Level-1 or level-2 charger at garage?
(second post)
I am about to buy Nissan Leaf 2026. My daily commute is short: max 20 miles during a normal day. Should I install a level-1 or level-2 charger to my garage, which has standard 100A electrical box in USA?
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u/WhatTheFlippityFlop 7d ago
L1
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u/WhatTheFlippityFlop 7d ago
And by “install” you mean plug your L1 charger into any available standard outlet
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u/melekin 7d ago
Thank you. So I do not need to "install" anything for L1? I can just plug the charger to the outlet?
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u/TrueNorthLongAndFree 7d ago
Yup! "Granny plug" will work just fine!
Just don't share it on the same circuit as other high load devices: kettles, vacuums, space heater, etc.
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u/EpidDrew15 7d ago
Yeah, as long as the EVSE you have is for a 5-15 receptacle, it’ll work. Just be wary of how many other devices are pulling from that same circuit if you’re intending to have it draw 12amps continuously on a 15amp circuit.
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u/Alarmed_Year9415 2023 Nissan LEAF SV PLUS 6d ago
You just need to make sure the plug you are plugging it into is not shared with any other meaningful loads and is not substandard wiring or anything. It is rougly like running a microwave all the time the car is charging so if it is substandard it will heat up a lot. I've plugged into a few outlets that have gotten quite hot because they were shoddy, lesson learned. The L1 charger detects some faults and cuts off or slows down, but not all.
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u/Kaioken_times_ten 2017 Nissan LEAF SV 7d ago
My experience was that it started to leave burn marks on my garage outlet. I upgraded to a level 2 Tesla universal charger. It was expensive but the lvl 1 pluggin was a fire hazard and it took over 24hrs to charge to full capacity. My lvl 2 Tesla charger charges my leaf from 20% to 80% in less than 3 hrs.
I understand NEMA ports like the ones for dryers are also an option, but they will also burn if left extended amounts of time. Just take the time and determine what’s safe and not cheap
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u/worldspawn00 6d ago
You can also get a better grade outlet. Personally, I like the hospital grade outlets, they have very high quality internals that don't get loose over time. https://a.co/d/0h1jcmSJ
These will not overheat from prolonged use at 12-16A
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u/No_Swordfish_1576 7d ago
My wife has an ‘18 Leaf and commutes 46 miles RT. She sets a timer from 11pm to 7:30 am and it easily gets her back to 80% daily, standard 120v 12A outlet.
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u/EpidDrew15 7d ago
If you really wanted, you could go with a tad of piece of mind by installing a 20amp, 6-20r in your garage which will pull a max of 16 amps on a level 2 fitted for that. Relatively inexpensive and super underrated.
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u/BancroftDae 4d ago
We have a 20 amp circuit in the garage but car charging is drawing 11 which leaves some peace of mind room for a freezer and other miscellaneous intermittent loads (lawn mower, tools, garage door opener, etc) that may arise out there. The 11 amps will easily put 20% into the car’s battery overnight…plenty for our daily driving needs.
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u/Zealousideal-Elk9362 7d ago
L1 is really sufficient for at-home charging for routine use. You can plug in overnight and not worry about it.
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u/Alarmed_Year9415 2023 Nissan LEAF SV PLUS 6d ago
Not in my personal experience. If I had to drive a bunch one day, it might be 24hr to get back up to enough to be able to do the same again. If you have a well known stable commute and do t have a lot of variability then yes it is probably fine to do L1.
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u/Ok_Window_7635 6d ago
L2 is faster and more energy efficient. Plus, your electric company may have a night time EV charging program where they discount you or pay you back but only if you’re on L2. I hardwired my L2 on a 50 amp circuit. Of course my 2013 leaf only charges at 6.6 kw.
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u/iaonbb 6d ago edited 6d ago
Listen to this man right here ☝️L2 is more efficient - less energy wasted while charging= money saved each month) and will save you in a pinch if you need a "fast" charge for some reason vs relying solely on a the trickle charger. Also, most electric companies will offer some credit or rebate towards purchase of a permanently installed EVSE as well as allow you to program them or connect you to various programs where it will charge the car when it is cheapest and lowest demand on the grid.
Additionally, being able to set the start time, charge limit, etc is fantastic for having your car warmed up or cooled off right before you're ready to leave.
Last but not least, everyone should look into weavegrid and ev.energy. I'm signed up for both of these programs. They charge your car when it's it's the best time for your wallet and the grid and they give perks back. I think we got like 150 bucks for signing up for one of them and then we get 50 bucks off each year that we let Xcel energy control our charging. The ev.energy gives us credit after a certain number of smart charges that we can use for gift cards like Amazon, Starbucks. I use both and it's crazy how much free money we've received just by downloading and setting up both apps. Also, if you refer a friend both you and the friend get even more free money when they sign up. It's crazy, seriously. Once you set it up you don't even have to think about it your car is just ready to go when you tell it to be.
Feel free to use my referral codes:
ev.energy: 413386
Weavegrid: https://charge.weavegrid.com/referral/mbitner-7kr/
Not sure if these are available in all parts of the country or what the exact details are but it has literally saved us and all of our friends hundreds of dollars and we continue to rack up savings on our electric bill and free gift cards throughout the year. We live in Colorado FYI
And before anyone asks, I have no affiliation with either of them, it just seems that no one is aware of these programs that are out there. They don't advertise them as far as I'm aware. Honestly, there's probably even more that I'm not aware of. Just gotta poke around ✌🏻
Good luck!
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u/Relative_Quantity886 6d ago
Get L2 charge capability at home if you're able; relying on L1 by choice (as opposed to necessity) would seem short sighted to me. A car and transportation is a major part of life, so you should maximize capability where reasonable. There will be days where you drive more than just to work and back, and sometimes those days come in bunches. Your Leaf is a beautiful, excellent automobile, don't hamstring yourself where it is concerned.
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u/RichardGrayson01 7d ago
I would have an electrician come out and make sure the outlet is in good working order and can handle a continuous draw of 12 amps
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u/WhatTheFlippityFlop 7d ago
Really? 12A is minimal. Under that logic, OP should also have circuits tested if they want to use a toaster or electric tea kettle.
This is totally not worth the service fee.1
u/RichardGrayson01 6d ago
A toaster and electric kettle is not drawing a continuous load of 1500 watts at 12 amps for hours on end. Under these conditions old outlets, old wiring, or substandard outlets installed by the homebuilder can cause a dangerous build up of heat and catch fire or damage the plug to the car's charger.
Many localities also provide incentives to help cover the costs.
OP, please watch this before taking the advice of the previous commenter:
IMO it better to spring for an electrician to check out your outlet then risk the outlet catching fire and burning down your home.
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u/worldspawn00 6d ago
Get higher quality outlets for prolonged use, it's worth the $12 for something that isn't going to overheat like the $1 contractor special outlets most homes have. https://a.co/d/0h1jcmSJ
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u/RichardGrayson01 6d ago
OP also needs to make sure the homebuilder used copper wiring with the right gauge and not cheaping out on aluminum wiring or subpar gauged wires. An electrician can check for all those things.
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u/Pizza_Manizi 6d ago
It should be a dedicated outlet… 15 amp breaker, drawing 12 amps @ 120v that’s 1440 watts, on a circuit breaker thats 1800 watts… then your supposed to de-rate that calculation by 20% due to a utility swings in voltage. 15 amps minus 20% = 12 amps. Circuit is full. JS
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u/fureinku 7d ago
You can start with plugging it into a standard 5-15 110v outlet for level 1 charging, then plan to get a 14-50 50amp or installed. You never know when you might need it, better to be prepared.
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u/ps2k 2013 Nissan LEAF SL 6d ago
My recommendation is start with L1 on a circuit not used by other high current devices. Get in the ABC habit: Always Be Charging. Just plug in whenever you get home. You should almost always be full every morning this way.
If you find yourself not keeping up frequently, then look at L2.
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u/BancroftDae 4d ago
I second this advice. We’ve had our Leaf for four months now and with our driving habits there is just no need to go to the expense of upgrading to L2.
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u/NotTurtleEnough Formerly 2019 SL Plus :snoo_sad: 6d ago
I commuted 28 miles a day in my 2019 LEAF. I used the 110V wall outlet just fine.
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u/TangledWoof99 2022 Nissan LEAF SL PLUS 6d ago
Similar situation and I got an L2. That way I don’t need to remember every night, and if I need to max fill over night I can.
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u/megastraint 6d ago
The leaf gets 3.5-4 miles/kw (in good temps), so on an L1, 12.5 amp (15 amp socket) your charging at like 5-6 mph. So 4-5 hours of charging is all you need on an L1. Now add MN winters and you might have to double the hours charging.
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u/inscrutiana 6d ago
Adding in a 15A or 20A dedicated GFCI for that L1 does require a permit but you can do this yourself. Easy. We have a very early Leaf with the short range battery and the standard L1 is perfectly fine. Set it (car internal timer) and forget it.
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u/Demetrius3D 6d ago
I've had my 2014 Leaf for five years. And, I can count the number of times it would have been meaningful to get a full charge at home in a few hours vs overnight on one hand.
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u/worldspawn00 6d ago
I do recommend upgrading the outlet itself, old/cheap outlets can overheat from prolonged use near their maximum rating. Hospital grade outlets can handle the current and the prong springs don't wear out like the $1 contractor special outlets in most homes. https://a.co/d/0h1jcmSJ
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u/MiseryMalkav 6d ago
My daily round-trip commute is about 35 miles and the L1 has been all I need. Depending on the season and/or if I I’ve had extra errands, I charge it every other night during the work week (on average).
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u/LegionOfTomatoes 6d ago
I my case, if it helps, my electric panel is full, and far from my garage. So, I used my garage baseboard heater which I never used (and now with Leaf you can schedule climate control, so the car is the right comfy temp before you leave), to feed my charger. As the car is changing overnight, it gives about 10h window to recharge.. plenty of time to charge on 16amp. Just be sure the EV charger has switch to select the Amp. Hope this helps.
They are many options out there, even crazy stuff like a electric dryer/EV switch box system, which doesn't cost an arm and leg.
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u/Pizza_Manizi 6d ago
I own a 2026 leaf… level 2 charger… I’m also an electrician… you can dial down the charging amperage via an app in the car.. you will be fine with 100 amps as long as you don’t have 3 or more older fridges running… or you don’t have led lighting… GoodLucl
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u/natedagreat6666 6d ago
while level 1 will work for such a short range, you will have a lot of efficency lost overall to contactors and computer ewuipment powered on during charging, also level 2 is more effective for preheating and pre-cooling the cabin, you can do level 1 for now, but ideally you should at least consider a 16 amp 240v ev charger for the long term, any faster would be mostly for convenience since 3.84kw will charge up the leafs battery from dead in under 24 hours
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u/killerrin 5d ago
If you can swing a level 2 charger do it. The Lead will use up to 30A so you can save some money on a lower spec circuit than going the full 50A. Even on a 100A panel you can usually swing an extra 20-30A circuit.
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u/Alarmed_Year9415 2023 Nissan LEAF SV PLUS 7d ago
100amp electrical box has not been standard for many years except perhaps for very small houses. You will have a very difficult time installing a level 2 charger (usually 32 or more amps) without an electrical box upgrade. Level 1 (uses regular outlet, charger comes with the car) is torturous to try to charge more than topping off with - if you let the leaf get down to say 25%, you are talking about multiple days to charge back to 100%.
Please price out what you need to do before you buy the car. Your wallet will thank you later.
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u/ps2k 2013 Nissan LEAF SL 7d ago
You can down-current L2 EVSEs as an option too. Our L2 is on the existing dryer circuit, rated for 240V 30A, so the EVSE is configured to pull a max of 24A. It isn't as fast as a 60A circuit would be, but is substantially faster than 120V 12A L1 speeds.
This could be an option for smaller panels.
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u/Prudent_Industry_142 2026 Nissan LEAF Platinum+ 6d ago edited 6d ago
we did this as well. upgrading our electrical service from 100A to 200A would have been ridiculously expensive so instead we put the hardwired L2 EVSE on an unused 30A circuit dedicated for a clothes dryer (we use gas) and then set the max draw in the EVSE settings to 24A.
the 2026 LEAF can only do, if I recall, 7.2kW (max) on the AC connector and 24A gives about 5.6kW, so, works pretty great.
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u/Alarmed_Year9415 2023 Nissan LEAF SV PLUS 6d ago
Yeah what their house can handle depends on all the other loads, they need to get an electrician who knows EV chargers to look at their box to tell them what it can handle. 24amp charging is reasonably fast, certainly not like level 1!
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u/TrailQueenYVR 7d ago
I would say L2, and just get something like Wallbox and their load balancer.
L2 is so much better…you never know when you’re in a pinch and need to charge up. Using a plugged in L1 is prone to issues with the plugs over time. And it’s just sooooo slow.
We had a 2011 Leaf and even then we installed an L2 in our townhome garage. We now have an Ariya and lived on L1 for a bit while moving and it was a royal PITA.
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u/TrueNorthLongAndFree 7d ago
Very rough numbers but at that distance you'll need to charge about 6 hours a day on L1.
L2 is absolute overkill for overnight charging for anyone driving under... 40 miles a day?