Nissan Leaf Charging Guide Overview

The Nissan Leaf is the first EV to have sold over 400,000 cars and it continues to be one of the best-selling electrical vehicles. If you have recently purchased a Leaf or are considering the Leaf, you will need to consider your charging plan, including purchasing a charger for your home.

Although EV owners often charge their vehicles at work and at retail locations (charging activity often surges during morning hours when people are arriving at work), home charging is growing in popularity.

Ohm Home developed this guide to help you find the best Level 2 charger for your Nissan Leaf at Home and understand the best choices for charging your Leaf away from home.

[su_list icon=”icon: angle-double-right” icon_color=”#4dc7ec” class=”table-of-cont”]

• How to Charge the Nissan Leaf: Getting Started With Your Home Charger
• Best Level 2 Charger for Nissan Leaf
• Level 3 (DC Fast) Charging for Nissan Leaf

[/su_list]

Charging the Nissan Leaf: Getting Started With Your Home Charger

The 2019 Nissan Leaf comes with features to assist in managing charging including NissanConnect EV.  If you want a quick overview without having to flip through a thick owners’ manual, we recommend the 2019 Nissan Leaf Range & Charging guide. Or introduce yourself to EV charging with these quick Nissan Leaf charging steps:

Thankfully, charging the Nissan Leaf is as easy as plugging in any appliance.

1. First, place the Leaf in park and power off.
2. Open the charge port and remove the cap.
3. Plug the charger connector into the charge port. You will know you have correctly connected the charger to the Leaf when the vehicle sounds a quick beep.
4. When the Nissan Leaf battery is full it will stop charging on its own. When you are ready to get on the move, unplug the charger and replace and close the charge cap and port.

2019 Nissan Leaf Charging Options and Times

The 2019 Nissan Leaf comes in two battery sizes: 1) the 40 kWh battery size with a range of 150 miles and 2) the 62 kWh battery size with a range of 226 miles. Nissan published its official charging times for both the 40 kWh battery and the 62 kWh battery models:

• Nissan Leaf Level 2 Charging – 240V Electrical Charge

• • • Charging the 40 kWh battery to full charge will require 8 hours.
    • Charging the 62 kWh battery to full charge will require 11.5 hours.

• Nissan Leaf Level 3 DC Quick Charger for Vehicles With Quick Port Capability– 480V Electrical Charge

• • • Charging the 40 kWh battery to 80% charge will require 40 minutes.
    • Charging the 62 kWh battery to 80% charge will require 1 hour.
    • Charging the 62 kWh battery to 80% charge will require 45 minutes if using a 100 kWh DC quick charge.

• Nissan Leaf Trickle Charging – 120V Electrical Charge

• • • Charging both the 40 kWh and 62 kWh batteries will require more than 20 hours.

This handy chart breaks down the miles charged per hour by charging method:

The Nissan Leaf EV comes standard with a 120V charger, but many owners elect to upgrade to packages with the 240V charger or purchase the 240V charger separately.

2019 Nissan Leaf Charging Features

The following are standard charging features on the Nissan Leaf:

• • • NissanConnect EV – Nissan has developed an easy to use charging app for the Leaf that can be connected to Amazon or Google smart home devices. The app allows you to remotely initiate charging, control cabin temperature and monitor vehicle range and performance.
    • Customizable Display Panel – The Nissan Leaf comes standard with a customizable display panel. Allowing you to track your vehicle’s performance including your current charge status.
    • Center Display Charger Locator – This display feature allows the driver to search for nearby charging locations and filter by charger type, available payment methods and more. Once a charging location is selected the display will show driving directions.

The Level 2 charger is 5x as fast as the Level 1 or 120V charger that comes standard with all EV models.

Best Level 2 Charger for Nissan Leaf

• Best Wi-Fi Enabled Charger – The AeroVironment charger has many attractive features including Wi-Fi capability and JuiceNet. JuiceNet aggregates charging station demand and can control when your car is actively charging in order to maximize your use of less expensive and cleaner energy mixes. The AeroVironment charger used to retail for $700, making it one of the more expensive EV Level 2 chargers on the market, but a recent price reduction to $600 brings it in line with many other EV chargers on the market. Given its wi-fi and JuiceNet capabilities, it is one of the premier chargers on the market.
• Most Affordable Charger – The most affordable charger reviewed by OhmHome is the Siemens Versicharge. Many of the features offered by a Wi-fi EV charger, including remotely checking battery level and starting charging, can be done through advanced features of NissanConnect mobile app, so this basic EV charger model may be the right fit for you.
• Runner Ups – OhmHome has also reviewed 3 other Level 2 Chargers some of which are less expensive than the AeroVironment ($350 – $600) and have similar features. All the charger models listed are greater than 30 amps, but there is the option to purchase a 16 amp model that will yield lower charging. The JuiceBox chargerand the Chargepoint charger are two of the most popular chargers and, similar to the AeroVironment come with Wi-fi connectivity and advanced controls.  It’s not a necessity, but Wi-fi connectivity can be a nice feature for those that want to manage their charging via Amazon Alexa or other smart home device.

Level 3 (DC Fast) Charging for Nissan Leaf

If you are taking a roadtrip or commuting far distances in your Nissan Leaf, you will likely use DC fast charging. DC fast charging has expanded significantly in the U.S. and the Department of Transportation has established formal EV fast charging corridors.  Nissan and PlugShare partnered to create the Nissan Leaf EZ-charge app, which boasts the world’s largest database of EV charging stations.

[su_note note_color=”#d8f4fd” text_color=”#ffffff” radius=”3″ class=””]

OhmHome 2018 Electric Vehicle Guides:

• EV Charging Station Cost (Installation and Equipment)
• Best EV Chargers – Prices and Reviews
• EV Charger Installation
• Chevy Bolt Charging Guide

[/su_note]