How do I get a level 3 charge?

Discussion
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Hey, so I have a 2017 Nissan Leaf with a 144-mile range, but it only has a Level 2 J1772 AC charging port. It takes about 9-12 hours to fully charge. I’d love to be able to use Level 3 chargers (DC fast chargers), but my plug doesn’t fit them. Is there any kind of adapter that would let me use Level 3 chargers?

I’m hoping to speed up charging for longer trips, like visiting friends or going on road trips.

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You’ll need to look into Chademo chargers. That’s the connector your Leaf uses for DC fast charging. Unfortunately, Chademo is kind of an outdated standard, and fewer chargers have it these days.

There are CCS to Chademo adapters out there, but they can be expensive, like around $1000. It’s a high price, but if you really want to future-proof your car for faster charging, it might be worth considering.

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@MAKENA
$1000 for an adapter? That’s wild!

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sorphia said:
@MAKENA
$1000 for an adapter? That’s wild!

Yeah, low demand for them. If you really want to keep your Leaf up to date with charging, you’ll probably have to bite the bullet and pay the price.

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sorphia said:
@MAKENA
$1000 for an adapter? That’s wild!

Yep, it’s been a long time coming, and developing an adapter like that took a lot of research and development. It’s a shame Nissan didn’t make one themselves, but it is what it is. Hopefully, the price will drop over time, but it’s never going to be super cheap.

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Are you sure it’s taking 9-12 hours to charge? A 32-amp Level 2 charger should give you about 25-30 miles per hour of charging, so it should only take around 6 hours to get a full charge. Are you using a 16-amp charger? If so, upgrading to a 32-amp charger could cut your charging time in half without needing to go through the hassle of finding a Chademo connection.

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@Maria
That’s true, but it depends on the onboard charger in the Leaf. Some of the older models only have a 16-amp onboard charger.

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Howard said:
@Maria
That’s true, but it depends on the onboard charger in the Leaf. Some of the older models only have a 16-amp onboard charger.

Wow, that sucks.

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Unfortunately, if your Leaf doesn’t have the quick charge port, you’re stuck with slow Level 2 charging. There’s no adapter that will turn J1772 into a fast charger.