Ariya Level 2 Charger

4326 Views 78 Replies 27 Participants Last post by Sydney, 12 d ago

Sydney

Discussion Starter · 2 mo ago

Hello,

I am new to this forum.

I have some general questions regarding charging and specifically Level 2 charging at home. My Ariya is on order
and am just planning ahead to get the details for my electrician to install a 240V outlet in my garage. By the way, I'm in USA. I have done some research already and just wanted to confirm with people here who may know the answers and/or have L2 charging at home. Basically I want to confirm if this is all I need to tell the electrician:

1. 240V, 50A outlet
2. Outlet is NEMA 14-50
3. Ariya comes with SAE J1772 cable which is a NEMA 14-50 configuration.

When I asked these questions at a local Nissan dealership, the service guy shows me a page from the manual that says
the Ariya can take Max. 32A while some other pages reference the 'internal' charging system on the Ariya draws 30A. If my outlet can deliver 50A, does it matter if I need to know if the car is drawing 30A or 32A?

Appreciate if someone can confirm the above for me.

Sydney

1 - 20 of 79 Posts

ab13

· #2 · 2 mo ago

The NEMA outlet can support up to 40 amps continuous with a EVSE, so as long as you are no more than that the outlet doesn't care. The EVSE J1772 that comes with the Ariya appears to be the same as the one from the Leaf, which is 30 amps output. The car supports 32 amps.

Sydney

Discussion Starter · #3 · 2 mo ago

Am I correct the number '50' as in NEMA 14-50 represents the amps? If yes, do I tell the electrician to install a 50A outlet
or tell him to install a 40A outlet since the car can only draw a max. of 32A? In either case, the appropriate wire guage will be needed to connect between the electrical panel and the outlet. Those who have Level 2 Ariya charging at home. Would you mind sharing what you have?

atreis

· #4 · 2 mo ago

Sydney said:
Am I correct the number '50' as in NEMA 14-50 represents the amps? If yes, do I tell the electrician to install a 50A outlet
or tell him to install a 40A outlet since the car can only draw a max. of 32A? In either case, the appropriate wire guage will be needed to connect between the electrical panel and the outlet. Those who have Level 2 Ariya charging at home. Would you mind sharing what you have?

Short answer: You want a NEMA 14-50 outlet.

Longer answer: You want to pull 80% of the rated capacity from all circuit components for such a long duration load. 40 amps is technically okay for a 32 amp load, but there's no such things as a 40 amp outlet that's plug-compatible, so you don't have a choice but to use a 14-50. There are exceptions in the electrical code to account for higher-rated outlets where there is no lower-rated plug-compatible alternative. Of course all components have to have greater than or equal capacity relative to the circuit breaker.

Reactions: 1

Sydney

Discussion Starter · #5 · 2 mo ago

atreis:

Thanks. What you said makes sense to me though I don't know much about electrical code in US. Well when my Ariya gets here, I will show the electrician the J1772 cable and just tell him the car takes 30A. I will see what he would say or suggest now that I have some info. This will be a dedicated circuit in my garage for Ariya charging only.

Another question. Am I right that the supplied J1772 cable can transmit from the outlet to the car at a max. of 30A?

Electroguy

· #6 · 2 mo ago

As I understand it, you should design the 240 twin pole circuit from your breaker panel to fit the amperage specs of your level two charging box. I think they range from forty to fifty amps max inwards draw depending on their circuit design. Then the charging system in the Ariya will draw what it can and needs (up to 30 amps as you state) to properly charge the battery. As atreis notes above you should always have some amperage to spare so as to avoid overloading the circuit.

Sydney

Discussion Starter · #7 · 2 mo ago

Thanks everyone!

NEMA 14-50, 240V/50A is what I'm going to have.

Reactions: 1

Hank

· #8 · 2 mo ago

Sydney said:
atreis:

Thanks. What you said makes sense to me though I don't know much about electrical code in US. Well when my Ariya gets here, I will show the electrician the J1772 cable and just tell him the car takes 30A. I will see what he would say or suggest now that I have some info. This will be a dedicated circuit in my garage for Ariya charging only.

Another question. Am I right that the supplied J1772 cable can transmit from the outlet to the car at a max. of 30A?

Also, from what Ive read, you want your outlet to be as close to your circuit box as possible. This will help reduce the charging time and cost.

Sydney

Discussion Starter · #9 · 2 mo ago

Hank said:
Also, from what Ive read, you want your outlet to be as close to your circuit box as possible. This will help reduce the charging time and cost.

When the electrician told me the longer the 30A wire, the more it will cost. So I said let's put the outlet below the outlet.
So that was the plan.

Thanks for the tip though.

HotAirMN

· #10 · 2 mo ago

A couple of things in general to consider when installing your wall charger. 1) I think you want to consider your long term charging needs, not just the Ariya. In future years you may have another vehicle that exceeds the smaller 32 amp draw of the Ariya. It would be nice to have that circuit designed for maximum capability vs Ariya needs. and 2) I would strongly consider a hardwired charger vs a NEMA 14-50 plug. After seeing some NEMA 14-50 plug melt downs due to high current, cheaply made 14-50 sockets, loose terminal wires and loose plugs, I opted for a hardwired charger in my garage. You can Google search some videos on the 14-50 socket melt issues.

Reactions: 1

new2niss

· #11 · 2 mo ago

Hank said:
Also, from what Ive read, you want your outlet to be as close to your circuit box as possible. This will help reduce the charging time and cost.

In ideal case, that'd be recommended. But as far as house and fuse box layout, not easy to achieve that route. Newer house might have panel in garage. Most home builders don't have EV charging in mind when they develop them.

Sydney said:
Am I correct the number '50' as in NEMA 14-50 represents the amps? If yes, do I tell the electrician to install a 50A outlet
or tell him to install a 40A outlet since the car can only draw a max. of 32A? In either case, the appropriate wire guage will be needed to connect between the electrical panel and the outlet. Those who have Level 2 Ariya charging at home. Would you mind sharing what you have?

For me, I opt to install a 60A dedicated breaker to run wires/cables to the other side of garage, where I'd install my wall charger. It also depends on your existing service panel rating, and how full it is. If your panel has spare 60A, 50A breakers, you could just run the cable to the garage. If not, like @EzeMe2, subpanel has to be installed.
I haven't had mine installed, but that's my plan. I will update as soon as I got it done.

Sydney

Discussion Starter · #12 · 2 mo ago

HotAirMN said:
2) I would strongly consider a hardwired charger vs a NEMA 14-50 plug.

Well the 14-50 plug is the OEM supplied cable. I am only providing the NEMA receptacle inside my garage. I most likely shouldn't expect any issues with the plug itself or the receptacle. When you said "hardwired charger", do you mean buy an actual charging station (like around $1,000 - $1,500) and have it hardwired to the panel?

HotAirMN

· #13 · 2 mo ago

Sydney said:
Well the 14-50 plug is the OEM supplied cable. I am only providing the NEMA receptacle inside my garage. I most likely shouldn't expect any issues with the plug itself or the receptacle. When you said "hardwired charger", do you mean buy an actual charging station (like around $1,000 - $1,500) and have it hardwired to the panel?

Here are a couple of links showing what can happen to a poorly installed, loose/worn plug or loose wired 14-50. You can find more examples by searching.

teslamotorsclub.com

Pictures of melted 14-50r - A reminder to be careful!

A friend of mine called me last night for advice on some electrical issues with charging his two EV’s (Honda Clarity and M3). He had his NEMA 14-50r melt down that his Leviton 32 amp EVSE was plugged into (which he uses for both cars). He then changed over to charge both cars off garage 5-15...

teslamotorsclub.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/jzul2a

Re a hardwired charger, I meant installing say a WallBox charger in the garage that is hardwired to your wiring vs using a WallBox unit that plugs into a NEMA 14-50 socket. That way you are eliminating another potential failure point, the 14-50 socket/plug. That’s especially true if you often remove and replug the 14-50 often, loosening the connection points.

Stercus

· #14 · 2 mo ago

HotAirMN said:
Here are a couple of links showing what can happen to a poorly installed, loose/worn plug or loose wired 14-50. You can find more examples by searching.

Pictures of melted 14-50r - A reminder to be careful!

A friend of mine called me last night for advice on some electrical issues with charging his two EV’s (Honda Clarity and M3). He had his NEMA 14-50r melt down that his Leviton 32 amp EVSE was plugged into (which he uses for both cars). He then changed over to charge both cars off garage 5-15...

teslamotorsclub.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/jzul2a

Re a hardwired charger, I meant installing say a WallBox charger in the garage that is hardwired to your wiring vs using a WallBox unit that plugs into a NEMA 14-50 socket. That way you are eliminating another potential failure point, the 14-50 socket/plug. That’s especially true if you often remove and replug the 14-50 often, loosening the connection points.

I had an electrician install the the new circuit and outlet. Have a Wallbox ready to go and will be plugged in and stay plugged in unless or until I move so I can take the wallbox with me. The cord that comes with the Ariya will just be left in the car for emergencies.

Since I told them what this was for he did suggest and install a beefier outlet like the video recommends. Also keep in mind that if you are using a wallbox you'll want the outlet installed ground down and not ground up.

Sydney

Discussion Starter · #15 · 2 mo ago

Stercus said:
Also keep in mind that if you are using a wallbox you'll want the outlet installed ground down and not ground up.

I think you meant to say ground up. If it was down, there could be accidental contacts of the leads, from falling objects, though the chances are extremely low.

Sydney

Discussion Starter · #16 · 2 mo ago

Also seems like a few people have mentioned or already using the Wallbox for charging Ariya (or possibly other EV's). I wasn't thinking spending another $600-$800 for a standalone charger and not even touching the Nissan supplied J1772. Now that you guys are talking about it, I might consider it. What other good brands can be recommended besides Wallbox?

Sydney

Discussion Starter · #17 · 2 mo ago

HotAirMN said:
Here are a couple of links showing what can happen to a poorly installed, loose/worn plug or loose wired 14-50. You can find more examples by searching.

Pictures of melted 14-50r - A reminder to be careful!

A friend of mine called me last night for advice on some electrical issues with charging his two EV’s (Honda Clarity and M3). He had his NEMA 14-50r melt down that his Leviton 32 amp EVSE was plugged into (which he uses for both cars). He then changed over to charge both cars off garage 5-15...

teslamotorsclub.com

https://www.reddit.com/r/teslamotors/comments/jzul2a

Re a hardwired charger, I meant installing say a WallBox charger in the garage that is hardwired to your wiring vs using a WallBox unit that plugs into a NEMA 14-50 socket. That way you are eliminating another potential failure point, the 14-50 socket/plug. That’s especially true if you often remove and replug the 14-50 often, loosening the connection points.

Really appreciate for posting the video and some of the melted NEMA outlets which is obviously a great concern for safety. So thanks so much for the reference. I'm learning from you guys as I plan ahead to get my garage prep for the arrival of my Ariya.

Nebraskabd

· #18 · 2 mo ago

One advantage of wallbox or other purchased chargers over the Nissan supplied charger, is with the wallbox you can dial down the amperage to less than 30 amps. This lowers the risk of overheatin even more. As I gain experience with changing the Ariya, I will know how long to charge, and at what amperage, to get back to near 100% by morning. To me, it just makes sense to only use the minimum amperage needed, rather that pushing through the charging as quickly as possible.

PNWariya

· #19 · 2 mo ago

Nebraskabd said:
One advantage of wallbox or other purchased chargers over the Nissan supplied charger, is with the wallbox you can dial down the amperage to less than 30 amps. This lowers the risk of overheatin even more. As I gain experience with changing the Ariya, I will know how long to charge, and at what amperage, to get back to near 100% by morning. To me, it just makes sense to only use the minimum amperage needed, rather that pushing through the charging as quickly as possible.

Another thing with Wallbox is the Ariya reservationist discount. Can get $150 off (the Pulsar plus model, I think). Some forum members mentioned they would use the more "portable" charger that comes with the Ariya as kind of a backup for times if they ever have an issue with their main home charger.

PNWariya

· #20 · 2 mo ago

Sydney said:
Also seems like a few people have mentioned or already using the Wallbox for charging Ariya (or possibly other EV's). I wasn't thinking spending another $600-$800 for a standalone charger and not even touching the Nissan supplied J1772. Now that you guys are talking about it, I might consider it. What other good brands can be recommended besides Wallbox?

We originally had a hard wired Blink charger. The one we have right now is a Siemens, but we had a wall plug installed for it instead of hard wiring. We bought that one from Costco, of all places! 😆

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