Charge cable failure

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Thick8

Active member
Joined
Aug 31, 2018
Messages
34
I've recently gone from charging my Leaf once a day to twice a day. overnight to 100% at 240v and during the day to about 85% at 120v. Unfortunately, the charge cable gave up the ghost. Is there a decent aftermarket dual voltage charge cable out there? I'm considering buying a used OEM cable from eBay as the new OEM cables are around $2000.
Any suggestions from someone who might be using a 3rd party cable that they are happy with.
 
Are you using the OEM dual voltage EVSE that came with your newer Leaf? What charge currents do you want/need?
I've had good luck with several cheaper aftermarket Chinese EVSEs, some adjustable amperage and some fixed amperage but all dual voltage(120/240v including 208) so it kind of depends on what you want.
The cheapest ones will be fixed amperage(or a max of 16a on both 120 and 240) so for those if using on 120 you definitely need a 20a circuit and a good quality one at that. It's one reason I don't suggest them for someone who wants to charge on 120v, 240v is generally at least a 20a circuit and again generally dedicated. Oh and what kind of plugs do you have? There are lots of different types of 240v plugs, 14-50 or what the OEM dual voltage Leaf EVSE comes with but oftentimes aftermarket 16a ones will come with a 6-20 plug which looks like a standard 120v plug but one of the prongs are sideways. You can purchase or make plug adapters that aren't to expensive but if you'll always be using one plug then it would be nice to order it with your plug type and then a plug adapter to go to a 120v plug which some might actually come with.
You don't have to spend an arm and a leg for an EVSE but there are some real cheap ones out there that you'll want to avoid. The OEM is a great EVSE, built like a tank so you can't go wrong with it but new they are outrageously expensive, used can be a decent option.
 
jjeff said:
You don't have to spend an arm and a leg for an EVSE but there are some real cheap ones out there that you'll want to avoid. The OEM is a great EVSE, built like a tank so you can't go wrong with it but new they are outrageously expensive, used can be a decent option.
This is key...and I think often ignored by folks out there when "snowed" by specs.
Either stick with one of the name brands (ClipperCreek, etc.), or find an OEM (like the original Nissan/Panasonic I still use) second hand.
 
It should be noted that the Nissan OEM charging cable is covered by the EV system warranty for 5 years or 60,000 miles in the USA. If it is not under warranty, then get a quality 240-volt unit for home and a portable 120-volt unit to keep in the car.
 
Hello, our 2022 Nissan Leaf SV Plus has been charging flawlessly for 1-1/2 years via a 220V outlet. We have it setup on a timer to start charging at 12:00 AM and stop at 2:30 AM. The 2.5 hours add around 30% of charge to the vehicle.

Recently we noticed the car would not charge overnight. The charge cable's red Fault light would be flashing in the morning. Recent charging events seem to stop after 45-75 minutes of charging. We do have Tesla solar panels installed and a battery also. Charging the vehicle starts pulling power from the battery and the grid and eventually transitions to just pulling from the grid once the battery has been depleted to its minimum charge level.

Any suggestions on what to look for aside from checking the outlet's power?
 
Bouyant11 said:
Any suggestions on what to look for aside from checking the outlet's power?
That, plus rust/corrosion around the plug, which can create heat due to increased resistance. You may be tripping a temperature sensor (since it works for awhile...then heats up and quits).
 
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That, plus rust/corrosion around the plug, which can create heat due to increased resistance. You may be tripping a temperature sensor (since it works for awhile...then heats up and quits).
Thank you for the input.

We've been monitoring charging performance and it continues to be on and off. This week it has been charging in a similar pattern at full power (6.9-7.0kwh) around 1 to 1.5 hours and at a lower throughput (1.6 KWH) for the last 1 hour. I just plugged in this afternoon after work and once again it has charged at full power for one hour and has now dropped to charge at 1.6 KWH. Seems the 1.0 to 1.5 hour mark is where the vehicle charging speed drops off.

We've made an appointment with our local Nissan dealer to have the vehicle looked at. I want to ensure there is a record of the issues in case the cable is faulty.
 
We've been monitoring charging performance and it continues to be on and off. This week it has been charging in a similar pattern at full power (6.9-7.0kwh) around 1 to 1.5 hours and at a lower throughput (1.6 KWH) for the last 1 hour.
You realize this is normal operation, right? Any (good) Lithium charging profile should taper as it reaches full charge.
 
Recently we noticed the car would not charge overnight. The charge cable's red Fault light would be flashing in the morning. Recent charging events seem to stop after 45-75 minutes of charging. We do have Tesla solar panels installed and a battery also. Charging the vehicle starts pulling power from the battery and the grid and eventually transitions to just pulling from the grid once the battery has been depleted to its minimum charge level.

Any suggestions on what to look for aside from checking the outlet's power?
I wonder if your solar/grid tie is causing the problem. Red flashing light could be almost anything, but ground fault is among them.
I wouldn't condemn the EVSE outright, it may be something in your power supply causing it to sense some fault.
More checking, and if you had a friends place that you could try charging on the grid alone with YOUR EVSE would help rule the EVSE in or out as the problem.
 
You realize this is normal operation, right? Any (good) Lithium charging profile should taper as it reaches full charge.
Charging issue is being experienced at battery baseline as low a teens. Nothing to do with reaching full charge.

Nissan dealer plugged the vehicle to their 220/240V outlet using our cable and saw no issues. Juice flowing to battery did not throttle down after an hour or so of charging. They recommended I connect the vehicle somewhere else using my cable to confirm the issue is related to my outlet or home charging setup. I can provide an update once I get a chance to test it out.
 
I purchased a pre-owned 2018 SV in 2021, from a Nissan Dealer, and paid extra for a genuine Nissan Gold Extended Warranty. It expires in 2028.
The mileage is quite low - 25K.
An OEM Nissan Charging Cable was supplied with the vehicle.
It has failed, with all lights on, and no longer charges.
A local Nissan Dealer has told me it is not covered by the Warranty.
I don't understand why it would not be covered.
I plan to file in local Small Claims Court.
Advice, please ?
 
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Update: had the original electrician who ran the 240v electrical line come back to inspect the installation and he found the outlet was defective (showed signs of scorching). His claim is that outlet used was not meant to withstand hours of continuous 240v output while charging an electric vehicle. He replaced the outlet and charging is back to normal.
 

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I call BS, only one connection overheated, If it is a 14-50 outlet and the Leaf is only 27.5 amps, Max continuous on a 50 outlet is 40 amps (80% rule)
If the draw was too much both "hot" (both legs) would overheat.
I say the installer was at fault and didn't torque the screw holding the wire in tight enough.
 
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Update: had the original electrician who ran the 240v electrical line come back to inspect the installation and he found the outlet was defective (showed signs of scorching). His claim is that outlet used was not meant to withstand hours of continuous 240v output while charging an electric vehicle. He replaced the outlet and charging is back to normal.
This is a known community reported issue. You must get a heavy duty ( industrial) receptacle, if you are unplugging and plugging back in multiple times. The constant current is not the issue, IMHO, if you have the original paperwork, you should be able to at least get the receptacle replaced. Depending on your state or local laws, incidental damage ( parts and labor) may be covered. You may or may not need a lawyer to cover the damage/ costs involved. Good luck.
 
I have a friend with a Tesla 3 and had similar issues with the 220v plug as well. The car kept saying 'charge cable over heating'. He had a standard house grade NEMA plug and changed it to a heavy duty, plated one and has no issues now. So watch your 220v plugs for any odd rise in temperature. The long term connectivity was causing the plug fingers and plug blades to slowly increase resistance (wear and tear).

The electrician is partly right in that He installed the low grade plug and it's meant for laundry, etc, not 8-12 hours of continuous use, albeit not at max rating. If you had told him it was EV charging only then its up to him as a licensed professional to look after Your safety, not cover his a$$. Liability is 100% his fault.

Good thing your cable is OK, they aren't cheap.
 
A low grade plug may wear out from repeated use, and loose tension, but to be UL listed it must be able to carry the rated current.
The problem with blaming the plug for not being able to handle EV charging is that the leaf can only draw a little over 1/2 the rated current (55%) of the circuit capacity. Code states that "continuous" load must be less than 80%. So for a 50 amp plug, it should be loaded no more than 40 amps. The Leaf is 27.5 amps.
So blaming the outlet for not being able to carry 55% of it rated capacity means either knock-off outlets that can't meet UL listings were used, or far more likely that the connection between the inlet wire and the outlet was a poor connection.
By your reasoning, a std 15 or 20 amp outlet would fail when a toaster is plugged in.
Better grade outlets can stand more plugging and un plugging before they loose tension, but all grades should be able to take the rated current, 50 amps for under 2 hrs and 40 amps continuous.
I put this squarely on the person who installed the outlet. Bad workmanship.
Another proof that it is poor workmanship is: of the two current carrying wires, only one suffered overheating, but both carry the exact same current.
 
I've recently gone from charging my Leaf once a day to twice a day. overnight to 100% at 240v and during the day to about 85% at 120v. Unfortunately, the charge cable gave up the ghost. Is there a decent aftermarket dual voltage charge cable out there? I'm considering buying a used OEM cable from eBay as the new OEM cables are around $2000.
Any suggestions from someone who might be using a 3rd party cable that they are happy with.
On which charger? The 240 or the 120? You mean the “granny” charger that comes with the car? What is broken?
 
Nema14-50 receptacles come in multiple grades and one of them wears out. You want a “thick” one. The “dryer” type wears out fast.
 
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