Just Purchased 2018 Leaf SV with 20K

I had an electrician “install” my original hard wired Eaton EVSE at my house. It’s been working fine for over 4 years.



And since I’ve installed a 14-50R receptacle in the shed of my vacation cabin to plug in a Nissan L1L2 240v EVSE

Driver8 said:

SageBrush said:

My comment was about using the small mobile EVSE for L2 charging (Electrician called by OP, remember ?). Compared to L1 about 2x the current so there is ~ 4x the heat.
And obviously it can be used for L2, my comment was regarding long-term reliability with frequent use.

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Is anyone actually doing this?? Do they make L1 cords that would work on a 240V outlet? I interpreted the OP to be that he got a L2 cord with the purchase of the car ("Called electrician to install 240v charger included in the deal.").

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Yah. IIRC Nissan has been supplying 120/240 Volt mobile EVSEs since ~ 2018 with all of its high trim LEAFs, and as part of an option package in the other trims. My Tesla mobile EVSE switches to either voltage automagically with the correct outlet adapter, and GM Volt owners figured out long ago that the "L1" EVSE supplied with their cars also supports 240 Volts with a simple hack.

https://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=25167

Sorry, didn’t know I had to download an acronym thesaurus prior to posting. The only 220 v receptacle in my home is for the dryer. The ESVE has a LP-650 Longwell plug for a Chargepoint 3SC2. Without degrading humor, what receptacle does the electrician need to use? I can plug it in, btw.



Yup...ChargePoint EVSE “brick” with Longwell 220volt plug included. The other unit has a 110 v plug; dealer supplied no info on either, everything I’ve learned has been through research. Can the Nissan unit be used on a 220 v circuit? Noticed that Nissan does not recommend using 110 v (trickle charging).



BTW, stagebrush won’t intimidate me, flew for a major for over 40 years. [mod: personal reference removed]

[mod comment: merged posts]

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/8198/tJbRGt.jpg

here are the two EVSE devices I received. Which one should I use? SW Nissan gave me zero instructions, did not know the Nissan unit had “removeable” cover 110/220.

donaldus said:

Yup...ChargePoint EVSE “brick” with Longwell 220volt plug included.

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I stand corrected then. I also do not recognize the chargePoint device in your photo.

More (unintended) intimidation: probably 240 volts, not 220

To your question:
Are you thinking about swapping out the dryer receptacle for an outlet that is compatible with the Chargepoint EVSE ?
IIRC, Chargepoint sells either 14-50 or 6-50 plugs. Match the plug to a photo on the internet

But be aware: you have to match the breaker/wiring to the outlet. If the dryer wiring and breaker is 30 Amps (24 Amps continuous), you cannot put in either a 14-50 or 6-50 outlet. You will be limited to either a 14-30 or 6-30 receptacle and you may have to buy an adapter to mate the EVSE to the outlet. You will also HAVE to be sure that the EVSE does not pull more than 24 Amps continuous.

For one solution, google 'dryer buddy' or go here:
https://www.bsaelectronics.com/collections/dryer-buddys

Your other solution is to 1, obtain an EVSE made for a 30 Amp circuit; and 2, pay (or DIY) an outlet swap to match the EVSE. This is probably the more expensive route and you lose easy access to the dryer if you have one there.

One other detail to keep track of: EVSE manufacturers are inconsistent in how they market the Amps spec. Some report the derated (continuous) Amp max, and some the breaker Amp limit. Wiring is rated to match the breaker (i.e., NOT derated)

----
To your comment:
Knowing the meaning of the EVSE acronym is trivia; realizing that the plug dangling from the EVSE in your hand and the charger hidden behind the port of your car are very different will serve you well.

donaldus said:

https://imagizer.imageshack.com/img922/8198/tJbRGt.jpg

here are the two EVSE devices I received. Which one should I use? SW Nissan gave me zero instructions, did not know the Nissan unit had “removeable” cover 110/220.

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The Nissan unit on the right requires a 40 amp circuit for 240 volt charging. It should work fine on one. Do NOT use it on a 30 amp dryer circuit. It can also do 120 volts (L-1) charging with the adapter in place, on any good 15 amp, 120 volt circuit with nothing else on it except maybe a low wattage light or two. I'm not familiar with the unit on the left.

SageBrush said:

IIRC, Chargepoint sells either 14-50 or 6-50 plugs. Match the plug to a photo on the internet

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Hopefully the OPs Chargepoint EVSE will have the same 14-50 outlet as their OEM Leaf EVSE(as you said Chargepoints seem to come with either a 6-50 or the more common 14-50) then they can use either one, probably carrying around the OEM for any 14-50 outlets they may run into, in the wild as well as 120v 15/20a quality outlets. It's nice to have a spare EVSE for home, never know when something might act up and having the ability to swap it out really makes a difference for someone who really needs to charge, and charge a lot during the night.
IMO the Chargepoint website is pretty pathetic, not only do they call the EVSE a "charger" everywhere :roll: but they don't tell the kind of plug or show a picture of what it has. I had to google it and find info on Amazon's listing!
I'm pretty sure the OP is going to have new wire pulled along with the 14-50 outlet, I know a few pilots and they don't tend to cheap out on things but everyone is correct, a 30a dryer circuit is NOT acceptable for either EVSEs the OP has. Lastly one could cheap out a bit and use a 40a breaker and 40a wiring which would work with either EVSE and be code but no IMO no sense saving $50 on a probably> thousand dollar job, future proof and do it right the first time

jjeff said:

I'm pretty sure the OP is going to have new wire pulled along with the 14-50 outlet ... everyone is correct, a 30a dryer circuit is NOT acceptable for either EVSEs the OP has. Lastly one could cheap out a bit and use a 40a breaker and 40a wiring which would work with either EVSE and be code but no IMO no sense saving $50 on a probably> thousand dollar job, future proof and do it right the first time

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The dryer buddy is a lot cheaper, and more versatile if a dryer is also being used on that outlet.
Do you know any reasons to avoid it ?

I don't know what that ChargePoint thing is. Do you ?

That is why I posted the question. Sent my electrician the photos of BOTH the Nissan and the Chargepoint EVSEs (he will also use “charger”). He will be installing a 220v dedicated outlet for JUST the EVSE. Since I am very new to this game, what amperage should this outlet be? I have a R/V that uses a 110 60 amp breaker...60 amp 220v should be stout enough?

ChargePoint Home Flex Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger upto 50 Amp, 240V, Level 2 WiFi Enabled EVSE, UL Listed, Energy Star, NEMA 6-50 Plug or Hardwired, Indoor/Outdoor, 23-Foot Cable

(from Chargepoint site)

SageBrush said:

jjeff said:

I'm pretty sure the OP is going to have new wire pulled along with the 14-50 outlet ... everyone is correct, a 30a dryer circuit is NOT acceptable for either EVSEs the OP has. Lastly one could cheap out a bit and use a 40a breaker and 40a wiring which would work with either EVSE and be code but no IMO no sense saving $50 on a probably> thousand dollar job, future proof and do it right the first time

Click to expand...

The dryer buddy is a lot cheaper, and more versatile if a dryer is also being used on that outlet.
Do you know any reasons to avoid it ?

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The dryer Buddy lets a 30 amp dryer circuit be shared with another device rated for no more than 30 amps. It will not help if you have a device that needs a 40 amp circuit.

LeftieBiker said:

SageBrush said:

jjeff said:

I'm pretty sure the OP is going to have new wire pulled along with the 14-50 outlet ... everyone is correct, a 30a dryer circuit is NOT acceptable for either EVSEs the OP has. Lastly one could cheap out a bit and use a 40a breaker and 40a wiring which would work with either EVSE and be code but no IMO no sense saving $50 on a probably> thousand dollar job, future proof and do it right the first time

Click to expand...

The dryer buddy is a lot cheaper, and more versatile if a dryer is also being used on that outlet.
Do you know any reasons to avoid it ?

Click to expand...

The dryer Buddy lets a 30 amp dryer circuit be shared with another device rated for no more than 30 amps. It will not help if you have a device that needs a 40 amp circuit.

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Are you sure about that ?
The website has a device with 10-30 and 14-50 outlets.

Back to OP: Figure out what ChargePoint device you have, and go from there. We can help if you photograph the plugs and annotate.

Let me make it more clear: if the circuit was installed for a dryer, then it's almost certain to be 30 amp, in which case the Nissan EVSE can't be used, even with 100% of those 30 amps available.

LeftieBiker said:

Let me make it more clear: if the circuit was installed for a dryer, then it's almost certain to be 30 amp, in which case the Nissan EVSE can't be used, even with 100% of those 30 amps available.

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Why ?

I get that the EVSE negotiates with the car and agrees on e.g 32 Amps. But I think the dryerBuddy device limits the load to 30 Amps and that is the most that will flow to the car.

Since the dryerBuddy is plugged into a 10-30 outlet and offers a 14-50r, I think it must work that way.

@GerryAZ ?

P.s., I sent the question to Brad, the engineer that makes the device.

donaldus said:

ChargePoint Home Flex Electric Vehicle (EV) Charger upto 50 Amp, 240V, Level 2 WiFi Enabled EVSE, UL Listed, Energy Star, NEMA 6-50 Plug or Hardwired, Indoor/Outdoor, 23-Foot Cable

(from Chargepoint site)

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Are you sure? The Amazon listing I saw said the Chargepoint EVSE could come with either a 6-50 or 14-50 plug and for the OPs case, I'd hope it would be the 14-50 as thats what his OEM Nissan EVSE has, Personally if the Chargepoint he got came with a 6-50 I'd consider exchanging it or cut off the plug and install a 14-50 plug(note probably have the electrician do this and plug should be only ~$15.
The OP could also have the electrician install both a 6-50 and 14-50 outlet but by code they'd probably not wire it to the same breaker, I personally might knowing to never use both outlets at the same time but it wouldn't be code.

jjeff said:

The OP could also have the electrician install both a 6-50 and 14-50 outlet but by code they'd probably not wire it to the same breaker, I personally might knowing to never use both outlets at the same time but it wouldn't be code.

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Either outlet would be a ****bad*** idea because over 30 Amps would be pulled on that circuit.

Why ?

I get that the EVSE negotiates with the car and agrees on e.g 32 Amps. But I think the dryerBuddy device limits the load to 30 Amps and that is the most that will flow to the car.

Since the dryerBuddy is plugged into a 10-30 outlet and offers a 14-50r, I think it must work that way.

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And I think that the DB just switches one load off to enable power to the other one. In that case the Nissan EVSE would pull 27.5 amps, the 30A breaker would not trip, and the circuit would be running at more than the rated continuous capacity of 24 amps. Likely nothing would happen - at least for a while - but it would be a code violation and less than safe.

SageBrush said:

jjeff said:

The OP could also have the electrician install both a 6-50 and 14-50 outlet but by code they'd probably not wire it to the same breaker, I personally might knowing to never use both outlets at the same time but it wouldn't be code.

Click to expand...

Either outlet would be a ****bad*** idea because over 30 Amps would be pulled on that circuit.

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No I was suggesting that on a 50a breaker/wiring not the OPs 30a circuit and I'm not really suggesting it, just saying what I'd probably do, that or again cut off the 6-50 plug and put a 14-50 on instead.
I like this one due to it's handle:
https://www.amazon.com/Camco-PowerGrip-Replacement-Transform-55255/dp/B000PGVZ30/ref=sr_1_6?crid=3ON8BL812D9SF&dchild=1&keywords=14-50+plug&qid=1612822671&sprefix=14-50+plug%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-6
Or if the OP had the electrician install a 14-50 outlet and the Chargepoint ended up having a 6-50 plug they could simply purchase something like this:
https://www.amazon.com/RVMATE-Welder-Adapter-Electrical-Converter/dp/B08HGJD6Z7/ref=sr_1_17?crid=3ON8BL812D9SF&dchild=1&keywords=14-50+plug&qid=1612822785&sprefix=14-50+plug%2Caps%2C202&sr=8-17

LeftieBiker said:

Why ?

I get that the EVSE negotiates with the car and agrees on e.g 32 Amps. But I think the dryerBuddy device limits the load to 30 Amps and that is the most that will flow to the car.

Since the dryerBuddy is plugged into a 10-30 outlet and offers a 14-50r, I think it must work that way.

Click to expand...

And I think that the DB just switches one load off to enable power to the other one. In that case the Nissan EVSE would pull 27.5 amps, the 30A breaker would not trip, and the circuit would be running at more than the rated continuous capacity of 24 amps. Likely nothing would happen - at least for a while - but it would be a code violation and less than safe.

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You are right.
My question to Brad of dryerBuddy is below, followed by his answer:

Hi Brad and Company,

Do you offer a device that can handle the following config:

30 Amp circuit, 10-30 receptacle
40 Amp EVSE, 14-50p, *cannot* change max amperage
LEAF EV -- cannot set max amperage

I *think* I am asking if the dryerBuddy can set the load rather than the EVSE.

Thanks,

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Brad said:

Thanks for your interest in my custom power products, I too drive a Nissan Leaf. You have a good attention to detail, our LEAF's do not allow us to adjust the charging rate like some electric vehicles do, with a non-adjustable EVSE that you have it will be offering more charging current to the electric vehicle than is safly available from a 30 amp dryer circuit. This is not a problem if you have the 3.3 kilowatt onboard charger but if you have the 6.6 kW onboard charger like I do, then your Leaf will draw 28 1/2 amps which is a bit above the 24 amp maximum continuous rating on a 30 amp circuit. If you have the 6.6 kW onboard charger then you will need to purchase a different EVSE. You want either a 24 amp unit or one that is adjustable down to 24 amps. I offer several different units, this one is on a particularly good sale and has the most features for the money of any unit I have ever sold, it comes with a three-year warranty and can easily be adjusted to 24amps via the on-screen menu;
https://www.bsaelectronics.com/collections/charging-stations/products/openevse-advanced-series-40a-indoor-outdoor-charging-station

Cheers
Brad Apelgren
Owner - BSA Electronics
Business days: Mon – Fri, closed weekends and holidays

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I recommend a 14-50 receptacle with 50A breaker and appropriate wiring because the 4-wire 14-50 receptacle is more common for both RV's and EVSE's. If the ChargePoint EVSE has a 6-50 plug (typically used on welders), then either replace the plug as Jeff suggested or make an adapter consisting of a short cord with a 14-50 plug on one end and 6-50 receptacle on the other end. Replacing the plug on the EVSE is the best solution. I have a circuit with 14-50 receptacle for charging my car so I made up an adapter which plugs into that receptacle and has a 6-50 receptacle for my welder.