Nissan Leaf EVSE upgrade - Reviews? Reliable?

DaveinOlyWA said:

clarify??

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Clarification on whether all 2013 forward upgrades go to 24 amps, or not.
If not, why yours and Tony do.

TimLee said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

clarify??

Click to expand...

Clarification on whether all 2013 forward upgrades go to 24 amps, or not.
If not, why yours and Tony do.

Click to expand...

All U.S. upgrades are set to a max 20 amps by default, but you can request an unlock code from Phil to set it up to 25.

fooljoe said:

TimLee said:

DaveinOlyWA said:

clarify??

Click to expand...

Clarification on whether all 2013 forward upgrades go to 24 amps, or not.
If not, why yours and Tony do.

Click to expand...

All U.S. upgrades are set to a max 20 amps by default, but you can request an unlock code from Phil to set it up to 25.

Click to expand...

I don't get why it would be 25. With 10AWG wires, 80% of 30A gives you 24A, not 25A.

And I wonder if there is some 12AWG wire in there somewhere that dictates the 20A limit. Perhaps the wires to the plug or the wires to the J1772 connector?

You can't do 25A in the USA on an L6-30 only 24A, in Europe some breakers are rated to the max of the breaker and they change the plug ends of course since they don't use an L6-30.

RegGuheert said:

And I wonder if there is some 12AWG wire in there somewhere that dictates the 20A limit. Perhaps the wires to the plug or the wires to the J1772 connector?

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The J1772 connector is rated to 20A and the J1772 cable uses 12AWG, hence the 20A limit - going over that is a "do at your own risk" kind of thing, hence the "by special request" nature of it. In my case, I had to go over 20A for my Rav4-EV's charging timer to function at all, because the Rav doesn't check the line voltage and just assumes that any EVSE with a pilot signal <=20A is a L1 EVSE.

You can put way more than 20a through a 12 gauge wire as long as the insulation and connectors are rated for a high enough temperature. In residences it's true though, but not necessarily internal to
listed appliances.

fooljoe said:

RegGuheert said:

And I wonder if there is some 12AWG wire in there somewhere that dictates the 20A limit. Perhaps the wires to the plug or the wires to the J1772 connector?

Click to expand...

The J1772 connector is rated to 20A and the J1772 cable uses 12AWG, hence the 20A limit - going over that is a "do at your own risk" kind of thing, hence the "by special request" nature of it.

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NEC says #12 can carry 25A. However, in most cases it's limited to 20A. At 90°, it's capable of 30A. Most wires aren't rated for this temp, and usually are limited to 60°.

There are other components in the EVSE as well. Perhaps the contactors/relays are not rated for switching 25A, or doing so may drastically reduce their lifespan.

A good example would be to look inside the wiring of a electric range. The house has 6 gauge wire to the receptacle, and inside the range itself, the wire is way smaller. That's because inside an appliance, the nec used for construction does not necessarily apply. The design of an appliance in its specific configuration is listed on its own.

to be honest with you, 25 amps is what I remember but it could be 24. I set mine to 24 only because I plugged it in and let it charge for 5 minutes to see if anything out of the ordinary would happen.

I have also read that people have experienced a "reset" of the current setting from various possible causes including unplugging it, etc. I also tried that and could not get that to occur either...

Sent mine off today to CA for the upgrade, $340 approx, should be back by next Wednesday!

In the meantime getting the 240 volt dedicated line put in. The sub-meter will allow a dedicated EV line to my garage for 5c per KWH off peak hours i.e. past 10pm…...

My evse upgrade only goes to 20 amps and can't be programmed for more. I got a secret code from them to be allowed to program up to 16 amps for level 1. I had to show that I had a 5-20 plug adapter first. Makes me wonder if another special secret code could be put in to allow me to program it for 24 amps at 240v, and even better 24 amps at 120 if I could show I had a tt-30 adapter for rv parks.

Mine goes to 25 amps, and is set at that right now.

I did use it once last year at 6 amps, after popping two breakers at 12 and then 8 amps!!

It's great to have that versatility. It's also a great backup to my 6-40 amp JESLA, should that fail for any reason out on the road (and vice versa).

TonyWilliams said:

Mine goes to 25 amps, and is set at that right now.

I did use it once last year at 6 amps, after popping two breakers at 12 and then 8 amps!!

It's great to have that versatility. It's also a great backup to my 6-40 amp JESLA, should that fail for any reason out on the road (and vice versa).

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I wonder if theres a way to get mine to go to 25. I traded in the good new one I got with my 2013 leaf when I bought it.

Contact the folks at EVSE Upgrade.

johnrhansen said:

My evse upgrade only goes to 20 amps and can't be programmed for more. I got a secret code from them to be allowed to program up to 16 amps for level 1. I had to show that I had a 5-20 plug adapter first. Makes me wonder if another special secret code could be put in to allow me to program it for 24 amps at 240v, and even better 24 amps at 120 if I could show I had a tt-30 adapter for rv parks.

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my "super" EVSE upgrade pretty sure can only go up to 16 amps @ 120 volts....

For Canadian shoppers I thought I would mention the EV Duty line of made in Canada EVSEs.

I just purchased a 2016 Leaf and agonized over which EVSE to buy. After a great deal of research I opted to buy an EV Duty EVC30T made by Elmec. At C$729 (C$739 with NEMA 6-50 plug) it was well priced. It is a basic 30 Amp unit and very solid. The plug in version that I purchased is sold as portable and truly is. The wall mount allows for easy removal and a lock mount gives it some measure of security while mounted. It includes a 25 foot charging cord. The unit is very sturdy and rugged feeling. I expect it to last forever.

These EVSEs are made in Quebec and ship free. Mine shipped the same day and arrived in less than a week. The fact that they only charge an extra $10 for the plug in model versus the hard wired model made me warm and fuzzy about the company and made me think they weren`t trying to gouge me. The warranty is 3 years. I live in Vancouver so temperature extremes are not an issue but the unit is designed to work in very cold Canadian winter conditions. The cords are made from a material that is flexible in very cold temperatures.

I have written this post because many EVSE round ups miss this line of EVSEs and they are first rate and well priced. I love mine.

Just a quick note on EVSE Upgrade reliability.

I upgraded my OEM Nissan EVSE with EVSE Upgrade. That was in 2013.

I've been using it now on my 2015 LEAF S for 4 years...2 years on the previous LEAF.

Flawless for 6 years. I consider that great bang for the buck. Reliable and user friendly.

Thanks EVSE Upgrade!