- Make sure the car is off before you park.
- Open the lid and cover on the charge port.
- Into the charge port, insert the charge connector. The Nissan LEAF provides a little beep to let you know when anything is done successfully.
- The Nissan LEAF will automatically stop charging when the battery is fully charged.
In This Article...
Can a Nissan Leaf be charged at home?
The full battery electric car has essentially been the industry standard since 2010. Nissan’s most recent LEAF redesign includes more gadgets, is faster, more streamlined, and, most crucially, can travel farther between charges. Our favorite feature of the car, aside from “ProPILOT” (the equivalent of Tesla’s renowned “Autopilot”), is the “e-pedal,” which enables true one-pedal driving by allowing the vehicle to come to a gradual stop through regenerative braking without applying the brakes.
Charging time for a Nissan Leaf
The anticipated time needed to charge your Leaf from empty to full is shown in the table below. As charging tends to decelerate outside of this range to safeguard the battery, we indicate the time to charge for speedy charging from 20% to 80%.
Connector type and charging rates
A Type 2 connector allows you to charge your Nissan Leaf at home, the office, or a public charging station. Additionally, a CCS port is present for quick charging.
Where you can charge a Nissan Leaf
You can conveniently charge your Nissan Leaf at home, plug it in when you get to work, or top it off while you’re out and about at places like supermarkets and public parking lots (usually for free!).
Is a specific plug required to charge a Nissan Leaf?
Based on the charging speed, compatibility, and necessary voltage, many types of electric car charging can be divided into several categories. These fee categories consist of:
Level 1 charger
The majority of the time, Level 1 chargers are used at home using a regular 120 volt outlet. These chargers are portable, included with the vehicle, and don’t need any specialized charging hardware installed. While Level 1 chargers can use a three-pronged plug to access household alternating current (AC) power, they do need a dedicated 15 amp circuit to operate properly. To avoid overloading the system, this simply implies that no additional electrical appliances should be connected to the same circuit. The slowest charging method is level 1, which adds 2 to 5 miles to your LEAF’s driving range each hour.
Level 2 charger
Level 2 chargers can be used in public charging stations or at home, however at-home charging needs a dedicated 50 amp circuit, a 220-240 volt supply, and additional charging equipment installed [[3447]]. Varying level 2 EVSE chargers require different amounts of circuit current. Refer to the installation specifications provided by the manufacturer. Today, locate an installer.
The good news is that there are more than 35,000 EVgo and EVgo roaming Level 2 chargers in the United States[[153]] that can extend your LEAF’s range by 10 to 25 miles per hour of charging.
[[3448]] It’s also vital to remember that all hybrids and electric vehicles may use Level 2 chargers.
How should a Nissan Leaf be charged?
Using a fast charger is the quickest method of charging. This process, also known as DC quick charging or Level 3 charging, is frequently referred to as fast charging. Nissan LEAF owners connect their vehicles to fast charging stations via the station’s CHAdeMO connector since the Nissan LEAF uses CHAdeMO technology to charge more quickly.
How long does it take a Nissan Leaf to charge at a facility?
The time it takes to charge your Nissan Leaf might range from 30 minutes to an entire day. How well charged your car’s battery is and the type of charging station you choose will affect how long it takes your Nissan Leaf to charge. Nissan Leaf charging stations come in three different variations.
Level 1 charging station for Nissan Leaf
The cheapest option is Level 1 electric car chargers, which are often included when you buy a Nissan Leaf. Plug-in level 1 chargers are used with regular wall outlets. They are also the slowest EV chargers that are currently available. About 5 miles of range may be added to a Nissan Leaf at a Level 1 charging station each hour. The greatest usage for this kind of charging station is overnight use at home.
Level 2 charging station for Nissan Leaf
The basic Level 1 chargers included with the purchase of your Nissan Leaf are regarded to be Level 2 charging stations, which are considered a “upgrade.” An electrician can help you install a Level 2 charger in your house. Your Nissan Leaf battery may be fully charged at a normal Level 2 charging station in 4 to 8 hours.
DC Fast Charging for Nissan Leaf
Commercial electric vehicle charging facilities known as DC Fast Chargers are available to EV owners for usage across the nation. Although DC Fast Chargers are not available for all electric vehicles, the Nissan Leaf may be charged quickly with one. Your Nissan Leaf may be charged in roughly 30 minutes if a DC Fast Charger is located close by.
How long do the batteries on a Nissan LEAF last?
Depending on where you are and what you do, you’ll receive a specific timeline for your car. Extreme heat, frequent recharging (such as twice or three times a day), and city driving all hasten the battery’s depletion. The Nissan LEAF was designed to endure as much of these typical battery killers as possible, so you would have to be very rough on your car before you saw a significant change.
The Nissan LEAF was designed to travel up to 107 miles a day on a highway without recharging (depending on the model you choose.) You may travel up to 90 miles in even the busiest metropolitan traffic without having to worry about running out of juice. The battery will eventually lose power, but the amount of mileage you obtain will steadily decrease. The erosion will probably only have a minimal impact on you because the ordinary American will travel significantly less than the daily maximums. When you take care of your car, the Nissan LEAF battery should last between 8 and 10 years.
What does it cost to charge a Nissan Leaf completely?
With an average US power price of $0.1285/kWh, recharging your Nissan Leaf to its full 149-mile range typically only costs $5.14. You will significantly reduce the amount of money you would normally spend on gas.
*Data from the US Energy Information Administration on average electricity prices for the nation and each state.
How frequently does a Nissan Leaf need to be recharged?
Calculate the average energy consumption of your daily drive (I just use the trip odo and dash energy economy meter), and then determine how long it will take your charger to recharge the energy. Give your automobile at least that much time to charge, during the time when your power utility charges the least, but before you leave for work each day. Every day of the week that you anticipate being a “normal drive” day, set the timer. The amount of charge in the car will gradually increase over several days, depending on how much ten-minute “rounding up” you had to do on the charging time. Skip plugging in that night when the charge is high enough to allow you to travel for two days while still having a comfort margin (say, 40% charge), but otherwise, plug in every night. Let the charge burn out as previously mentioned before resuming the nightly plug-in if you’re just switching to this policy from one of “let the car charge 100% every day.”
If you own a 2nd-gen (2018+) LEAF, you should be aware that whenever the vehicle departs from its GPS “home” position, the charging timers will be immediately disabled. After only five years of pleading on the forums, I was surprised that Nissan’s designers would add something so helpful. However, I highly recommend it because you won’t have to remember to press the “timer override” button if you ever need to use a public L1/L2 charger. Another advantage is that charging will continue if someone needs to unplug and replug your car (at least, it COULD, depending on the arrangements on the EVSE itself).
Of course, you may set up the other timer for your weekends if they are equally repeatable but have a different normal travel distance.
A Nissan Leaf can be overcharged, right?
The battery is typically the most costly and crucial component of an electric vehicle. So, is it possible to unintentionally overcharge an electric vehicle and cause battery damage (or degradation)?
The quick answer is no, a battery in an electric vehicle cannot be overcharged. A built-in battery management and monitoring system ensures that the primary battery pack doesn’t overcharge in electric vehicles (such as Teslas, Chevy Bolts, and Nissan Leafs).
This is how it goes:
The charging process will be slowed down once the system notices that the battery is getting close to being fully charged. The battery will begin to “trickle charge,” or be regularly charged at the same pace as its self-discharge rate, after it has reached 100%. By doing this, the battery is kept fully charged without being overcharged.
It is important to keep in mind, though, that continuing to charge a battery until it is fully charged can cause it to lose some of its capacity over time and slightly shorten its useful lifespan.
Later on, along with other relevant electric vehicle (EV) issues, we’ll go into greater detail regarding the elements affecting battery health (lifespan).
Home charging
Want to have a “full tank” each morning? The ordinary driver will only need to charge at home each evening to have enough power for their daily commute.
Although you may use a standard domestic 3-pin outlet to charge, a dedicated home EV charger is by far the superior choice.
Around 7kW of electricity is normally delivered by dedicated EV home chargers. The majority of automakers, in contrast, limit the amount of current that can be pulled from a typical domestic 3-pin socket to 10A or less, or a maximum of 2.3kW.
Therefore, a 7kW home charger provides roughly three times the power and is roughly three times as quick as using a domestic plug.
Go there for further details if you want to charge an electric car at home. We have a comprehensive guide available.
How much does it cost to install an electric car charger at home?
OLEV presently gives a grant of up to 75% of this cost through its Electric Vehicle Homecharge Scheme, with a maximum award of 350.
You might qualify for an OLEV-funded grant to help cover the cost of a home charge station if you own or have primary access to an electric vehicle and off-street parking.
Must you charge your electric vehicle at night?
No is the simplest response to the query. Generally speaking, you shouldn’t charge your electric vehicle every evening. Most of the time, it is not required. The routine of charging an electric automobile at night could reduce the battery pack’s lifespan.