dgpcolorado said:
You've heard this before, I think: I just spoke with a Nissan rep a few minutes ago at the "Drive Electric Tour" and he said the EVSE Upgrade would void the battery warranty. I pointed out that the EVSE used to supply the current had nothing to do with the battery. He said that the cord for the 120V EVSE wasn't designed for the 240V upgrade and gets too "hot". He also said that there are problems with battery capacity in some Texas cars and implied that the EVSE upgrade is being looked at as a cause and that there is a TSB coming out on the use of it.
He also said there are a couple of other EVSEs due to be UL listed in January to give the AV one some competition and that the models currently available from Home Depot and places like that aren't currently UL listed. (Is that true? I never looked into it.)
Has anyone been hassled by a Leaf certified dealer about using EVSE Upgrade for 240V charging?
This is likely FUD. There is no technical basis for this assertion, and there definitely is nothing that the EVSE can do to affect battery life. The 12amp (rev1) upgrade actually runs much cooler on 240v than the original unit does on 120v. As several people have pointed out voltage has no bearing on this, only amperage. While it's true we increase the amperage 4 amps on the Rev2 upgrade, there is no appreciable loss. There are several orders of magnitude more loss in the LEAF's on-board charger module, which also explains why it must be liquid cooled and have a pump running continuously to cool it.
Keep in mind if voltage was the issue, then what happens in Europe with all the Panasonic EVSE's configured FROM THE FACTORY to use 240v?
If in some twilight-zone alternate-reality the EVSE upgrade did cause extra voltage drop (it doesn't in our reality), the LEAF would only charge SLOWER and it would be LESS stress on the batteries! The LEAF's on-board charger is designed for global operation, which means as low as 100vac in Japan, and up to 264vac in Europe. (240 + 10% tolerance) Japan Level II is 200vac, so even if we loose 40 volts in the cable, it would still be the same as charging in Japan.
The Panasonic EVSE generates a fair amount of heat while it's relays are closed, even with no charging taking place, as these relays have fast coils which generate appreciable heat when on. Doesn't matter whether it's connected to 120v or 240v.
We have actually improved the efficiency of the unit with our upgrade by installing a more advanced power supply with less parasitic draw. Our upgraded unit is one of the most efficient units I've evaluated.
Keep in mind "Nissan Reps" are NOT engineers! Many don't know an inverter from a turn signal flasher.
I know for a fact that Nissan people and even several actual Nissan engineers are using our product.
-Phil