New owner - probably not a new question though!

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GorillaPie

New member
Joined
Jan 20, 2022
Messages
1
Hi there,

Nice to meet you all! Apologies if this question has been asked a hundred times before, I checked the search function without luck...

Recently took delivery of our first EV, a 2015 Leaf (Tekna 24kw) with 53K miles on the clock and 11/12 battery health bars. Loving getting familiarised with this brave new world so far and hoping this forum will be useful source of wisdom. Car will be almost entirely used for local journeys, nursery run, supermarket trips etc.

We've been happily charging the Leaf with standard EVSE cable so far, via the three-pin plug in our shed. But I want to buy a cable to enable access to fast-chargers when out and about, and also once we get a dedicated charging point installed at home.

Have had some confusing discussions with web retailers and feeling totally bamboozled by the dizzying range out there, yet to fully know my Type 1 from my Type 2 and my Mennekes from my Yazakis. Can someone advise on which one I need to go for? I also tried searching for chargers on ZapMap and apart from the idiot-proof three-pin, already confused by the number of permutations on there too. Not a promising start #LOL

Sorry for what I expect is a classic newbie question but really grateful for any tips!

Cheers!
 
Sounds like you're in the UK so hopefully someone from your region will chime in. Mennekes isn't a thing here in the states. You might consider reposting with a more specific title, like "New UK owner with questions". It might attract more people with that knowledge.

The search engine here is limited. It can be helpful to search on google by entering search terms, followed by:

site:mynissanleaf.com
Good luck
 
Congrats on your new Leaf. What you are looking for is an EVSE (electric vehicle service equipment). The L1/L2 'charger' is actually inside the car. It's a nit but it will help you get more knowledgeable information if you use the correct terms..

That said, in the US, virtually all public charging stations have a J1772 plug that inserts into the charging port at the front of the car. There is no need to carry around an EVSE cable unless you are planning to plug into an outlet somewhere, eg at a campground.

If you want to get a home system, there are various makes and models available although I'm sure the offerings are different in the UK than in the US. In the US, L1 is normally considered to be 120V and L2 is 240V. I don't know what the voltage specs are in the UK but the terms are probably similar. For any given voltage, there is also an amperage rating for the unit. The total power supplied is Voltage * Amps = Watts.

If you buy an EVSE for home use, the wiring and/or receptacle that it is attached to must be rated for enough power to supply the unit's demands. There are lots of posts here about that but in general, I'd live with the EVSE supplied with the car for awhile to see if that meets your needs.
 
I wrote a longish reply after approving the post, before I went to bed this morning, and a wrong mouse move deleted it all. I agree on the title change, but no need to repost: the OP can just edit the title in the first post, or I'll do it myself later, if they prefer.

The UK has something like 220 volts, so there is no L-1 like we have. The choices are L-2 with those removable cables, or DC Fast Charge (DCFC), sometimes called L-3. DCFC isn't available for home installation, as the machines are very large and expensive. So that leaves various amperages of L-2..
 
Sorry this reply is a bit late, but i've only just joined this forum & seen your post.

I'm also in the UK but having owned the Leaf for just over a week, am certainly no expert.

This is the type of cable you need :-
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/334309288358?hash=item4dd662e9a6:g:aYcAAOSwXZphkWbV

It plugs into the same port on the car as your home charger.

You should have another charge port to the left which is the CHAdeMO port for fast DC charging. The plug with cable for this port is fixed to the charging machine so your own cable isn't required for that.

Regarding the ZAP MAP, when you click on the map, there are filters on the left that you can set for your car & the types of charge port it has.
You'll probably only want CHAdeMO away from home for the fastest charge, usually around 30 minutes for a 70 - 80% charge.

Hope this helps, although it is a case of the blind leading the blind LOL.
 
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