Home Assessment this Wednesday ...

[Robd30]

Taking the necessary steps to get my Nissan Leaf in Illinois. This week is the home assessment for the charging station. I'm sure my house should be fine, but my question is, my best friend is an electrician.

I would certainly rather have him do the work and also give him the money rather than someone else. Can I have him run the 240V to my attached garage? Also, how did Nissan pick 'the electrician' that is coming to my house, how certified is he? Thanks...I'm already getting excited!!!

 

[EdmondLeaf]

Congrats. Yes, your friend can install for you, call Nissan CS and get waiver

 

[dcdivenut]

Waiver???
Why do you need a waiver? Just cancel the assessment. When I bought my leaf I scheduled the assessment and after learning that they were going to charge $99 was less than thrilled. Did some reading here, decided that if I wanted a L2 charger I would buy a GE Watt Station and get it installed myself.

I bought the Watt Station from Lowe's and now, based on driving habits after having the car for a couple of weeks I am not 100% sure I am even going to get it installed and may return, since I am not sure I want to spend 1k on the charger and another 1k to install.

I had no problem finding an electrician to install (I live just outside of DC). Not sure about the Nissan "approved" Aerovironment charger, but the Watt Station has all the documentation for install on their website.

 

[redLEAF]

Taking the necessary steps to get my Nissan Leaf in Illinois. This week is the home assessment for the charging station. I'm sure my house should be fine, but my question is, my best friend is an electrician.

I would certainly rather have him do the work and also give him the money rather than someone else. Can I have him run the 240V to my attached garage? Also, how did Nissan pick 'the electrician' that is coming to my house, how certified is he? Thanks...I'm already getting excited!!!

Welcome Robd30; not sure if you're northern, central or southern IL but there has been a lot of discussion on this thread from the Chicagoland LEAF owners so be sure to check it out ...

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=357

It's true that some owners may be able to suffice with only the portable charger that comes with the car (at 120V) but I prefer to use that as it was intended (in emergencies) and get a separate 240V unit installed in the garage for regular and twice as fast charging times --- no, you don't need to get the AV unit as its pricey and when combined with the electrician that AV/Nissan spec's out could cost you much more than using your own; you also have an option to send out that portable charger so it can charge at 240V (again look up the thread on EVSE charger options). You'll still need to contact Nissan CS so that you can eliminate that 'assessment' step and then contact a dealer for vehicle quote, etc. You'll also see that you can get reduced cost EV IL plates as well as there is an IL EPA rebate over and above the Fed Tax Credit ... it's all within the Chicagoland thread.

 

[EricBayArea]

I was part of the EV Project to get a "free" Blink unit installed. When the electrician for the EV Project came to assess my situation, there was going to be additional work beyond what the EV Project provides. So I had to pay additional to this person, at his rate.

Knowing what I know now, I would have hired my own electrician to either (A) setup the necessary 240v outlet with appropriate breakers and purchased a GE Watt Station or other Level 2 EVSE on my own, or (B) hired an electrician to get everything setup so the electrician could come in an pop in the breakers and plug in the Blink unit - both would have been cheaper.

In your situation, since you are not going through the EV Project for the "free" Blink unit, I would suggest canceling your appointment through Nissan and getting your own electrician to install a 240v outlet (with dedicated breakers) and purchase a unit on your own.

 

[palmermd]

Skip the assessment, skip the expensive EVSE. Just use the supplied EVSE with the car and have it upgraded at EVSEupgrade.com That is what I did, and it is all I've needed. I have semi-permanently attached it to the wall, and it never leaves the garage. When I first bought the car and took it out on a few of my longer trips it came off the wall and rode around in the trunk, and it has not come off the wall again in the past 9 months of driving.

Your electrician friend should have no problem installing a 240v outlet with the proper receptacle if you don't have one already in your garage.

 

[smkettner]

Cancel AV. Have you friend do the work. Pay his full price quote as it will be half what AV will charge.

If there are any issues your friend is not familiar with please post and you will get a quick answer and resolution.

Homedepot.com has several brands to fit what you like rather than only considering AV.

:shock: :shock: :shock: DO NOT PAY THE $100 SUCKER FEE :shock: :shock: :shock:

 

[MikeD]

Beginning this year the Leaf should be available with an onboard 6.6 kW charger.

What alternative (non-Blink/non-AV) EVSE strategy is recommended for those Leaf buyers or for those now leasing who may upgrade to a newer Leaf at the end of their lease?

 

[planet4ever]

As everyone else has said, cancel the assessment and save the $100. If you are going through the online order process I think you do also need to call 800-NO GAS EV and ask for a waiver.

No matter when you are getting your car, you can and should take time to read through the forums here and decide what you want to do about home charging. The 120v EVSE that comes with the car may be all you need for weeks, or months, or forever. Or you may want to upgrade to 12A or 16A at 240v for a relatively low cost. Or you may want to go for a more expensive 30A EVSE that can feed some future EV twice as fast. Think about whether you want logging capabilities and remote access built into your EVSE. There are lots of options at lots of price points.

Ray

 

[KillaWhat]

Cancel the Assessment, Save the $100, and take somebody out to dinner in your new Leaf instead.

If you can afford it, have your friend install a level 2.
I bought mine mail order from AV, just cause I like to hang my cord over the top of it.

If you want to save some $$$, get the level 1 modified, and you will be fine.

But get the ability to level 2 charge.
You will need it one day.

Good Luck

 

[lpickup]

I bought mine mail order from AV, just cause I like to hang my cord over the top of it.

That's an interesting comment! I have an AV unit myself (I received it for free from my utility though so I didn't pay for it) but it came with a separate cord holder. So even though the AV unit might have a great shape for hanging the cord over, if you can find a different unit for more than $30 cheaper, you can always just get a separate cord holder (similar to a garden hose holder).

 

[FLBoy]

Skip the assessment, skip the expensive EVSE. Just use the supplied EVSE with the car and have it upgraded at EVSEupgrade.com That is what I did, and it is all I've needed. I have semi-permanently attached it to the wall, and it never leaves the garage. When I first bought the car and took it out on a few of my longer trips it came off the wall and rode around in the trunk, and it has not come off the wall again in the past 9 months of driving.

Your electrician friend should have no problem installing a 240v outlet with the proper receptacle if you don't have one already in your garage.

+1
Mine never leaves the garage, and the cord is neatly stored on a $4 hose rack immediately in front of the car when parked in the garage. It charges at the maximum L2 rate for the current LEAF models, and it cost me hundreds of dollars less than any other EVSE available.