flyingcheesehead Posted May 7, 2015 at 10:45 PM Report Share Posted May 7, 2015 at 10:45 PM Has anyone done any hardware hacking and put an L1 charger on board? I plug in at work sometimes, and I wish I could just run an extension cord out to the car. Something easy and unobtrusive. As it is, I leave the charger in the footwell of the car for security, run the cord through the window, and plug it into the J1772 port. Then, I run an extension cord out the window as well and plug it into the building. It just makes it very obvious that "HEY EVERYONE, I'M GETTING FREE JUICE FOR MY CAR AND YOU'RE NOT!" and it's quite a pain to get it all set up. I'd much rather leave my windows closed, not have to run cords in and out of the car, and just get an extension cord running to the car. It could be similar to plugging in the EBH, or even better would be if there was a spool back there where you could just pull the cord out like a vacuum cleaner. :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
expresspotato Posted May 9, 2015 at 04:23 AM Report Share Posted May 9, 2015 at 04:23 AM Yeah that would be awesome, just a reel built into the car click and you can pull it out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcheesehead Posted May 11, 2015 at 11:40 PM Author Report Share Posted May 11, 2015 at 11:40 PM Has nobody even tried to do such a thing? How tough would it be? Mine's a lease so I can't really do much in the way of hardware hacking for a couple more years. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcheesehead Posted July 14, 2015 at 11:33 PM Author Report Share Posted July 14, 2015 at 11:33 PM Bump! Anyone? Bueller? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybridbear Posted July 15, 2015 at 01:31 AM Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 at 01:31 AM When charging away from home we have put the charger under the hood. It sits nicely between the ICE & power electronics box. I would not feel comfortable leaving it there while driving, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcheesehead Posted July 15, 2015 at 07:36 PM Author Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 at 07:36 PM When charging away from home we have put the charger under the hood. It sits nicely between the ICE & power electronics box. I would not feel comfortable leaving it there while driving, though. Where do you run the cord(s)? Is there a spot to easily drop them to the ground? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hybridbear Posted July 15, 2015 at 07:55 PM Report Share Posted July 15, 2015 at 07:55 PM Where do you run the cord(s)? Is there a spot to easily drop them to the ground?I searched to see if I had a picture of it, but I don't :( Basically I would run the cords out by the windshield wipers. I'd usually then drape them around by the driver's side mirror to try to keep them from scratching the paint of the car. flyingcheesehead 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcheesehead Posted August 12, 2015 at 12:04 AM Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 at 12:04 AM I searched to see if I had a picture of it, but I don't :( Basically I would run the cords out by the windshield wipers. I'd usually then drape them around by the driver's side mirror to try to keep them from scratching the paint of the car. Aha. Cool. Unfortunately, this is pretty much just as difficult as running things from inside the car, though it does keep the windows closed while it's raining! I've been doing some reading on the J1772 spec. I'll need to do a lot more R&D before I'm ready to start cutting and wiring though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Taz Posted August 12, 2015 at 04:57 AM Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 at 04:57 AM I just put the L1 charger on the back floor of my C-max. I run the extension cord into the back floor area and the "charger" out to the power port. No problem with the door closing on it, no kinks in either cord, and no issues with rain or theft. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcheesehead Posted August 12, 2015 at 10:09 PM Author Report Share Posted August 12, 2015 at 10:09 PM I just put the L1 charger on the back floor of my C-max. I run the extension cord into the back floor area and the "charger" out to the power port. No problem with the door closing on it, no kinks in either cord, and no issues with rain or theft. Hmmm. Maybe the doors are tighter on the Fusion than they are on the C-max? My extension cord gets kinks in it where I close the door on it, and I've only done it to the charger cord maybe twice (when it was raining and I didn't want the window open) because you could clearly see it get crushed where it had gone through the door. I'm OK with having to replace a $10 extension cord every so often. Not so with a $700 L1 charger. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevedebi Posted August 13, 2015 at 03:59 PM Report Share Posted August 13, 2015 at 03:59 PM Hmmm. Maybe the doors are tighter on the Fusion than they are on the C-max? My extension cord gets kinks in it where I close the door on it, and I've only done it to the charger cord maybe twice (when it was raining and I didn't want the window open) because you could clearly see it get crushed where it had gone through the door. I'm OK with having to replace a $10 extension cord every so often. Not so with a $700 L1 charger.The L1 chargers are cheaper than that. Ebay has them (not OEM, but any compatible charger will work). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyingcheesehead Posted October 15, 2015 at 09:51 PM Author Report Share Posted October 15, 2015 at 09:51 PM Huh... Turns out, someone HAS done this to a Leaf! Retractable cord and all! http://www.aprs.org/charging-DIY.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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