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Post by stewartm on Nov 20, 2016 21:18:42 GMT 11
Hi and welcome, I use a Siemens Versicharge from amazon. Currently $429us or $585 Oz. Mine arrived in a week. It will charge at the 15 amp max that the leaf takes, but importantly can do 30 amp if a new leaf with a 6.6kw charger comes out or you buy a BMW i3. So it's future proofed. I like the fact you can delay the charge to a time that suits. Mine has never glitched.
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2016 1:28:43 GMT 11
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Post by empowerrepower on Nov 21, 2016 13:46:16 GMT 11
Hi and welcome, I use a Siemens Versicharge from amazon. Currently $429us or $585 Oz. Mine arrived in a week. It will charge at the 15 amp max that the leaf takes, but importantly can do 30 amp if a new leaf with a 6.6kw charger comes out or you buy a BMW i3. So it's future proofed. I like the fact you can delay the charge to a time that suits. Mine has never glitched. Hi StewartM and g4qber, I'm not quite clear on this. My understanding is that the Leaf EVSE and the Holden Volt EVSE keep the charging rate below 10amps, but this Siemens Versicharge will go up to 15 amps. Yet the Clipper Creek charging table below shows a charging time of 7 1/2 hours for the Leaf, no matter what non-fast charger is used. If I plug in my Holden Volt EVSE, it charges the car by one or two bars in an hour. Would the Siemens be faster to charge, given the info in the Clipper Creek table? Perhaps you techie types can help me out with some advice?
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Post by Deleted on Nov 21, 2016 15:57:49 GMT 11
Hi emp
Gen 1 leaf supposed to charge at 3.3kw cos it has a 3.3kw ac charger on board. But I've noticed that it "super" charges at 4kw
Siemens 7.2 kw will only charge gen 1 at 4 kw
Will be faster than 2.4kw Nissan / volt 10 amp evses
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Post by hieronymous on Nov 21, 2016 19:07:06 GMT 11
I'm not quite clear on this. My understanding is that the Leaf EVSE and the Holden Volt EVSE keep the charging rate below 10amps, but this Siemens Versicharge will go up to 15 amps. Yet the Clipper Creek charging table below shows a charging time of 7 1/2 hours for the Leaf, no matter what non-fast charger is used. If I plug in my Holden Volt EVSE, it charges the car by one or two bars in an hour. Would the Siemens be faster to charge, given the info in the Clipper Creek table? Perhaps you techie types can help me out with some advice? The Clipper Creek table appears to be wrong. Our Gen1 Leafs fully charge in about 8 hours using a 10A EVSE, but if a 15A+ EVSE or hard-wired solution is used, the Leaf charger will negotiate its maximum rate, about 13.6A or a little more, which is one third faster, so the corresponding full charge time will be about 3/4 of the 10A time i.e. about 6 hours. Any 15A or above setup will give you this time. My 16A EVSE and the 40A 7KW charge points at the local mall give the same outcome, with Leaf Spy showing the battery taking 3.3KW, which is what it is rated at.
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Post by stewartm on Nov 21, 2016 23:26:41 GMT 11
The Siemens charges at the max rate that the leaf can use, 3.3 or 3.6kw depending on voltage, 230 vs 250. The Holden and Nissan charge at about 2.2-2.3 kw. So the larger one will charge about a third faster. Check with Jeff who has just done the trip around Oz. The other issue with the clipper creek is under rating. The LCS-15 is not 15 amp but 12. The CC 20 is 16 amps so that may explain the anomaly. store.clippercreek.com/international Note also it's not linear towards full charge as it reduces amperage approaching full, noticeable on my portable chademo. .
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Post by jeffthewalker on Nov 22, 2016 6:16:10 GMT 11
stewartm leant me his Juice box 15A EVSE and it consistently pushed in 3.3kW. Sometimes I was charging 3 times a day and the 15A EVSE saved me 4 to 6 hours a day.
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Post by jake on Nov 22, 2016 12:08:27 GMT 11
By the way, don't plan to charge by extension lead. I find they get quite hot. I have a solution to that. Buy a 15 amp extension cord and replace the plug with a a good quality 10 amp plug. It's what I did. It saves buying the adaptor and the plug only gets very mildly warm. The thicker wires in this lead cope with the current better. Only use the original EVSE or Volt EVSE if using an extension cord. Don't use an 15 amp EVSE with an extension cord. Note the manual warns against using any kind of extension cord.
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aja
EV Enthusiast
Posts: 34
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by aja on Nov 22, 2016 13:20:45 GMT 11
Our Leaf arrived yesterday late in the afternoon. Woohoo!
This morning we took it for its first drive into town. The Leaf was fully charged, 12 bars and 134km range. We went to town, did some shopping, then to the Holden dealer and ordered the Volt charger. It took a while because it is not a certified Volt service centre. This probably means that there are also few or no Volts in Ballarat. We also picked up the Amp Fibian adaptor at Bunnings. Dropped in at the Nissan dealer who were surprised to see a Leaf, as they are not a Leaf dealership. They don't want to service the Leaf, which is what I expected. So our challenge in the next 12 months is to get to Geelong and back.
It feels eerie to drive in a noiseless car, especially when waiting at traffic lights. It felt like the engine is off. It will take a while to get used to that.
Overall we did 26 km in stop-start city traffic and the remaining range is 86 km and 7 bars.
Thank you to all of you for making us feel welcome and for the invaluable advice. No doubt we will share more of our experiences in the future.
Chris
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Post by Feng on Nov 22, 2016 13:52:47 GMT 11
It feels eerie to drive in a noiseless car, especially when waiting at traffic lights. It felt like the engine is off. It will take a while to get used to that. That never gets old. You become so much more aware of the noise and heat from the cars around you in traffic. Then when you accellerate with other cars you notice their jerky motion as they shift through gears. Not being an elitist snob, just an observation. Congrats and enjoy! Always fun to share the enthusiasm of a new owner.
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Post by Phoebe on Nov 22, 2016 14:06:56 GMT 11
Our Leaf arrived yesterday late in the afternoon. Woohoo! Enjoy
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aja
EV Enthusiast
Posts: 34
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by aja on Dec 21, 2016 18:10:21 GMT 11
4 weeks since we got the Leaf. It's an awesome experience every time we drive it using clean solar power. I (it really was the electrician) have modified our solar system to charge the Leaf. No dirty brown coal power goes into it now. I permanently installed the Nissan charger in the carport with the plug resting in its special holster which I bought off eBay. I reckon it is pretty cool to have your own "bowser" at home and never have to go to the petrol station! When I figured out how to post pictures I will show or setup.
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aja
EV Enthusiast
Posts: 34
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by aja on Dec 21, 2016 18:25:15 GMT 11
The master switch above the EV plug The overall setup with the Nissan charger attached to the rafters plugged in the 15 amp power point and the EV plug and master switch lower down.
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Post by Phoebe on Dec 21, 2016 20:02:44 GMT 11
Very smart but too complicated for me. I have solar panels and battery back up but only one 15 amp power point to plug in the LEAF's EVSE - works as well as yours but yours looks better
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aja
EV Enthusiast
Posts: 34
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by aja on Dec 21, 2016 21:53:13 GMT 11
Thanks Phoebe.
I decided to permanently hookup the Nissan charger because it has the 15 amp plug. The Volt charger is in the boot and I will user that when charging away from home.
Our setup is complicated in design, but very easy (automatic) in use. When our solar batteries are charged 80%+ it triggers a relay that allows the Leaf to be charged. When the solar batteries reach 40% charge the relay trips and shuts down the Leaf charging. Normally we find that our solar batteries are charged well over 90% at the end of the day since we hardly used any power during the day. There is also a manual override in case the solar batteries are too low in charge,but then we would draw power directly from the grid. Whenever possible we want to avoid that. Next year we plan to upgrade our solar pv system so that we can go off grid. No point exporting our clean solar energy into the grid as the feed in tariff is not worth the effort.
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Post by pharmadave on Dec 22, 2016 9:31:39 GMT 11
The set up looks great! Would you have link to the ebay seller with the holder? I am interested in installing one of those to the wall as well.
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Post by EVangelist on Dec 22, 2016 13:21:40 GMT 11
Next year we plan to upgrade our solar pv system so that we can go off grid. No point exporting our clean solar energy into the grid as the feed in tariff is not worth the effort. I'm in that camp too - when I get solar and batteries, I want to keep every watt of power generated, I'm not selling it to anyone. My challenge is the laws of physics. I can't put enough solar panels on my roof to cover my power needs. Using the nifty solar calculators on the web, I should be able to generate about half my current power needs over the year, assuming I store the excess at any instant of time in a battery. Net grid metering would have to cover the gap. To go fully off-grid I either need to improve my house energy efficiency (and unfortunately I live in a very inefficient house) or wait for solar panels to double their efficiency from 21% to 42% (decades away?) or a combo of both. A year ago I replaced 50 halogens in my house with LEDs, that one step cut total power consumption by 20%. My next step is to replace the insane amount of glazing with energy efficient glass. Harder to predict how much that will cut A/C use, and it will cost a bomb. I'm also auditing what is chewing up the most power with an energy meter to see if I need to replace any appliances. But to cut 50% from where I am will be hard. Add a Tesla Model 3 and it's getting close to impossible. I need a bigger roof!!
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Post by Phoebe on Dec 22, 2016 13:39:01 GMT 11
I have solar hot water, too. That helps! I just about manage in summer, but I have shadows on half my solar panels in winter so I need some grid then, because my battery doesn't get fully charged, when I only get 3 or 4Kw from solar.
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aja
EV Enthusiast
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LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by aja on Dec 22, 2016 16:08:07 GMT 11
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aja
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Post by aja on Dec 22, 2016 16:30:15 GMT 11
Next year we plan to upgrade our solar pv system so that we can go off grid. No point exporting our clean solar energy into the grid as the feed in tariff is not worth the effort. .....My next step is to replace the insane amount of glazing with energy efficient glass. Harder to predict how much that will cut A/C use, and it will cost a bomb. We have retrofitted our nearly 30 year old weatherboard country home with double glazing. We also took off all the weatherboards and stuffed insulation in the cavity before recovering the outside walls with cement board and stone. We made sure that all cracks and gaps were fully sealed to avoid draught. There is already sufficient insulation in the roof. This made the house very comfortable in summer (no air-conditioning) and winter (one highly efficient wood burner). I don't think that the reduction in heating/cooling cost would ever economically justify the effort, but the comfort factor certainly does. The house used to be freezing cold in (Ballarat) winters but it's now very comfortable. The big hitters for electricity are our induction stove top, electric oven and electric/solar hot water system. Now ofcourse I have to add the Leaf. To cover all these we plan to double our current PV capacity to 6kW. In addition to our 6kW battery we should then be completely or nearly completely self sufficient.
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Post by 4wardthinking on Dec 23, 2016 11:24:49 GMT 11
Interesting points here to read. We have solar water heating, with canned gas backup in-line. Net result with at a 315 litre tank is no need for the expensive part of water heating, that being the standing charges. Our cost for gas was $85-87 per quarter of gas consumed at $22-25, the rest was wasted/un-avoidable charges, no matter how efficient we became. Stove top is induction. It's far more efficient than any other method. I am hunting around to attempt the off-grid status. I deduce that around 8 months I could keep off the grid per year, and save the almost 50% standing charges we have no way to reduce. Off-grid for eight months is good, but no money saved, as it's $100 to disconnect(and zero wasted money), yet re-connect it $1000 plus GST. That figure negates any gain. I note that the LG battery proves the best, and no need for internet connection. I had a guy here last week, and his advice was leave the local energy storage 2-3 years, as price per KW & capacity will be more favorable. So I have to get an install that just throws roof power to the invertor, and not out to the grid so I can buy it back at 400% increase. I also have to figure a way to reconnect to the grid for 1/3 of a year for less than the price of a family holiday to Bali. That part is a 'damned if you do, & damned if you don't' rip-off. If the house runs on mains voltage, and then runs the same from the grid... why the need for a fool with a megger at $1000+GST?. It's their property to my HRC fuse side, then its mine..... which still runs like it did before the $1000+GST invoice.
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Post by Phoebe on Dec 23, 2016 13:34:16 GMT 11
I have an LG battery with an Ethernet connection from my inverter to my computer router so I can see what's going on. My solar is connected to my inverter which distributes the power for immediate use, any left over goes to the LG battery and any still left over goes to the grid. In the summer quite a lot goes to the grid, in the winter I have to draw some from the grid because my solar does not meet my needs even with the LG 6.4Kw battery. There seems little point in disconnecting from the grid for part of the year.
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aja
EV Enthusiast
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LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by aja on Dec 23, 2016 14:10:01 GMT 11
We buy our power from the Powershop. They don't charge us a connection fee, but we pay a unit price. The unit price includes the connection fee and any other fixed charges. Don't know how they calculate it, but the bottom line is that their cheapest unit cost is around 30-35 cents. They also guarantee that it is clean power.
Our electrician is a magician where it involves solar systems. I describe how I would like our system to work and he does it. He can also monitor our system remotely through the internet, so fine tuning is a matter of minutes. I haven't asked him to disconnect the grid yet, but I envisage that it would involve a relay that feeds off our PV system. So, if our demand can be met by our PV system, the relay disconnects. If we need to supplement our PV system, the relay connects again.
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Post by 4wardthinking on Dec 23, 2016 15:32:29 GMT 11
Grid disconnect means severing you bank account from them. Means no charges whatsoever from any electricity provider, a simple relay just stops flow, but you still get a bill from them, wether you use power or not. If you dare, but we'll get our gouge for sure.
I aim to reduce outgoing warts on my bank account, electricity providers are one such wart. Reduced my petrol altogether, now aim to bin the power Co, but strangely enough, the pricing is another "incentive", and a thanks for reducing ones demand on valuable resources. A Genni or two are a better option to press. Or wait for advances in options.
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Post by 4wardthinking on Dec 23, 2016 15:35:52 GMT 11
However, the LEAF battery is another option. Just got to figure out how to use it for energy storage without alarming Nissan...
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aja
EV Enthusiast
Posts: 34
LEAF OWNER?: Yes
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Post by aja on Dec 23, 2016 15:50:08 GMT 11
Grid disconnect means severing you bank account from them. Means no charges whatsoever from any electricity provider, a simple relay just stops flow, but you still get a bill from them, wether you use power or not. If you dare, but we'll get our gouge for sure. I am not supposed to promote Powershop, but I only pay for the power that I actually buy. No monthly bill. I buy the units in advance depending on the unit price which fluctuates based on demand (I suppose). If, hypothetically (I have not added the extra panels yet), my own PV power supply is sufficient to cover my demand during a whole year or more, then I will not have to buy any more power from Powershop during that period. I will not get a monthly bill either. Maybe Powershop will not like that in the long term, but there is nothing in the agreement that says I have to buy a set amount of power or pay a monthly fee when I don't buy anything.
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Post by 4wardthinking on Dec 25, 2016 6:31:53 GMT 11
Good suggestion. I'm going to take this away, and explore the figures. To be feasible, I'll throw in the highs & lows.
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Post by 4wardthinking on Dec 25, 2016 6:35:01 GMT 11
Grid disconnect means severing you bank account from them. Means no charges whatsoever from any electricity provider, a simple relay just stops flow, but you still get a bill from them, wether you use power or not. If you dare, but we'll get our gouge for sure. I am not supposed to promote Powershop, but I only pay for the power that I actually buy. No monthly bill. I buy the units in advance depending on the unit price which fluctuates based on demand (I suppose). If, hypothetically (I have not added the extra panels yet), my own PV power supply is sufficient to cover my demand during a whole year or more, then I will not have to buy any more power from Powershop during that period. I will not get a monthly bill either. Maybe Powershop will not like that in the long term, but there is nothing in the agreement that says I have to buy a set amount of power or pay a monthly fee when I don't buy anything. Strangely, it works out cheaper to buy a car with batteries, than a bank of four home storage units!. ... and one gets a free mode of transport...:\
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Post by stewartm on Dec 25, 2016 21:36:57 GMT 11
Setec in china do a reverse Chademo, plug in and supply 240vac back into the house.
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Post by EVangelist on Dec 26, 2016 22:54:37 GMT 11
We buy our power from the Powershop. They also guarantee that it is clean power. I had a bit of a spat with GetUp! who are fairly aggressive with promoting Powershop. I've even been cold-called by them. I did a lot of digging and found that Powershop sell coal and gas fired power in their mix. The difference is they carbon offset it through accredited carbon offset schemes. That is the nub of their claim as Australia's "cleanest" power company, because you can't not carbon offset the power you buy from them - it's built in. But this is not quite what I expected to find. What's more, if you pay the surcharge over and above their standard rate for true Green Power (i.e. only sourced from renewables) it is not clear if the cost of the carbon offsetting is removed (with Green Power there is no carbon to offset). Now carbon offsetting is better than nothing if there's no alternative to directly reducing your CO2 footprint (e.g. plane flights, natural gas consumption). But that's not true for electricity, since it can be generated cleanly. My view is that carbon offsetting is a poorer choice (trying to fix the damage after the horse has bolted) when compared with generating power cleanly in the first place. I raised this with GetUp! and ended up having a fairly detailed and robust email exchange with them. GetUp! said that taking away business from the big retailers (by churning customers to Powershop) is the only thing they will understand to get them to change their corporate behavior, and also that Powershop are big supporters of the RET and transition to greener power sources while the big retailers have historically lobbied against the RET and some are still investing in coal fired power. Let's just say that in the end we agreed to disagree with whether Powershop's advocacy and carbon offsetting is worthy of their (and Greenpeace's) praise, or whether to directly buy 100% renewable power (even from the big retailers) would be better for the environment.
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