2018 Leaf EVSE

[TonyWilliams]

DO NOT USE THE 2018 LEAF EVSE (Portable Charging Cable) WITH A 30 AMP CIRCUIT, like a clothes dryer NEMA 14-30 or 10-30.

There is a reason it has a 50 amp plug on it (NEMA 14-50).

[LeftieBiker]

Nissan seems to have once again chosen marketing over common sense and even safety. If they were going to offer a dual voltage EVSE with a high charge rate, it needed to have a lower, selectable rate as well.

[cwerdna]

Nissan seems to have once again chosen marketing over common sense and even safety. If they were going to offer a dual voltage EVSE with a high charge rate, it needed to have a lower, selectable rate as well.

They should've gone the Tesla model where the UMC (https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/ve ... 25821-00-G) comes with a limited set of adapters but then they have others for sale: https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/ve ... 14355-10-B. The UMC adjusts the pilot signal to accommodate the max safe amount that can be drawn for a corresponding outlet type.

That said, Tesla also has sorta gone the other direction by selling this cheaper guy that's NEMA 14-50 only: https://shop.tesla.com/us/en/product/ve ... 06293-00-A.

I'm guessing that Nissan wanted to make things simpler and instead of discussing amperage, voltage and multiple 240 volt outlet types, they just went w/14-50.

[Nubo]

That 120v adapter is very bulky. I can foresee many places with recessed 120v weatherproof outlets being a tight fit.

I think I prefer the pigtail approach that EVSEUpgrade use on their units.

Not only bulky, but creates a long lever arm. Users will need to find a way to support the unit and cable weight to keep it from pulling out of the socket. Then again, that was the case with the original L1 unit too.

[wwhitney]

DO NOT USE THE 2018 LEAF EVSE (Portable Charging Cable) WITH A 30 AMP CIRCUIT, like a clothes dryer NEMA 14-30 or 10-30. There is a reason it has a 50 amp plug on it (NEMA 14-50).

To be clear, with a properly installed 30 amp circuit, there is no safety issue in having a 30 amp (or 27.5 amp) continuous load on the circuit. The issue is that you may get nuisance tripping of the circuit breaker.

Now a continuous 30 amp load could easily expose some wiring problem that an electric clothes dryer or other 30 amp load never exercised. Or if you continually reset a tripping breaker, that can cause the breaker to wear out, which would be a safety issue.

Cheers, Wayne

[smkettner]

DO NOT USE THE 2018 LEAF EVSE (Portable Charging Cable) WITH A 30 AMP CIRCUIT, like a clothes dryer NEMA 14-30 or 10-30. There is a reason it has a 50 amp plug on it (NEMA 14-50).

To be clear, with a properly installed 30 amp circuit, there is no safety issue in having a 30 amp (or 27.5 amp) continuous load on the circuit. The issue is that you may get nuisance tripping of the circuit breaker.

Now a continuous 30 amp load could easily expose some wiring problem that an electric clothes dryer or other 30 amp load never exercised. Or if you continually reset a tripping breaker, that can cause the breaker to wear out, which would be a safety issue.

Cheers, Wayne

And here I thought code required 125% supply rating for continuous loads exceeding 3 hours.

[wwhitney]

And here I thought code required 125% supply rating for continuous loads exceeding 3 hours.

Yes, it absolutely does. My point is that it is a performance requirement, not a safety requirement. Wires rated 30 amps are rated to do so continuously. But a normal 30 amp breaker is not rated to hold for 30 amps continuously.

So to avoid the nuisance tripping issue, the breaker needs to be upsized to 125% of the continuous load. The wiring then needs to be upsized to match.

Cheers, Wayne

[EVDRIVER]

Only special breakers rated for continuous load rated with no de rating can handle 30a, this is also subject to approval by local code. These breakers are not the same as traditional breakers subject to the 25% rule. The design again shows how Nissan and other companies don't get the space and just mirror a plug end with no real thought in the process. Many existing 30 circuits also are quite old and not well suited for this. All this for 3a more which is the most reduculous part.

[wwhitney]

Only special breakers rated for continuous load rated with no de rating can handle 30a, this is also subject to approval by local code. These breakers are not the same as traditional breakers subject to the 25% rule.

Yes, there are 100% rated breakers that will handle their nameplate current continuously without tripping. And for a 30A continuous load, the NEC allows using a 30A 100% rated breaker and 30A rated conductors. [Except 100% rated breakers don't really exist in such small sizes, and they require an individual enclosure that is part of the 100% rating.]

Again, this just shows that the conductors themselves are good for a continuous load at their rating; it is the breaker that is the limiting factor.

Cheers, Wayne

[JPWhite]

Only special breakers rated for continuous load rated with no de rating can handle 30a, this is also subject to approval by local code. These breakers are not the same as traditional breakers subject to the 25% rule. The design again shows how Nissan and other companies don't get the space and just mirror a plug end with no real thought in the process. Many existing 30 circuits also are quite old and not well suited for this. All this for 3a more which is the most reduculous part.

It could be That Nissan stuck 30Amp on the label to match its conductors, who knows what it actually draws at full wick.