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[Krakn3Dfx]

Wife bought a 2016 Nissan Leaf yesterday on her lunch hour, between the end of the year clearance discounts and the tax credits, came out under $10k. Great little car, she loves it.

We only have a 110v outlet in our garage, so it takes a good while to recharge, ideally it's around 5 miles/hour, so I'm looking for options that will speed up the charging time, but not cost an arm and a leg. I know I can have a charge station installed, but for quicker overnight charging, it seems like installing just a 240v outlet would be more practical, which would provide a full charge in about 6 hours.

Any recommendations on a moderately priced power upgrade that would give a quicker charge time?

 

[clav]

Think you answered your own question.

Just install a 240 v outlet.

 

[Ryuukan]

Wife bought a 2016 Nissan Leaf yesterday on her lunch hour, between the end of the year clearance discounts and the tax credits, came out under $10k. Great little car, she loves it.

We only have a 110v outlet in our garage, so it takes a good while to recharge, ideally it's around 5 miles/hour, so I'm looking for options that will speed up the charging time, but not cost an arm and a leg. I know I can have a charge station installed, but for quicker overnight charging, it seems like installing just a 240v outlet would be more practical, which would provide a full charge in about 6 hours.

Any recommendations on a moderately priced power upgrade that would give a quicker charge time?

A charging station may be very costly if your home's panel is full/can't take the load. Also, depending on where you live, you may need a permit for the install.

Had a Bosch charger installed at my previous and current home for an i3. Expect to spend $1000-1500

 

[belvedere]

The cost of in home wall chargers have dropped in the last couple of years, and they even have models for sale at stores like Home Depot, Menards and Lowes. Installation needs to be considered.

IIRC you can grab a 5kw model for as little as $399 at Home Depot. Speaking of which, do you know if your Leaf is equipped with the 3.3kw or 6.6kw onboard charger? If you pair a 6.6kw charger with a 6.6kw optioned Leaf, it shouldn't take more than 3.5 hours to charge.

Personally, we exclusively charge via the trickle charger as my wife and I can both charge at our workplaces. Depending on how many miles you average a day, you may find that a L2 charger isn't necessary. It depends on how many miles you need to gain before using the vehicle again. The longest it's ever taken for our '13 model to charge was 15 hours. That was with around 2-3% battery remaining.

 

[gwarm01]

Are the tax credits applied at the point of sale to reduce your sticker price? $10k is an insane price.

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

The cost of in home wall chargers have dropped in the last couple of years, and they even have models for sale at stores like Home Depot, Menards and Lowes. Installation needs to be considered.

IIRC you can grab a 5kw model for as little as $399 at Home Depot. Speaking of which, do you know if your Leaf is equipped with the 3.3kw or 6.6kw onboard charger? If you have the 6.6kw your Leaf shouldn't take more than 3.5 hours to charge.

Personally, we exclusively charge via the trickle charger as my wife and I can both charge at our workplaces. Depending on how many miles you average a day, you may find that a L2 charger isn't necessary. It depends on how many miles you need to gain before using the vehicle again.

Yeah, wife's drive is about 46 miles round-trip and there's no charger where she works.

The Leaf has a 3.3kw port and then the bigger port which I assume is the fast charge port. I'm still pretty new to all of this, but I know the cable they provided her with was a 3.3kw level 1 cable.

Are the tax credits applied at the point of sale to reduce your sticker price? $10k is an insane price.

My understanding is that she'll claim those credits and get back $13k at tax time that we can then put back towards the car.

 

[Social]

Under 10k? What a steal! Where did she find this!

 

[Ryuukan]

I should note that the $1k~ estimate I posted doesn't include any tax credits your state may have, or the big federal one that ends this year. Renewal chances look grim if you wait for 2017

 

[Krakn3Dfx]

Under 10k? What a steal! Where did she find this!

Local Nissan place by her office in Lakewood, CO. A guy at her office got one for the same price about a week before and she was able to get it matched for herself.

 

[prelude514]

How many amps is the main breaker in your garage, and does it take 1 or 2 slots?

Assuming you have at least a 30A 240V breaker (that would be a double pole / 2 slot breaker) installing a 240V outlet to charge will be easy.

 

[Roody]

I had a Leaf for a while and it was great! Had to switch off of it due to work, though.

Assuming your breaker is up to snuff as everyone else has said above... I had a 6-20 outlet at home and at work, so I bought this, a charger that can do 240v and charges in about 4-5 hours. Was great because I could just toss it in my trunk for longer trips.

I still have it, actually, in good condition. Need to sell it since I don't have my Leaf anymore so if that'd work for your situation just PM me!

EDIT: Also, damn that is a good deal your wife got!