Nissan Leaf EVSE upgrade - Reviews? Reliable?

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Eire32

Active member
Joined
Aug 17, 2014
Messages
35
Hi,

New to the EV scene. I am looking to charge faster than the standard 110v supply that came with my 2013 Nissan Leaf.

Just wondering will the EVSE upgrade to the existing 2013 Nissan supplied 110v EVSE to make it 220v capable work as good,better, or worse, than say a wall mounted level 2 EVSE such as the Siemens?

The upgrade costs $287, while a new Siemens Level 2 will cost me $600.
Will it get the same result?

As I have a number of other EV projects at home so cutting costs would be great if possible.
 
I can't provide actual comparison experience. However I can say I chose to do the EVSE upgrade and am very happy with my decision. It is capable of charging as fast as the car can handle (so yes, same as wall mounted Level 2) and seems to do so quite well. I opted for the adapters so that I could plug into just about any plug out there - but so far have only used my 240v plug.

I like that it is more portable in case I ever want to plug in elsewhere, but have yet to have a need to do this. Having the standard 14-50 plug installed in my garage was easy enough (electrician did it) - no need to really get into EVSE discussion with him so it was a quick normal job (no special knowledge/skill required to do it). I believe that helped to keep the cost of install down (even with professional doing the job).

So, my opinion is that a more permanent mount EVSE really is unnecessary for my home use. IF I were to plan on sharing with others (or had other vehicles of my own) then perhaps it could make a difference.

Other things to consider is that some other EVSEs out there can do fancy things like meter the power or turn on/off at scheduled times. While nice, I didn't consider these necessary for my use. Not all can do these things so if you need/desire them read the details...
 
Eire32 said:
Hi,

New to the EV scene. I am looking to charge faster than the standard 110v supply that came with my 2013 Nissan Leaf.

Just wondering will the EVSE upgrade to the existing 2013 Nissan supplied 110v EVSE to make it 220v capable work as good,better, or worse, than say a wall mounted level 2 EVSE such as the Siemens?

The upgrade costs $287, while a new Siemens Level 2 will cost me $600.
Will it get the same result?

As I have a number of other EV projects at home so cutting costs would be great if possible.
Click to expand...
Getting something like the Sieman's unit isn't necessary to get faster charging. I would advice you to get the upgraded EVSE! I have had mine for more than 18 months and it has worked flawlessly! it will charge the car way faster than the L1 that came with the car, it will be money well spent.
 
I agree that the EVSE Upgrade for the 2013 SV works great and can deliver VERY CLOSE to full 6.6kW charging capability. I think it's 5.8kW. It will charge you from nearly empty to full in less than 5 hours, the longest it has ever taken my car to charge was 4hrs and change. The upgrade and certified electrician listed on Angie's List wiring were money well spent. Oh, and I have been using my upgraded EVSE for more than a year. My only complaint might be the twisting of the cord, but there's probably a method discussed on this forum to help keep the cord looking prettier... I just don't care enough to bother. I hope these posts have helped! :)
OOps... My bad... Thank you. Yes, it will deliver 4.8kW, not 5.8.kW
 
The EVSE upgrade will only provide 4.8kW to the charger. This will provide around 4.3kW to the batteries.
For full 6.0kW charge rate, you need a 40A circuit.
 
I say get both. The advantage of the wall unit is that it will allow the car to charge at its maximum rate of approx 6.6 kw, while the evse upgrade unit will only do 4.8 kw. Plus I think it looks better in a permanent installation than a device that is meant to be portable. The difference in charging power usually is not a big deal, but sometimes you want to get a quick charge after work so you can do errands later, and in that case it makes a big difference. The advantage of the evse upgrade is that it's portable, it's cheaper, and most importantly you are able to adjust how much current it draws. That is very helpful when you are charging in a strange location away from home. As well as it supports 120 volt charging up to 16 amps if you buy the 5-20 adapter. The advantage of having both is a biggie. You get the advantages of both, plus you have a backup in case one of them breaks. I'd say either unit is as reliable as the other.
 
johnrhansen said:
I say get both. The advantage of the wall unit is that it will allow the car to charge at its maximum rate of approx 6.6 kw, while the evse upgrade unit will only do 4.8 kw.
Click to expand...

Of course, there are portable solutions that will also provide up to the 6.6kW / 30 amps (or more) that a Nissan LEAF requires:

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/searchquick-submit.sc?keywords=Jesla" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
I went with the Siemens wall mount personally. I've debated about getting my portable upgraded, but I really never use it. Would be nice in an emergency though... I will consider it. For now, I'm happy with my wall mounted unit :)
 
My solution was an OpenEVSE built by GlennD here on MNL for 425+shipping - Built in future proofing, adjustable capacity to 50A in 2A increments, multiple plug options if I need them, 120V or 240V, mounts on the wall or portable. I love being able to charge at 27.5 amps. An hour gets me more than 30% of recharge capacity, which is great when I come home for lunch.

I have the OEM trickle charger in the car. Not really for emergencies, but to just store it there. I can't ever see using it. If I am out and about and need a charger I will stop at a L2. I guess if there are no L2's then I would use it (but will probably call for a tow rather than charge at 5% an hour for half a day).
 
We installed a GE unit at the house but will also get the EVSE upgrade to help with portable solutions for road trips. The trickle charger just was / a last resort method. As a daily drive of 50 miles at under 55 for the most part , it could not keep up the demand. By day 5 I drove an ICE or bummed juice from a public charger for 45 min. Now it is wonderful !!!
 
TonyWilliams said:
johnrhansen said:
I say get both. The advantage of the wall unit is that it will allow the car to charge at its maximum rate of approx 6.6 kw, while the evse upgrade unit will only do 4.8 kw.
Click to expand...

Of course, there are portable solutions that will also provide up to the 6.6kW / 30 amps (or more) that a Nissan LEAF requires:

http://shop.quickchargepower.com/searchquick-submit.sc?keywords=Jesla" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Click to expand...

Yeah, but it's a thousand dollars. You could buy both the evse upgrade and the siemens unit for that. The only time I need full charging ability on the road is if I am actually sitting around in the middle of the day where there is no charging station while waiting for my car to charge. I think in the past year that was 5 times. so I'll save the 750 bucks and wait maybe 15 extra hours total. Not quite what my doctor or lawyer earn, but a respectable wage nonetheless. But if you ask me, the ideal would be both the Jesla and the EVSE upgrade. then you have a backup on the road too. Maybe my doctor or layer could afford that.
 
Hi

So the EVSE upgrade to operate at maximum charge capacity still needs a 220v electrical outlet right?
 
Mottyski82 said:
... My only complaint might be the twisting of the cord, but there's probably a method discussed on this forum to help keep the cord looking prettier... I just don't care enough to bother.
Click to expand...

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=9148#p205160" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
The first video is left handed.
The two videos later in the thread are right handed.
http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=38&t=9148&start=50#p382039" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Don't abuse the cord!
 
I've been using EVSE upgrade to charge my LEAF since I got it more than 2½ years ago. One advantage of the upgraded Nissan/Panasonic EVSE is that it is very robust and reliable, as well as being portable. EVSE upgrade has done thousands of upgrades and problems with them are exceedingly rare.

The idea that 20 Amps (4.8 kW) will be too slow for home use strikes me as unlikely, since most people charge overnight. Mine is only 16 Amps and I rarely charge for more than an hour or two at a time. Even for those who drive a lot of miles per day, the difference between 20 Amp (~16 miles/hour) charging and 27.5 Amp (~24 miles/hour) charging is pretty trivial for home use. The real advantage of the 6.0 kW charger on the later models of LEAF is for using public charge stations where you are waiting for enough miles to be added to the car to continue your trip. At home? Not so much.

However, if you need to use your portable EVSE away from home on a regular basis, which is fairly uncommon for most LEAFers, the hassle of using the same one as your home EVSE makes getting a separate wall mount (or portable) EVSE at home much more convenient. But most people simply do not use or need the portable EVSE on the road on a daily basis. Depends on your situation.

My 2¢.
 
Today I drove 150 miles on the freeway mostly. Went home twice. Charged both times and left again. My house is my base. I need full speed charging sometimes. If you know it will be this way for you get the wall mount. If you know it wont get the evse upgrade. If you aren't sure get the evse upgrade, and if even once if you wished your car would charge faster, get the wall mount at that point. No harm in having a backup!
 
wait a second!! who says the EVSE upgrade only does 4.8 KW? pretty sure mine is programmable up to 25 amps or 6 KW? and yes that would require a 40 amp circuit but you could also set it for 24 amps (5.76 KW) and a 30 amp circuit would work just fine.

I think the portability, price and adjustability of the EVSE upgrade makes this a no brainer decision

as far as speed, mine is only set to 4.8 KW but ONLY because I am using the worst breaker panel in use (been banned for over 15 years) today. Because of that, I chose not to push the limits and I have been fine. Just a few hours is all I need to get a significant boost in range. more than a few times, I have had tight turnaround times and have yet to come up short
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
wait a second!! who says the EVSE upgrade only does 4.8 KW? pretty sure mine is programmable up to 25 amps or 6 KW? and yes that would require a 40 amp circuit but you could also set it for 24 amps (5.76 KW) and a 30 amp circuit would work just fine.
...
Click to expand...
The evseupgrade.com web site says so Dave.
2013 forward modified only goes to 20 amps, needs 30 amp circuit.
2011 or 2012 modified only goes to 16 amps, needs 20 amp circuit.
 

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