Saturday, November 14, 2015

New Charging Locations in St. Louis Metro Area

Current Mileage:  23,441
Well, in the past 2 weeks I have charged at 3 new (to me) chargers!  Woo hoo!   I wonder if folks used to get excited about new gas stations back in the day?  I love all the new options and supporting a growing market.

New charger #1:  Westport

Type:  DC Fast
Cost:  $7/hr and $7 minimum
Location: Comfort Inn - Westport 12031 Lackland Rd St. Louis
Not the cheapest place in the area, but there is a restaurant attached to the hotel.
(It is not really near Westport - you would have to walk a bit in a non-pedestrain friendly area.)
 I did have to download the greenlots app (or I could have called them.)  

Quirks:  The CHAdeMo plug is on the right, yet it is port #1!  (The left Combo port is #2.)  
In 27 minutes I charged 5.71 kWhr.
This is a very study charger design and I think it will be consistently operable.  

Note: If the station is ICEd in (it is around back, which is really the front on the end.)
There is a wide sidewalk and you could easily drive up on there to charge!) 

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 New (to me) charger #2:  Edwardsville City Hall


Type:  DC Fast
Cost:  $1/hr and $1 maximum
Location: 118 Hillsboro, Edwardsville, IL 62025

What a bargain!  We drove out to Highland, IL to visit Windcrest Diary and decided to charge on the way back.
We stopped and ate dinner while we charged.  Several places within easy walking distance.
We went to a place that is in the same parking lot even!  

This is also a GreenLots charger.  We learned about 2 error codes!
Error Code 13:  Emergency Stop Button is popped.  Turn it clockwise (arrows are on the system) until you hear a "clunk" and it will be back out and ready to go.  
Error Code 21:  Time Out.  You took longer than 30 seconds to plug the charger into your car.
I also learned they put a $20 temp hold on your credit card every time you activate the station - even if you don't charge.  (It will clear within 24 hours.)

Designated EV parking!  Love it!!  (They were paving on the opposite side of the lot.)  

You can see our charging stats!
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 New (to me) charger #3: St. Louis Zoo


Type:  Level 2
Cost:  Free, but you have to park in the lot ($10 to park unless you are a Zoo member)
Location: South Parking Lot, St. Louis Zoo

They have 4 designated spots right by the foot bridge over to the zoo.  (Best spots on the South side!)
 They moved the employee spots and put in EV spots.  No buttons to push - just plug in and charge!
 We got a full charge while playing at the zoo.  (Side note: The St. Louis zoo itself is free.)

 The signage is great - not very likely to get ICEd in!  :)  (Plus there are 4 spots . . . )



 This one was not even on the plugshare map - Elias added it today!



Have you found a new charger?  If so, list where in the comments below!  


Sunday, September 20, 2015

2015 Drive Electric Week EV Car Show

What a GREAT day at the St. Louis Science Center!  

There were so many fun cars on display!  The weather was PERFECT!  I got to chat with lots of folks about the joys of driving an EV.  I got to ride in a 7-seater Telsa (on the interstate, too!)  What zip!  What a dash - oh my!  I got to catch up with folks from last year and from the EV Leaf Rally!  I got to swap pro tips and learn about other EVs.  

Banner for the Citi cars (circa mid 70s). 
It is fun to see so many types of cars (and a motorcycle and a bike!)  

Look at the photos below to get a feel for the day.

Did you enjoy the show? Comment below.

What car did you wish was there that wasn't?  Comment below.  

Elias chatting up specs with a 2011 Leaf owner

This was the funnest car there, IMHO.

Cool 2-tone interior on a Tesla

Rear seats on the Tesla

Solar powered Telsa charging station at a private home

GPS activated suspension control




Our Leaf Rally friends!

EVie!

A lot of folks were impressed by the lines of the i8. 







After market conversions too!



The VW Gulf was purchased in Rhode Island!



Our Leaf - what a good lookin' car!

One family (3 kids) own these TWO Volts.  Left = Dad's, Right = Mom's

Elias test driving the electric bike!



Saturday, September 19, 2015

Several Chargers Around St. Louis - Pro Tips

Current mileage:  20778 

I am sorry I have been TERRIBLE at posting.  It has been very busy in our home.

I would like to share some tips on places to charge around St. Louis.  Here goes . .

St. Louis Science Center  (pay to park unless you are a member)
There are 2 chargers. EVie (The Electric Truck) is often parked by one charger - BUT you can still use that charger (which is a faster charger than the other one.)  See how the cord reaches.  (Dedicated EV spot.)

   


MOBot Missouri Botanical Gardens  St. Louis, MO
Enter the garden, turn right and make your first right.  The stickers on the Level 2 chargers say free for garden members - but they are free for EVERYONE!  (Use your ChargePoint card.)  With free garden days (Wednesday or Saturday) with free charging - this makes for an extra bonus!  There are 4 chargers (2 per pole).





Moonrise Hotel,  Delmar Loop
You have to pay the $8 valet parking.  The Level 2 charger is right across from the valet stand/entrance.  Charging is free and there is a 3 hour time limit.  You can keep an eye on your car from the rooftop bar!  (Or walk anywhere in the Loop . . . )


The red car on the left side is the LEAF!


Principia College, Elsah, IL
This charger is pretty slow.  I think I charged at about 4 miles per hour.  :(    I am glad, however, that they have an outlet (it is a bring your own cable).  Ask at the gate house where the charging area is located.  (How awesome is it that 2 EVs were using it!)  4 plug ins available.





What is your pro tip about charging in the St. Louis area? Comment below!

Sunday, April 19, 2015

Stop #1: First Annual Nissan Leaf St. Louis Spring Rally

STARTING MILEAGE:  12119





We arrived at Bommarito Nissan at around 9:05 am.  There were already 2 other customer's Leaf's ready for the fun!





 We signed in, received Raffle tickets, and chatted a bit.  (One ticket per passenger  - so I go three!)  Soon, DONUTS and BREAKFAST sandwiches from the local Mom n Pop donut store (Kelly's Donuts) arrived.  YUM!!

We ran into our salesman - Dustin Olson. Told him how much we love our Leaf!!
We soon got T-shirts.  (No kid sizes.  Adult M to XXL.)  They are nice quality with the graphic that matches the store banner.  (Side note:  No year, just the date - so when I wear it a few years down the road it won't look so dated . . . )  
It was fun to chat with the other Leaf Owners. We eventually decided to head on out to the next stop.  I didn't get a shot, but it was fun to ride in a line of Leaf's!!  We were all headed to Stop #2:  Lou Fusz Nissan. 
And we were off!

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Here are some other random pix from the rest of the stops!