National Drive Electric Week 9-21

We had such a fun time at the St. Louis Science Center for National Drive Electric Week!  It was fun to meet so many other EV enthusiasts and owners.  It was also great fun to introduce people to EVs and help them see that yes, they can be affordable and yes, our EV car is our FAMILY car.  We parked on the end so we could open up all the doors and trunk and let people sit in the car.    And we had a little grassy area for people to stand in the shade and chat. 

We let's kids plug in the car (even though it was not connected to an outlet).  We let mothers see that all my kid gear does fit in the  trunk!  Even though we almost never use one, I even put a stroller in the trunk.  (Since then I have hauled a giant double stroller and a turtle sand box.  Yes, these fit too!) 

 

It was fun to see other cars there.  My husband and I used to build, design, and race solar powered cars on long, cross country races.  So it was extra fun to see a solar minivan there! 

We really enjoyed seeing other cars up close! 

We passed out business cards for this blog and heard from folks that people thought we got a really good deal on our Leaf.  I agree!  (I even had our salesman's name on the card - since he was super knowledgeable.  Unlike most other Nissan salesmen . . . )

Next year I hope to have more to hand out and a big sign.  The more folks that can see this as a family car would open up a whole new market!!

Did you attend this year?  Will you next year?  Post below!!

Special Fuel Decal

Well, I finally found my dealership paperwork and got the car registered and titled!  Then I had to pay for my Special Fuel Decal.  It is a large yellow sticker that must go in the bottom right of your windshield and it must be paid every year.  The cost:  $75. 

The first year it was prorated for the days remaining.  The manager had to come over and do the required documents, since it was so rare!  (No one at the DMV could believe when I pointed out the fuel type was "E" for electric.  However, I should note, that I also had to have the dealership change it - they originally put G for gasoline.  I said, I think this should say E.  (I was used to checking this box from my diesel days.)  The financial officer at the dealership said, "You know, I never noticed that before.  You are the first person to point this out to me.  Huh."  So I can see why maybe the DMV had never seen it before either . . . )

Is this fair?  Well, in Missouri, I would normally pay 17 cents a gallon on taxes to Missouri.  $75/0.17  = 441.2, so I am paying Missouri the same amount of tax as  person who buys just over 441 gallons of gas a year.  If you car gets 30 mpg, that would be like someone who drives 13,230 miles per year.  This seems a little high to me, but I also never need an emissions inspection (would can cost up to $24.  But, alas, this is not a tax.)  According to CarInsurance.com, in 2011, the average miles driven per year in Missouri was 11,444.  Since Missouri is getting their piece of the pie, what about the feds? 

According to EIA, 18.4 cents per gallon is federal excise tax.  How are they recouping this lost revenue? 

My main complaint is that now I will have to go into the DMV every January!  (It is annoying enough to go in once every 2 years to renew my plates. I never get the notice done in time to do it online.)  Can I renew my Alternate Fuel Tax sticker online? 
I didn't see anything online:  http://dor.mo.gov/motorv/decals.php 

Does anyone have experience or know?  Comment below! 

What happens when unexpected errands come up?

Well, today I left my house with a 101 mile range - plenty!  But I drove 35 miles to pick up dry ice and get to school.  Well, then some impromptu errands came up - and they were all far away!  Quick Chargers to the rescue!  I was at 30 miles but I had 24.5 miles to go home.  There was a quick charger just 3 minutes out of the way!  :)  We are lucky in St. Louis to have so many!  (There is not a single Tesla quick charger in the entire state.)

I went to the St. Charles Nissan Dealership.  The pricing is weird - it is $5/hour.  (Most around here are $5 per charge - the hourly rate is cheaper.)  So it cost me $1.67 today!!.

 You can access it even when the lot is closed by going in the entrance by the "Trucks" sign.  (The gate to block off the lot is just past the charger.) 

They have 2 level 2 chargers and one Quick Charger.  Bonus:  You get to charge right by a lot of other Leafs! 

There is info displayed on the "pump" as my daughter calls it while you are charging. 

My daughter helped me.  I love that you CANNOT start the car with it plugged in.  Impossible!  You can however run the a/c (or heat I assume) while charging. 

You can see your charging history at any ChargePoint station.  Here is mine!

I am hoping to focus more on the kid stuff soon.  But even when surprise! errands pop up -  I wasn't left high and dry.

Notice:  National EV Week is coming up!  The St Louis Science Center will have cars on display from 11-3 on 9-21.  Hope to see you there! 

+2000 miles and going STRONG!

My how the miles fly by!  I adore my Leaf.  It is so fun, peppy, and quiet.  Every other car I ride in now seems deafening! 

My only recent bummer was a busted quick charger.  I drove lots of errands and went to stop at the Nissan dealership near my home to charge.  I am trying to always keep my battery pack above 10% and this would have been close.  (In other words, I would have made it home but it would have been below my goal of 10%.)  When I got there - an ERROR message.  (Some units seem more prone to this than others . . . )

 

Since it is  private charger, (and FREE!) it does not go "green' on the ChargePoint app, it's always white.  (With the other ones, you can tell if it's ready.)  I did call ChargePoint so they could report it out of order.  They did find another one 7.6 miles away - which is pretty close.  But I live only 5 miles away from this charger.  She was also quick to tell me that this other charger did have a $5 fee.  (I love that you always get a knowledgeable human when you call ChargePoint.) 

 

Luckily, the Nissan dealer also has the slower chargers (but faster than 110 V) right next door.  They were charging up two 2015 Leafs.  I unplugged one and used it for about 30 minutes.  The kids and I walked around the parking lot, admired the sunset, and played on the parking curbs (a line of like 20 balance beams by empty parking spaces.)  I went from 14% to 21%.  Not bad!  :)  We left when they started getting fussy.  (For me, 1% is equal to one mile in Eco mode.) 

 

 

My husband actually went on n adventure last week in the Leaf, driving out to Union, MO on back roads.  He  hypermiled and brought up the overall average to  4.7 miles per KWh.  The highest he could get consistently was 5.7 miles per KWh.  (He forgot to take any photos.)  Now the average I back down to 4.3 miles per KWh.  What do other folks average?  Post below!

 

I will try to post some videos of how it works with the kiddos.  Such a GREAT family car.  I used to think I could hold out for a hybrid minivan, now I might hold out for an electric one!  Oh my! 

 

National Drive Electric Week is coming up.  Attend an event near you!! 

https://driveelectricweek.org/ 

 

 

 

 

The first 1300 miles!

Well, I have already put over 1300 miles on the car!  Time (and miles) sure do fly.

I went to a conference in Michigan at Grand Valley State University.  I flew, but they did have at leat 2 EV charging areas on campus!  (And they were free!)

How cool is that??

I rarely have to use a Quick Charge these days.  I just keep it charged up at night.  I have not yet put in a Level 2 charger in my home (3 hours to fully charge).  My husband has bought the wire and a subpanel to add in the garage.  I will have him guest blog as he starts that process!

When I did have to stop at a level 3 quick charger, I learned I can monitor the progress on the Charge Point app - even if it's not a designated Charge Point charging station (but is their equipment.)

The reason there is no $ next to Total Amount is because it is FREE for everyone to charge at Bommarito Nissan!  Charges to 80% in 30 minutes, just like all Level 3 chargers.   

On the days when it was 100 F, my husband did try to quick charge at a level 3 charger and it was too hot.  The car had been driven a lot, so the batteries were hot, and the cable itself got too hot.  (The device is smart enough to shut down.)  What was cool was that I got a text message that said something to the effect of "You charge is taking very little charge.  Call this 800# for help."  This would be super handy if you left your car unattended to charge. When the car is plugged in, you can keep the a/c on.  The a/c kept up well with the high temps and cooled down pretty quick. 

Minor Complaints:  Headlights are not as strong as the Prius.  They are OK.

BONUS:  The intermittent wipers have a VERY slow setting that are PERFECT!  (Most cars I have to do it manually to avoid sqeuaking wipes if it is barely raining.)

I love my Prius, I do.  But after driving the Leaf all the time, driving my Prius makes it feel clunky and heavy, like driving a truck!  How funny is that?  The handling and acceleration on the Leaf are just so smooth!  

The car looks great.  Has a lot of crumbs in it now - we eat breakfast on the fly.  I am not stressed out about charging/range.  I have been averaging 4.0 miles per KWh.  If the car has 100% charge, I get 100 mile range.  (I have never gone below 8% though.)  I have never forgot to plug it in at night.  (Even if I did, there are a lot of Level 3 chargers around.  You would probably get 40 miles in ten minutes of charging.) 

I will be showing off the car as a family car, car seats and all, on September 21st at the St. Louis Science Center, with other EV vehicles.  Stay tuned for more info! 

Normal Day!

Started the day with a 100% charge (not 80%).  I am exhilarated.  Finally, a normal day with no need to charge in the middle of the day, even with errands.  I drive 23 miles one way to work.  Today I drove even farther than that to my daughter's day camp, drove further west to do some returns and give items to Good Will in the world's longest strip mall (aka Boone's Crossing), drove back to camp, went to the library (paid my, cough, $79 fine from last summer, cough), then drove back to Cheesecake (who can resist one more slice at half off?) and then back home. No range anxiety - I got home with 20 miles to spare.  Woo!  Gave me confidence that when I am back on regular, working life I will not have to jump from charger to charger!  THIS WILL WORK!

Just like in the Prius, although even better in the Leaf, this is THE BEST CAR for napping children.  You can let the a/c stay on, and sit for hours (I sat for 2 hours today while my son napped waiting outside Lowe's to do my returns while I finished reading a library book.)  The car only "runs" when it needs to and uses VERY little power - unlike a gas or diesel car.  If you have napping children, or need to idle a lot, get a hybrid or EV. The Prius sometimes would jiggle a bit when the engine kicked on - not so with the Leaf!  The a.c kept the car nice and cool even though I was parked in full sun. 
  
I also called ChargePoint today and she told me the Thermostat Error on the Quick Chargers should go away on its own after the cable cools.  I am not convinced though, she could not give me an estimate how long that would take in full sun, outdoors, on an 80 degree day.  (I gave her options, "Is it closer to 1 hours, 24 hours, 72 hours.")   I then started to explain Newton's Law of Cooling - I even uttered those words!  Ha!   I then decided that data is out there - I will just have to look for the temperature that triggers the alarm. (Anyone know this? Find this?)

Lastly, I got my QuickPoint charge cards in the mail.  They will be handy if my cell is ever dead and I need to charge.  I activated them.  They have an RFID chip in them.  (You can also use a credit card with an RFID chip in it if your cell is dead.) 

Now on to wall charger.  I need to install a 20 Amp charger at home.  I am looking at this model:

http://www.clippercreek.com/store/product/hcs-40p-30a-240v-charging-25-cord-nema-14-50-plug/
It is in theory, portable.  (If you go somewhere where someone has an electric dryer.)

There is a DIY group,
http://emotorwerks.com/products/online-store/product/show/44-customizable-juicebox-an-open-source-level-2-15kw-ev-charging-station-v8-9-shipping-now-starting-july-21-2014

However, it seems like perhaps pre-assembled is better and then it costs the same as the Clipper Creek.  An electrician is coming in the AM to give me  bid for running a dryer plug to my garage.  My husband (who is NOT an electrician) seems certain he could do it.  Stay tuned for the bid.

And yes, I can mail someone my cable that came with the Leaf and convert it for $400.  However, I would no longer be able to charge from a standard outlet.  I feel like I should keep the possibility for charging from a regular outlet since they are so prolific.

Next project:  Get pricing info for installing a 40 amp charging station (not a Quick Charger) at my work! Given their new sustainability initiative and new administration, the timing is good!  I work at a non-profit, so federal tax incentives are not going to entice them . . .

New to EVs?  Here is a map of ChargePoint stations:








In St. Louis, here are the ones that are listed.  (Remember, the three at BJC garage are not "listed", so there are more out there . . . )


Where do you think St. Louis needs more chargers?  Post below.

Stats from today:

- average "mpg": still 3.9 miles per kWh.  
- miles driven: 77 miles
- charges at stations:  ZERO
- ChargePoint cards activated: 2
- How much I am lovin' the car today on a scale of 0-10:  9.5   :)