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Old 07-30-16, 11:11 PM   #41
oil pan 4
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I would just file the locking lug off the L14-30, don't need the fancy expensive stuff.
I also don't need inept soccer mom fail safes.
Also I would only be using lead acid batteries and it just happens that 30 amps of 240 volt power would be right about 14% or 15% of the 20C rate, exactly where I want to be.
Once I have decided we don't need to go out of town much I will get an electric, plus if I need more range I will just put my 7kw generator in the back.

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Old 07-31-16, 12:11 PM   #42
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Use either the L6-30 receptacle & male plug or a N6-50 receptacle & male plug .

As you know the L is a locking system and the N ( NEMA ) is a straight blade system .

Use the correct one for the correct application . Do not go butchering the device / devices .

My Level 2 uses a N6-50R receptacle with a N6-50 male factory installed on the EVES . If I need anything else , I will make adapter cords .

God bless
Wyr

Last edited by WyrTwister; 08-11-16 at 11:48 AM..
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Old 08-01-16, 01:20 AM   #43
oil pan 4
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I have already standardized on L14-30 and 10-50.
I don't use the 6-50 on anything, even the welder and plasma cutter that has them has been changed over to 10-50. My generator uses L14-30, external power for my suburban is going to use 14-30 and I am going to change the plasma cutter over to a surface mount L14-30 plug (has a 10-30/50 cord now).

If I was going to build an electric vehicle I would put a 120 and 240 volt charger on the vehicle its self. That seems to be the main design flaw with the current factory vehicles, lack of built in level 2 charger.
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Old 08-11-16, 11:40 AM   #44
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FYI, another Leaf owner here. 2013, bot new in April, 2014.
Down to 11 of 12 battery capacity bars now. ~15,000 miles on it.
Really like the car, but can only go 75 to 100 miles depending on weather and speed, etc.
We use a level 2 evse at home.
Only level 3 around is a tesla unit.
We have free level 2 charging at various electric company facilities, and at the Nissan dealer. Rarely need those, but wish there were more up and down the main roads so the car could travel when really necessary. But not generally practical without Level 3.
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Old 08-11-16, 11:49 AM   #45
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If my wife could get level 1 charging at her work, I might get her into a Leaf. As it stands, no dedicated charging spots there. The daily drive would make her nervous at ~50 miles RT.
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Old 08-11-16, 11:51 AM   #46
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In the process of replacing the tires . Ordered pretty much the same tires as came on the Leaf . Having the front end alignment checked , too .

Hope the tire noise diminishes with new tires .

God bless
Wyr

Last edited by WyrTwister; 08-14-16 at 04:19 PM..
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Old 08-11-16, 03:02 PM   #47
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First 2 new tires mounted on the front , late last week . Wife told me the miles per charge went down . These are the same Bridgestone Ecopia 442 Low Rolling Resistance tires that came on the car .

I told her , they tire shop may not have aired the tires up as much as the old tires .

The 2 tires for the back came in today and I had them mounted . Got home & checked the air . About 36 psi all the way arounf . I drug out the air compressor and aired them up to 42 - 44 psi . We will see what we shall see . I read the miles per charge will be less , until the tires have a few miles on them and " break in " ?

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Old 08-12-16, 02:45 AM   #48
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I've also recently bought a Nissan Leaf, a "2nd generation" one and one of the first built here in the UK, in 2013.
Are you aware of mynissanleaf.com? Huge amounts of expertise on there including battery modelling to take account of your climate, mileage etc.

Temperature is the killer for the LMO cells in these cars so you might want to keep it in the shade when it gets hot! Also avoid charging in the heat, ideally do it overnight.
You're certainly right to keep the air pressure high in the tyres, and use LRR versions. It makes a big difference to range.
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Old 08-12-16, 06:13 AM   #49
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Hi Guys!
I read through the thread and learned some interesting things.

If I could get a Leaf relatively cheap it might work for us but I see the Leaf as a 'must have another car vehicle'. The Volt gets 53 miles on a charge but it can be a 'one car only needed vehicle'. So I think at this point I'm still hesitant to buy a Leaf even with my PV system making more power than we use. That just may be us as we're retired and don't have the tax breaks and don't put a lot of mileage on our cars. (My 2006 Subie Outback only has 73k miles on it).
I do like the idea of a small car to run into town 8 miles away that doesn't cost for fuel but once and awhile we take a relatively short trip so we would still need another vehicle if we got the Leaf or we would have to rent a car which kind of kills the cost saving of the EV.

The other thing is that the fit and finish of the Leaf was less that what we expected of a $32k car. For us something that gets 35 or 40 mpg is probably a better option even with the low gas prices. But this is just us and I truly love the idea of the EV.

I could build one, I have the electronics expertise and a decent machine shop but the trouble with that is you are sort of stuck with a 'one of'. Who wants to buy a home built EV, especially with L/A batteries? So I think a used one is a better option.

At this point in our technology I think the Volt is a pretty good option and they seem to hold their value better than the Leaf.

Rob
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Old 08-12-16, 04:16 PM   #50
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I would have seriously considered a Volt , instead of the Leaf , but a used Volt was more scarce / expensive & had more miles on the clock .

God bless
Wyr


Last edited by WyrTwister; 08-14-16 at 09:20 PM..
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