Nissan Leaf Charging Guide

Nissan Leaf Charging Station, Port and Plug Type

Unlike most electric cars in the Australian market which feature a single combined port for AC and DC charging, the Nissan Leaf comprises two ports: Type 2 and CHAdeMO. The Type 2 port is used for AC charging at home, work or at public chargers (e.g. shopping centre car parks).

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For public fast/rapid DC charging the CHAdeMO port is used to support the high power output required. Both ports are located at the front of the car on the grill.

The Leaf can be slow, fast and rapid charged from public charging stations. In most cases:

• Slow charging requires a three-pin to Type 2 cable, usually supplied with the car.
• Public AC charging will feature a tethered Type 2 connector or may require a Type 2 to Type 2 cable.
• Rapid DC charging uses a tethered CHAdeMO connector which is part of the charging unit.

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1. Find a public charging station for fast and rapid chargers

Plugshare is the easiest way to find any public AC and DC electric vehicle charging station in your area. It displays a map and overall rating of each charger from check-ins and comments.

Additionally, use the charging provider’s app like Chargefox or Evie Networks to view the live availability of stations and check whether a stall may be out-of-action.

2. Connect charging cable to car

Driving up to the charger, ensure that your vehicle’s charging port, located on the front grill, is nearest to the stall. This may require you to drive in or reverse into the charging spot.

Once parked, grab the appropriate charging connector type from the stall’s holster, open the Leaf’s charging flap and any other caps, and firmly plug it into the vehicle.

3. Confirm charging has started

Use the charging provider’s mobile app or tap the RFID card on the stall to activate the charging session. You may need to press a start button on some charging stalls, too.

After a few seconds of communicating with the Leaf, you can see the charging status via the station’s screen and the vehicle’s driver instrument display.

Slow AC Charging (level 1,2) - Home/Business

Slow AC charging, also referred to as level 1 or 2, is typically done at home, work or shopping centre car parks.

The Nissan Leaf is capable of charging at a maximum of 7 kW with its onboard charger.

The following table shows the estimated time to fully charge (0 to 100%) a Leaf across different AC chargers. Fully charging a Leaf using a portable charger and a standard 10A power point will take 36 hours. This can be cut down to less than 12 hours if the power source is upgraded to 32A.

Fast/Rapid DC Charging (level 3) - Public

The following tables show the estimated time to charge the Leaf (base version). The Leaf can support maximum DC charging of 50 kW, chargers with higher output than this will be throttled to this limit. Charging to 80% on a rapid DC charger could be done in 43 minutes.

It is recommended to limit the charging at rapid chargers to 80% to preserve battery health.

Note that the times shown are only a guide only. Other factors that might vary the actual charging time of your car. For personalised estimates for the Leaf, use the zecar ev charging calculator.

The below tables show the estimated cost of charging the Nissan Leaf's 39 kWh battery at home using a standard flat tariff or a public fast DC charger.

Based on these figures, the Leaf's fuel costs are $4.0-$9.6 per 100 km, depending on the type of charging. In general, home charging provides the cheapest per kilometre cost and public rapid charging tends to be around double the cost (per charge and per kilometre). This compares favourably to an equivalent petrol car which would cost $15 per 100km, assuming $2/litre for petrol.

Use the zecar EV charging calculator to find the cost and times to charge any EV using any charge method. The results can be personalised for different electricity costs and the level of charge required.

The Leaf's battery pack comprises the NMC chemistry. The recommended upper limit for daily use is 80%, this will minimise degradation and preserve the longevity of the battery. The charging limit can be set on the main infotainment screen.

Occasional charging of the battery to 100% to maximise the car's range for longer trips should not cause significant degradation of the battery.

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The Nissan Leaf is compatible with almost all portable and wall-mounted chargers equipped with a Type 2 plug. It comes with a portable charging cable, which can be used on any Australian domestic powerpoint

For faster charging speeds, you may want to consider a wall-mounted charger to reach the maximum 7.0 kW charge rate the Leaf is capable of.

Home charging while taking longer will likely result in less degradation.

Electric Car Home Charging Guide

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The Nissan Leaf can be charged using all the major charging networks including some Tesla Superchargers and some select Tesla destination chargers.

Refer to this guide for all the key public charging providers including links to app downloads.

Excessive use of fast charging may accelerate the degradation of the battery due to the heat caused by fast charging.

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Yes, Nissan Leaf's can charge at some Tesla Supercharger sites. As of the latest update to this article, Tesla has opened up 30 of its 63 Supercharger sites in Australia to non-Tesla EVs.

Non-Tesla vehicles will be charged $0.79 per kWh for drivers of non-Tesla cars However, non-Tesla drivers can sign up to a $9.99/month subscription to reduce the cost to $0.66 per kWh.

➡️TRY: EV Charging Calculator

Tesla supercharger sites can be accessed by non-Tesla EVs via the Tesla apps.

• Download the Tesla app (version 4.18.0 or higher) for iOS or Android and create a Tesla Account.
• Select ‘Charge Your Non-Tesla’ and find your Supercharger site.
• Add your payment method, select a stall, unlock the adapter, plug in your car, and tap ‘Start Charging.’
• Select ‘Stop Charging’ to complete your session.