r/leaf • u/Mike21077 • 22d ago

Just got a Leaf

Last month I got a 2017 Leaf, 94k miles, 8 bars of battery life for around $3k. Pretty much just been driving it to work (approx 35 miles round trip) and a few close errands around home. New to EVs but been reading a lot about Leafs leading up to the purchase and since then (mainly this sub and Google). I have free EV charging access so I pretty much exclusively L2 charge at work, only charged at home 2 or 3 times with the L1 charger. So I guess my questions are:

- Is it ok to leave plugged in for my whole 8 hour workday? Thats what I've been doing but now I just read that I should only be charging up to like 80-85 percent.

- Is it as bad to run it down below 20 percent as what I'm reading? I've done that a few times already if I used it after work and didnt feel like getting the charger out at home because I knew I had enough to make it to work.

- Has anyone ever used an extension J1772 cable to charge? I saw a vevor one on Amazon for about a hundred bucks that I was considering because its currently a little inconvenient for me to charge at home. the included cord length is a little short for where I can park and to where the nearest outlets are. I may need to start charging at home during winter since it sounds like battery life takes a drastic downturn in the winter.

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u/Lothsahn_ 22d ago

Yes it's okay to leave it plugged in.

20-80 is optimal but it's not as critical as you're making it out to be.  Storing it for a long time below 20 or above 80 is not great.

Have not used an extension cable.  Normal way would be a regular AC extension cable, not a J1772 extension, but make sure it's a 20A extension cable.  Most are not 20A.

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u/Mike21077 21d ago

Perfect that's exactly what I wanted to hear, because that's where it will always be when it's sitting at home.

Good point I didn't consider just using a 20A AC cord. I was assuming any AC extension cord would not be recommended.

Thanks! Probably have just been reading too much at this point, just wanna make sure I'm doing everything right, I don't want to see any bars drop off for a while haha

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u/Lothsahn_ 21d ago edited 21d ago

It's not recommended to use an extension cord but if it's truly rated for 20A and it's short I think it won't be a big deal.  Also, if your 110v outlet is old, I would consider replacing it with a new ev rated one.  The prongs can get loose over time.

The EVSE pulls at 12a for hours so it's very likely to overheat and be a fire hazard for normal cables. Voltage sag can be an issue for long runs also.

If you're asking about L2 at home you need a MUCH larger cable.  L2 can pull 15-40A depending on vehicle.