Adding CHAdeMO to car without one (confused user thought "Upgrading to level 1 charger to level 2")

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InTooDeep said:
Maybe I should ask what is the best resource for learning more? So far I L1 L2 and so much that makes me go :?
Maybe Leaf for dummies

The fact that you do not have a CHADEMO port on your LEAF means that you'll never have to worry about figuring out L3 charging (DC fast charging).

Since you already know how to use the stock EVSE, you also know how to use L2 public charging options, there's really nothing else to learn in terms of the mechanics.

The different charging networks and cards needed can be annoying. Someday, tapping a credit card will be all that's required. Hopefully sooner, rather than later...
 
I'd say virtually ALL public (J1772) chargers will be L2 and should charge at the car's maximum rate. Leaf's with the CHAdeMO port usually came with the ability to charge at 6.6kW while those without CHAdeMO were limited to 3.3kW. I think there were a few years and trim levels that are different.
 
Leaf's with the CHAdeMO port usually came with the ability to charge at 6.6kW while those without CHAdeMO were limited to 3.3kW. I think there were a few years and trim levels that are different.

From 2013 on, all SV and SL trim Leafs have the 6.6kw onboard charger. None of the pre-'13 Leafs have it, and of the S trim cars (made from 2013 on), only those with the Charge Package have it. The others have the 3.3kw charger used in the 2011-2012 cars.
 
goldbrick said:
I'd say virtually ALL public (J1772) chargers will be L2 and should charge at the car's maximum rate. Leaf's with the CHAdeMO port usually came with the ability to charge at 6.6kW while those without CHAdeMO were limited to 3.3kW. I think there were a few years and trim levels that are different.

Ever charged at Denver Internation Airport? They have L1 J1172 there. I also in the past (been a while since I used offsite airport parking.) have seen L1 at two other offsite airport parking locations. I think their thinking is if you are going to be flying somewhere l1 is good enough. I do agree 99% are L2 though.

At my office in South Denver we have two rows of J1172 chargers. One row is 6.6kw and the other row is 3.3kw Chargepoints and these upgrades were put in 2019 (before that we have two GE chargers).
 
That's interesting. I've never charged at DIA since I take the bus :D

Also, I was thinking that even with standard L2 public chargers I've often seen them split 6.6kW between 2 units so if both are in use then you'll only get 3.3kW from each. Which is pretty close to L1. But still, as you mentioned, most public J1772 are L2, even with limitations.
 
salyavin said:
Ever charged at Denver Internation Airport? They have L1 J1172 there. I also in the past (been a while since I used offsite airport parking.) have seen L1 at two other offsite airport parking locations. I think their thinking is if you are going to be flying somewhere l1 is good enough. I do agree 99% are L2 though.
Where are these stations? I don’t see anything on PlugShare.

I guess I also don’t understand the use case for chargers at the airport, except maybe DCFC for electric taxis or Ubers. It doesn’t make sense to charge while parking - not only would you tie up the charger for long periods of time, you would also leave your battery at a high SOC for long periods.
 
InTooDeep said:
Thanks to all for the help. I am not really this ignorant on most things. This being new to me I have a lot to learn and I will learn.

You will catch on soon enough -- don't worry.
The important thing is you ask good questions.

And the truth is, there is not that much to learn.
You already know that the port in your car is for L1 or L2

L1 is 120 volts, and usually 12 Amps
L2 is 208 - 240 volts, and up to 13 Amps in some LEAFs or up to 27 Amps in other LEAFs. A location might be able to supply more Amps but the LEAF will only take up to its max spec. Your car is **probably** of the 13 Amp variety, but that remains to be determined for sure.

Nissan supplied an L1 EVSE with older LEAFs. You plug them into a regular household socket on one side, and into the car on the other side.
The side that plugs into the car is called a J1772 plug.
Public L2 charging locations also end in a J1772 plug, but they are typically 208 - 240 volts.


Now, some arithmetic:
amp*volt = watt
1000 watts is a kilowatt (kW)
The older LEAFs could pull up to 3.3 kW of power while the newer ones can pull up to 6.6 kW (all presuming the source can supply it and the EVSE allows it.)
If a kW of power is supplied for one hour, a kWh (kilowatt hour) of energy has been delivered. A LEAF travels 4 - 5 miles per kWh for most drivers in most conditions.

Example: If a public station is rated for up to 6 kW, it is going to be either 240 or 208 volts.
If 240 volts, it can supply up to (6000/240) Amps. If it is a 208v supply, it can supply up to (6000/208) Amps
So, if you plug into a 208v public station and your LEAF is limited to 13 Amps, you will pull (208*13) = 2700 watts = 2.7 kW. That is close to 2.5x faster charging than using the Nissan supplied EVSE plugged into a household wall socket.

Homework for you:
1. Show us what your wife is doing now. What outlet, what EVSE
2. Grab the plugshare app for your phones. It will show you what charging is available near where you drive, and how much power each location can supply

Later ... Grab the LeafSpy app and buy an OBD2 dongle for it (about $20). Then you will have insight into the health of your battery and how much energy it holds at the moment or when full, and how fast your car is charging.

---
That is pretty much it.
 
oxothuk said:
Where are these stations? I don’t see anything on PlugShare.

I guess I also don’t understand the use case for chargers at the airport, except maybe DCFC for electric taxis or Ubers. It doesn’t make sense to charge while parking - not only would you tie up the charger for long periods of time, you would also leave your battery at a high SOC for long periods.

For example https://www.plugshare.com/location/20520 Looks like leve 1 rows E and F are still L1 J1172 but there are now 15L2 now operational I did not know about. These parking garages are typically used by me when I am helping family typically from Japan get to their luggage, get it loaded on a cart and out to my LEAF. I also use it to send them off, they typically have a heck of a time with the check in for whatever reason and getting their luggage loaded (they don't speak English).

This ariport parking can be more long term https://www.plugshare.com/location/116343 is another l1 example. I guess the l1 could keep your car at 100% and you could possibly control via an app for some cars. Here's a canopy version nearer the airport as well https://www.plugshare.com/location/195 There's another one I forgot the name of at the moment that can be long term separated from the airport as well L1 j1172.
 
SageBrush said:
InTooDeep said:
Thanks to all for the help. I am not really this ignorant on most things. This being new to me I have a lot to learn and I will learn.

You will catch on soon enough -- don't worry.
The important thing is you ask good questions.


Homework for you:
1. Show us what your wife is doing now. What outlet, what EVSE
2. Grab the plugshare app for your phones. It will show you what charging is available near where you drive, and how much power each location can supply

Later ... Grab the LeafSpy app and buy an OBD2 dongle for it (about $20). Then you will have insight into the health of your battery and how much energy it holds at the moment or when full, and how fast your car is charging.

---
That is pretty much it.

She is charging with the 110v plug in at home. Using the car for just short hops it works.
So have to get a OBD2 for it got you. Thought the l
LeafSpy wasn't working now I know why. Or is that CarWings that is no longer availible. thanks
 
LeafSpy is an app that runs on your phone and communicates with an OBDII port adapter that plugs into the OBDII port of the car. It can tell you the state of health of the car's battery and lots of other good info. Your phone connects to the OBDII adapter with Bluetooth or wifi.

Plugshare is an app that will run on any phone or PC and shows you all the available public charge stations near you (or anywhere really).

CarWings is part of the hardware/firmware of the Leaf. I think Gen1 Leafs use G3 wireless protocol to communicate with other devices. G3 is becoming obsolete and support for it is being dropped by many cellular service provides so CarWings will soon stop working on Gen1 Leafs since the car hardware doesn't support any other cellular protocol.
 
InTooDeep said:
So have to get a OBD2 for it got you. Thought the l
LeafSpy wasn't working now I know why. Or is that CarWings that is no longer availible. thanks
CarWings was a Nissan service that connected an App in the phone to the car via the cellular network. The app let you do things like wake up the car to start pre-heating the cabin. It is dead as far as you are concerned.

LeafSpy is a a phone App that connects via Bluetooth to an adapter plugged into the car's OBD2 port. The app displays car canbus information like mph, power, battery info ... literally whatever information the car's sensors are generating. The App also shows you diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), which are invaluable when something is not working right.
 
SageBrush said:
InTooDeep said:
So have to get a OBD2 for it got you. Thought the l
LeafSpy wasn't working now I know why. Or is that CarWings that is no longer availible. thanks
CarWings was a Nissan service that connected an App in the phone to the car via the cellular network. The app let you do things like wake up the car to start pre-heating the cabin. It is dead as far as you are concerned.

LeafSpy is a a phone App that connects via Bluetooth to an adapter plugged into the car's OBD2 port. The app displays car canbus information like mph, power, battery info ... literally whatever information the car's sensors are generating. The App also shows you diagnostic trouble codes (DTCs), which are invaluable when something is not working right.

Once again thank you
 
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