Included cable with 2015 Leaf

[billg]

I've noticed that the EVSEUpgrade for 2015 is limited to 16 amps on 240, Is this a recent change?

Apparently, some of the supply cables on 2015 LEAFs are 14AWG. If yours is 12AWG, they will set it up for 20 amps. The wire size is written on the cable every few inches. If you have a 12AWG cable, just order the 2013 upgrade.

 

[bheller]

I thought I had the charging times for the 2015 Leaf (I am considering a lease) figured out until I saw the last few posts on this thread.
I commute 70 miles one way, two times a week, and I am onsite for about 4 hours. There is a Chargepoint station in the company
parking garage, with a couple of stations, so I would use that time to charge using the L2.

So if I buy a 2015 w/QC, and swap the Nissan-supplied unit for the upgrade available at evseupgrade.com, would
I would still be left with 7 or 8 hours of charge time due to the limits of the upgraded unit: "programmable from 6 to 16 amps on 168-250 volts" ?
That would kill it for me - I would have to go to the nearby Nissan dealer and hope the QC worked, and would have to spend time there in order to
get up to 80% and be able to get home.
Or does the '15 Leaf take 3-4 hours to charge at a Level 2 station even with a 16 amp evseupgrade and I won't have a problem?

Thanks for the help.

 

[AlanSqB]

If there are L2 stations onsite, you won't use your own EVSE. The chargepoint is an EVSE and most of them charge at the full rate.

Keep in mind, 70 miles is right on the edge of do-able. Feasibility will depend on your speed, elevation changes, weather, etc. I occasionally drive 65 miles to Denver and charge fully there before returning home. Even at 6.6kw, sometimes it takes 5 hours to get back to 100%. I made it 1000 feet short of my house last night because I was fighting a 20mph headwind the whole way home.

If you post a description of your drive, there are lots of folks on here that can give you an experienced opinion on how well it might work.

Welcome.

 

[bheller]

I think I've got it now.
So even if I put in a 220 station at home, I would be limited to 7 hour charge times at home.
I could live with that.
As for the range, it seems that with careful driving I would be within the 2015 range, given
the experiences I have seen reported on this board.

 

[rogersleaf]

I thought I had the charging times for the 2015 Leaf (I am considering a lease) figured out until I saw the last few posts on this thread.
I commute 70 miles one way, two times a week, and I am onsite for about 4 hours. There is a Chargepoint station in the company
parking garage, with a couple of stations, so I would use that time to charge using the L2.

So if I buy a 2015 w/QC, and swap the Nissan-supplied unit for the upgrade available at evseupgrade.com, would
I would still be left with 7 or 8 hours of charge time due to the limits of the upgraded unit: "programmable from 6 to 16 amps on 168-250 volts" ?
That would kill it for me - I would have to go to the nearby Nissan dealer and hope the QC worked, and would have to spend time there in order to
get up to 80% and be able to get home.
Or does the '15 Leaf take 3-4 hours to charge at a Level 2 station even with a 16 amp evseupgrade and I won't have a problem?

Thanks for the help.

It's important to investigate the wattage/amperage of the L2 EVSE in the company parking garage. L2 simply means ~240v. delivery, but not specific to wattage/amperage. If they are delivering the full 6.6 kW (@ 28 amps) that 2015 Leaf can upload, you can recover enough charge in 4 hours to make the return trip. If delivering a slower charge, you will need additional time charging to get home. I'm finding ~30% battery recovery per hour on a 2014 using a 30amp/240v (exceeds the 6.6 kW) EVSE at home. If receiving a 16 amp L2 upload, then recovers at 1/2 the rate or takes twice the time. The 20 amp version of EVSEuprade recovers @ 20% per hour, and well worth the investment even if only used occasionally.

 

[bheller]

I will check that Chargepoint station info.
It was installed May 2014 if newer means faster.

 

[bheller]

It shows
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
on Chargepoint site, but amps not indicated.

 

[AlanSqB]

Look for that location on Plugshare. It may have some additional details from other users.

 

[bheller]

One user claimed 18mph for a Tesla,
not sure if that is a lot or not.

 

[AlanSqB]

That's probably about 30 amps so you will probably be charging at full speed for the Leaf.

 

[Wufnu]

If you do lease it, check the wire gauge on the charger. I've got a 2015 Leaf but recently discovered it had 12AWG wire so it can charge at 20A instead of 16A. I was so happy to see that 12, hah. They probably have a 12AWG cable somewhere on their lot or you might get lucky like me. Either way, you can probably make sure to get the right one when you lease.

 

[AlanSqB]

Happy to report a 3x12 Yazaki cable dated 2013 in my recently leased 2015 LEAF.

 

[minispeed]

I thought I had the charging times for the 2015 Leaf (I am considering a lease) figured out until I saw the last few posts on this thread.
I commute 70 miles one way, two times a week, and I am onsite for about 4 hours. There is a Chargepoint station in the company
parking garage, with a couple of stations, so I would use that time to charge using the L2.

In case the charge point goes down is there a place where you could plug in L1? It would mean you'd be stuck there for maybe 8hrs more but that's still better than being stuck on the side of the road.

Will it get cold where you are? Snow? If so read below:

Do you have a slow route option you could take with say 35 or 45mph roads? To do it you'll have to learn how to drive efficent, pump your tires up to 44psi. If you're going to see freezing temps a lot I'd say it's a no go (from others advice I haven't done a winter yet). If it just gets kinda cold you may be able to do it just by slowing down and dressing warm instead of using heat. Charge times will slow down when it's cold too so you may be sticking around before you leave just to be safe.
Track your fuel economy in your car now, go to fueleconomy.gov and look at it's rating. If you can't stand driving the way you need to get 20% better then you probably wouldn't want to adapt to what it needs to drive in the winter.

 

[bheller]

I'm in GA so we don't see freezing temps too often, and 1 inch of snow makes the national news,so I won't face bitter cold. It would be a third car, so if it is really iffy I could leave the Leaf at home.
And I have several options if the Chargepoint in the company parking garage fails. GA Power has one nearby and a Nissan dealer about 8 miles away has a L2 as well as the quick charge (with a spotty history).

 

[rogersleaf]

It shows
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
Level 2, J1772, 6.6 kW
on Chargepoint site, but amps not indicated.

Ok, reasonably safe on turning a 70 mile range within 4 hrs on the charger. Next, continue to search Plugshare for "Plan B" charging locations along your route at both ends and Plan B routes that is off the expressways should stretching the range become necessary. Depending on climate, speeds, winds, and geography your safe range will vary, but gut hunch is this is doable on @ 75% of the battery capacity running a mix of local roads and reasonable expressway speeds. Over time, you will learn the % of battery required to move between waypoints and intuitively recognize when coming up short on range. Good luck.