What does a EV charging point actually do?

I have bought a 2nd hand Nissan leaf and have been happily charging it slowly from a 13A socket (fed by solar panels) for 6 months using the "granny lead" that comes with the car.

Yesterday, when I turned it on, the READY and CHARGE light flashed about once per second, as did the lights on the dashboard, and there was a click each time from the unit. The manual does not list this combination as indicative of anything.

This lead me to wonder what the "charging unit" actually does, It lists its input and output as 250V ac so it clearly is not a transformer/ rectifier. If it is a protective relay measuring neutral earth voltage, then maybe the ON / OFF is caused by something happening to the voltage in the house?

I have not found any information on the internet as to what is inside these units.

Parents Reply
  • Anyway the OP says he has been charging it for 6 months (!) Joking aside, for folk who do not use a vehicle hard every day of the week, then a 13A lead may well be more than enough, as an overnight charge will be tens of kVA, and even a 100kVA battery (sporty Tesla) will only need 30 hours  or so from dead flat to full.

    Mike.

Children
No Data