the 6.6kw setup, with all of the difference being down to the inverter/firmware? I don't want to cram large amounts of power through wiring or connectors that won't be able to handle it.

Cheers
SomewhereSouth

 

[GerryAZ]

The inverter supplies power to the motor. It does not have anything to do with the onboard charger.

 

[91040]

Reading through the Brusa charger threads on this forum may give you helpful information. However, those threads relate to the 2011-2012 model years when the charger was located in the back.
A device to read the EVSE signals and control the added charger is needed.
An added Nissan charger will need to be connected to the same cooling system as the original charger. Many of the Brusas were air cooled.
I don’t know how to connect the high voltage output to the battery in the 2014 configuration.
Be sure that you are qualified to do the electric work and take all precautions. Good luck.

 

[SomewhereSouth]

The inverter supplies power to the motor. It does not have anything to do with the onboard charger.

I've taken a look at the Nissan announcements and you're right, the charger is part of the PDM which is separate to the inverter. It would also explain the physical differences between the Leafs with the 3.3kw charger and the 6.6kw charger in the Japanese market.

So I guess the question becomes can you slap a PDM from one 40kw Leaf onto another one and get them to play nice?

 

[alozzy]

See Dala's YouTube channel:

https://www.youtube.com/c/DalasEVRepair/videos

Also, this thread:

https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=33207

 

[NyNewLeaf]

This youtuber and leaf owner did it

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1kyR5omOQu8[/youtube]

 

[SomewhereSouth]

Well this post has taken on a new dimension as I am now the owner of a 2020 40kwh JDM G (Tekna?) model - but with 3kw charging.

Issue: 6kw charging is extremely uncommon on non E+ models out of Japan. Models sold in NZ are fitted with Type 2 6kw options by default - same as the UK/US cars.

Other issue: No one seems to be sure if the PDM itself can be swapped for a 6kw unit. I've reached out to EVs Enhanced as I'm in New Zealand, to seek clarification on this as I've seen YouTube comments suggesting it could be possible.

Potential traps I already know about:

Someone in Australia has gone down this route but with an ex-UK OBC and retrofitted a Type 2 port at the same time. It was never established if the differences between the T1 and T2 connectors was causing some of the issues they have or whether the Type 1 3kw charging port wiring could actually cope with 6kw of juice. So that might restrict me to a 6kw Type 1 JDM PDM, but that in turn may not play nice with Type 2 if I later go down that route.

The PDMs are very hard to find online. I've seen a handful on eBay or Buyee and I live in New Zealand, so I'm preparing myself to be taking a pounding on shipping costs. I need to know exactly what I need before I commit to shipping and local taxes. It looks like it would be $5K for a brand new one, before local sales taxes.

Also major trap: I am semi-mechanically minded. I've got no issues with draining, pumping coolant or working to repair manuals (thanks to my Mini Cooper S being made of cardboard and string) but I'm aware this is something completely different and the potential to really hurt myself, so if I can identify a way forward with this, I'll be getting a local EV shop to do this for me.

Stay tuned, I guess?

 

[SomewhereSouth]

So minor update: I have my car! Yay! It's pretty cool. The screen will need to be replaced at some point as it seems to be showing some signs of wear, but that's a mission in itself.

3kw charging sucks.

After doing some googling, it looks like I can get a parted out E+ motor, inverter and PDM from the UK for what the 2021 PDM would cost me new, which would give me the 6kw charging I want but with a little extra spice.

There is the potential of the EVs Enhanced actively-cooled battery down the line, so I might actually be able to make use of it.

So now a new set of questions arise:

• Can I motor-swap a ZE1 with an E+ ZE1 without upsetting the car, will it create ECU dramas?

• Can I swap a Type 2 E+ PDM onto a JDM motor without stuffing up the charging protocol (for J1772) and end up with a Type 2 car? Or will the car still expect the same Type 1 lock signal and charging protocol and get upset?

• Am I better off with an E+ motor and PDM from a JDM car that will still play ball with the existing Type 1 charging protocol that the car currently expects?

 

[Glyndwr1998]

Hi,
from what i understand a gen 2 3.3 charger can be replaced with a 6.6 charger with no other things to do, the car automatically recognises it.

I have a nissan e-NV200 and as there were ZERO 6.6kw charger units availabke to me at the time (6 years ago) i fitted a brusa NLG513, and itw worked fine for the last 6 years, with no problems.

Now, 6 years later, if i were in the sme boat, id fit a genuine leaf 6.6 as they are more readily available in salvage yards these days.

Anthony.

 

[xboxice]

Has anyone tried fitting a 160kw inverter to a 40kw leaf for extra punch? I'm in Australia and considering doing this to my 40kw Leaf.
i would also like 6.6kw charging as my leaf is only 3.3 Jap import ZE1 G the inverter I'm looking at is from a Jap E+ just waiting on a price as this will decide what happens

 

[cwerdna]

Has anyone tried fitting a 160kw inverter to a 40kw leaf for extra punch? I'm in Australia and considering doing this to my 40kw Leaf.
i would also like 6.6kw charging as my leaf is only 3.3 Jap import ZE1 G the inverter I'm looking at is from a Jap E+ just waiting on a price as this will decide what happens

Battery capacity is measured in kWh, not "kw" (there is no "40kw" Leaf).

I would also refrain from using a racial slur that I've pointed out a few times: https://mynissanleaf.com/threads/chirping-sound-when-starting-acc-mode.30262/#post-566589. Search for it at https://web.archive.org/web/20160317211607/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2011/04/letters-229/.

 

[xboxice]

Battery capacity is measured in kWh, not "kw" (there is no "40kw" Leaf).

I would also refrain from using a racial slur that I've pointed out a few times: https://mynissanleaf.com/threads/chirping-sound-when-starting-acc-mode.30262/#post-566589. Search for it at https://web.archive.org/web/20160317211607/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2011/04/letters-229/.

Thanks but your response wasn't very helpful, also when did the word Jap became a hateful slur? i love everyone black white pink blue.

 

[xboxice]

Battery capacity is measured in kWh, not "kw" (there is no "40kw" Leaf).

I would also refrain from using a racial slur that I've pointed out a few times: https://mynissanleaf.com/threads/chirping-sound-when-starting-acc-mode.30262/#post-566589. Search for it at https://web.archive.org/web/20160317211607/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2011/04/letters-229/.

Mate its also clear the word Jap being use in here in its context is not meant as a slurr or to offend anyone, everyone here should know that and even if i Japanese person was to see this post would understand we taking about a car that is imported from there country, context is key, i get what your saying but people shouldn't try an d make something out of nothing especially with regarding my original post.

 

[cwerdna]

Thanks but your response wasn't very helpful, also when did the word Jap became a hateful slur? i love everyone black white pink blue.

I don't know the etymology and history but for sure you'd hear it in US World War II newsreels and movies that portray WWII.

You can hear it 0:23 of , for example. https://www.nypl.org/blog/2017/12/07/pearl-harbor-front-page has a few example of usage.

Again, see these:
https://web.archive.org/web/20160317211607/https://www.spectator.co.uk/2011/04/letters-229/, search for bloke and notice who wrote the letter. I already pointed to this.
https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Jap
https://www.britannica.com/dictionary/Jap
https://www.oed.com/search/dictionary/?scope=Entries&q=Jap
. _Others have gone over before here too like https://mynissanleaf.com/threads/political-correctness.17313/page-2#post-377308.

Mate its also clear the word Jap being use in here in its context is not meant as a slurr or to offend anyone, everyone here should know that and even if i Japanese person was to see this post would understand we taking about a car that is imported from there country, context is key, i get what your saying but people shouldn't try an d make something out of nothing especially with regarding my original post.

Nobody in the US now would use that term to refer to imported cars from Japan unless they're ignorant or racist. A short, non-racist term and common term would be JDM (Japanese Domestic Market).

Back to Leafs, 40 kWh battery Leafs have a motor rated at 110 kW. See specs tab of https://usa.nissannews.com/en-US/re...abId=release-d7b24c4fb00a458db29e3edbb23409aa. So, you could talk about 110 kW Leafs.