Mon Apr 22, 2013 2:33 am
surfingslovak wrote:
RonDawg wrote:Keep in kind that Nissan has never intended the included 120v EVSE to be used as the car's primary charging solution, and in fact does not recommend it, although many of us have done so with no ill effects. That's why it was only rated for 120v 12amp service, although it can be modified for more.
The only thing that is "substandard" here is the quality of the information the OP got.
I think it's worth noting that Nissan supplies a nearly identical EVSE in Europe and some other countries, which supports 230 Volts out of the box. Some owners still send it in to Phil for a mod to allow higher current draw. The bottom line is that this EVSE is eminently capable of supporting higher line voltage, and Nissan knows that. They have however made a decision to limit the capability of the EVSE to whatever a regular wall outlet in the target market can sustain. Whether this is based on the requirements of the electrical code, fear of increased liability exposure, or something else, it's difficult to say. 2013 LEAFs obviously have the same limitation that 2011 and 2012 LEAFs had in this regard, and it's disappointing
that sales people would say otherwise. But then, they probably will say anything to close a deal. It would be great if Nissan had a change of heart in the future. It's commonplace to see laptops come with universal power cords, which will work around the world. There is no technical reason why portable EVSEs couldn't do the same thing. Tesla svelte 10-kW capable charge cord sets a nice precedent in this regard.
The part I had underlined is basically what the OP was subjected to....misinformation. I don't think it was necessarily intentional as it was lack of knowledge.
Only Nissan knows for sure why it doesn't want to let you use the included EVSE for both 120 and 240 volt charging, but in addition to the reasons you described, I'll add a third one: the quality of any particular 120 volt outlet varies widely. Is it a dedicated 15 amp circuit as it should be, or is it shared with other things? And who will the consumer blame when their new Leaf starts tripping breakers, or worse, blowing fuses? Their house which otherwise worked fine, or Nissan?
Blue Ocean 2012 Leaf SV, lost that 1st bar at 34 months/26,435 miles. Lease returned 2 months later. Final LeafStat figures: 225 Gids, 17.44 kWH, SOC 91.89%, SOH 82.36%, 69.49% HX, 54.57 Ahr, battery temp 61.8 F.
Now driving a 2015 VW eGolf SEL.