Japanese EVSE

[chuq]

I've recently assisted someone who has just imported a 2013 Leaf from Japan and needed to borrow an Aussie EVSE in the short term.

His plan is to get an electrician to attach an Australian plug to the Japanese EVSE.

I should have taken photos, but from memory the EVSE was labelled 200V, 20A.  The plug had one flat pin, one round pin and one L shaped pin.  I should have taken photos, in hindsight!

Does anyone know - will this EVSE be fine with an Australian 240V/10A or 240V/15A plug on the end of it or is the voltage difference going to cause a problem?

[johnmath]

Maybe, but maybe not! At the very least the EVSE will need a plug and circuit rated to deliver the current on the nameplate.

The EVSE is essentially a "pass through" device; in other words it serves to connect the local domestic supply to the vehicle without changing the voltage passing through the EVSE. The on-board charger under the bonnet of a Leaf can accept any supply between 100 Vac and 240 Vac at 50 or 60 Hz, at up to 3.6 kWh, or 6.6 kW with the fast charger supplied with UK Leafs. For each market the EVSE supplied with the car is programmed to signal to the Leaf's on-board charger the capability of the local supply in the market that the vehicle was sold, and matching the capability of the consumer plug on the EVSE.

The Nissan EVSE usually supplied for the Japanese market is specified on its nameplate for 100 Vac and 200 Vac supplies and from memory is coded to tell the Leaf's on-board charger to draw 15 amperes of current. For a 100 Vac supply that equates to 1.5 kW and for a 200 Vac supply it equates to 3.0 kW. With a 240 volt input this would equate to 3.6 kW.

There is a low voltage supply in the EVSE to support the circuitry that communicates with the vehicle and operates the display panel/lights on the EVSE. In many cases, but not necessarily in every instance, the on-board electronics use a 'universal' low voltage supply that operates with any local supply voltage from 100 - 250 Vac and 50 or 60 Hz.

The JDM Leaf EVSE has an temperature sensor in the consumer supply plug to sense overheating of the plug. This requires five conductors between the plug and the EVSE: three for active, neutral and earth, and two for the NTC temperature sensor. I believe that the temperature sensor in the plug is a precautionary measure because of the variable condition of wiring in Japanese homes.

If your mate has an EVSE specified for 20 amperes it will need to be connected to a dedicated 20 A service. In Australia under A/NZ wiring rules, a dedicated circuit is a prerequisite for charging at more than 10 amps and overheating of the plug in a properly installed circuit is a non-issue. However if an Australian plug is simply installed on the JDM EVSE without the temperature sensor the EVSE will indicate a fault and the car will not charge.

To install an Australian plug on a JDM EVSE will require either installing a five conductor lead and a NTC temperature sensor in the plug to replace the one in the Japanese plug, or a resistor installed in the EVSE to mimic the role of the NTC sensor. At 20 degrees Celsius the NTC has a nominal resistance of 13kΩ, and putting a resistor of approximately this value across the temperature monitor input will prevent the EVSE from going into fault mode because of not being able to read the plug temperature. Doing this will allow a 'normal' three conductor mains lead to be used from the plug to the EVSE.

This post is for information only and not an endorsement of converting a JDM EVSE for use in Australia. Companies such as EVolution Australia have Australian compliant EVSEs that allow the charge current to be selected between several values at reasonable prices, to suit slow charging (6A), standard power points (10A), dedicated circuits (15A) and even a high current circuit (32A equivalent to 6.6 kW for UK delivered Leafs with the high powered on-board charger).

[akadavidwebb]

Modification of electrical goods designed for use overseas (and not Australia) is probably not wise. I know importers don’t rountinely make mods to their chargers. For example, I believe Good Car Company ditch all the Japanese chargers that come with their cars and instead buy wholesale from EVolution.

Here’s a link to their portables. For me peace of mind is key over saving a few bucks. www.evolutionaustralia.com.au/portable-electric-car-chargers