White Lightning (Nissan Leaf) Build Thread

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Flakbadger

Right now I'm just using the included EVSE to charge every night. I rent, and though the homeowner is OK with it, I'd have to pay an electrician to make room in the breaker panel, install a new circuit, and install a receptacle. I'm comfortable doing all of this work myself, but sadly I don't own this place, so I'm not going to take on that liability, and paying an electrician is looking like well over a G.

So for now it's just LV-1, and I can use LV-2 when I go to the library or other places.

Where did you find them for so cheap? Hopefully not purchasing from crackheads who stole them... Lol

If there is a circuit somewhere in the panel that you don't use, you could temporarily convert it to 240v, as long as you blocked all unused outlets with a sign that said it's 240v. I did the opposite at my previous house, converting a 20a 240v circuit to 120v for an AC unit that was tripping my breaker. It was a single outlet so it was easy to convert without messing other things up.

I'd periodically check Craigslist for "EVSE" whenever I looked for cheap EVs. The $20 one was on there for a few weeks before I finally decided I wanted it, even if I didn't need it. Maybe nobody searches the keyword "EVSE" and didn't see the ad. The seller said her car was hit and totalled, so she had no use for the EVSE. I've seen 'em between $20-$180.

BTW, the mod makes it compatible with both 120v and 240v. You just make a an adapter cable to convert to the other outlet style. I've got a 14-50 plug on mine, so I'd need a 14-50 to 5-15 adaptor.

The other option is a Y adaptor that you plug into 2 120v outlets that are on opposite phases. You could buy that or make one:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=64L4Pz4vuYc

[oil pan 4]

The best mod you can do is charge with 240v power.
It's substantially more efficient going from any 120v to any 240v amperage.
I modded my 120v Panasonic brick evse to run 240v, it was real easy.

[Flakbadger]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

If there is a circuit somewhere in the panel that you don't use, you could temporarily convert it to 240v, [...]
The other option is a Y adaptor that you plug into 2 120v outlets that are on opposite phases. You could buy that or make one:

Sadly there are no open circuits in the panel. I would need to install wafer breakers to open up any slots, and in order to open up enough slots for enough amperage for 240 charging, I'd have to install a LOT of wafer breakers. Again, since this is a rental, I'm not going to do it myself, and it would be $$$$$ for a licensed electrician.

Originally Posted by oil pan 4

The best mod you can do is charge with 240v power.
It's substantially more efficient going from any 120v to any 240v amperage.
I modded my 120v Panasonic brick evse to run 240v, it was real easy.

Out of curiosity, what makes it more efficient? I'm assuming there's some loss of power through heating and when you do 240V you move so much more electricity that relative to the current you draw the waste is lower?

[oil pan 4]

Time. The pumps and circuitry have to stay powered up twice as long on 120v.
Conversion efficiency. There is a slight efficiency boost trying to convert 340vdc up to 360 to 400vdc to charge over 170vdc.
170vdc is about what you get from rectifying 120v, 340vdc comes from 240vac.
The same resistance losses for double the power. 12 amps is 12 amps, the wires don't care if it's 120 or 240. Assuming a both circuits run the same size wire.

It appears the biggest efficiency boost comes from reducing time the charging system stays powered up.
So a 16 amp 240vac evse will be more efficient than a 12 amp 240vac evse.

[Flakbadger]

Thank you, that makes a lot of sense!

[redpoint5]

Same experience as Oil Pan.

My Prius was something like 70% efficient charging from 120v, and 85% charging from 240v. The battery fan on the Prius runs continuously during charging, so reducing the time spent charging reduced the amount of time the fan and electronics ran.

I assume there's half the line loss by doubling voltage, but that's less of a concern than reducing the time all the related charging circuits and motors are on.

How about that Y adaptor? Think you could find 2 outlets on opposite phases? Of course, you could hardly run anything else on both of those circuits or you risk tripping the breaker.

Finally, you could get a Y adaptor for the dryer and an extension cord. They make dumb adaptors where you'd have to be careful to only run 1 at a time, and they make smart adaptors like the dryer buddy that will switch automatically.

[Flakbadger]

Originally Posted by redpoint5

Same experience as Oil Pan.

My Prius was something like 70% efficient charging from 120v, and 85% charging from 240v. The battery fan on the Prius runs continuously during charging, so reducing the time spent charging reduced the amount of time the fan and electronics ran.

I assume there's half the line loss by doubling voltage, but that's less of a concern than reducing the time all the related charging circuits and motors are on.

How about that Y adaptor? Think you could find 2 outlets on opposite phases? Of course, you could hardly run anything else on both of those circuits or you risk tripping the breaker.

Finally, you could get a Y adaptor for the dryer and an extension cord. They make dumb adaptors where you'd have to be careful to only run 1 at a time, and they make smart adaptors like the dryer buddy that will switch automatically.

Well, there is one single circuit in the garage, so it isn't an option sadly.

As for the dryer socket, the dryer alcove is on the other side of one wall of the garage but I'd have to drill a hole through the wall large enough to run the 240V plug through, then seal it for thermal reasons. It's possible, but a bit of a pain in the ***.

We are also likely moving in the next 2-4 months from Salem back up to P-town, as I'm hoping to get a job up there. Next place we live might have more options. Pretty limited in this current place.

[redpoint5]

Originally Posted by Flakbadger

Well, there is one single circuit in the garage, so it isn't an option sadly.

As for the dryer socket, the dryer alcove is on the other side of one wall of the garage but I'd have to drill a hole through the wall large enough to run the 240V plug through, then seal it for thermal reasons. It's possible, but a bit of a pain in the ***.

We are also likely moving in the next 2-4 months from Salem back up to P-town, as I'm hoping to get a job up there. Next place we live might have more options. Pretty limited in this current place.

I miss aspects of Portland, but my life is a lot less stressful now that I don't have to battle heinous traffic. I'm fortunate to work from home now.

I could potentially get you a sweet deal on a 4-bed 2 car garage rental in the Couve; and I've already got a modified Leaf charger installed and ready to go. Traffic over the bridge can be a nightmare during rush hour, but then again traffic is bad everywhere during rush hour.

[NeilBlanchard]

Are you coasting in neutral? If you are going faster than 7MPH, you can bump the shift puck into R, and it will go into neutral - or, you can hold it in N for about 2 seconds.

If you are going less than 7MPH, don't shift into R - as it will go into reverse!

You have to shift back into D to get any regen; even on the brake pedal.

[Flakbadger]

Originally Posted by NeilBlanchard

Are you coasting in neutral? If you are going faster than 7MPH, you can bump the shift puck into R, and it will go into neutral - or, you can hold it in N for about 2 seconds.

If you are going less than 7MPH, don't shift into R - as it will go into reverse!

You have to shift back into D to get any regen; even on the brake pedal.

I was previously coasting in the middle "dot" before the regen side---but today I put it in neutral a few times to try it out and it coasts a lot better. After fiddling around a bit I realized that the throttle and regen braking have many more positions than just the few dots on the display, so I was likely doing very slight regen braking when I thought I was "coasting."

All of that said, this car is still very draggy compared to the Yaris. But we're workin' on it!