Nissan LEAF - General

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#1717501 9-Feb-2017 09:32

castigan:

I've been told there is signalling going on in the unmodified unit that ceases to work if you just cut the plug off and put another one on. Plus the Jap unit is 15amps.....not 16amp. It will get warm and probably will burn out after a week or three. The unit should be modified by an electrician......but Worksafe NZ are of the view that the units are only safe as certified from the factory....and mods aren't 'safe'. That said, a properly modified unit hasn't failed or caused any fires than anyone seems to know of. But the Jap unit does need internal modification for 16amp instead of 15amp. I have used a Jap EVSE (modified internally) with a Blue Commando plug attached...and had no issues. It was supplied by Autolink, who sold me the car. Who sold you the car?

awesome info, knew it would be !

do you know of any directions on modifying the charger ? i have 5 electricans at work, so just need to tell them what to do...

Sorry, I don't. But it has been discussed in the "NZ EV Owners" group on Facebook. There are over a thousand EV owners in there as well as the people who run / operate the EV charging networks and the early adopters who have been through all this. On Geekzone I'm an echo of the experiences people have shared in that group.

You can also check the NZ Electric Car Guide.

The government regs for EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) are found here.

I bought a 16amp Charge Amps "Spark" EVSE with a blue commando plug on it for my car, but it was $1000. There are cheaper ones.

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ubergeeknz

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#1717784 9-Feb-2017 16:50

castigan:

what if i just have my electrican regulate my home caravan socket im having him put in to 15amp and 230v...

I'd have a read of this

https://bluecars.nz/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/EV-Charging-Solutions-v2.pdf

the "15A" plugs are not good for 15A continuous for hours on end, they overheat. Hence the need for the chunkier plug. If you look at the 15A vs 16A rated plug you can see the difference.

Linuxluver

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#1719028 12-Feb-2017 17:44

castigan:

ubergeeknz:

castigan:

what if i just have my electrican regulate my home caravan socket im having him put in to 15amp and 230v...

I'd have a read of this

https://bluecars.nz/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/EV-Charging-Solutions-v2.pdf

the "15A" plugs are not good for 15A continuous for hours on end, they overheat. Hence the need for the chunkier plug. If you look at the 15A vs 16A rated plug you can see the difference.

what im saying is put a 16amp caravan plug on the charger (already done) and when my electrician installs a socket in my garage have him limit that socket to 15amps and 230v. as i have read that power can fluctuate to 240v + at night time which also kills jap chargers

If the sparky thinks that's legal and willing to give you a certificate for the plug and the EVSE mods....go for it. I don't know the answer.....but the sparky will (or should).

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Linuxluver

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#1719030 12-Feb-2017 17:55

Here's a good use case for an old Nissan LEAF with limited range. :-)

Nissan LEAF Hearse

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Linuxluver

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#1724251 22-Feb-2017 09:02

Nissan Manukau are offering a $99 service special for any Nissan LEAF.

They have a list of things they look at and service. I'm interested to see what they do and say. I'm booking a service check out of curiosity (and to help Nissan NZ see there are LEAF customers out here).

At the very least they wash and vacuum the car, check the tyre pressue and charge it up for me. Best to arrive with an empty battery maybe. LOL.

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CapBBeard

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#1724288 22-Feb-2017 10:08

Sorry guys this may have come up in the thread somewhere already but I did scan through recent pages and didn't spot anything. We're looking at picking up an 'around town' car and I'd love to look at an EV but always thought they'd be well out of our price range. We were probably looking at something in the $10-15k range originally, and I see there are actually a bunch of 2011-ish Leafs around at this price point now.

Are these 'older' ones worth looking at? Note that I am south island based, though we do have some charge stations locally. Thanks!

Linuxluver

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#1724354 22-Feb-2017 12:01

CapBBeard:

Sorry guys this may have come up in the thread somewhere already but I did scan through recent pages and didn't spot anything. We're looking at picking up an 'around town' car and I'd love to look at an EV but always thought they'd be well out of our price range. We were probably looking at something in the $10-15k range originally, and I see there are actually a bunch of 2011-ish Leafs around at this price point now.

Are these 'older' ones worth looking at? Note that I am south island based, though we do have some charge stations locally. Thanks!

Even the oldest LEAF is only a 2011 model.....so compared to ICE cars that's 'new'. I've never seen a shabby LEAF.

The only issue will be to find a car with at least 20% more range than your usual travel needs.....and at the price you can afford. Most of the $15k Gen1 LEAFs will be able to do 100km on a charge. The battery will continue to degrade - this is normal - but degradation seems to flatten out after a certain point. But this is why you want at least 20% more range than you need....

If you can stretch to a Gen2 LEAF you'll get better range.....

TradeMe has loads of them.

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CapBBeard

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#1724359 22-Feb-2017 12:10

Linuxluver:

CapBBeard:

Sorry guys this may have come up in the thread somewhere already but I did scan through recent pages and didn't spot anything. We're looking at picking up an 'around town' car and I'd love to look at an EV but always thought they'd be well out of our price range. We were probably looking at something in the $10-15k range originally, and I see there are actually a bunch of 2011-ish Leafs around at this price point now.

Are these 'older' ones worth looking at? Note that I am south island based, though we do have some charge stations locally. Thanks!

Even the oldest LEAF is only a 2011 model.....so compared to ICE cars that's 'new'. I've never seen a shabby LEAF.

The only issue will be to find a car with at least 20% more range than your usual travel needs.....and at the price you can afford. Most of the $15k Gen1 LEAFs will be able to do 100km on a charge. The battery will continue to degrade - this is normal - but degradation seems to flatten out after a certain point. But this is why you want at least 20% more range than you need....

If you can stretch to a Gen2 LEAF you'll get better range.....

TradeMe has loads of them.

Oh definitely, that's why I quoted 'older'. I just wondered if those earlier models were now best avoided (early runs, older batteries and all that) but from what I've read and your comments they sound fine. I mean we are currently getting around town in a 97 Civic so 2011 is plenty new for us ;-)

Our daily commute is nothing really, for a run of the mill work day we might only do 15 odd km. We'd hang on to another vehicle for longer trips I suspect.

Will certainly give it some serious consideration, thanks!

Linuxluver

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#1724892 23-Feb-2017 09:11

CapBBeard:

Linuxluver:

CapBBeard:

Sorry guys this may have come up in the thread somewhere already but I did scan through recent pages and didn't spot anything. We're looking at picking up an 'around town' car and I'd love to look at an EV but always thought they'd be well out of our price range. We were probably looking at something in the $10-15k range originally, and I see there are actually a bunch of 2011-ish Leafs around at this price point now.

Are these 'older' ones worth looking at? Note that I am south island based, though we do have some charge stations locally. Thanks!

Even the oldest LEAF is only a 2011 model.....so compared to ICE cars that's 'new'. I've never seen a shabby LEAF.

The only issue will be to find a car with at least 20% more range than your usual travel needs.....and at the price you can afford. Most of the $15k Gen1 LEAFs will be able to do 100km on a charge. The battery will continue to degrade - this is normal - but degradation seems to flatten out after a certain point. But this is why you want at least 20% more range than you need....

If you can stretch to a Gen2 LEAF you'll get better range.....

TradeMe has loads of them.

Oh definitely, that's why I quoted 'older'. I just wondered if those earlier models were now best avoided (early runs, older batteries and all that) but from what I've read and your comments they sound fine. I mean we are currently getting around town in a 97 Civic so 2011 is plenty new for us ;-)

Our daily commute is nothing really, for a run of the mill work day we might only do 15 odd km. We'd hang on to another vehicle for longer trips I suspect.

Will certainly give it some serious consideration, thanks!

They wuold defintely do for you. Plus, for the range you're talking about, have a look at the Mitsubishi i-Miev. They are under $10k on TradeMe and can do about 80km on a charge. They have smaller batteries, but are able to charge using 50kw DC CHAdeMO so they charge REALLY fast......like 10 mins or less.

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Willuknight

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#1728358 1-Mar-2017 15:36

Does anyone know how to disable the traffic card warning when you turn the car on? "kaado wa sounyu sarete imasen".

Also has anyone put together a guide that has japanese screenshots with english captions of the headunit?

Thanks!

trig42

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#1728366 1-Mar-2017 15:52

Willuknight:

Does anyone know how to disable the traffic card warning when you turn the car on? "kaado wa sounyu sarete imasen".

Also has anyone put together a guide that has japanese screenshots with english captions of the headunit?

Thanks!

Find the reader and its speaker and cut the cables?

I have an import that used to talk like that, so I cut the cables and removed the units. They were not built into any of the car's systems (3rd party addons).

SumnerBoy

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#1728369 1-Mar-2017 16:15

For the DIY'ers out there, check out this from the guys at OpenEnergyMonitor...

https://community.openenergymonitor.org/t/openevse-ev-charging-station-with-emoncms-wifi-integration/2439/33

They have an OpenEVSE unit charging a Leaf which can have the charging rate adjusted via MQTT. This sort of thing lends itself nicely to integration with home automation systems (e.g. openHAB) which already have energy/solar monitoring. For example, automatically charge your Leaf if your solar is generating 2kW more than you are currently using and adjust the charging rate to ensure you maximise your solar usage (rather than sell back to the grid).

Pretty cool IMO!

wellygary

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#1728505 1-Mar-2017 20:22

Willuknight:

Does anyone know how to disable the traffic card warning when you turn the car on? "kaado wa sounyu sarete imasen".

Thanks!

Is it an intergrated unit,? , ie card slot down by the door well

Then follow these instructions to disarm the chimes

http://www.nissan.co.jp/OPTIONAL-PARTS/NAVIOM/LEAF/NAVI/CONTENTS/guid-54ecd025-9c9d-4dc6-ad51-7e61806b518b.html

push menu , メニュ

select jouhou 情報 ( information)

then ETC 情報 (ETC information ,

(ETC is Electronic Toll Collection )

and then

Card forget warning settings menu , カード忘れの警告設定

in this menu

the first option

カード抜き忘れ警告：

Is ding if you turn off the engine and try to leave the car with the card in

The second option

カード入れ忘れ警告：

will ding if the card is missing when you turn it on ) is the one giving you grief)

and the third option

ルーート探索時カード忘れ警告：

will ding if you selct a route with tolls and dont have the card in ( thats a bit moot as the Navi will only have Japanese roads and toll info)

So just turn them all off

Linuxluver

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#1728517 1-Mar-2017 21:06

castigan:

Willuknight:

Does anyone know how to disable the traffic card warning when you turn the car on? "kaado wa sounyu sarete imasen".

Also has anyone put together a guide that has japanese screenshots with english captions of the headunit?

Thanks!

grab ya phone, download google translate, download japanese offline language pack.

hold ya phone in front of the screen and it will translate japanese in real time to english.

This is what I did. :-) It works really well.

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Linuxluver

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#1736445 14-Mar-2017 18:17

This week my 2016 30kWh LEAF reached over 17,000km. I've been doing some distance driving lately. We bought a house in Opotiki and I'm trying to get it painted outside before the weather turns to crap. That's a 740km return drive. I'll typically drive down there (from Auckland) and drive back a few days later. I've been charging from the normal household 3112 10amp power outlet in the garage. It adds about 8% per hour. More than enough overnight.

Context Items:

I can drive from Tauranga to Opotiki with the aircon on and not worrying about efficient driving...and arrive on about 23%. Prior to that I may have driven from Auckland to Thames (for a quick top-up - 20 mins to get to 90%), then drive 118km Bayfair Shopping Centre in Tauranga....arriving on about 25%.

So two charges to get from Auckland to Opotiki....and total time charging is about 40-50 mins. Generally I time it so we have a coffee on the first stop and a late breakfast on the second stop.

When the weather was bad last week and the Thames to Kopu road was flooded I went from Auckland to Hamilton then to Rotorua and on to Opotiki. Still just the two charges enroute (Hamilton and Rotorua).

I drove from Opotiki to Te Kaha and back. That's a stunning highway. The round trip is about 135km. It's got a couple of BIG hills on the way. I had no range issues. It was just a great drive.

I also drove from Opotiki to Matawai - about 150km round trip. The scenery is utterly amazing. Blew me away. There is also some serious hill climbing on that road as it rises to over 730m from sea level. Interestingly, the trip there took 41% of the battery, the but the trip back - mainly downhill - only took 30%. On that basis, my car would have NO trouble doing Opotiki to Gisborne as the second half of the drive would be a regen rollercoaster of happy battery downhill running.

I've been monitoring my battery health with LEAFSpy. The driving seems to actually be reducing resistance in the battery.....and it's capacity remains 100% of original. I'll be reaching 20,000km soon and I've love to keep it that way.

At the property in Opotiki I'm installing a 32amp charging station with a Type 2 connector socket. I'll put it on Plugshare so anyone with a Type 2 to whatever-they-have will be able to charge up at a reasonable speed (It can add 22% / hour for a LEAF with a 6.6kw AC internal charger). It will be twice as fast as anything else in Opotiki. I'll have a wee sign next to it with a barcode for a link to a Paypal donation button. :-) Sort of an electronic honesty box.

As for the LEAF, I recently took advantage of the $99 service special offered by Manukau Nissan for any LEAF purchased from any source. They mainly checked the brakes and tyres and suspension......and said they checked the battery. They listed it as my 12 month / 20,000km service check. Which was cool. The car is now very close to being a year old since first registered in the UK in late March 2016.

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