AC_Hacker and the Nissan Leaf
 

About a year ago, I bought a two-year used Leaf, that had been a leased car, and I thought that a review of my experiences would be appropriate.

The car came with a 120v charger, that Nissan calls a 'trickle charger'. It works fine off of 120v but the charging time is slow. Even with that, my daily driving was such that charging overnight gave me a fully charged car when I wanted it next day.

More research revealed that the Leaf has its charger built in, and the "trickle charger" is really a charge adapter. The way it works is that there is some 'intelligence' built into the charger. When the charger is plugged into the car, its tiny brain communicates with the car's tiny brain, and the voltage is tested and if it qualifies, the charge connection is made and charging begins. So you can't just plug the car into raw AC Power, there must be a qualifying dialog before charging starts.

I learned that there are three levels of charge that the car can accept,

L1 - 120 VAC ('trickle charge')
L2 - 240 VAC
L3 - 400 VDC (AKA: "Fast Charge")

My experience with the L1 that came with the car is positive, but there were instances when I would use the car more if I could charge more quickly.

Enough instances that I began to investigate the best solution...

(* to be continued *)

Used EV is a great way to go. Let someone else take the depreciation.
L2 makes a big difference. We would not be happy with the Volt without L2 charging.

We have a place on lake Hartwell and I even have L2 charging out there.
This is the one I built a couple years ago. It has worked great but there are more options out there now.
http://ecorenovator.org/forum/applia...ment-evse.html

I found that there are ways to modify the 120v L1 charger, such that it will use 240v. Some plans are easily reversible, some are not. Some require you to send in your old unit, and "professionals" do the work. The result is a 240v 12A charger that charges faster. If you DIY, it is not so expensive, but if you hire it out, it gets more expensive.

Here are some schemes:

(3.0)CONVERTING A LEAF LEVEL 1 (12AMP) CHARGER TO A LEVEL 2 (12AMP) CHARGER

EVSE Upgrade - Low-Cost EV Charging Solutions

Project to modify '13 Volt portable charger to do L1/L2 using Open EVSE components


I decided not to go this route, rather to buy or make my own L2 charger.`The factors in my decision were that it is very handy to have a L1 charger in the car, but even more convincing, I live in Oregon, where it rains a lot in the winter, I have no garage, and my charging will be done in the rain.

I searched for used L2 chargers and found some on Craigslist at a reasonable price. I also looked into Open Source chargers. I have more confidence in Open Source chargers because they use no proprietary parts, and the software is also open source, so the thousands of geek users will pour over the code, looking for existing flaws, and also improvements.

The price of a used proprietary charger and a complete open source kit were about the same.

There were two options I found, Juice Box, and Open EVSE.

A fellow EcoRenovator gave me a Juice Box, original model, that had failed after exhibiting signs that it might burn down his garage (sparks, smoke, flame, etc).

I rebuilt it, found an error in wiring, and still have it ready for charging cables.

I also looked over the Open EVSE, and decided to order and build that kit. It was $224 + $140 for the kit & cables. Everything about it looked live a very well thought out design, especially compared to the Juice Box. In fairness, the Juice Box was an older design (and may be updated by now), so Open EVSE had it's example to improve upon. Improve they did.

Both companies have easily available documentation, and builders forums that were very helpful. Also, there are extensive YouTube videos available. for both brands.

Open EVSE is designed such that sub-assemblies are soldered & tested, and the buyer is not required to do any soldering in the course of a complete kit build.

I had the Open EVSE 90% built, when I started thinking about where would I put the finished unit. A garage would be perfect, but I have no garage.

Worse, there are meth-crazed thieves who have stolen metal stuff to sell by the pound, to feed their habit.

So I thought that a weather resistant box bolted to the side of my house would be good, secure, and hopefully not an obvious target for thieves.

I found a large used electric panel box at a salvage store and for $15 I brought it home. It was full of the stuff I didn't want so I did a stuff-ectomy on it and the parts for the charger fit very nicely inside.


I tried everything out for fit...


So I bolted it to the side of my house, being very careful to leave the original dirt intact. I used regulation electrical fittings.



It is done! Handy & Secure.

Best,

-AC_Hacker

That looks great very professional looking. Their kit is much simpler and clean looking.
I think you made a good choice.
Is it 6.6 KW (I see from your picture it is 6.6 kW)
Does it have wifi?

It is the 50A kit. The Leaf maxes out at 30A, so I have room to grow.

It does have a wifi module available.

With the unit completely enclosed in a steel box, wifi may be a problem. I plan to get the wifi module, I may have to hack an antenna on to it.

-AC

Nice… mine was before the Wi-Fi module but it would be nice to collect all that charging data.

I am zeroing out with solar for the year but I would still like be able to share better charging data.
How many miles have you put on your car?

Yours has a very clean look. Mine certainly looks more home grown.

AC

Do you drive with the EV grin?? How do you feel driving by the gasoline station??

So your leaf can be charged a 6.6 kw. At that rate a complete charge would be somewhere around 2-3 hrs. depending how depleted your pack is. Have you tried any of the public charge stations yet.??

Your EVSE looks great!

I'm in the market for EVSE for the electric truck. I'm still hard wiring and removing the connections for a test ride. It's getting old.

Randen

I got the 2-year used Leaf with just over 12K. Now it's 19K. My other car is a 2000 Honda Insight, awesome mileage (up to 70+ mpg on hi-way). It goes where the Leaf will not.

I assume you mean my EVSE. Yes, I formerly worked for Intel as a Manufacturing Engineer, and I have come to know the aesthetics of well-designed electronics. That's why it was a joy building it. Well considered at every turn.

My enclosure turned out pretty well, too... just an unremarkable part of the house... Stealth.


Best,

-AC

I guess I just got jaded right away... I mostly don't even think about my car being an EV car. I am daily appreciative of how quiet, and smooth and comfortable this car is. And it is really powerful, too. When I take it out of ECO mode, it feels like driving a serious, taunt, expensive, powerful performance sedan. I love it that I can 'refuel' in my driveway.

I am becoming a stranger to filling stations. When I pass them now, they seem quaint. I hear ICE engines and think, "That was an amazing era."

I also think about the long, vulnerable chain of technology that makes driving and charging an EV possible. Possibly no longer, maybe a bit less vulnerable than for ICE engines. Having your own PV-charging array makes brilliant sense.

You are spot on regarding charge time. With my home charger, I can stop by for lunch, charge while I eat, and get enough charge for errands. Kind of opportunity charging.

There is/was a "Charge Point" station about one block from my house, that had a large solar array and was free (10 free charges intro). It was very convenient for the most part. Some people abused it, plugged their EV in, walked away and used it as their parking lot (I made my displeasure known to them in dark, measured words). But the machine is now on the fritz and "Charge Point" takes no responsibility for it. Time for some Japanese company to come in and do it right.

I think the public stations charge 4X the going electric rate. So far home charging is working out just great.


Thanks for the EVSE kudo.

Regarding a charger for your truck, Open EVSE has all the theory and code and parts openly available. It will not be a straight-cross swap, but the basic building blocks are all there.

Best,

-AC

nice build AC Hacker!

Good to see you have it up and running, AC. Another cool feature with the Nissan Leaf is that you can pre-program a start time for charging and pre-heating.

It comes in especially handy when you have a set time to leave (for work). The car will be fully charged and climatized inside when you are ready to leave. Especially nice in the winter when you sit down on heated seats, heated steering wheel (if you have those options) and cabin.

I noticed that in the winter when the pack is cold, my travel is limited compared to the summertime. Using the timer feature, it allowed the battery pack to be warm and ready for the drive.

It's going to be interesting to see what modifications to the Leaf that people come up with so we can drive them like a Tesla with the Ludicrous mode. Like with the Honda Insight, it wasn't long before they were adding switches, gauges and gadgets to squeeze every little ounce of energy from them.....

charger in cabinet that can be opened with RFID-tag
 

I've built my charger (for BMW i3) in a cabinet in our front garden.
I can hang the plug in the cabinet when not charging.
The cabinet can be opened with an RFID-tag.
Very convenient.
http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/...psl0symcwm.jpg

and opening the door:
http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/...psfy2rxine.jpg

http://i1297.photobucket.com/albums/...psdh5adkf8.jpg

Very nice… I love the RFID

A thought for the wifi adapter - if you rig it up and it won't connect inside the box, I imagine it would fit inside the pvc elbow directly below the box and have a better chance to connect.

We bought a 2012 Leaf 2 - 3 weeks ago . Just finished running 40 amp 240 VAC circuit and Level 2 charged it last night .

I bought the GE Watt Station From Newegg for $ 399 + about $ 36 freight .

I think my model year of Leaf has the older 3.3 kw charger & 24 kwh battery .

We were down to 9 miles on the Guess O Meter - GOM . Dash display said it would take 2-1/2 hours to charge . I just left it charging . Looked at it this AM & it said it was 100% charged .

God bless
Wyr

Nice review & details of your Leaf, AC_Hacker.

Are you by chance on EcoModder? People there would probably also be very interested.

Subscribed:
I sure love my 13' SV and my set of open EVSE's.

Hope you feel the same.

Correct, all 2012's have 3.3KW onboard charger. Some have Chademo for DC quick charge.

As I understand it the 11-12 GOM is a pretty poor guess, I have and enjoy Leaf Spy and would certainly recommend it for any Leaf owner.

The Level 2 EVSE is like taking training wheels off a bike , comparing it to Level 1 .

To the best of my knowledge , there are no DCFC sites in our area , unless the Nissan dealer has one .

Wifey came home last night and tried to plug the Leaf in & stare charging . Could not get it to work . Turned stuff off & on , no luck . I noticed the car lites were still on .

She messed with it and discovered she had not turned the car off . After that , I cycled the EVSE & plugged in the car . Got it to charge , then .

Is this normal ? For the car not to respond to the EVSE , if the car is on and in Park ?

God bless
Wyr

I'm sure you have checked plugshare for Chademo, it's the go to resource.

My 13 did the same thing other than having to power cycle the open EVSE (just plug/ unplug the J1772) when I left my Leaf with my mother for a week while I was out of town (apparently I have to find another low end Leaf for her BTW). Mine does make a noise when you walk away with key and the car is on though.

No Chademo within 125 - 150 miles . Level 2 only at the Nissan dealer .

God bless
wyr

Yes, it happens, and is normal for the Nissan Leaf. I had that happen ONLY a couple of times in the last couple years.

Some things I really like about the car is that you can push the power on/off on the dash and it puts the car in park for you.

Another is the timer feature for charging the car. That took some getting used to. When you have the timer feature turned on, the car will charge at a set time either to the 80% or 100%. However, if you plug it in and want it charged now, you have to depress a switch on the dash to temporarily disable the timer feature and it will charge. Otherwise you will watch the dash board charging indicators cycle from right to left.

I have 64,000 miles on mine. We are spoiled in the Seattle area with DCFC stations. I can travel from Seattle to Vancouver, Canada and down to Portland, OR. and it was nice when it was free charging.

Leaf Spy Good and Leaf Spy Bad...
 

Leaf Spy Good and Leaf Spy Bad...

There are two meanings to Leaf Spy, one very good, and the other, in my opinion, not so good.

First te good Leaf Spy:

Some bright guy in the UK developed a smart phone app originally called Leaf Battery App then it was renamed Leaf Spy, with a free lite version (Leaf Spy Lite) and a pay version (Leaf Spy Pro). The name changes may have continued to evolve, it's hard to keep track.

I have the free Leaf Spy Lite, and I think that it is unquestionably amazing. I have an Android phone, it is also available for iPhone. The app requires that you buy a Bluetooth enabled OBDII dongle, which are available on ebay. Apparently the app requires the full implementation of th Bluetooth protocol in the OBDII connector dongle. The first dongle I got (cheapest, at $4US) didn't even connect. Most likely this was because it did not have the full implementation of the Bluetooth protocol. I ordered another (about $11US) that did have the full protocol, and it connected with no problem to the app installed on my Android phone.

When everything is working correctly, this is what you get:


The information it yields is simply amazing.

Also, here is a youtube video of a guy who explains pretty well what is going on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK8oM9zLW6Y

I can't imagine not having this if you have a Leaf.

Even more important, if you are considering buying a used Leaf, this will give you valuable information about your battery that you can not get any other way.

Best,

-AC_Hacker

Leaf Spy Good and Leaf Spy Bad...
 

Leaf Spy Good and Leaf Spy Bad...

There are two meanings to Leaf Spy, one very good, and the other, in my opinion, not so good.

First the good Leaf Spy:

Some bright guy in the UK developed a smart phone app originally called Leaf Battery App then it was renamed Leaf Spy, with a free lite version (Leaf Spy Lite) and a pay version (Leaf Spy Pro). The name changes may have continued to evolve, it's hard to keep track.

I have the free Leaf Spy Lite, and I think that it is unquestionably amazing. I have an Android phone, it is also available for iPhone. The app requires that you buy a Bluetooth enabled OBDII dongle, which are available on ebay. Apparently the app requires the full implementation of th Bluetooth protocol in the OBDII connector dongle. The first dongle I got (cheapest, at $4US) didn't even connect. Most likely this was because it did not have the full implementation of the Bluetooth protocol. I ordered another (about $11US) that did have the full protocol, and it connected with no problem to the app installed on my Android phone.

When everything is working correctly, this is what you get:


The information it yields is simply amazing.

In the picture above, some (not all) of the information is:

• AHr = Amp Hours
• SOH = State Of Health
• 72 QCs = this battery has been Quick Charged (400vdc) 72 times
• 3122 L1/L2 = this battery has been L1/L2 charged 3122 times
• SOC = State of Charge

Also, here is a youtube video of a guy who explains pretty well what is going on:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TK8oM9zLW6Y

I can't imagine not having this if you have a Leaf.

Even more important, if you are considering buying a used Leaf, this will give you valuable information about the battery of a car you are considering, that you can not get any other way.

NOTE: As I was searching the web and getting this going, I learned that by modern technology standards, the OBDII connector is not as robust as connectors we have become accustomed to in general. Which means that the total number of plug-in-plug-out cycles it is designed for is more limited, and that OBDII should be regarded as "fragile". It is also extremely important to be working to diagnose and repair modern cars. In this light, I would recommend plugging the dongle in, get everything working, and leave it in. The dongle goes to very-low power mode, when a pre-determined idle period has passed.

Best,

-AC_Hacker

Leaf Spy Bad ?

God bless
Wyr

I have the information for that post centralized. It will take a bit of time to present it. Perhaps by Fri. or Sat., it will be up.

Best,

-AC

Be looking forward to reading your info .

Thanks , :-)
Wyr
God bless

I have tried plenty of inexpensive obd2 scanners, and found they are all over the place as far as features and quality. The only one I have now is the BAFX products ELM327. From using this little 20 dollar gizmo on many dozens of cars of many makes and models, I can tell you it will access anything the car will let you access without having a factory authorized (bosch, snap-on, etc.) controller attached. It is a very versatile and robust device for its low cost.

BAFX also makes a usb version if bluetooth is not for you.

Leaf Spy Bad...
 

I suppose that most people do not care that their information is leaking and being shared without their consent.

Other people are concerned, and would like to be able to have some control over the hemorrhaging of their personal info.

I came across some information about the Nissan Leaf that I found to be startling: Nissan Leaf cars constantly broadcast:

• VIN numbers
• Lattitude
• Longatude

...and possibly much, much more through a built-in cellular system and into the Internet.

Here's an article that introduces this:

Nissan Leaf secretly leaks driver location, speed to websites | Computerworld

This article speaks of a Seattle hacker (white hat) who noticed this. There is a link in this article to that hacker's web post. Unfortunately that web post is gone. Fortunately, Archive.org remembers that web site:

https://web.archive.org/web/20110902...t/~casey/?p=97

There are some videos that Archive.org did not store, but here they are:

https://www.youtube.com/embed/duOI9wZ_SFc

https://www.youtube.com/embed/taZ7fjgPRCI

http://www.youtube.com/embed/kPcCjk-KZqM


A few more stories about this:

Your car may be invading your privacy

https://www.newshosting.com/blog/you...privacy-alert/

Your Car Is Spying on You


Nissan claims that they disabled this "feature". But that means that they can enable this "feature" any time.

Nissan Disables App After Remote Hack Demo - Infosecurity Magazine

https://www.engadget.com/2016/02/24/...security-flaw/


I spoke to Nissan techs about my concern, they said that Nissan just wants to record "driving data".

I'm not very comforted by that. I asked how can I disable this "feature" they said that it can not be turned off.

Cool, huh?


-AC_Hacker

I'm pretty sure you could just unplug the cellular radio which if I remember correctly is above the glove box.

I'm still loving my Leaf, I hope you like yours as well.

I am zeroing out with solar for the year but I would still like be able to share better charging data.How many miles have you put on your car?