Just bought my first Leaf!!

[marcdoss]

I'm new to the forums and to EV ownership...

My wife just got a new Hybrid (Hyundai Sonata), and that got me interested in a new car. But I wanted to get even better 'gas mileage' than hers, so we decided to try an EV. I got a silver 2013 Nissan Leaf SV...

I have a 22-mile round trip commute to work, so this will work perfectly for me! I have already put over 200 miles on it in less than a week!

Here are some pics!

I have been using the trickle charger to charge overnight, which has worked fine so far, but I am thinking of upgrading to some form of Level 2 charger... May keep the stock L1 charger in the trunk for 'emergencies', but would like the option for faster charging at home...

My only problem.... My house's 200A main breaker is full! It looks like I would have to have an electrician install a new sub-panel in order for me to put in a Level 2 charger or even a 240v 30a or 50a outlet... But I'm worried about the cost...
I was spending almost $200/month in gas in my truck, so I don't want to blow all of that savings by spending nearly $1000 on a new sub-panel install, and nearly another $1000 on the Level 2 EVSE itself... That's nearly a years' worth of gas in my old vehicle!!

Oh well... Decisions, decisions....

 

[Nubo]

Depends on your panel. The electrician may be able to combine some of the existing breakers into half-width breakers and free up a slot. It depends on the breakers that are in there, and the whole-house "load calculations", which the electrician can do with you. Get an estimate.

In terms of L2 EVSE there are options well below $1000, including the popular "EVSE Upgrade".

http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=products_all" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[supra410]

Welcome! I have not had the need yet for lvl2. I put nearly 8k miles in 5 months using only lvl1. Well, I have snuck in a few lvl2 charges from the dealership or a local grocer when making those over 100 mile days. 22 miles is a cakewalk for a leaf.

 

[LeftieBiker]

I'm new to the forums and to EV ownership...

My wife just got a new Hybrid (Hyundai Sonata), and that got me interested in a new car. But I wanted to get even better 'gas mileage' than hers, so we decided to try an EV. I got a silver 2013 Nissan Leaf SV...

I have a 22-mile round trip commute to work, so this will work perfectly for me! I have already put over 200 miles on it in less than a week!

Here are some pics!

I have been using the trickle charger to charge overnight, which has worked fine so far, but I am thinking of upgrading to some form of Level 2 charger... May keep the stock L1 charger in the trunk for 'emergencies', but would like the option for faster charging at home...

My only problem.... My house's 200A main breaker is full! It looks like I would have to have an electrician install a new sub-panel in order for me to put in a Level 2 charger or even a 240v 30a or 50a outlet... But I'm worried about the cost...
I was spending almost $200/month in gas in my truck, so I don't want to blow all of that savings by spending nearly $1000 on a new sub-panel install, and nearly another $1000 on the Level 2 EVSE itself... That's nearly a years' worth of gas in my old vehicle!!

Oh well... Decisions, decisions....

With the length of your commute, unless you plan to take much longer trips, back to back, you have no real need for a home L2 charger. I'm doing fine with L1 and a 45 mile commute. BTW, I'd like my car back! (Identical to yours.)

 

[doberman]

I had a 220v outlet put in my garage to use with my modified EVSE cable. This lets me charge quicker.

 

[Klayfish]

Depends on your panel. The electrician may be able to combine some of the existing breakers into half-width breakers and free up a slot. It depends on the breakers that are in there, and the whole-house "load calculations", which the electrician can do with you. Get an estimate.

In terms of L2 EVSE there are options well below $1000, including the popular "EVSE Upgrade".

http://evseupgrade.com/?main_page=products_all" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This. I've only had my LEAF a few weeks. However, my commute is 50 miles round trip. I'm fine with 110V for now, but once the weather gets cold, I'm going to need L2. My box is 240A main breaker, but the box is full. As I type this, I have an electrician at my house installing half breakers and freeing up space. That's because even though my box is "full", it's not using anywhere near my 240 capacity. Even after my electrician upgrades, and he's installing a 220 for the LEAF and 3 dedicated 110 lines for my other hobby (outdoor Christmas display), I still won't be near max capacity. So you may be able to upgrade without a major expense.

As soon as my electrician is done and I know what the 220 recepticle looks like, I'm mailing my EVSE into EVSEupgrade.com for modification and I'll also buy the right adapter.

 

[dgpcolorado]

...As soon as my electrician is done and I know what the 220 recepticle looks like, I'm mailing my EVSE into EVSEupgrade.com for modification and I'll also buy the right adapter.

I think that Phil uses L6-30 plugs on upgraded 2013 EVSEs. It would be most convenient if your electrician used an L6-30 receptacle (and associated breaker and wiring). Then you can just plug it in without an adapter. The nice thing about an L6 plug is that it is twist lock and won't pull out easily.

 

[ksnogas2112]

My panel is full too but the electrician reviewed what was on what circuit and determined that two breakers could be replaced with mini breakers because the loads were intermittent on either circuit which freed up a dedicated circuit for the evse.

 

[marcdoss]

Yeah, I have an electrician coming out to see what the options are. I have one 20A breaker that's for the garage door only (it pulls a max of 5 amps and is only used 3-4 times a day). There's another 20A breaker that's just for the whirlpool tub in the master bathroom (the whirlpool jets rarely get turned on at all!)... There's a 15A outlet that's for the sink garbage disposal and maybe one or two outlets in the kitchen...
I'm sure all of these intermittent devices could probably share one 20A breaker...?? That would free up two breakers right there??
I'm no electrician, so I'm just guessing... But I do know enough to not get screwed over.... I hope..

If it's going to be too much of a headache, I can just stick with the L1.


PS. I'm trying my first 'long' trip tomorrow - 75 miles to the in-laws' house. Will have to trickle charge overnight and make it 75 miles back for work the next afternoon.. If this goes well, I may try making the drive from Memphis to Nashville and back in a few weeks...

(I'm loving passing by the gas stations without checking the gas prices!)

 

[RonDawg]

PS. I'm trying my first 'long' trip tomorrow - 75 miles to the in-laws' house. Will have to trickle charge overnight and make it 75 miles back for work the next afternoon

That's going to be at the very edge of the Leaf's range. I would plan on stopping somewhere in between for a boost. And definitely keep your speed down, and if possible use a local road instead of the interstate. Freeway speeds definitely eat up range fast.

Also, if you only have access to L1 at your destination, if you get down to Low Battery Warning (and you likely will), plan on at least a 15 hour charge, perhaps as much as 20 hours.

 

[Klayfish]

RonDawg is right. If you're going 75 miles, you'll want to stick to back roads and drive with an egg under your gas pedal. You should make it, but that's getting real close. Ignorant me...my very first drive in my new LEAF was from the dealer to my house. It was 63 miles. I could have used back roads, but like a dope I took mostly highway. Cruised at 65mph. I made it, but had low battery warning my last 8 miles. Now I know better...

 

[Reddy]

OP, at 22 mi RT, you can easily continue with the L1 EVSE that came with the car forever. Within a week you should lose your "range anxiety" and realize that you can leave your L1 EVSE mounted in the garage (just make sure you have a good tight plug and don't hang the weight of the EVSE on the plug). However, if you start to find that >50 mi days, especially back-to-back (like you are currently planning) become more frequent, then go ahead and get the upgrade. As others have said, a 150 mi RT weekend trip will be "challenging" and will require L1 charging nearly every second you aren't driving. Hey, it's possible, just realize that you are pushing the limits, have some back up plans, and enjoy. Of course, also let us know how your trip went.