Can you add a second 3.3KW charger to the Spark EV?
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SparkMoore
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Great question. I'd also like to hear the answer. In the absence of an available DC Quick Charging station, cutting the AC charging time in half makes the car a whole lot more practical. If you drive somewhere near the limit of your range, hanging out some place for three hours is a whole lot more manageable than six to seven hours.
Looks like it's being done with 2011-2012 Nissan Leafs that only had 3.3kW onboard chargers. This company in Portland will make the conversion for the leafs for about $1000; they can even boost it up to 13.3kW charging!
http://www.upgrademyleaf.com/examples-of-nissan-leaf-charger-upgrade/
http://www.upgrademyleaf.com/examples-of-nissan-leaf-charger-upgrade/
buickanddeere
Well-known member
Odds are the factory charger could be tweaked with larger heat sinks and higher capacity scr's , triac's or what ever they are switching with .
There may even be a Kw or two just by spinning a trim pot or adjusting a software set point.
There may even be a Kw or two just by spinning a trim pot or adjusting a software set point.
Chaconzies
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nozferatu said:
Regen is charging the battery through DC not AC. When I was at the national electric week one of the booths had a guy who was showing off a small ac to dc converter which he would connect directly to the battery. As long as the LEAF was on it would take the power, thinking it was regen.
Chaconzies said:
This is incorrect regen i.e. "regenerative braking" is done through the 3-phase AC motor. So you creating AC power from the AC motor, which then goes through the AC to DC converter which then goes to the battery.
In the case you described above, I'm theorizing that what likely happened was that it assumes any power sent to the battery that was not during AC-Charging (or DC fast charging) to be regen. Not sure which battery he connected his converter to that caused it to think it was regen though (the Traction or the Auxillary battery?).
buickanddeere said:
Do you really think the liquid-cooled onboard charger is not working at its design limits? It is made for 3.3 kW @ 240 VAC and 1.3 kW @ 120 VAC.
Same as the Volt, although the DC voltage is higher in the Spark EV.
Do you really think you can 'hack' this charger and overdrive the electrical components and all we be well?
If you wanted fast charging you should have bought the $750 Fast DC Charging option. But then you would have to live near one of these chargers and have ~20 minutes to spare...
Where I live there is a big network of free DC Fast chargers around town. There was no way I would buy a Spark EV without the Fast DC option.
GeekEV
Well-known member
I don't think that's what he was saying. He was suggesting you could hack the charger to UPGRADE the electrical components - and THEN all would be well. Could well be the case if you know what you're doing and all the attendant wiring was up to the higher load.NORTON said:
oregonsparky
Well-known member
SparkMoore said:
This is one reason to consider an e-golf with a 7.2 KW charger. But then you get into the air cooled versus liquid cooled battery pack discussion, etc... I prefer liquid cooled versus limiting power and air cooled (like the vw).
On the flip side - if you charge it up more slowly - you will invariably get more life from the battery.
jeff
oregonsparky
Well-known member
nozferatu said:
The size of the wires and the connectors from the charger to the battery might be a limiting factor. The regen is using the connections from the motor to the battery.... So your argument, I think, might have a big hole in it....
jeff
Yep, charging slowly is always less work for the battery. And liquid cooling (and heating !) of the battery pack is always better for the pack than blowing air over it.oregonsparky said:
DC Fast charging is big work for the battery. I forget the C rate, but it is within typical industry ranges.
I feel sorry for the Leaf owner that paid extra for the DC Fast charge option.
With that little fan blowing (?) cabin or outside air around the battery cells, the Leaf is limited to ONE DC Fast charge per day.
I had an extreme of regen in my Volt once.
I descended Pikes Peak starting with only 1 mile of range indicated. (I wanted to run the battery out and see what a 84 HP Volt felt like at altitude. Even less due to the altitude.) EV's don't lose power with altitude!
It got ~75% charge in about 25 minutes. At the Park Ranger safety stop where they read your front brake temp. I was at 75° on a 65° day. I rode the brake pedal all the way like a dumb tourist.
Hopefully due to liquid cooled battery Thermal Management System the battery did not suffer.
And the moral of this long story is Volts and Spark EVs may go a long time before ever needing brake pads !!
I may be one of the Spark EV owners that use DC Fast charging a lot (daily?). It's free in my town!! Is anyone on this forum using DC Fast charging a lot in their Spark EV?
I wouldn't be too worried about your Volt battery regen, although that is an unusual case you were merely charging it at close to 1 C rates. Your example was 70% (assuming 100% = 10 kWh) which was only 7 kWh and 7 kWh / 16 kWh means that you only added 43% of real charge in that 25 minutes. I've discharged my Volt battery going up hill at 100 MPH in around 17 miles and ~20 min. It was only a single test but it was fun as heck and it was a lease :lol:
I've seen my Spark regen as high as 59 kW recently. Not sure if there is a difference in regen limits between the 2014 and 2015 Spark EV's though.
I've seen my Spark regen as high as 59 kW recently. Not sure if there is a difference in regen limits between the 2014 and 2015 Spark EV's though.
Chaconzies
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NORTON said:
I've been using it a lot more recently. There's one in Cerritos that is free and accessible so I'll use that one if I want a quick charge when I'm low. Probably used it 3 or 4 times in the last 2 months.
sTeeve
Well-known member
[/quote]With that little fan blowing (?) cabin or outside air around the battery cells, the Leaf is limited to ONE DC Fast charge per day.[/quote]
Didn't Nissan lift that "limit to one DC Fast charge per day" rule not long ago?
However, it only needs a slight modification to be more applicable. I've taken my 2013 Leaf SL on a few road trips, and on the most recent one (Aug 2015), from Decatur, Ga. to Cape Girardeau, Mo., the Leaf's thermal protection system kicked in after the 4th DC fast charge of the day. Ambient temps were in the low 90s ℉. I called Nissan of Murfreesboro whilst on the road and the service advisor said "bring 'er in and we'll hook it up to our computer". Spent one hour waiting, and nothing was wrong. Service advisor said "just let it cool when you get a chance; otherwise, continue on your way".
I chronicled my trip here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.734661369916835.1073741833.100001189352898&type=1&l=afd217ec4e
It was a fun trip, and I'd do it again...if Nissan would give their cars a "proper battery thermal management system like the Spark EV".
Didn't Nissan lift that "limit to one DC Fast charge per day" rule not long ago?
However, it only needs a slight modification to be more applicable. I've taken my 2013 Leaf SL on a few road trips, and on the most recent one (Aug 2015), from Decatur, Ga. to Cape Girardeau, Mo., the Leaf's thermal protection system kicked in after the 4th DC fast charge of the day. Ambient temps were in the low 90s ℉. I called Nissan of Murfreesboro whilst on the road and the service advisor said "bring 'er in and we'll hook it up to our computer". Spent one hour waiting, and nothing was wrong. Service advisor said "just let it cool when you get a chance; otherwise, continue on your way".
I chronicled my trip here: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.734661369916835.1073741833.100001189352898&type=1&l=afd217ec4e
It was a fun trip, and I'd do it again...if Nissan would give their cars a "proper battery thermal management system like the Spark EV".
TonyWilliams
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The LEAF has no cooling system whatsoever for the battery... not even a fan.
Also, there's no limit to DC charging, but the battery will get hotter with each charge. I did 10 charge events in 65-70F ambient temperatures, and the battery got up to about 110-120F.
Also, there's no limit to DC charging, but the battery will get hotter with each charge. I did 10 charge events in 65-70F ambient temperatures, and the battery got up to about 110-120F.
pdxmotorhead
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Old,, but who knows if someone gets motivated.. 
I would think the more likely option would be to rebuild the stock charger with heavier parts, use a programmable controller out to the car so it thinks its charging as designed? But actually charging at a higher rate.. Or It would not surprise me if you could stretch the stock charger with some reprogramming.
I would think the more likely option would be to rebuild the stock charger with heavier parts, use a programmable controller out to the car so it thinks its charging as designed? But actually charging at a higher rate.. Or It would not surprise me if you could stretch the stock charger with some reprogramming.Yep, beating that ol' horse again.pdxmotorhead said:
What about the wires, relays, liquid cooling system related to the stock On Board Charger?
Save your time and money and use the Spark EV the way it is.
It actually DCFC's with the best of them that are made for 50kW DCFC.
And save your pennies for a bigger, better BEV someday.
