Advice and info (please) on how to set up 220v/240v home charging equipment

[Yanni]

Just got our Leaf and right now 110v is the only charging option we have at home. Our laundry room is on the 2nd floor, so the outlet is not exactly close to the car!

We need to install a 220v/240v outlet in the garage and have the optimal location already picked out. A 24' cord will provide access to 2 parking spots on our driveway, as well as 3 parking spaces inside the garage.

The charging cable style J1772 that came with our LEAF HAS A 3-PRONG 110v plug.

Can we just buy a charging cable that is J1772 on one end and a 220v plug on the other...and then plug it in to the new outlet the electrician installs?

Do we NEED a "box" on the wall just to accomplish this?

If not...what is the benefit to having a box (I assume it's hardwired) onto the wall?

Thanks!

I couldn't find any other threads that addressed this.

[SageBrush]

Clarify which EVSE was provided with your car. The best and latest provided with *some* LEAFs are a combination 120/240 volt that can transfer up to 32 Amps in L2 (240 Volt) mode or (I think ?) 16 Amps in L1 (120 Volts) mode in conjunction with the correct adapter for the socket which is either provided or bought from Nissan. I don't know the cable length. The lesser Nissan EVSE is 120 volts only and is limited to 12 Amps.

If you do not have that EVSE or do not want to use it, you can buy a J1772 type EVSE that either terminates in a plug or an EVSE that is hardwired directly to the home circuit. For reasons I do not understand the electrician charges considerably more to hard-wire than to install a receptacle (socket.)

My only sincere recommendation is to not choose a solution that ends up being plugged/unplugged frequently. There are more details you may want to know, so read the old threads.

Congrats on your new EV !

[Flyct]

Yasou Yanni,

Welcome to the world of EVs.

The “charging cable” is called an EVSE, Electric Vehicle Service Equipment, it is not just a cable.

Your 2016 Leaf should have come with a 120 volt L1 (Level 1) EVSE that when used only provides a max of 5 mikes of range for each hour plugged in. The actual “charger” is in the car. The 2016 S model base charger came with a 3.3 kW charger with optional 6.7 kWh charger.

If you have the base 3.3 kW charger the max range per hour of charge the car will accept with an L2 charger is 11 miles each hour of charge. If you have the optional 6.7 kW charger it will accept about 22 miles of rage each hour of charge.

Clipper Creek is one of the most popular EVSE manufactures and they come either hard wired or plug in versions.. https://www.clippercreek.com/residential/ You can buy an L2 that exceeds your car’s capability and the car will limit the charge to the max it will accept.

Most people have an electrician install a 50 amp/240 volt NEMA 14-50R receptacle and buy a plug in EVSE with a 14-50P plug.

[Nubo]

Can we just buy a charging cable that is J1772 on one end and a 220v plug on the other...and then plug it in to the new outlet the electrician installs? Do we NEED a "box" on the wall just to accomplish this? If not...what is the benefit to having a box (I assume it's hardwired) onto the wall?

J1772 is not just the connector. It's a specification that provides safety protection and allows electric vehicles to sense the voltage and maximum current of the device ("EVSE") they're plugged into so they can charge accordingly.. The "box" contains the relays and circuitry that make that happen. Some boxes bigger than others; sometimes they're just a "brick". An EVSE can be hardwired or it can have a plug. If equipped with a plug, the cord from the plug to the "box" or "brick" is typically quite short (less than a foot). This is to minimize the length of cord that is "live" and unprotected by the EVSE safety features.

p.s. North American household voltages are 120V or 240V. 110V/220V was a standard from many years ago (think Thomas Edison) but was well obsolete by the 1950's

[goldbrick]

Can we just buy a charging cable that is J1772 on one end and a 220v plug on the other...and then plug it in to the new outlet the electrician installs?

Yes. However, I believe current electrical codes limit the cord on plug-in EVSE's to 12 inches. Just something to keep in mind if you do install a receptacle for the EVSE. If that causes a problem you will probably have to get a hard-wired unit.

[davewill]

Yes, you can buy a "cord" that plugs into the wall and then into the car. Usually the cords with a plug on them are considered to be for portable use, but there's no real downside to using them at home. The price depends on the amperage they can deliver. Here are links to a few possibilities, but there are many, many more.

https://store.clippercreek.com/level2/level2-12-to-15
https://store.clippercreek.com/level2/level2-20-to-32
https://shop.quickchargepower.com/Go-Ca ... g-GC20.htm
https://amazing-e.com/

[SageBrush]

Can we just buy a charging cable that is J1772 on one end and a 220v plug on the other...and then plug it in to the new outlet the electrician installs?

Yes. However, I believe current electrical codes limit the cord on plug-in EVSE's to 12 inches. Just something to keep in mind if you do install a receptacle for the EVSE. If that causes a problem you will probably have to get a hard-wired unit.

To clarify, that is the cord from the EVSE in the cable to the receptacle. The cord going out to the car is much longer

[Oilpan4]

There is the cheaper option of a 16 amp 240v duosida evse. Got mine for $160.
It charges more than 3 times faster than the 12 amp 120v evse that comes with the car.

[Yanni]

Thanks everyone for all the great info, advice and links!

[TheLostPetrol]

Yes, you can buy a "cord" that plugs into the wall and then into the car. Usually the cords with a plug on them are considered to be for portable use, but there's no real downside to using them at home. The price depends on the amperage they can deliver. Here are links to a few possibilities, but there are many, many more.

https://store.clippercreek.com/level2/level2-12-to-15
https://store.clippercreek.com/level2/level2-20-to-32
https://shop.quickchargepower.com/Go-Ca ... g-GC20.htm
https://amazing-e.com/

Another possibility is to trade the Level 1 EVSE (NEMA 5-15 plug) that came with your Leaf for a Level 2 EVSE (NEMA 14-50 plug and adapter for NEMA 5-15) from a 2018 or 2019 Leaf. I traded my 2015 Leaf EVSE and $100 for the robusto Level 2 EVSE that came with a 2018 Leaf whose owner preferred to have the cash and the more gracile Level 1 EVSE.