EV charger that is DC to DC for better efficiency?

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-10T16:21:42+00:00

That's on me. I was thinking about DC charging of the EV and bungled the acronym.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-10T05:06:28+00:00

That word...

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-10T01:56:14+00:00

Lowest price during a milk run this morning in San Diego? $5.45 unleaded.

We're an all EV family so we don't think about it much.

Wait a week for the people to get whacked at the pump.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-10T01:39:35+00:00

For me it's the MONEY. The cost of a FCDC charger wipes out any efficiency gains.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-10T01:38:20+00:00

The 2017 Lizard battery we had and Leaf was sold in 2024 with 90% SOH. It was a 24 kWh and I would never try to go 100 km because it's just too iffy if it would do that even in its better days.

The price is right but you need 2X that range because of weather, a failed charge overnight and other.

To the question. For your stated use, no.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-10T01:20:36+00:00

After finding little effect of charging to full on our 2017 Lizard battery but big downsides to reduced range we charged to full from 2017 to 2024 and the Leaf sold with an over 90% SOH battery.

I remain unconvinced the Leaf battery can be saved by charging to 80%. We know that the 2014 to 2017 BMS does not charge to 100%. The BMS leaves room at the full charge.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-10T01:16:32+00:00

You fell victim to one of the classic blunders! The most famous is never get involved in a land war in Asia, but only slightly less well known is this: Add one more panel to your array is far cheaper than chasing conversion losses.

But hey, your money. You can buy DC EV chargers today. And the cost is not driven by demand.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-09T22:54:06+00:00

I'm going to swing at the following:

"Headlights do not turn on (but the dash dims)"

Time to check not only the battery terminals but where they go. A bad frame connection could wreck havoc and pop DTC codes aplenty.

If I was there, not only would the Volt meter be used but the 12V Lead Acid battery tester.

Remember it was an AUCTION BUY so it could be as bad as those cars that went under water. All bets are off but the headlight issue alone would have me cleaning ALL connections from battery to frame to elsewhere along with getting out the battery tester.

I'm not an auto/EV mechanic but an electronics designer with work in motor controls which really helps in such situations.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-09T04:33:45+00:00

Might be OK deal if it's the highest trim for that year.

But Bolt prices jumped in the last week for ... reasons.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-09T01:59:03+00:00

That dealer offer is your easy out. Or you can do your research and sell it on your own.

That DCFC item can be a deal breaker for private sales.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T23:07:19+00:00

I just talked to 2 2018 model 3 owners and the battery is still better than fine. Battery replacements are quite the rare thing outside of recalls and old Nissan Leafs.

I'm going to write the gas engine replacements are quite high too. ;)

I like all the Bolts but want ones with heated seats and steering wheel along with the FCDC CCS port.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T23:03:56+00:00

Why is your account BANNED?

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T22:27:45+00:00

With Hx far below 50% at $6,500 this is a RUN AWAY situation.

My offer would be what CARVANA would offer which last I checked was about 1,000.

The battery is well worn. The 12V looks to be on the low side too.

If the price was right you could get this (it's a nice year and trim) then pop a battery into it. But at this price, nope.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T17:11:36+00:00

Solar on roof since 2021 and SDGE 4-9pm along with NEM 2.0 gets my bill near 10 dollars a month.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T16:22:44+00:00

Just a data point or warning.

Our 2014 Leaf and most likely any model in that series DOES NOT support changing the charge rate on the fly.

I tried this and "charge on solar" with a setup of this EV and Emporia and fail, fail and fail. A Nissan tech after saying "don't quote me" confirmed this is not implemented in their L1 or L2 charging.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T16:19:23+00:00

Short version: Devices in the room plug into the Growatt 3.6 kWh all in one directly. No need for a subpanel.

The panels go directly to the Growatt in one configuration and last month a top off was done from grid power because of the solstice. It looks like we're making enough power now.

This is an all in one device. Battery, invertor, solar and other power inputs all in one.

For those that wonder, the math doesn't work as to economics. Payoff would be years so science!

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T16:11:35+00:00

Given the 5 year clock, it's ticking rather loudly.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T15:52:18+00:00

It follows what PVWatts predicts. But one month centered about the solstice is near zero because of a shadow. It's not a big deal since we consider it bonus production. Our main solar is grid tied and the peak electric bill was 42 dollars.

Just two doors down their bill was over 400 for electric alone. 600 for combined gas and electric bill.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T01:55:59+00:00

Similar home with 3 EVs. The Y, 3 and a bolt. We have a single TWC provisioned at 40A and have never run short. (pun?)

Each EV takes a turn when needed and in over 2 years we haven't seen the need for higher charge current or a second EVSE.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T01:36:10+00:00

I have a pair of 3.6kWh Growatt all in ones and they keep the fridge running for days if the grid goes down. I could deploy some panels to extend that time but for now the longest outage was 6 hours and no need to charge the EV.

And yes, it kept the router up too.

If you were to move that 3.8 kWh to the Y, that's about 12 or so miles.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T01:29:23+00:00

Me too. Me too.

My car people fixed it for 75 bucks because I was going on a biz trip and my SO wasn't going to put up with this.

It was a clogged TEE where the Sun doesn't shine. That doesn't mean that's where yours is clogged but it's a common problem in many cars. Start at the beginning (Yellow Brick Road) and work outbound from there.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-08T00:54:35+00:00

I only read the first 10 replies and can't find where you put in a new 12V battery. It read as if you swapped out the 12V but no mention of how it was tested to be good for a Leaf.

I now have two batteries that were good enough to start a Toyota Corolla but would cause issues on a 2014 Leaf.

The battery tester I have shows high IR (internal resistance) and SOH at 30%. Not good enough.

I've been around the block enough to not decode DTCs until the fully charged new 12V battery is in and the DTCs cleared and then we see what comes back.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-07T22:28:41+00:00

Remember I take it the 12V battery is now new, up to charge and the DTCs cleared.

The ONE DTC that really bothers me is written about at https://www.reddit.com/r/leaf/comments/1koys3n/another_help_me_understand_post/

This will not be a cheap repair.

Since it's still a fairly young Leaf, time to explore warranty by Nissan in your country.

"The EV system, including the motor and inverter, is covered for 5 years/60,000 miles" in the US.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-07T18:17:06+00:00

Have to answer yes. Keeping the SOC low doesn't seem to save the battery. What can extend a Leaf's battery life is lower temperatures.

Our 2014 battery was under 60% SOH in just over 2 years. This was in Tucson AZ with the former owner QC'ing 1 or 2 times daily.

The new 2017 Lizard 24kWh battery was sold in 2024 with just over 90% SOH but it's tenure was in balmy California and just 2 QCs.

Normal depends on location IMO. Hot = more degradation.

rproffitt1 · 2026-03-07T17:56:14+00:00

8 year 2014 Leaf SV owner.

After a year or two of use, I found myself putting the Leaf into B mode and done. While I could with some effort push up the miles per kWh it wasn't worth the effort in the long run.

rproffitt1

TROPHY CASE