Outdoor charging of Leaf

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jza80

New member
Joined
Jul 8, 2011
Messages
2
Hi all,

I am on the reservation list but have not yet requested a dealer quote for a Leaf (my spec is SL, Silver, Cold weather package - for the heated seats, and the Fast Charge port). I have a 3-car garage but it is full with other vehicles used for occasional drives and our main driving vehicles are parked in the driveway which is also where the Leaf would park if we get it.

My question is regarding the charging. This car will be charged outside, not under a cover or awning of any kind. The L2 charger would be installed inside the garage, and the cable would pass under the garage door (I can make a space for the cable so that it will not be compressed by the door). My concern is what happens when it is raining? Obviously the power should be shut off to the car for connection and disconnection under rainy conditions but is it even feasible for me to consider a Leaf if it will always be parked and recharged in a driveway?

Is anybody else parking and charging in their driveway?

I have called Nissan and Aerovironment about my question, Nissan was clueless and referred me to Aerovironment who said that their charger is OK in the weather but the guy recalled some Nissan literature that cautioned against allowing any water into the charge port area. I found a scan of the Leaf owners manual online and it does have this caution.

Any thoughts about my situation? I'd love to get this car for my wife to drive, but it has to work around our parking situation.

Thanks for any feedback!
 
We charge in the driveway under a covered carport. It works fine, but we're in Southern California, where the whether stays mild.
 
jza80 said:
My question is regarding the charging. This car will be charged outside, not under a cover or awning of any kind. The L2 charger would be installed inside the garage, and the cable would pass under the garage door (I can make a space for the cable so that it will not be compressed by the door). My concern is what happens when it is raining? Obviously the power should be shut off to the car for connection and disconnection under rainy conditions but is it even feasible for me to consider a Leaf if it will always be parked and recharged in a driveway?

Is anybody else parking and charging in their driveway?

I have called Nissan and Aerovironment about my question, Nissan was clueless and referred me to Aerovironment who said that their charger is OK in the weather but the guy recalled some Nissan literature that cautioned against allowing any water into the charge port area. I found a scan of the Leaf owners manual online and it does have this caution.
Click to expand...

I honestly don't think it's an issue. I charge my car like that every night and, though I live in sunny CA, I did get my car in January. So it was outside for a good few wintery nights (by our standards, at least) where the water was coming down in bucket loads.

I was/am satisfied as to the quality of the waterproofing around the charge port by seeing Nissan video of it getting the living dickens soaked out of it with a fire hose.
 
Both the EVSE and the charge port on the car are weather proof so it shouldn't be an issue.

jza80 said:
My question is regarding the charging. This car will be charged outside, not under a cover or awning of any kind. The L2 charger would be installed inside the garage, and the cable would pass under the garage door (I can make a space for the cable so that it will not be compressed by the door). My concern is what happens when it is raining? Obviously the power should be shut off to the car for connection and disconnection under rainy conditions but is it even feasible for me to consider a Leaf if it will always be parked and recharged in a driveway?
Click to expand...
 
I have charged 100% outdoors with the AV L2 at home and with the included L1 charger at work. I have not had a single issue since 3/30/11, with 5,500 miles and a few rainy/drizzle days. You should be OK.
 
I am charging outside without cover in the "rainy" Northwest. No problems at all - the nose does point down in the driveway. Yes, water gets inside the charging area if you move the charging access cover. I push it down on the charging grip in an attempt to limit the rain blowing in.

My Blink unit is hung on the side wall outside as well - there is some cover for it but if the wind is blowing hard enough, it does get splattered. It is me that get doused disconnecting the car and winding the power cable on the Blink.
 
This is where we park and charge our LEAF:
0510110558.jpg


Yes, that is snow on the car. While I wouldn't open the charge port and aim a garden hose straight inside it, my sense is that outdoor charging should be fine in all but the most extreme weather. By the way, our L2 charging dock is somewhat sheltered underneath a bay window.
 
jza80 said:
Hi all,

I am on the reservation list but have not yet requested a dealer quote for a Leaf (my spec is SL, Silver, Cold weather package - for the heated seats, and the Fast Charge port). I have a 3-car garage but it is full with other vehicles used for occasional drives and our main driving vehicles are parked in the driveway which is also where the Leaf would park if we get it.

My question is regarding the charging. This car will be charged outside, not under a cover or awning of any kind. The L2 charger would be installed inside the garage, and the cable would pass under the garage door (I can make a space for the cable so that it will not be compressed by the door). My concern is what happens when it is raining? Obviously the power should be shut off to the car for connection and disconnection under rainy conditions but is it even feasible for me to consider a Leaf if it will always be parked and recharged in a driveway?

Is anybody else parking and charging in their driveway?

I have called Nissan and Aerovironment about my question, Nissan was clueless and referred me to Aerovironment who said that their charger is OK in the weather but the guy recalled some Nissan literature that cautioned against allowing any water into the charge port area. I found a scan of the Leaf owners manual online and it does have this caution.

Any thoughts about my situation? I'd love to get this car for my wife to drive, but it has to work around our parking situation.

Thanks for any feedback!
Click to expand...

I live in the SF Bay Area and doing that is fine. Just make sure you "test" the closing of your garage door down with the cable underneath it. Most garage doors come with a thick rubber lining that prevents the EVSE cable from getting crushed.
 
If you will be leaving the J1772 plug exposed outside when not in use, I would put a cover over the end of the plug; something similar to what is on the portable unit. Otherwise, it is fine in its designated position on the EVSE.
 
mxp said:
I live in the SF Bay Area and doing that is fine. Just make sure you "test" the closing of your garage door down with the cable underneath it. Most garage doors come with a thick rubber lining that prevents the EVSE cable from getting crushed.
Click to expand...

I actually use the old door opener (I have Homelink in the car) to stop my garage door just as before it hits the cable. The only use I have for those door openers - the Homelink isn't responsive enough.
 
Thanks for the great replies everyone! It looks like my situation is not so unique.

mwalsh: I see your PV info in your sig, I have a Sunpower PV also, 5.5kw.
 

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