DIY: Plug the supplier charger in a normal point

[duncan]

Firstly: I am no electrician, I don't know if this meets australian standards or is safe.

I do know I have done this and had no problems, I use the cord daily.

The Nissan supplied trickle charger uses a 15Amp plug which cannot physically be plugged into a normal 10Amp power point. This means the charger is useless in 99% of power points in Australia.

There are 3 simple ways to deal with this issue:
1/ The only physical difference between a 15Amp plug and a 10Amp plug is the size of the earth pin. You can grind the 15A plug down to 10A size and plug it in. Easy, but not reversable.

2/ Buy one of these (or similar) ampfibian.com.au/store/rv-02/. It converts from your 15A plug to a 10A plug and presumably includes 10A fuse for protection

3/ Create a 15A to 10A conversion lead. This DIY covers this simple option.

Steps to create the conversion lead:
1/ Start with a good quality extension cord. The current that will be drawn is very close to the maximum most cords can support so start with a good quality one. Cut the socket off the end of the lead (In my case I made the cord about 1M so that it hangs from the wall mounted socket to the floor. You also need a 10a Socket to wire in, you can get these from Bunnings or an electrical shop for about $5



2/ Carefully strip back the main outer sheath. The instructions for the plug I bought said cut it back 8cm. Do so very carefully, if you cut through the insulation of one of the internal wires you should cut it all off and start again.

3/ Strip about 8mm from the end of each of the internal wires. You should end up with something like this:



4/ Slide the plug's cover onto the cord, and then connect the wires to the socket as per the instructions (and normally marked on the socket too). You must be absolutely sure you have the correct wires in the correct pins.



5/ Slide the cover back down over the socket, you should have a completed and usable cord



You now have an extension cord with a 10A plug (so you can charge into any standard power point) and a 15A socket (so you can plug nissan's trickle charger in), it will look like this:



You may well be wondering why this seems to work OK, and how much current it draws. I put a meter on to measure the amps and this is what it showed (the second meter was reading wrong, at double the actual amps ), it shows 9.97 amps were being drawn, including the power required to run the display (about 0.1 amps)



You may be wondering why Nissan chose to supply a charger that draws 10A with a 15A plug that almost everyone can't use....well I am too.

[Phoebe]

Nissan told me it is because it must be plugged into a 15amp dedicated circuit. They threatened me with all sorts of terrible things, including ruining my LEAF motor, but particularly it would cancel my warranty, if I used the AMP Fibian RV-02 ( which has a cuicuit breaker in it) to plug into a normal 10amp power point. All this has been covered under the thread '10A charger still requires 15A plug', where richardh also describes the modificationd you have just described. leafboi reckons that couldn't cancel the warranty because it is approved in Australia for that purpose. Jim Hare thinks they just use a 15a plug to ensure you don't overload the circuit as it may have a washing machine going at the same time. Anyway I have just plugged in my AMPFibian RV-02 for the first time and it seems to be working perfectly. My washing machine, microwave, jug etc are all turned oof - my computer is the only thing that is on Someone else said their 10amp cable warmed up a bit. I have a 15amp cable with 10amp plugs on it (you can buy such things ready made) and it hasn't warmed up yet, but it's only been on half an hour so far. I wouldn't use your other options though, 'cos Nissan might insist that voided your warranty, if they found out about it.

[Phoebe]

After 4hrs 15 mins I wanted to use my jug and my toaster so I turned off my 10amp power point charge and plugged my EVSE into the 15amp dedicated powerpoint which I normally use to charge my LEAF. During the time it was plugged into the 10amp power point all the cables stayed quite cold but the 10amp plugs on the 15amp cable got a little warm. The range increased by 97kms on ECO over that charge period, which is about the same amount as when I charge with the EVSE in the 15amp dedicated power point over the same length of time. That’s not surprising since both charging methods are drawing 10amps. I won’t be carrying the AMP Fibian RV-02 and all the cables around in the car on a regular basis as it weighs 6kgs and that is a lot of extra weight to be carrying around and it takes up a lot of space as the 15amp cable is quite substantial. However, it is good to have it to take when I know I am going to be pushing the limit of my range. I’ll just have to hope that whoever I am visiting when I need to use their power point doesn’t want to use their jug and their toaster while I’m charging my LEAF

[richardh]

Thanks Duncan,
Yes I've done the same conversion of a 15 amp lead and it has been working great for months. I cleared it with an electrician first. Especially handy if visiting friends and you need a top up to get home. Also good for going away on holidays.
I like the amp meter you used!

Richard

[Mike]

Hi guys, my first post and loving my car. As a licensed electrician I understand that it is highly illegal to convert a 10amp extension lead to 15amp socket as per AS3000. Home insurance will become void in the event of a fire. Also cable flex size needs to be a minimum 1.5mm diameter to carry the 9.97 amps.
I am now a Sydney distributor of the Ampfibian which complies with standards but not Nissan warranty and sell it with a 15amp lead as per attached photo. Let me know if anyone is interested in purchasing.

[Mike]

Sorry guys, can't seem to attach photo, any tips?

Attachments:

[Mike]

Cancel that....

Attachments:

[Phoebe]

Mike, although you cannot sell me a AMPFibian RV-02 because I already have one, I have looked at your web site www.velocityelectrical.com.au/ and am very pleased to see we have a highly qualified, much experienced electrician in our midst. I am sure mysteries will crop up about how our LEAFs work that you will be able to explain

[Mike]

Phobe, your flattering me ;D . I am really excited to have the car now and am in negotiations with a couple of charge point suppliers to provide a cheaper alternative to Origin for the install. I live in a major strata complex and successfully gained permission and installed a dedicated 15 amp socket ready for the charge point in my car space. Giving hope to strata dwellers to join the EV revolution. I will try to attach my proposal.

[Mike]

EV Charge Point Proposal

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[Jim Hare]

Hi Mike,

Welcome to the forum and congratulations on the LEAF!

"the Ampfibian which complies with standards but not Nissan warranty

Are you saying the Ampfibian does not comply with the Nissan warranty, as in it may void it?

[Phoebe]

4 Jan, 2013, 4:01pm, Phoebe wrote:
I bought a AMP Fibian RV-02 together with a 15 amp cable with 10 amp plugs on it but Nissan told me my warranty would be void if I used it so I got a dedicated 15 amp power point installed at home, which I use all the time. Will put the AMP Fibian RV-02 and heavy calbe in the car if I think I'm likely to get stuck. If the circuit overloads it cuts out so there is no danger, just might not get a chage.

leafboi replied

I think you'll find Nissan are just trying to cover themselves as when people start talking about 15amp to 10amp blah blah most people think about home made adaptors which could be dangerous, not many people have head of the AMP Fibian which is an Australian approved electrical device. So it would be impossible to void any warranty using it. Unless of course we were given documentation that specifically mentioned the AMP Fibian as a no no. And since the warranty info for the LEAF is extremly vague, I wouldn't worry too much.


I have now checked my correspondence with Nissan and although it advised against using any 15a to 10a adaptor it didn't actually say that would void the warranty, though I think I can remember Dean saying that when we spoke. If leafboi is correct then it is OK. I have used mine.

[duncan]

Guys I'd prefer if there is going to be a chat about buying and using a product that it was in a seperate thread.

This was intended to be instructions on creating an adapter for a trickle charger rather than a discussion about the other options.

[Mike]

Thanks Jim, I have just found out that any car dealership must be able to prove that a third party accessory has caused damage to the vehicle that is in for warranty repair. This will not be an issue because

A/ The AMP Fibian RV-02 is not changing or altering voltage or power input in any way. Providing it and any other extension leads have been tested to AS/NZS 3000.

B/ The AMP Fibian RV-02 has an on board 10 amp earth leakage circuit breaker to protect house wiring and the 10 amp wall socket outlet from over current. Note: AMP Fibian and Leaf on board charger should not be used very often with the same 10 amp socket outlet due to high continuous current draw 9.9 amps which will damage the 10 amp socket over time. Emergency use only!!

C/ You would have to tell Nissan that you were using one when the fault occurred, which I wouldn't.

[Phoebe]

Thanks Mike. That is very useful information, particulaly the bit about damaging the 10 amp socket over time – emergency use only. Why couldn’t Nissan have told us that – it would have been more useful. My only problem is that the time when I am most likely to want to use my AMP Fibian RV-02 is on the more than 150km trip from Maitland to Artarmon to get my LEAF serviced. I would have nowhere to hide it when I got there and I couldn’t carry it and all the cables home on the train with me

[Mike]

Duncan, what you have suggested is highly illegal and runs the risk of overloading and melting the 10 amp wall socket. Also any household insurance would become void in the event of a fire.

[Deleted]

Get a Holden 10 amp evse it has a 10 amp plug and costs $350.
Made by clipper creek.
Clipper creek also make EVSEs for BMW
Interestingly cc also make a 15 amp unit with a 15 amp aussie plug. Order direct from cc. Costs same as 10 amp plug.
Just got my holden one fortnight ago from city motors holden. Thanks to Anthony for the tip.