Thursday, July 31, 2014

CrAzY day!!

Well, I changed the battery settings to 100% max, rather than 80% max.  When I woke up, this is what my range looked like:


Well, it was a good thing I did, I had a crazy day of driving.  We decided to pop over to the Science Center's Discovery Room in the morning before camp.  When we got there, I just HAD to plug in - for fun purposes only.  (Even though I had barely used any battery to get there, how can you refuse a free top off and the gawkers walking by to admire your car.) 



We then drove the CWE (Central West End) to get smoothies.  I parked across the street from the BJC lot with the three chargers - only one was in use.  After that I drove out to Chesterfield to drop off my daughter at her daycamp.  Then a Mom I was supposed to meet asked me to instead drive out to her - an unexpected 20 miles round trip.  I obliged and then ran a few more errands and ate half-priced cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory.  How quickly the miles rack up since everything in St. Louis is so spread out!!

After that, I called Nissan West Co and asked if their QuickCharger is working.  (It would be on the way back and a quick stop to top it off.)  They said yes.  I went there - NO DICE.  It was parked in by work trucks for sale and the machine said, "Thermostat error."  I called ChargePoint to report it.  The man on the phone told me  this error was due to the cable getting too hot during charging.  I asked him if I could pour water on it, he said yes.   I failed to ask him if the alarm would need to be reset by a technician or if it goes away by itself.  (Anyone know? Post below.)  I did not try the water trick since I had to go get my daughter from camp. 

When I picked her up, I had just about enough miles, with a few to spare, to make it home.  However, she wanted to eat at Sweet Tomatoes.  Luckily, the Lou Fusz dealership is there with a Quick Charger.  It costs $5 for a charge.  The station screen says "All day."  The app says only during normal business hours.  (Anyone know if it's really open all day?)  I decided to charge first since the dealership might close at 6 pm.  It has a dedicated EV charging parking spot, but it was a TIGHT fit since the repairs folks parked two cars next to it.  (I had to pull in quick there was a guy on my rear end and I had a crying child.)



My kids got fussy and hungry before a full charge (it was around 15 minutes and I was up to 68%.)  I called it quits and we went to eat at Sweet Tomatoes.  (The free 6.6 kWh chargers are out front and you could park it and walk the 4 blocks to Sweet Tomatoes, AMC, etc. I would not feel comfortable leaving my car unattended for that long at the Quick Charge though - it might prevent others from charging.)  We had a GREAT time at dinner and drove home. 

When my days get more structured (when I am back at work), life will get MUCH simpler.  This is fun though!!  :) 


What I learned today:
- color coding on the Charge Point app tells you the station's status and is accurate/up to date  (Trust this rather than the dealership personnel!)
- ChargePoint equipment that is not managed by ChargePoint is white.  They can report errors even if they do not manage the equipment
- I like having it be at 100% max for these crazy busy errand days with extended mileage
- Lou Fusz Ford by Boone's Crossing have 6.6 kWh chargers by their service bays out back if needed (I called them)
-reviewing stations on the PlugShare app is much more user friendly and convenient  than the ChargePoint app reviews
-Starting charging and paying with the ChargePoint a[p is really easy!

QUESTIONS to be answered:
-Does a tech need to reset a thermostat error or will it reset itself?  If not, does pouring water on the cable work/do anything?
- Is the Lou Fusz Nisssan Quick Charge really available 24/7?

If you have any insights to my questions, please post! 

Tuesday, July 29, 2014

First 200 Miles


Well, it is only Tuesday night, we have owned the Leaf for 3 days, and we have added almost 200 miles.  


General thoughts & lessons learned so far:

- I LOVE it!  It drives great!  The a.c is cool and the ride is smooth. 
- I am averaging 3.8 to 3.7 miles per kWh
- 75 miles goes TOO quick.  I am putting the max setting back to 100%, batteries be damned.  
- The QuickChargers seem finicky, aka prone to break downs.   Bummer.  
- My very large suitcase I exchanged at Sam's Club today fit nicely in the trunk with my groceries on top.  Nice!  
- The Prius trunk was flush with the bumper making it a PERFECT changing table, unlike the Leaf.  I used the front seat today, not as good.  Perhaps the cargo sorter they sell would fix that?  (My son will be out of diapers soon though.)  And you would give up a lot of depth for carrying tall/bulky items. 
- No cup holders for the rear on the center console - I miss this from the Prius.  (They do have a door bottle pocket.) 
- I learned I need to use PlugShare AND the ChargePoint app to find unlisted yet public and free charging stations.
- I enjoyed educating the man at the window at Starbucks about my car.  He asked about my funny shift knob, I explained it's an electric car (not a hybrid.)  It reminded me of my days on solar car.  Even my daughter thought it was fun.  ("Do you think most people don't know we don't use gasoline?" she later mused.)
- The stadium seating makes the kiddos easier to buckle in their car seats since they are higher off the ground (less bending over, more like an SUV/mini-van in back seat height.)

___________________________________________________________________

On Sunday, I drove it to church and around town.  I parked in a parking garage for lunch to keep it cool.  My husband had other ideas and went driving around looking for a outlet (just for fun - we had plenty of battery).  He found one on the roof (full sun) and plugged in.  He left the a/c on - he said it will keep it cool for 2 hours while charging. 




We came back up after lunch and the car was unplugged!  We had a "ticket" on our windshield and a VERY hot car.  






Our first charging "warning".  I will call them later to follow up no what is their official policy & the rationale behind it.   (It is about 80 cents to charge up a full tank, about 13 hours of charging.)

 For dinner, we used the app PlugShare to find a location with charging and near restaurants. We didn't NEED to charge, but we wanted to try out this whole "use a public charging station" thing. 

Apps I installed today:  




There is a charging station in the Central West End - with three different 6.6 KwH chargers (and 120 V plugs).  We had to pay to park (~$1.50 an hour.)  




We called ChargePoint since the site was not listed on the ChargePoint app so I couldn't activate it from my phone and we have not yet received our physical cards in the mail.  They started the charging (free) remotely. 

 We then went out to eat.  We came back and the car was full!  :)  Like magic, and well worth $3 - parking and a "full tank of gas".  There was a Tesla S also charging. 

On Monday, I changed the max to 80% to preserve battery life.  I drove all over and barely got home!!





The funny thing is, I had no power at home.  I couldn't stop to charge at the Nissan Dealership, because I didn't want to miss my appointment with the electrician.  (Our main circuit breaker was faulty as my husband discovered that morning.)   Below 8 miles left of range, it switched to the 3 dashes on the right (above).  I was less than 2 miles when it went to dashes, so not much range anxiety.  However, I would need my power back on!!  (I am sure I could ask a neighbor . . . )


Well, the electrician did fix it and I was able to charge up all night.  (I kept the battery limit/max at 80 % though.  Today, Tuesday, I had to drive all over to do returns, take my daughter to camp, etc.  I stopped at a Nissan Dealership in West County to charge.  They have stations out front.  Their Quick Charger was broken (Thermostat Error.) I had to use the 6.6 kWh charger.  I had about 30 minutes.  I asked at the desk if I could charge and she said,  "Of course!  We have a play room and snacks in the back."  My son watched cartoons and ate gold fish and a banana while I drank a warm Diet Coke.  


On the way home, I had to stop at the Nissan Dealership where we bought the car (Bommarito) to give them my key to the Honda Fit we sold them.  I went inside to get their card for the QuickCharger, the receptionist had no clue what I was talking about.  I asked for our car salesmen.  He said the repairman just fixed it this morning (it has been broken for a few days), but his card would not work.  I told him to call and they could remotely turn it on.  They did.  We went inside to get free ice cream.  When I came back out, about 15 minutes later, the QuickCharger was now BROKEN!  (Thermostat Error!)  Oh no!  I did manage to get about half a charge in, so that is good.  I had a little bit of trouble getting the "pump" handle off.  I forgot I need to slide the hook down off the pump lever and THEN press the release button the top.  Not bad for my first go though.

Stay tuned for more fun adventures and insights!



Sunday, July 27, 2014

The Adventure Begins . . .

It's official!  We have begun our EV Adventures with our first all electric car - a 2013 Nissan Leaf.  In 2008 we bought a Toyota Prius, and we have loved every minute.  Now we are ready for the next step, to go ALL ELECTRIC - the Leaf.  We looked all over the Midwest for a good deal.  We test drove 2013, 2014 and 2015 Leafs at different trim levels.  We were looking for an inexpensive car to replace our 2010 Honda Fit - a car we LOVED that got about 30-32 mpg with LOTS of cargo room.  I made giant Excel spreadsheets, calculating the benefits of buying versus leasing, FIT versus Leaf, etc.  I also researched kbb and Edmunds for fair prices to pay.

Desired extras:  Back-up camera, 6.6 kWh charger, QuickPort Charger (80% battery in 30 minutes), Cruise Control

We decided on the 2013 even though it lacks cruise control and does not have CarWings (where you can use your phone to monitor and help control your car's charging and climate.)   Our local dealer had added in a back-up camera, 6.6 kWh onboard charger (standard in 2013) and a quick port charger to this car (where you can charge at certain stations to 80% in 30 minutes).   

We liked the 2014 SV model, which also had these things, but it was $5000 more!!  Not worth it! 

Sticker Price:  $31, 230

Reduced Price: $27, 154

Nissan Incentive:  -$3,500

Nissan Incentive:  0.0% APR for 72 months

Gov't Tax Credit (will receive when we do our 2014 taxes): - $7500

NET PRICE (without trade in):  $16, 154!!

Only bummer:  Insurance is $231 more expensive (per 6 months) with my current insurance provider

Trade In On 2010 Leaf:  $9000 (We were hoping for $8000, the car had quite a few dings and dents!)  (KBB said we would only get 9,400 if we sold it privately.)   

So, we bought it!! 




Will we love it?  Will it work as a family car (2 adults + 2 kiddos under 6)?  Will we charge for free all the time?  STAY TUNED!