Nissan LEAF - General

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110 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 47

#1736474 14-Mar-2017 19:32

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

There is no practical way for an electrician to limit an individual circuit run from your fuse (breaker) board. The load you plug in determines the current drawn and the circuit breaker limits it to a safe level for the plug and the wiring by disconnecting at its rated load (6A, 10A, 15A, 20A circuit breakers are common). You are right that the supply voltage varies, you might even see as much as 250V on occasion which will give that Japanese voltage rated transformer a fright. Once again there is no practical solution an electrician can use to limit the voltage at an individual outlet. Sorry.

***If only I did not know now what I did not know then***

pogo

84 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1749219 28-Mar-2017 10:16

Really dumb question:

If I plug in a Leaf to charge, but don't have the power on yet, then flick the switch at the wall, it starts charging? Likewise, if the Leaf was charging, and I switched the power off at the wall and waited a bit, then switched the power on again, the Leaf resumes charging?

I want to put the charging outlet onto a relay that I can control & schedule, and I want to 100% make sure this actually works before committing to anything.

afe66

3181 posts

Uber Geek
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Lifetime subscriber

#1749234 28-Mar-2017 10:33

You can program the leaf itself for when you want it to charge.

IE if you want to only use night rate electricity you get tell the leaf to start charging at 11pm. It's an option you access from on the dashboard. You leave it plugged in but it only starts charging when it's timer tells it to.

You can also program when you want the climate control to come on if it's plugged in
I haven't tried.

All above are mentioned in my generation 2 leaf manual. I assume similar to generation one Japanese. Post and ask on Nz ev facebook page if really want confirmation.

Gut feeling is I won't want to be turning charging on/off by turning off/on mains without unplugging. IE analogous to turning TV off on at wall socket instead of power button.

pogo

84 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1749263 28-Mar-2017 10:53

@afe66 perhaps you are right. This worries me: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=8653

afe66

3181 posts

Uber Geek
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#1749280 28-Mar-2017 11:00

What are you trying to achieve with control and schedule?

pogo

84 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1749282 28-Mar-2017 11:04

Besides scheduling (I have a home automation system that can already schedule via relays) I was thinking of implementing some kind of electricity price spike control (I'm with Flick). So if the price spikes while charging I could simply switch the relay automatically.

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afe66

3181 posts

Uber Geek
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#1749287 28-Mar-2017 11:12

Gut feeling would say no.

Realistically how often does the price spike over night and by how much?

For me the price spikes would have to be huge for it to be a real world issue.

Too much potential to damage an electrical device.

Plugging an electric car in is not just charging. There is electronics involved which probably doesn't like being suddenly shut off with out shutting down in a controlled manner. Even when you unplug from car there seems to be a fraction of a second to allow things to disconnect before the mechanical plug let's go.

A.

pogo

84 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1749293 28-Mar-2017 11:20

Realistically how often does the price spike over night and by how much?

TBH, no idea! Maybe there's a Flick community somewhere on Geekzone...

Linuxluver

5833 posts

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#1749294 28-Mar-2017 11:20

afe66: What are you trying to achieve with control and schedule?

Probably two things:

1. Charge when cheapest

2. Charge only to a certain level (say....80%). My own LEAF will gain about 25% / hour at 32amp. So if I'm on 25% battery and want to charge to 80% (to maintain battery health by not filling up every time I charge) then I would set the timer to start charging and run for 2 hours 12 minutes, then stop.

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pogo

84 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1749301 28-Mar-2017 11:30

Hi @Linuxluver. Do you schedule your charge times via the Leaf itself? Have you ever owned a Jap import Leaf? (I'm assuming you have a UK import with 6.6kW charger.) If so, was it easy enough to figure out how to schedule with the language issues?

pogo

84 posts

Master Geek
+1 received by user: 9

#1749386 28-Mar-2017 13:41

Is a Gen 2 worth it over a Gen 1?

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afe66

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Uber Geek
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#1749481 28-Mar-2017 15:26

pogo:
Hi @Linuxluver. Do you schedule your charge times via the Leaf itself? Have you ever owned a Jap import Leaf? (I'm assuming you have a UK import with 6.6kW charger.) If so, was it easy enough to figure out how to schedule with the language issues?

You set the charge timer from the Leaf main dashboard.

You cant change the language, most people download Google Translate.

Second generation leaf have slightly better battery technology. Whether you buy one other depends on cost vrs slightly shorter range. The cars will be older obviously.

A.

Scott3

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Uber Geek
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#1749845 29-Mar-2017 00:46

pogo:

Is a Gen 2 worth it over a Gen 1?

Generally yeah.

Big change is the battery chemistry to the Lizard pack. It's more resistant to degradation, and real world experience has shown it to be a lot better. Also I like the Dark interior that is common on the gen2's, the boot is bigger as the charger has been moved to under the bonnet. Also the inverter is a bit more efficient giving the car a bit more range. Downside is the loss of the electronic handbrake for a foot operated one.

That said if your range needs are low (say the car will be for commuting under 60km round trips in the city, and you have another vehicle for trips away (or prefer to fly)), you can pick up gen 1 cars with tired battery packs for very cheap.

Linuxluver

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Uber Geek
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#1750265 29-Mar-2017 16:41

pogo:

Hi @Linuxluver. Do you schedule your charge times via the Leaf itself? Have you ever owned a Jap import Leaf? (I'm assuming you have a UK import with 6.6kW charger.) If so, was it easy enough to figure out how to schedule with the language issues?

I had a Jap import as my first LEAF. I used Google Translate on my phone to show me, in real-time, what the dash was displaying. The vendor had removed the multi-media unit, so the only timer option open to min the car was the one accessed via the dash. I managed OK. I could set the date and time easily enough using Google Translate.

But for my purposes, it was most often easiest to just set the alarm on my phone and go out and unplug the car.

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Linuxluver

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Uber Geek
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#1750272 29-Mar-2017 16:47

pogo:

Is a Gen 2 worth it over a Gen 1?

As Scott3 said, it can be worth it depending on your needs.

I used my 2015 Gen 2 as my primary car and I was able to drive it from Auckland to Kawakawa (charging at Kaiwaka and Whangarei) and across to Dargaville (via SH12 - charging for 4 hours in Rawene at the Rawene Holiday Camp) and over to Tauranga (via Hamilton or Thames) and on to Rotorua (via either of the above).

A Gen 1 would have struggled then....and now....to do those trips.

So if you want exclusively a city car, get a Gen1. But if you're like to do some roaming about on a modest scale, then a Gen 2 with a good battery is a must-have. As Scott3 says, the batteries last longer, too.

Can you stretch to Hyundai Ioniq? I think you'd be over the Moon with one of those now that the CCS fast charging connectors be because changed over to Type 2 over the next 1-4 weeks.

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I've been on Geekzone over 16 years..... Time flies....

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