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Why I chose Level 2

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After having our car (2015 nissan leaf) for 8 weeks or so I decided to install a level 2 charger.  I installed a JuiceBox 40A and these are the reasons why: 1) Flexibility.   I wanted the flexibility to be able to plug in my car late at night and know it will be charged when I leave in the morning no matter what time that is.  The car would be charged in 4 hours or less from 0% (empty) 2) Climate control timer .  The climate control timer is a great function on most EVs.  This allows you to set an interior temperature for your time of departure.  This function takes energy from the charge cable to pre-heat the cabin.  If there is not much power available through the level 1 charger, this may sacrifice charging speed. 3) Affordability.   I found a second hand level 2 charger (EVSE) on craigslist for roughly half of the retail price.  It was a plug in unit, so all I needed was to install a nema 14-50 receptacle in my garage (same as...
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Level 1 vs. Level 2

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Level 1 charging is plugging your car into an ordinary household outlet usually rated 120 volts and either 15 or 20 amps. For a Leaf, this means about 7 kilometers of range per hour of charging, or about 22 hours for a full charge.  If you drive 60 kilometers per day and charge overnight, you’ll be back to full in 9 hours. When you’re sleeping, it doesn’t matter if it takes one hour or 9 hours to charge. But what if you have to drive a lot one day, say 120km? Sure, it would take 18 hours to get a full charge, but with a 9-hour overnight charge, you’ll be ready for your normal commute the next day. If you drive less than 60kms per day or charge for more than 9 hours, you’ll work back up to a full charge over the next few days. If you need to drive 120kms on consecutive days, you’ll need an alternative. Maybe you’ll drive your other car, that gas-burner you keep around for long trips, or if there’s public EV charging in your area, you can charge away from home while you’...
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Why charge at home?

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One of the major barriers to EV (electric vehicle) ownership is having a place to charge at home.  If you have a dedicated parking spot close to an electrical power source then congratulations!  You have overcome one of the greatest hurdles. Charging at home ensures your car is always fully charged and ready to go when you are.  Not NEEDING to charge in public places frees you from the inevitable blocked/full EV charging stalls at the places you visit during your day.  This overcomes another EV ownership issue; the blocked/full EV charging stalls.  I have found as the popularity of EVs rises, the increase in public charging stalls has not kept up with demand, this results in occupied charging stations.  Not a worry for you if you have charged at home.
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