Charging your LEAF in a SHTF scenario

[kubel]

The SHTF and you need to find some MacGyver ways to charge your LEAF. Assume the grid is down and liquid fuels are unavailable to power generators, so that rules out conventional charging from the grid or generating electricity from generators.

Do you think jacking up and then connecting the drive wheels directly to a windmill/watermill like device would provide enough power to turn the wheels fast enough to regen?

If you have the luxury of solar or wind power, is there a way to charge the LEAF directly with varying voltage / current that doesn't require a battery bank?

 

[adric22]

I would imagine you could charge the Leaf with just about any size solar panel so long as you can get a voltage that is higher than the main pack voltage and you don't mind taking bits of your car apart to interface directly to the battery pack. Granted, it may take days or weeks to charge it up depending on the size of the panel. Same would be true with a wind turbine.

Of course a gas powered generator would be a good short term solution. You could even charge through the EVSE port.

If you were determined to charge via the EVSE port, using GM's voltec L1 EVSE unit might actually be of some help since it has a lower amp settIing of 8 amps, which might be somewhat easier to produce on a SHTF scenario than the 12 amps required by the Panasonic L1 unit.

I suppose regen could charge the car if you can find a way to reliably spin the wheels at a decently fast speed. Would not be the preferable way to do it though.

 

[DarkStar]

If you were determined to charge via the EVSE port, using GM's voltec L1 EVSE unit might actually be of some help since it has a lower amp settIing of 8 amps, which might be somewhat easier to produce on a SHTF scenario than the 12 amps required by the Panasonic L1 unit.

Exactly! The on-board charger should handle DC input just fine as it is rectifying the AC power anyhow. The voltage required might be a bit different for DC vs. AC, however since the on-board charger already handles a wide voltage range (100-240+ volts), just having the EVSE set on 8 or 6 amps would be key. The best option being an EVSE that automatically adjusted the pilot based on the solar production would be optimal.

 

[planet4ever]

I would imagine you could charge the Leaf with just about any size solar panel so long as you can get a voltage that is higher than the main pack voltage and you don't mind taking bits of your car apart to interface directly to the battery pack.

... and you don't mind destroying your battery. I don't think even MacGyver would seriously consider bypassing the Battery Controller, which is inside the battery. The Battery Controller sends orders to the rest of the car via the CAN bus as to how much voltage and current it wants. If those orders are violated it sends a disconnect command. If that is ignored, I'm guessing your battery will be toast. The thing is, you can't just provide "some higher voltage". I'm pretty sure you have to provide a variable voltage that will result in the proper level of current. I am not an EE, but my impression is that it's tough to get a controlled variable voltage out of a solar array; that you would have to go through some very fancy electronics.

Ray

 

[GlennD]

H have a small generator. It would be for powering the refrigerator and L1 charging my Leaf. I have tried it for both and it just squeaks by. I think in an extended outage I would reprogram the L1 to 10A.

 

[adric22]

... and you don't mind destroying your battery. I don't think even MacGyver would seriously consider bypassing the Battery Controller, which is inside the battery.

Keep in mind that the amount of power being pumped into the battery would be very small. As I said, it would probably take weeks to charge the battery in this manner. As long as you monitored the voltage level of the cells periodically, I do not believe anything would be damaged. It shouldn't really be any different than those modifications for the Prius to add PHEV ability (and I've installed several of those) and they just add power directly to the main battery, keeping an eye on pack voltage so as not to overcharge it.

 

[EVDRIVER]

I would imagine you could charge the Leaf with just about any size solar panel so long as you can get a voltage that is higher than the main pack voltage and you don't mind taking bits of your car apart to interface directly to the battery pack. Granted, it may take days or weeks to charge it up depending on the size of the panel. Same would be true with a wind turbine.

Of course a gas powered generator would be a good short term solution. You could even charge through the EVSE port.

If you were determined to charge via the EVSE port, using GM's voltec L1 EVSE unit might actually be of some help since it has a lower amp settIing of 8 amps, which might be somewhat easier to produce on a SHTF scenario than the 12 amps required by the Panasonic L1 unit.

I suppose regen could charge the car if you can find a way to reliably spin the wheels at a decently fast speed. Would not be the preferable way to do it though.

The Panasonic unit does not require 12A it tells the charger it can draw a max of 12A.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

elliptical setup on the wheel would be the best and healthiest way to go

 

[garygid]

On a good day, my solar array would charge a LEAF in just a few hours.
It can generate 5 to 7 kW during high-sun hours.

Open circuit, a typical rooftop solar panel might produce around 35 to 40 volts.
Then, 11 panels in series would produce 385 to 440 volts, enough to charge
a depleted LEAF battery pack substantially.

Connecting the DC solar feed directly to the battery pack, the voltage would adjust
automatically, with the possibility of a large "regen" current flow.
The difficult part would be detecting when to stop!

NO, I do NOT suggest that you try this.
DO NOT try this at home. NO, NO, NO!!!

 

[TonyWilliams]

On a good day, my solar array would charge a LEAF in just a few hours.
It can generate 5 to 7 kW during high-sun hours.

Open circuit, a typical rooftop solar panel might produce around 35 to 40 volts.
Then, 11 panels in series would produce 385 to 440 volts, enough to charge
a depleted LEAF battery pack substantially.

Connecting the DC solar feed directly to the battery pack, the voltage would adjust
automatically, with the possibility of a large "regen" current flow.
The difficult part would be detecting when to stop!

NO, I do NOT suggest that you try this.
DO NOT try this at home. NO, NO, NO!!!

Crap, Gary, I didn't read your whole post, hooked up my battery, and burned down the neighborhood. What should I do now?

Edit: I forgot that I left the new Fisker Karma parked out front; maybe that's where the fire is from (I don't see any Volts around)

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

no power at all and you want to charge the LEAF? i would save all the solar to preserve your food supply. the LEAF should regen at nearly all voltage values by simply turning the wheel backwards while in drive.

if this was a true disaster scenario, you realize that unless you already had a solar setup, you would not realistically be able to rig it up much less connect it to the car or is it all that easy? i personally dont know but it took barely a glance at my neighbor's PV setup for me to realize there is ZERO compatibility here.

otoh; setting up system to turn a wheel...well, hey! even Neanderthals figured that one out. so are we looking at realism or not here?

 

[dandrewk]

Ok then, here's another question. If you have a roof top solar panel setup (like I do), you also have a sizable inverter on the side of your house. It converts DC-AC, makes the sun power available and pumps excess back into the grid. How difficult would it be to install a 120 or 240v plug into the inverter and use that power? Do any solar inverters already have such a receptacle?

 

[gfederas]

If you are grid-tied, power loss from the grid also disconnects feed-in power. Killing power in the line prevents electrocution while repairs are being performed. An electrician might be able to wire in a service disconnect that toggles power to your local plug instead of feeding it back to the grid.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Ok then, here's another question. If you have a roof top solar panel setup (like I do), you also have a sizable inverter on the side of your house. It converts DC-AC, makes the sun power available and pumps excess back into the grid. How difficult would it be to install a 120 or 240v plug into the inverter and use that power? Do any solar inverters already have such a receptacle?

probably need to have someone more familiar chime in, but a quick conversation with neighbor states you would not have a viable system without a battery backup supply. my neighbor's requires line power to work and he "wants" the battery backup system so he would not have to have power but its a pretty expensive option and yes, the battery backup does have plugs

he was not sure of the capacities but i guess the cheapest battery backup starts at $4,000 and didnt do much as he recalled

 

[keydiver]

There are people out there, including members of this forum, who have learned how to use a smaller battery based sine wave inverter to spoof the grid tied system into staying online. I'm either going to do that, or add an SMA Sunny Island to my setup. I already have an Outback inverter with battery backup, which I also might be able to use for this.

 

[dandrewk]

Perhaps something like this for L1 charging?:

http://www.wholesalesolar.com/backup/1800-watt-home-solar-battery-backup-system.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Perhaps something like this for L1 charging?:

http://www.wholesalesolar.com/backup/1800-watt-home-solar-battery-backup-system.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

a "bit" too much money for my tastes. i think i know someone who put one together on the fly. no response from him yet (not unusual as its in the mid 80's here and its a rare situation when someone who loves the outdoors like does would be home on a Sunday) and although he talked about it a lot, i cant say for sure that he has completed or started the project but i do remember him saying he could do it for under $500 or so

 

[sdittm1]

How long would it take to charge the LEAF with that option?

 

[torgazm]

How long would it take to charge the LEAF with that option?

Price is way too high, but I'm also interested in a portable solar option. Anyone got a cheaper solution that would fit the LEAF for L1 "free" charging?

 

[dandrewk]

How long would it take to charge the LEAF with that option?

Since the panels can crank out 1800w, It should be the same as any L1 charge.