OEM charge cable compatibility

[LansingLeaf78]

Hi all. New member here from Lansing, Michigan. I'm sorry if these are repeated questions but I could not find them in a search.

I need a new portable charge cable for my 2018 Leaf SV and only have 110/120V outlet availability. From Nissan, the part model number for this trim level is 296M1-5SA0A and cost ~$2000. There are many Nissan labled OEM cables on ebay that cost quite a bit less, but none with that model number. I know there are also many aftermarket cables on Amazon, etc.

My questions are: 1) can OEM cables be used for various trim levels regardless of model number? And 2) what have people's experiences been with the aftermarket cables? Good, bad, battery damaging, etc. ?

Thanks.

-Chris

[LeftieBiker]

Welcome. There is no need to get a Nissan branded charge cable, although those can often be found for much less on Ebay and in local classified ads. You can get good, reliable Chinese brand EVSEs for roughly $200. They are not usually UL listed, although some are ETL listed. We have several members here with Chinese units, and I'm sure that they will post about them here.

[goldbrick]

Amperage is also important. A typical residential 120V circuit will be either 15A or 20A. To be safe, use the 15A value, so the max continuous current the circuit can provide is 12A. This is since continuous loads need to be de-rated by 20% per code. (NEC) Conveniently enough, that is how much power the OEM supplied EVSE will draw.

To answer your question, any typical J1772 compatible EVSE cable will work with your Leaf. There are tons of options but unless you have a dedicated 20A or greater 120V circuit, be sure to get one that can be set to supply only 12A at 120V.

To be even more specific, any of the Nissan supplied OEM OVSE cables will work. Some later models came with a nice 240V unit that included an adapter for 120V. These are quite a bit more expensive than the 120V only units. Unless you have a 240V circuit to use there is no point in getting one of those.

[LeftieBiker]

And that 240 volt circuit MUST be rated for at least 40 amps. The much more common dryer circuits, rated at 30 amps, should NOT be used with the dual voltage Nissan unit. They really screwed up on that one.

[Flyct]

Hi all. New member here from Lansing, Michigan. I'm sorry if these are repeated questions but I could not find them in a search.

I need a new portable charge cable for my 2018 Leaf SV and only have 110/120V outlet availability. From Nissan, the part model number for this trim level is 296M1-5SA0A and cost ~$2000. There are many Nissan labled OEM cables on ebay that cost quite a bit less, but none with that model number. I know there are also many aftermarket cables on Amazon, etc.

My questions are: 1) can OEM cables be used for various trim levels regardless of model number? And 2) what have people's experiences been with the aftermarket cables? Good, bad, battery damaging, etc. ?

Thanks.

-Chris

The Nissan OEM EVSE are very robust. After selling my Leaf I sold the 2 extra 296M1-5SA0A NISSAN EVSEs on eBay for $329 each.

I see there is one for sale now on ebay from a seller with 100% positive feedback for $325 + $20 shipping. I have no relationship with this seller, I'm just posting to help
https://www.ebay.com/itm/155662755701

[ddansb01]

I use a level 1 from Amazon, a "Keruida Level 1 EV Charger". It is adjustable from 8-12-16 amps, so compatible with a variety of 120 volt outlets.

My garage happened to have a single outlet 20 amp circuit available, so I use the 16 Amp setting. The amperage is only 33% more than the 12 amp used on the 2023 Nissan EVSE, but the actual charging is running closer to 50% more. It gives me 7-8 GOM miles per hour of charging and 4.5% battery level added per hour. I think the GOM is higher than actual, more likely about 6.


Here is the one I have. It works fine. The plug is a tight fit in the car. The cable is light and easy to handle since it does not have 220 volt capability.
$184
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MH ... UTF8&psc=1

[BillAinCT]

From what I have read and others have warned about avoid Mustart unless there is evidence that they got their product updated.

[LansingLeaf78]

Thanks everyone for the input! I'm happy to have found this forum as a resource since I've had trouble finding the info I'm looking for in other places.

-Chris

[Driver8]

I use a level 1 from Amazon, a "Keruida Level 1 EV Charger". It is adjustable from 8-12-16 amps, so compatible with a variety of 120 volt outlets.

My garage happened to have a single outlet 20 amp circuit available, so I use the 16 Amp setting. The amperage is only 33% more than the 12 amp used on the 2023 Nissan EVSE, but the actual charging is running closer to 50% more. It gives me 7-8 GOM miles per hour of charging and 4.5% battery level added per hour. I think the GOM is higher than actual, more likely about 6.


Here is the one I have. It works fine. The plug is a tight fit in the car. The cable is light and easy to handle since it does not have 220 volt capability.
$184
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09MH ... UTF8&psc=1

How does the timer function on this unit?

[ddansb01]

Driver8,

I use the dash timer and calculate times that fit my schedule and don't go above mid 80%. I use 4.5% per hour for the estimate.

This is actually a Zencar unit marketed by Keruida. I had forgotten that.

The Zencar manual says you can set a delay start timer for 2, 4,or 6 hours.

My local electric utility is planning a 3 cent reduction between 10 PM and 4 AM, but it adds 1 cent for the rest of the day. That would not work for me due to long slow charges.

Don