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Post by rowdyflat on Jul 16, 2020 12:33:21 GMT 11
Long time lurker finally decided to contribute . Thinking of buying a slightly used 2019 Leaf from Melbourne or ACT when Corona allows us to travel there, although I do like the quirky appearance of the older model but a smaller battery.
questions
1. Anyone know if the charging can be throttled back to say 8 amps not 15 using some software ,as we live off grid and our current inverter wont do 3.3 Kw continually .
2. Can an EV be charged directly from solar panels via an inverter so that it just takes what is available ?
3. our 2 km driveway has some waterbars which may scrape the underneath of the car and we drive rural dirt roads which cause punctures , so thinking of changing to higher profile tyres instead of 17 x 215 /50 going 60-70 whatever I can get . I realise that the increased rolling resistance and the speedo will be affected . Anyone tried this for better clearance ?
4.Anyone using vehicle to home technology so the car battery is the house storage ?.
Thanks in anticipation.
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Post by tomkauf on Jul 16, 2020 15:34:07 GMT 11
Hi rowdyflat, good luck with the possible purchase. 1. Yes, if you get an EVSE (Charging Cable/'brick') that is adjustable. We have a similar one to this one, and the lowest setting is 6 Amps (1.44kW). It also does 10Amp (2.4kW). This one below should fit the 2019. Ours is the next model up, which also does 15Amp. www.evolutionaustralia.com.au/product-page/nissan-leaf-gen-2-portable-evse-ev-electric-car-charger2. Yes, with a device like this popular Zappi. That would be instead of the EVSE, unless you need something portable when charging away from home. www.solarquotes.com.au/blog/zappi-ev-charger-review/I'm not sure what the charge speeds are that it can do, but it can definitely be set to 'Solar Only' charging. It'll just stop at some point if the solar gets too low. 3. The diameter can't legally be more than 15mm larger than stock, which is barely any extra sidewall. I wouldn't change more than that, otherwise if there's an accident, the insurance company will be quick to deny a claim. You can increase the tyre sidewall, but the rim size has to decrease. Eg. an going from 17" wheels to 16" but getting an extra inch of sidewall to keep the rolling diameter about the same. You'll also have issues with rubbing the wheel arches if the tyres are much bigger than stock. Look at replacing springs instead, to increase road clearance. That way everything incl Speedo is still legal and works. There's a picture floating around, of a Leaf with 'offroad springs' that has quite a bit of extra ground clearance 😁. 4. Not sure. Should definitely be possible though with CHAdeMO. Apart from a few downsides (faster degradation of the battery, and it not being available when the car is away from home), I would love to do that. It's a much bigger battery than even several Powerwalls, and the car is basically free.
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Post by jeffthewalker on Jul 16, 2020 19:22:16 GMT 11
1. Anyone know if the charging can be throttled back to say 8 amps not 15 using some software ,as we live off grid and our current inverter wont do 3.3 Kw continually . Been there. I acquired a 24V DC to 110V AC 2500W with a 6A EVSE that would run on 110V input. This reduced the draw to 700W then minimum I could get it down to within the J1772 specs. I had other inverter(s) for the rest of the household needs.
My intention was to automatically monitor (house) battery volts and turn on the inverter when there was "excess" solar. I build my own micro-processor controller devices but didn't get around to completing this project:-). I still have the 24VDC to 110VAC inverter (now unused in Sapphire Queensland).
I only got as far as "human in the loop" control before I moved off from off-grid.
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Post by rowdyflat on Jul 16, 2020 20:59:37 GMT 11
Great thanks for your replies. 1. and 2. both devices could be useful. I have 2.5 KW solar panels on my work office which is connected to the grid and would like to just to use the sun. At home we have microhydro + panels + LA batteries but dont want to overcome the system or the inverter.
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Post by moyanous on Jul 18, 2020 21:59:51 GMT 11
1 & 2. I use an Openevse with WiFi module which lets you adjust the current from 6A up in 1A steps. You can also set the charging rate based on your solar output but I didn't install the smart meter option with my inverter.
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Post by tomkauf on Aug 10, 2020 15:35:50 GMT 11
For Q3, I found that forum thread I was talking about. Screenshot attached. Looks like a good amount of extra clearance. Attachments:
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