I actually researched this a few months ago. I found a tri-fuel generator which could run on propane, gasoline, or natural gas. My plan was to run it on propane. I found a large propane tank which enabled the generator to run for 18 hours. I found propane was available at most U-haul stores. I was going to charge the car from the generators 110v 20a circuit. Here's my biggest issue and I never received a satisfactory response. Does the Leaf require grid quality pure sine wave power? If so, does the generator actually produce grid quality pure sine wave power (rather than modified sine wave)? If anyone has any insights in that regard please share.vulcan33 said:We have a rustic cabin in Southern Ohio without power.
How big would a 240 Volt generator need to be to complete a 7 hour charge?
Right, and that's the issue. Nissan couldn't tell me if the Leaf charging required grid quality power. I remember I had a cordless drill once that came with a warning to not connect its charger to a modified sine ware inverter or any generator which could produce grid quality pure sine wave power.smkettner said:Generators are generally sine wave. Poor power factor devices tend to disrupt the sinewave but chargers don't usually care too much.
An inverter/generator such as Honda 3000 will hold the sinewave better than standard contractor generators.
LTLFTcomposite said:If the charge rate is 3.3 KW, assuming you wouldn't want to push it with a sustained load beyond about 80%, I'd think you'd want a minimum of 4 KW.
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Be sure to run the gas out and/or drain the carb if you're going to be letting it sit unused for extended periods between usages.
Nissan have sated the following," It will charge on a regular 110/120V 20-Amp dedicated outlet. This is considered a "trickle charge," which means it would charge at a slower rate. For home charging, we recommend a home charging dock on a dedicated 220/240V, 40A circuit."garygid said:We have not heard about the input AC requirements of the LEAF's charger. The only safe assumption for now, is NOT the "modified" sine wave (really a two-tier square wave), but use a "real" sine wave for Level 1 (120v) and Level 2 (240v) charging.
If that's the case, why didn't Nissan specify it that way rather than stating 120V 20-Amp dedicated circuit?garygid said:The 120v charging does not "require" a 20-amp circuit (or socket), since the EVSE is designed to be used on "any" (unloaded) 120v circuit, even the commonly-found 15-amp circuits, where the common household "parallel-prong, 15-amp" socket is usually found.
We suspect that the L1 EVSE is "set" to tell the EV to use only 12 amps maximum.
It's described in question #19 in the charging FAQ.garygid said:Where did you see Nissan's statement of "20-amp dedicated"?
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