Seeing an Outlander in Tokyo tomorrow - I have questions

[YupNoProblem]

Hi, I wonder if you guys can help me.

I'm English but have lived here in japan for a while now. I went to the dealers a year ago but decided not to buy an Outlander. I went past the same dealer yesterday and they have a 2015 Outlander PHEV on display. I like it. But I have a few geeky questions.

We had a big earthquake here in 2011 and had no power for days which then went on and off for a few weeks. I decided to get grid tie solar panels after that. I got them installed and love them, but when the panels are just supplying emergency power to the house they can only supply 15 amps (at 100v) total (even though I have 4.8kw on the roof).

Question 1. Is 15 amps sufficient to charge up the Outlander during the day in an emergency?

Question 2. I saw that the Outlander can supply 1500w from its socket in the car. Could I use this to run some things in the house via an extension lead without damaging the car? How long could I do it for?

Question 3. I am having a 2 week test drive of a Leaf starting next week and as part of the deal they will fit an outside charger (200v 30amps) and leave it there even if I don't decide to buy the Leaf. Can I use this to charge the Outlander? Do I need a different hookup other than the one supplied with the Outlander or will it regulate itself between 100v and 200v automatically?

Question 4. Is there a way to change the language on the car to English? The dealer says no but "No" is the default answer in Japan for when they don't really know. Is there any work around?

Anyway, that'll do for a start. I hope someone can help. I'll take photos tomorrow and let you know the details. The price they want is 18,000 Pounds.

 

[AndyInOz]

I decided to get grid tie solar panels after that.

Hey there, before you do anything else, I'd recommend confirming that your solar system will provide power when the grid is down. Most installations will not do so. Installations that will do so, usually have a battery management system, an array of batteries and other dedicated hardware to make this happen. If you just have an inverter, my instinct is that you won't have power if the grid is down. That is a feature of most inverters, designed to prevent an islanding effect, where your solar panels try to power the entire grid.

I got them installed and love them, but when the panels are just supplying emergency power to the house they can only supply 15 amps (at 100v) total (even though I have 4.8kw on the roof).

Question 1. Is 15 amps sufficient to charge up the Outlander during the day in an emergency?

The version we have in Australia only draws 10 amps, in that mode, it charges from what it calls zero to full, in about five to five and a half ours. 15 amps should be fine.

 

[jaapv]

Outside Japan, the car cannot be used as a power supply. I would advise you to gather local information.

 

[HHL]

I decided to get grid tie solar panels after that.

Hey there, before you do anything else, I'd recommend confirming that your solar system will provide power when the grid is down. Most installations will not do so. Installations that will do so, usually have a battery management system, an array of batteries and other dedicated hardware to make this happen. If you just have an inverter, my instinct is that you won't have power if the grid is down. That is a feature of most inverters, designed to prevent an islanding effect, where your solar panels try to power the entire grid.

I got them installed and love them, but when the panels are just supplying emergency power to the house they can only supply 15 amps (at 100v) total (even though I have 4.8kw on the roof).

Question 1. Is 15 amps sufficient to charge up the Outlander during the day in an emergency?

The version we have in Australia only draws 10 amps, in that mode, it charges from what it calls zero to full, in about five to five and a half ours. 15 amps should be fine.

If it charges at the same rate (i.e. around 5 hours for a full charge), then it would need to draw around 20A on a 110V supply, so 15A would not do it. I also doubt that the solar system can run in a stand alone mode if it is not a battery backed system.

 

[GrahamRC]

Can't you simply run the PHEV on petrol when the mains power is unavailable?