What has long been expected is now officially a fact released by Nissan that LEAF sales in both Portland, OR and Seattle, WA areas is leading all Nissan model sales for both March and April. Bellevue, WA's (across the lake from Seattle) Eastside Nissan claims more sales than any other Nissan dealer in the country and boasts a 25 LEAF loaner fleet to boot.
But the huge increase in LEAFs on the streets has not happened without a significant amount of growing pains. The quick charge network had been slow getting off the ground and the ones that are out there are just now getting to the point where they are becoming semi-reliable. Nissan has recognized this and announced they would put in several hundred across the country and this has resulted in a lot of confusion for new LEAF drivers.
There is little doubt that LEAF salesman are using this information as a selling tool but access to chargers has not been as rosy Nissan had intended or as we had anticipated. Already several reports of LEAFers being turned away from a QC at a dealer because they had gotten their LEAF from a competitor. One Seattle area resident was 8½ months pregnant and Eastside Nissan of Bellevue still turned them away. To be fair, Eastside Nissan does have "some" valid reasons for their policies. With a 25 car LEAF loaner fleet their QC that is pretty much being used all the time to keep them on the road. Since they put in the QC at their own expense they should have the right to do as they please with that station AND they are installing a Blink that is actually outside their compound that will be intended for public use only and that is supposed to be as unrestricted as you can get when Blink is involved. But I think Eastside Nissan may have screwed themselves on this one. Car dealerships spend tens of thousands of dollars building community relationships and this would have been a small thing to do in what anyone would recognize as a special circumstance. The special circumstance would not have opened a floodgate of unwelcome requests.
There have also been several reports in CA over issues with dealers. Some are allowing anyone to charge, others are not so very much a confusing time for us.
Another thing that is also starting to rear its ugly head is jealousy for lack of a better term. A handful of EV'ers are getting upset that many of the chargers are being taken up by plug ins like the Chevy Volt or the PiP (Plug in Prius) Many have expressed that they feel that a Volt that is charging should be unplugged if the LEAF needs the charge and is creating a lot of bad blood.
Since all this is new, there is not a lot of "charging etiquette" to fall back on here. But its really common sense that "first come, first served" should be rule #1 so an actively charging car has just as much right to be there as any other vehicle. Just because a Volt could use gas to get to where they are going is not really the point here. The Volt was purchased to drive electric, PERIOD. The Volt has a shorter range which means is has to be plugged in more often so what is the problem? Some blame free charging but whether the person is paying for the juice or not does not change the fact that he got there first so he should be able to get his charge.
Now all of this changes dramatically if the vehicle is not actively charging. WA amongst other states are enacting fines for people who choose to park at a charging station but not charge and that is only fair. The company that paid to install the charger is expecting people to charge and pay and to park there and not charge is blocking that company's chance to earn a living. Just because a lot of fast chargers are currently free does not mean that we should start practicing good habits right away.
Finally the question of 80% verses 100% at a fast charger. Due to time constraints, my average charge time is less than 20 minutes but other EV'ers are staying longer and sometimes, MUCH longer.
The fast chargers are really only fast up to about 60-65% SOC. The speed of charging starts out fast but drops off rather quickly after you get past the halfway point. So the best practice would be to get the charge you need to get to your destination (or the next charging station) and go. This reduces the time for anyone waiting to use the charger. Or just get the 80% charge and move on. Charging to 100% from 80% can almost double the time. But the number of people charging to 100% has increased as quickly as LEAF sales over the past 2 months. I think part of it is due to lack of education for new LEAFers and their still existing range anxiety. This will be alleviated over time but maybe an informational flyer needs to be distributed to new LEAFers?
All in all, we EV'ers need to understand that the public charging support has a long way to go to become even borderline acceptable. So when charging, keep a few things in mind.
1) Don't charge unless you need it. Don't assume that because the charger is not being used when you get there that its ok. You never know who could show up 5 minutes later.
2) Don't unplug any actively charging car for ANY REASON.
3) If you are charging, make sure you are able to move your car when its done charging. Don't plug it in in the morning knowing that you will be fully charged in 3 hours and you wont be able to get out there for 8 hours. If that is the case, wait till lunch time, hope that other EV'ers are following basic etiquette and plug in then.
4) Have a way for your car to notify you when your charge is complete so you can be reminded of when you need to move your car.
5) Leave contact info or basic instructions for charging in the car so others can see it. This is especially vital if you choose to ignore rule #1 or if you do not have a time crunch. One program that uses a 1-800 # and an access code (this way you don't have to display your personal #) is the type of program that would work very well. check it out and support a fellow EV'er too!
http://mobilesquared.com/chargesticker/
All in all, if the various private and governmental agencies would have been more organized and proactive about getting the proper legislation on the books, the public charging experience could have gone much smoother but it didn't. So lets not take out our frustrations on our fellow EV'ers (even if they are only "half-stepping" it with a Volt) because we already have too many strikes against us. Working together wont solve all the issues before us by any stretch of the imagination but fighting amongst ourselves will only make it worse.
**EDIT**
I have been advised that the pregnant lady story does have two sides to it (as always). Apparently when she arrived, the charger was already being used and there were two cars waiting to charge. She was offered the L2 to charge with and was in a time crunch and declined. They also advised her of a QC just down the road and she declined?? apparently thinking there was a charge associated with using it (although often threatened, there is still not a QC in the state that is billing as of today...)
As usual, I suspect the real truth to the story probably lies somewhere in the middle.
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Sunday, May 12, 2013
Why I Have To Lease
Getting my LEAF was a long involved process, the decision to get it was not. In fact, that was the easiest part of all. Back in early 2010, I had just about been fed up with my ZENN's lead acid battery system. They were a headache to maintain, too vulnerable to deep discharges and the total lack of a ZENN BMS just made it worse. I had pretty much decided to do Lithium. Now, this was not a cheap project and at $9,000 +, would nearly double my investment into driving electric, but I saw very few choices in the near horizon.
Then Nissan announced the LEAF. I spent all of about 2 hours reading up on everything I could find online and then decided this was the car for me. I immediately shelved my Li plans (I was lucky in that if not for the shakiness of Chinese Cells and my apprehension in taking the plunge, I probably would have already done it!) and dumped in a set of deep cycle marine batteries with hopes that I could baby them long enough for my LEAF to arrive. April 20, 2010 I reserved my place in line for the LEAF!
Now, when considering the LEAF, I was working in town so my commute was insignificant. less than 12 miles roundtrip. I determined thru Google Maps that my most ambitious errand day would only be 70 miles but also at the time I was working 4-10 hour shifts and had 3 week days off so the errands could be spread out making it no more than 40 miles in a day; very manageable!
So decided on a purchase. I had to manipulate various stock options I had to insure my tax liability would be at least the $7500 the feds were offering and that was done quite easily. All this was based on a Dec 2010 delivery date that I received after my RAQ (request a quote) on August 31, 2010.
But 2010 came and went and still no LEAF. I ended up getting my LEAF Jan 18, 2011 in the very first batch of 3 delivered to WA State (there was actually 5 but the other 2 were earmarked for out of state owners) . So I became first to take a "normal" delivery of a LEAF in the state by a day over Patrick and Sam who got theirs the next day.
But the delay put in into a bit of a quandary. I no longer had the option to manipulate my tax liability again to get the full $7500. So I decided to lease and investigate a buyout later. (Besides, due to lack of "proper" income, I was unable to get a decent loan rate from them despite the offer to put 50% down!) So, I leased and to reduce my buyout amount, I put down $10,000 reducing my monthly payments (and rental fees!) to $162 a month.
It wasn't until a year after delivery that I realized that buying my LEAF would have been a mistake. I live at the very southern tip of Puget Sound which makes my driving distance needs much greater than one more centrally located. I slowly began to realize that I really needed 110 miles of good freeway range for three reasons.
1) degradation; I live in one of the best areas for EV battery health, but batteries degrade no matter how well they are treated. Two things degrade them in perfect conditions and that is time and cycling. My LEAF's new range was more than enough but after 33,000 miles, I realized that my LEAF would start losing its ability to cover my transportation needs in just a few more years.
2)Weather; It did not snow this year in Olympia. Ya, that's right, not a single significant snowfall this winter. So, it does not get real cold but it does get cold enough. My 2011 did not have the CWP (cold weather package) of the 2012's or the heat exchanger of the 2013's. So it was freeze or get a heated coat, or etc. But that only covered half the problem. Winter range degradation also involves cold batteries simply unable to take on as much charge as they can in Summer and cold air is denser so the car has to work harder to move and rain.
3) Need; Here, it rains a lot. water on the roads increases rolling resistance which also reduces range. So between the two, I figured I will be having issues making my basic commute next winter. Now, I also have changed jobs and that is a 55 mile commute. In the worst of Winter I am barely making that trip and its usually at 55 mph (or less) and no heat. But that is only part of the story. With the addition of the Fife QC station, I am able to use my car more often for work where I am reimbursed mileage. This has turned out to be a bit of a godsend. My average cost per mile is running right at 2.5 cents per mile and mileage reimbursement is tax free allowing me to bank nearly everything. Even a conservative estimate puts my "cash in pocket" at over $300 a month. It would be higher but I do have a mileage limitation for a lease I have to consider. Before I was on pace to only use about 38,000 of my 45,000 mile lease. But at the current rate I am going, I will run out of mileage allowance by Sept/Oct so will be incorporating the gas car for selective trips here and there.
Another note; Steve Marsh has put 76,000 miles on his LEAF in 2 years and I lent him my SOC meter so he could record his degradation and the first measurement came to 231 GID which works out to an 18% loss in what would be covered in 5-6 years normally. That might be workable but for three things.
1) my tax liability wont allow me to recover the entire $7500
2) Lease terms right now are simply too wonderful to pass up
3) And finally, there is no 110 mile EV on the horizon. Now, the RAV 4 EV does not count because it does not have chademo, so no QC, no sale!
**Note about my down payment on my lease. Putting down more than you are required to pay can be a risk especially with NMAC's somewhat shady business practices so make sure you verify with your insurance company what their payout process is if an accident happens and force them to research it before giving you an answer. the LEAF lease is apparently different (I don't have experience with any other leases so don't know for sure) than a normal lease.
When I did my lease, I was unable to get a good rate on lease or purchase due to my income level (my credit rating was about 830 at the time I think and I even offered up to a 50% down payment but they still would not lower the terms...) so a rough calculation of $8900 down reduced my total cost of loan to the best rates offered at the time. I had put the down payment before checking into the exact policy but was lucky enough that my insurance company did pay out replacement value whether it was a lease or purchase, so my down payment was not at risk. THIS IS NOT the case with all insurance policies.
Also, if you do get into an accident and you do get some money from your insurance company, make sure you call NMAC to check on the details of the pay out. You might get a financial surprise of the good kind!
Then Nissan announced the LEAF. I spent all of about 2 hours reading up on everything I could find online and then decided this was the car for me. I immediately shelved my Li plans (I was lucky in that if not for the shakiness of Chinese Cells and my apprehension in taking the plunge, I probably would have already done it!) and dumped in a set of deep cycle marine batteries with hopes that I could baby them long enough for my LEAF to arrive. April 20, 2010 I reserved my place in line for the LEAF!
Now, when considering the LEAF, I was working in town so my commute was insignificant. less than 12 miles roundtrip. I determined thru Google Maps that my most ambitious errand day would only be 70 miles but also at the time I was working 4-10 hour shifts and had 3 week days off so the errands could be spread out making it no more than 40 miles in a day; very manageable!
So decided on a purchase. I had to manipulate various stock options I had to insure my tax liability would be at least the $7500 the feds were offering and that was done quite easily. All this was based on a Dec 2010 delivery date that I received after my RAQ (request a quote) on August 31, 2010.
But 2010 came and went and still no LEAF. I ended up getting my LEAF Jan 18, 2011 in the very first batch of 3 delivered to WA State (there was actually 5 but the other 2 were earmarked for out of state owners) . So I became first to take a "normal" delivery of a LEAF in the state by a day over Patrick and Sam who got theirs the next day.
But the delay put in into a bit of a quandary. I no longer had the option to manipulate my tax liability again to get the full $7500. So I decided to lease and investigate a buyout later. (Besides, due to lack of "proper" income, I was unable to get a decent loan rate from them despite the offer to put 50% down!) So, I leased and to reduce my buyout amount, I put down $10,000 reducing my monthly payments (and rental fees!) to $162 a month.
It wasn't until a year after delivery that I realized that buying my LEAF would have been a mistake. I live at the very southern tip of Puget Sound which makes my driving distance needs much greater than one more centrally located. I slowly began to realize that I really needed 110 miles of good freeway range for three reasons.
1) degradation; I live in one of the best areas for EV battery health, but batteries degrade no matter how well they are treated. Two things degrade them in perfect conditions and that is time and cycling. My LEAF's new range was more than enough but after 33,000 miles, I realized that my LEAF would start losing its ability to cover my transportation needs in just a few more years.
2)Weather; It did not snow this year in Olympia. Ya, that's right, not a single significant snowfall this winter. So, it does not get real cold but it does get cold enough. My 2011 did not have the CWP (cold weather package) of the 2012's or the heat exchanger of the 2013's. So it was freeze or get a heated coat, or etc. But that only covered half the problem. Winter range degradation also involves cold batteries simply unable to take on as much charge as they can in Summer and cold air is denser so the car has to work harder to move and rain.
3) Need; Here, it rains a lot. water on the roads increases rolling resistance which also reduces range. So between the two, I figured I will be having issues making my basic commute next winter. Now, I also have changed jobs and that is a 55 mile commute. In the worst of Winter I am barely making that trip and its usually at 55 mph (or less) and no heat. But that is only part of the story. With the addition of the Fife QC station, I am able to use my car more often for work where I am reimbursed mileage. This has turned out to be a bit of a godsend. My average cost per mile is running right at 2.5 cents per mile and mileage reimbursement is tax free allowing me to bank nearly everything. Even a conservative estimate puts my "cash in pocket" at over $300 a month. It would be higher but I do have a mileage limitation for a lease I have to consider. Before I was on pace to only use about 38,000 of my 45,000 mile lease. But at the current rate I am going, I will run out of mileage allowance by Sept/Oct so will be incorporating the gas car for selective trips here and there.
Another note; Steve Marsh has put 76,000 miles on his LEAF in 2 years and I lent him my SOC meter so he could record his degradation and the first measurement came to 231 GID which works out to an 18% loss in what would be covered in 5-6 years normally. That might be workable but for three things.
1) my tax liability wont allow me to recover the entire $7500
2) Lease terms right now are simply too wonderful to pass up
3) And finally, there is no 110 mile EV on the horizon. Now, the RAV 4 EV does not count because it does not have chademo, so no QC, no sale!
**Note about my down payment on my lease. Putting down more than you are required to pay can be a risk especially with NMAC's somewhat shady business practices so make sure you verify with your insurance company what their payout process is if an accident happens and force them to research it before giving you an answer. the LEAF lease is apparently different (I don't have experience with any other leases so don't know for sure) than a normal lease.
When I did my lease, I was unable to get a good rate on lease or purchase due to my income level (my credit rating was about 830 at the time I think and I even offered up to a 50% down payment but they still would not lower the terms...) so a rough calculation of $8900 down reduced my total cost of loan to the best rates offered at the time. I had put the down payment before checking into the exact policy but was lucky enough that my insurance company did pay out replacement value whether it was a lease or purchase, so my down payment was not at risk. THIS IS NOT the case with all insurance policies.
Also, if you do get into an accident and you do get some money from your insurance company, make sure you call NMAC to check on the details of the pay out. You might get a financial surprise of the good kind!
Sunday, May 5, 2013
Are You An Optimist Or A Pessimist?
Saturday, May 4th, 2013 in Lacey, WA was a near perfect day to have a gathering of EV enthusiasts and "green" thinkers and that is exactly what happened with the 16th Annual Lacey Alternative Fuel Fair and Electric Car Rally held in Huntamer Park. A sunny day hitting 80º helped to attract one of the larger crowds in my memory and since this was my 9th time here, I have a lot of memories! (mostly of cold, windy, drizzly days!)
Most of the plug ins were there including the rare Ford Focus EV and the slightly more common C-Max and Fusion Energi's. All three were making their first appearance at the annual event.
As always I had the opportunity to talk with several people who were anywhere from killing time to being within a few weeks of a purchase decision. Now, this is where my role gets a bit tricky. The people I talked with could be loosely categorized into three groups; non-believers, pessimists, and optimists. We will skip the non-believers simply because they won't convert until a close friend, neighbor or family member does it first.
Now the Optimists can also be categorized as "selective believers" having read the LEAF gets 100 miles on a charge and they are thinking about getting the LEAF for their 90 mile commute especially after being reinforced that it will work because a salesman had reassured them and off the wall stuff like that. Unfortunately, about half of them had unrealistic expectations and as much as it pained me to do it, I had to show them all the ways the LEAF would not work for them because one unhappy owner can poison the well for his entire community.
But, all was not lost. It was the perfect opportunity to pitch the RAV 4 EV, the unfairness of "Compliance Cars", effective grass roots campaigning methods (wish I knew a few of them!) and the utter lack of affordable EV options (Lets face facts. It will be 3 years when I turn in my LEAF next Jan and my options to replace it?? well, its LEAF and uh?.... see what I mean!) WA needs to take California's lead on this and mandate the same. Do we have to wait until we can see colors in the air we breathe before we decide its time to take action?
Then we have the Pessimists (AKA fence sitters) who are interested in EVs, mostly drive Priuses and must be able to mathematically justify the purchase but tend to cherry pick reasons why it would not work for them. In this arena, I had probably a half dozen that walked away smug in their beliefs that they were right and I was not but also had several who now had a LOT more things to think about. Cant say that they were headed to the dealership to pull the trigger, but pretty sure I got a few to release the safety...
It is this group that really is my main purpose for being at the fair every year come rain or shine. I always start out with a tagline they have already heard which brings them in, then I shoot down that tagline with an explanation. Now, we have all heard the "$1999 down, 199 a month" but I tell them, get one with QC and pay the $230 with a map of the DCFCs for WA and OR in hand. Hard to shoot me down when I am armed with that much ammo!
Also long term degradation myths had to be dispelled. I have QC'd as much as 4 times a day. put over 100 miles on my LEAF at least 1-2 times a week and so on and I have seen 5% loss in my LEAF and Steve Marsh (who did pass 75,000 miles last week and will be borrowing my SOC meter to check his level on his 2nd anniversary May 15th) thinks he has lost 15% but still has all his CBs. (battery Capacity Bars) Too bad I did not think to have him check a bit earlier to have hard #'s (well as hard as you can get using Nissan's measuring tools!) to present at the Fair but oh well.
They might have gone from medium interest to very strong interest. After all, its easy to find a way that works for one since there are really a lot of good things about EVs but we already knew that right!
I also met up with someone who had talked to me last year. He ended up getting a LEAF and a Volt. He did say he almost wished he had gotten 2 LEAFs and admitted I was right in that it would have worked for him. He also mentioned the gasser had only been used once in the last 6 months and the Volt never uses gas due to Wife's 20 mile RT commute. (since he got the Volt, not sure why he still has the gas car!)
Finally, a father/son came by to say hi. The father "Glen" is not a Facebooker but was familiar with my blog and had a few questions about some of the topics discussed so I was pretty pleased about that. Both had leased and got great deals (after going out of the area) and both had concerns about the lack of support in their area. Glen lives in Grays Harbor County which is basically a well traveled area because it lies between Puget Sound and the WA Coast. He lamented about his inability to get to Westport (a major launching point for deepsea fishing) or Ocean Shores (major beach area) and back on a single charge (there is virtually no public charging of any kind there) which really reinforces the idea that WA needs to step in to provide the stations as a way to support tourism. The two mentioned areas are VERY prone to fluctuations in our economy due to their high reliance on tourist dollars and the all but gone wood products industry. The recent housing boom has actually created a few jobs as abandoned saw mills are coming back online to handle the increased demand for building supplies but that is most likely temporary and probably only good for a few years.
All in all, a great day for being outside and enjoying what WA has to offer which really reinforces the value of preserving the environment. Summer and Fair season is upon us and we must continue to be the informational conduit for the next wave of EV owners. I think we are now finally past the "bleeding edge" adopters and are now seeing the "Pioneers" which are not mainstream by any means but will be essential in getting the support that EVs need. After all, sales is just the beginning. Sustaining the value of EVs after they come home will be another challenge!
Most of the plug ins were there including the rare Ford Focus EV and the slightly more common C-Max and Fusion Energi's. All three were making their first appearance at the annual event.
As always I had the opportunity to talk with several people who were anywhere from killing time to being within a few weeks of a purchase decision. Now, this is where my role gets a bit tricky. The people I talked with could be loosely categorized into three groups; non-believers, pessimists, and optimists. We will skip the non-believers simply because they won't convert until a close friend, neighbor or family member does it first.
Now the Optimists can also be categorized as "selective believers" having read the LEAF gets 100 miles on a charge and they are thinking about getting the LEAF for their 90 mile commute especially after being reinforced that it will work because a salesman had reassured them and off the wall stuff like that. Unfortunately, about half of them had unrealistic expectations and as much as it pained me to do it, I had to show them all the ways the LEAF would not work for them because one unhappy owner can poison the well for his entire community.
But, all was not lost. It was the perfect opportunity to pitch the RAV 4 EV, the unfairness of "Compliance Cars", effective grass roots campaigning methods (wish I knew a few of them!) and the utter lack of affordable EV options (Lets face facts. It will be 3 years when I turn in my LEAF next Jan and my options to replace it?? well, its LEAF and uh?.... see what I mean!) WA needs to take California's lead on this and mandate the same. Do we have to wait until we can see colors in the air we breathe before we decide its time to take action?
Then we have the Pessimists (AKA fence sitters) who are interested in EVs, mostly drive Priuses and must be able to mathematically justify the purchase but tend to cherry pick reasons why it would not work for them. In this arena, I had probably a half dozen that walked away smug in their beliefs that they were right and I was not but also had several who now had a LOT more things to think about. Cant say that they were headed to the dealership to pull the trigger, but pretty sure I got a few to release the safety...
It is this group that really is my main purpose for being at the fair every year come rain or shine. I always start out with a tagline they have already heard which brings them in, then I shoot down that tagline with an explanation. Now, we have all heard the "$1999 down, 199 a month" but I tell them, get one with QC and pay the $230 with a map of the DCFCs for WA and OR in hand. Hard to shoot me down when I am armed with that much ammo!
Also long term degradation myths had to be dispelled. I have QC'd as much as 4 times a day. put over 100 miles on my LEAF at least 1-2 times a week and so on and I have seen 5% loss in my LEAF and Steve Marsh (who did pass 75,000 miles last week and will be borrowing my SOC meter to check his level on his 2nd anniversary May 15th) thinks he has lost 15% but still has all his CBs. (battery Capacity Bars) Too bad I did not think to have him check a bit earlier to have hard #'s (well as hard as you can get using Nissan's measuring tools!) to present at the Fair but oh well.
They might have gone from medium interest to very strong interest. After all, its easy to find a way that works for one since there are really a lot of good things about EVs but we already knew that right!
I also met up with someone who had talked to me last year. He ended up getting a LEAF and a Volt. He did say he almost wished he had gotten 2 LEAFs and admitted I was right in that it would have worked for him. He also mentioned the gasser had only been used once in the last 6 months and the Volt never uses gas due to Wife's 20 mile RT commute. (since he got the Volt, not sure why he still has the gas car!)
Finally, a father/son came by to say hi. The father "Glen" is not a Facebooker but was familiar with my blog and had a few questions about some of the topics discussed so I was pretty pleased about that. Both had leased and got great deals (after going out of the area) and both had concerns about the lack of support in their area. Glen lives in Grays Harbor County which is basically a well traveled area because it lies between Puget Sound and the WA Coast. He lamented about his inability to get to Westport (a major launching point for deepsea fishing) or Ocean Shores (major beach area) and back on a single charge (there is virtually no public charging of any kind there) which really reinforces the idea that WA needs to step in to provide the stations as a way to support tourism. The two mentioned areas are VERY prone to fluctuations in our economy due to their high reliance on tourist dollars and the all but gone wood products industry. The recent housing boom has actually created a few jobs as abandoned saw mills are coming back online to handle the increased demand for building supplies but that is most likely temporary and probably only good for a few years.
All in all, a great day for being outside and enjoying what WA has to offer which really reinforces the value of preserving the environment. Summer and Fair season is upon us and we must continue to be the informational conduit for the next wave of EV owners. I think we are now finally past the "bleeding edge" adopters and are now seeing the "Pioneers" which are not mainstream by any means but will be essential in getting the support that EVs need. After all, sales is just the beginning. Sustaining the value of EVs after they come home will be another challenge!
Wednesday, May 1, 2013
Charging Quirks
For the past few days, I have had to charge away from home so no 240 volt/ 12 amp, nestled in a semi-warm garage environment. It has been outside in the cold, 120 volt trickle charging for me.
Now before the past 2 days, my charges have been showing what I would consider to be inflated GID values.
GID counts at 240 volt charging has run between 274 and 280 (twice) with two 273's over the past few months. After 32,000 + miles, I always found that hard to believe and I have always thought the GID count to be an approximation anyway. Changes in tires has made a true evaluation of degradation by range testing impossible.
But GID count on 120 has been 270, 269 which in itself, I think means very little except that the last time it was that low was back in Nov right after we had moved and I was charging at 120 for a week (also had space issues due to move and 120 was the only thing that would reach) and then went back to 240 and had GID counts in the 265-270 range for a week before jumping back up into the 275 range.
All this has brought up questions. Is 120 so slow that it is not finishing its initial charge soon enough to enable a rebalance charge? both days, the charge completed at 7 AM but didn't go anywhere yesterday until 11 AM so seems like it would have had plenty of time.
Or is 240 charging at a faster rate and overshooting the BMS allowing a slightly higher finishing point?
Or is it the cold that is reducing the capacity of the battery?
**edit 5/6/2013**
The GID count continues to drop reaching 263 this morning. Now, don't know if this matters but weather has been unseasonably warm. In fact, at 84º yesterday, it does not fit into any season (August, our hottest month has average highs only reaching 78º) Either way, I will be continuing the 120 volt charging for a while to see if GIDs go any lower or change when the weather gets back to normal
Now before the past 2 days, my charges have been showing what I would consider to be inflated GID values.
GID counts at 240 volt charging has run between 274 and 280 (twice) with two 273's over the past few months. After 32,000 + miles, I always found that hard to believe and I have always thought the GID count to be an approximation anyway. Changes in tires has made a true evaluation of degradation by range testing impossible.
But GID count on 120 has been 270, 269 which in itself, I think means very little except that the last time it was that low was back in Nov right after we had moved and I was charging at 120 for a week (also had space issues due to move and 120 was the only thing that would reach) and then went back to 240 and had GID counts in the 265-270 range for a week before jumping back up into the 275 range.
All this has brought up questions. Is 120 so slow that it is not finishing its initial charge soon enough to enable a rebalance charge? both days, the charge completed at 7 AM but didn't go anywhere yesterday until 11 AM so seems like it would have had plenty of time.
Or is 240 charging at a faster rate and overshooting the BMS allowing a slightly higher finishing point?
Or is it the cold that is reducing the capacity of the battery?
**edit 5/6/2013**
The GID count continues to drop reaching 263 this morning. Now, don't know if this matters but weather has been unseasonably warm. In fact, at 84º yesterday, it does not fit into any season (August, our hottest month has average highs only reaching 78º) Either way, I will be continuing the 120 volt charging for a while to see if GIDs go any lower or change when the weather gets back to normal
Monday, April 29, 2013
Compliance Cars, WA Need Them Too!
For years, California has lead the nation in several different areas, mostly in all things green. Pollution standards for cars being a chief factor. Several states have simply matched emission and warranty levels established by CA and that includes Washington. The practice has become so common that the term "CA Emission Standard" needs no explanation.
My question to WA, is why stop there? Lets take it a step farther and adopt their "EV Compliance Car" regs as well! Right now, to get a RAV 4 EV, a WA resident can only do so at great risk to themselves. They run a risk of not getting the correct service or not finding a qualified service station to perform any maintenance.
Now, EVs have a reputation of not breaking down which is the reason a handful are taking the chance anyway, but why does it have to be that way? CA may have the power as the reputed 8th largest economy in the World but the WA auto economy is more than large enough that WA can force Toyota to market and support the car here. Same with any other compliance car.
Lets face it, the RAV 4 EV is not available in WA because WE simply choose to not bring it here? Is that right? because that is how I see it!
My question to WA, is why stop there? Lets take it a step farther and adopt their "EV Compliance Car" regs as well! Right now, to get a RAV 4 EV, a WA resident can only do so at great risk to themselves. They run a risk of not getting the correct service or not finding a qualified service station to perform any maintenance.
Now, EVs have a reputation of not breaking down which is the reason a handful are taking the chance anyway, but why does it have to be that way? CA may have the power as the reputed 8th largest economy in the World but the WA auto economy is more than large enough that WA can force Toyota to market and support the car here. Same with any other compliance car.
Lets face it, the RAV 4 EV is not available in WA because WE simply choose to not bring it here? Is that right? because that is how I see it!
Thursday, April 25, 2013
How To Make A Dollar In the EV Charging Industry
Ok, so the title might be a bit misleading, but on my post about a State-sponsored fee-based quick charge network, I solicited responses on reader thoughts. Got some great suggestions and questions came up and some require a pretty lengthy response which has filled up a few pages on Facebook so thought I would repeat some of that information here.
1) Why should we pay an annual subscription plus a charging fee?
2) What about non-profits like "Adopt A Charger" ?
3) Why do I think the State is the best option to run these chargers since they screw up on these kinds of things all the time?
1) Why should we pay an annual subscription plus a charging fee?
First of all, this network wont cost that much to install. On state property so the land is already paid for in a sense. They will be installed on existing sites and will have some traffic already from state workers coming and going about their business so a small level of security will be in place and because many will be on DOT sites, most already have easy highway access. But the ongoing costs will need to be partially funded to get past the legislature and there needs to be some way to pay for expansion and future upgrades. The subscription fees will only pay a portion of installation, maintenance and upkeep. But the per session fees should be earmarked for a portion of the expansion costs. This prevents an "open ended" expense report and allows expansion based on demand.
Now getting money from the State is not an easy thing to do especially if the benefits are not easy to quantify and EV charging really isn't. Yes, it will help WA tremendously but how much? Maybe looking at our neighbors would help. In a Green Car Reports article by Antony Ingram about the revenues attributed to EV adoption in Oregon
Finally, fees for charging helps with a bit of exclusivity. Remember part of the network like along I-5 will be side by side with free chargers (for now...) . Paying a fee will hopefully mean a better chance of being able to charge right away instead of waiting for the 1-2 ahead of you at the free stations. Also many will choose not to subscribe or at least not participate robustly. There was an incident in Vacaville CA where an RV was literally camping at the charging station for weeks there plugged in sucking up free juice 24/7 until the city finally got around to passing ordinances to stop it. Lets not be subject to that kind of stuff. Remember, WA does have cheapskates like me and I am pretty sure the temptation would be too great for me to resist.
2) What about non-profits like "Adopt A Charger" ?
Hey, the more the merrier and Jack Anderson has a great project going installing high capacity AC L2's capable of providing up to 80 KW but for me and my lowly 3.8 KW charger, it is of limited help. They are a lot cheaper than Chademo and Jack says they are more reliable than DCFCs (which aint saying a lot...) Also he is in Douglas County which as we all know is famous for being just this side of "giving it away" (they reputedly have the lowest electricity rates in the country) This project is great because like Gray's Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, it covers areas that business interests will ignore due to insufficient traffic levels but still provides access to places we do want to see! So for destination charging, it will be appreciated. If you are interested in supporting this idea and having a great time doing it. Sign up for the EV Wine tour!
3) Why do I think the State is the best option to run these chargers since they screw up on these kinds of things all the time?
The biggest reason is because the State will benefit a lot more than we will.
One key point is simply familiarity which hopefully means "learning from past mistakes" in that the State already runs several programs using the same model I suggested. Like the Ferries, Bridge Tolls or even the Fishing and Game Depts; several levels of access controlled by regions would allow the user to pick what suits them best. This gives the user more of a sense of "value" and control.
One scenario (used for clarification only. Probably a ton of better ways to do it I am not aware of ) is access by zones. Say its $50 per zone annual fee and you could pick any combination of zones. Naturally there would also be limited time passes available if a single trip outside your zone is planned or for out of state tourists.
Zone 1 would cover I-5
Zone 2 covers I-90, Highway 2 and the area Between Puget Sound and the Cascades
Zone 3 covers the Olympic Peninsula
Zone 4 covers the Coast including SW WA and Greys Harbor
Zone 5 Cascades going East
Zone 6 Eastern WA.
Get more than 2 zones, get a discount and so on.
But the main reason why the State should do it is because driving EV is right on so many levels but mostly indirectly. "Collateral benefits" is something a for profit business cannot survive on but the State can. The State lives on people within its boundaries spending money. Whether we spend it on gas or we spend it on electricity, a dollar is still a dollar but how much of that "gas dollar" will stay in the state to be re spent verses an "electrical dollar?" I don t have any proof of this but guessing revenue from buying something produced in state will go farther than having to pay for something that has to be imported from out of state.
Now the actual cash transactions from buying electricity is not what the State will thrive on. Its the money spent on local businesses that was NOT spent on imported oil based products. Hey, maybe there is a buck to be made after all!
1) Why should we pay an annual subscription plus a charging fee?
2) What about non-profits like "Adopt A Charger" ?
3) Why do I think the State is the best option to run these chargers since they screw up on these kinds of things all the time?
1) Why should we pay an annual subscription plus a charging fee?
First of all, this network wont cost that much to install. On state property so the land is already paid for in a sense. They will be installed on existing sites and will have some traffic already from state workers coming and going about their business so a small level of security will be in place and because many will be on DOT sites, most already have easy highway access. But the ongoing costs will need to be partially funded to get past the legislature and there needs to be some way to pay for expansion and future upgrades. The subscription fees will only pay a portion of installation, maintenance and upkeep. But the per session fees should be earmarked for a portion of the expansion costs. This prevents an "open ended" expense report and allows expansion based on demand.
Now getting money from the State is not an easy thing to do especially if the benefits are not easy to quantify and EV charging really isn't. Yes, it will help WA tremendously but how much? Maybe looking at our neighbors would help. In a Green Car Reports article by Antony Ingram about the revenues attributed to EV adoption in Oregon
The state has the most charging stations per capita of anywhere in the country, with around 800 total charging stations. That's more than enough for the state's 2,500 registered electric vehicles, and it's good for the economy too. Oregon's electric vehicle industry is responsible for more than 1,600 jobs, over $260 million in economic activity and over $22 million annually in federal taxes.Naturally no info on how those numbers came about but WA could encourage tourism and spending in depressed areas of the state like Grays Harbor for example by just putting in a few more charging stations in the area. Even if just passing thru, people will be there for 30 minutes getting a boost which could allow a local store or restaurant to get business that gas powered cars would simply drive by.
Finally, fees for charging helps with a bit of exclusivity. Remember part of the network like along I-5 will be side by side with free chargers (for now...) . Paying a fee will hopefully mean a better chance of being able to charge right away instead of waiting for the 1-2 ahead of you at the free stations. Also many will choose not to subscribe or at least not participate robustly. There was an incident in Vacaville CA where an RV was literally camping at the charging station for weeks there plugged in sucking up free juice 24/7 until the city finally got around to passing ordinances to stop it. Lets not be subject to that kind of stuff. Remember, WA does have cheapskates like me and I am pretty sure the temptation would be too great for me to resist.
2) What about non-profits like "Adopt A Charger" ?
Hey, the more the merrier and Jack Anderson has a great project going installing high capacity AC L2's capable of providing up to 80 KW but for me and my lowly 3.8 KW charger, it is of limited help. They are a lot cheaper than Chademo and Jack says they are more reliable than DCFCs (which aint saying a lot...) Also he is in Douglas County which as we all know is famous for being just this side of "giving it away" (they reputedly have the lowest electricity rates in the country) This project is great because like Gray's Harbor and the Olympic Peninsula, it covers areas that business interests will ignore due to insufficient traffic levels but still provides access to places we do want to see! So for destination charging, it will be appreciated. If you are interested in supporting this idea and having a great time doing it. Sign up for the EV Wine tour!
3) Why do I think the State is the best option to run these chargers since they screw up on these kinds of things all the time?
The biggest reason is because the State will benefit a lot more than we will.
One key point is simply familiarity which hopefully means "learning from past mistakes" in that the State already runs several programs using the same model I suggested. Like the Ferries, Bridge Tolls or even the Fishing and Game Depts; several levels of access controlled by regions would allow the user to pick what suits them best. This gives the user more of a sense of "value" and control.
One scenario (used for clarification only. Probably a ton of better ways to do it I am not aware of ) is access by zones. Say its $50 per zone annual fee and you could pick any combination of zones. Naturally there would also be limited time passes available if a single trip outside your zone is planned or for out of state tourists.
Zone 1 would cover I-5
Zone 2 covers I-90, Highway 2 and the area Between Puget Sound and the Cascades
Zone 3 covers the Olympic Peninsula
Zone 4 covers the Coast including SW WA and Greys Harbor
Zone 5 Cascades going East
Zone 6 Eastern WA.
Get more than 2 zones, get a discount and so on.
But the main reason why the State should do it is because driving EV is right on so many levels but mostly indirectly. "Collateral benefits" is something a for profit business cannot survive on but the State can. The State lives on people within its boundaries spending money. Whether we spend it on gas or we spend it on electricity, a dollar is still a dollar but how much of that "gas dollar" will stay in the state to be re spent verses an "electrical dollar?" I don t have any proof of this but guessing revenue from buying something produced in state will go farther than having to pay for something that has to be imported from out of state.
Now the actual cash transactions from buying electricity is not what the State will thrive on. Its the money spent on local businesses that was NOT spent on imported oil based products. Hey, maybe there is a buck to be made after all!
Sunday, April 21, 2013
EV Range Anxiety; Addressing the "5%" And User Supported Fast Charging
To spur 2012 LEAF sales some dealers were offering the "One to One" program which allowed a number of free car rentals for any LEAFer who might need to take an out of town trip. This was done to remove the anxiety concerning that annual trip to Grandma's house in a neighboring state.
Reaction to the program was excellent but it suffered because it was only offered at the dealer level and applied inconsistently which only caused confusion among the LEAF constituency. Nissan is investigating a way to offer this program at the Corporate level to equalize the benefit across the country and eliminate the confusion. Hopefully that will happen soon.
Until then another way of addressing the 5% is the availability of quick charging. WA has once again committed to putting money towards installing more quick charge stations which allows more miles to be EV instead of oil-based. But with an estimated 2500+ EVs now tooling the Puget Sound region the 20 some stations will be very hard pressed to service the growing demand to leave the gasser at home.
So the state is contributing, (West Coast Green Highway Project) the Feds are contributing, (EV Highway Project) and Nissan is contributing. ( Planned 500 Quick Charge Stations installed at Dealerships Nationwide) Now, I am kinda feeling left out here.
I want to contribute. Ok, so I will be paying an additional $100 for my plate renewal but that is supposed to replace lost gas tax revenue so not really adding anything to the mix here. Now I know what you are saying..."Hey! is this the same cheapskate Dave who will drive 5 miles out of his way just to get free juice?"
Ya, I am the same cheapskate Dave so you know I have an agenda. Since April 1st, I have exceeded 100 miles in a day 6 times. 5 in the LEAF and unfortunately once in the Yaris. Of the 6 days, the Yaris was the shortest at 105 miles. I also had days of 140 and 142 miles in the LEAF! but the Yaris day was done simply because there was not a convenient charging option for me and that really really really SUCKS!!
So, ya I have an agenda. If I can do 142 miles in a LEAF, there is no reason why I should have to settle for a measly 105 miles in a gasser! But the rollout of DCFCs is slow. Too slow and its due to too many regulations, not enough money and not enough push at the Capital. We can change that!
Now a privately funded DCFC network would be nice but there is a major logistical hurdle...actually a lot of them! But the interest is there. Tony in San Diego, a major EV owner/advocate actually attempted to build a private network and did manage to collect over $20,000 towards that end. Now, the venture failed but only due to possible liability and maintenance issues. But the money he raised definitely shows that the interest is there!
But there is still the legal ramifications but what about a state sponsored, partially funded public program? Do it like the State Parks System, The Ferries or Toll Bridges?
All the above mentioned programs are not fully supported by fees and tolls but because they provide a vital roll to the WA's economy, the State does provide financial support and I think a charging network could work the same way.
What I envision is option to pay an annual fee of say $250 that allows access to state fleet charging stations. A modest fee would be required for use but the annual fee would be high enough to prevent overcrowding of the stations and as the network grows more users could be added. Further down the road when all the WCGH stations become pay models there could be tiered subscriptions like $100 for the WCGH stations and $250 for all the stations and so on.
Now this model wont pay for itself either but the conversion of gas-powered miles to electric is a HUGE HUGE HUGE benefit to a state that does not produce a single drop of oil but has more electricity than it can use despite hosting the most power hungry industries in the World.
We have Aluminum refineries and Internet Server Farms up the Wazoo (was gonna say "Ying Yang" but decided to keep it local!) both well known as "champion juice suckers" and we still have a ton of electricity leftover that we sell to states like CA at bargain basement prices. By better utilizing our natural resources, we benefit the state as a whole making EV support a worthy investment for the State.
Now, I need feedback here. Would a program like this interest you as an EV driver? If so, what is a reasonable yearly fee for access? If not, why not? If you think the existing "planned" quick charge network is ok, say so. Or if you are in the camp that thinks quick charge is as overrated as it is overpriced!
Reaction to the program was excellent but it suffered because it was only offered at the dealer level and applied inconsistently which only caused confusion among the LEAF constituency. Nissan is investigating a way to offer this program at the Corporate level to equalize the benefit across the country and eliminate the confusion. Hopefully that will happen soon.
Until then another way of addressing the 5% is the availability of quick charging. WA has once again committed to putting money towards installing more quick charge stations which allows more miles to be EV instead of oil-based. But with an estimated 2500+ EVs now tooling the Puget Sound region the 20 some stations will be very hard pressed to service the growing demand to leave the gasser at home.
So the state is contributing, (West Coast Green Highway Project) the Feds are contributing, (EV Highway Project) and Nissan is contributing. ( Planned 500 Quick Charge Stations installed at Dealerships Nationwide) Now, I am kinda feeling left out here.
I want to contribute. Ok, so I will be paying an additional $100 for my plate renewal but that is supposed to replace lost gas tax revenue so not really adding anything to the mix here. Now I know what you are saying..."Hey! is this the same cheapskate Dave who will drive 5 miles out of his way just to get free juice?"
Ya, I am the same cheapskate Dave so you know I have an agenda. Since April 1st, I have exceeded 100 miles in a day 6 times. 5 in the LEAF and unfortunately once in the Yaris. Of the 6 days, the Yaris was the shortest at 105 miles. I also had days of 140 and 142 miles in the LEAF! but the Yaris day was done simply because there was not a convenient charging option for me and that really really really SUCKS!!
So, ya I have an agenda. If I can do 142 miles in a LEAF, there is no reason why I should have to settle for a measly 105 miles in a gasser! But the rollout of DCFCs is slow. Too slow and its due to too many regulations, not enough money and not enough push at the Capital. We can change that!
Now a privately funded DCFC network would be nice but there is a major logistical hurdle...actually a lot of them! But the interest is there. Tony in San Diego, a major EV owner/advocate actually attempted to build a private network and did manage to collect over $20,000 towards that end. Now, the venture failed but only due to possible liability and maintenance issues. But the money he raised definitely shows that the interest is there!
But there is still the legal ramifications but what about a state sponsored, partially funded public program? Do it like the State Parks System, The Ferries or Toll Bridges?
All the above mentioned programs are not fully supported by fees and tolls but because they provide a vital roll to the WA's economy, the State does provide financial support and I think a charging network could work the same way.
What I envision is option to pay an annual fee of say $250 that allows access to state fleet charging stations. A modest fee would be required for use but the annual fee would be high enough to prevent overcrowding of the stations and as the network grows more users could be added. Further down the road when all the WCGH stations become pay models there could be tiered subscriptions like $100 for the WCGH stations and $250 for all the stations and so on.
Now this model wont pay for itself either but the conversion of gas-powered miles to electric is a HUGE HUGE HUGE benefit to a state that does not produce a single drop of oil but has more electricity than it can use despite hosting the most power hungry industries in the World.
We have Aluminum refineries and Internet Server Farms up the Wazoo (was gonna say "Ying Yang" but decided to keep it local!) both well known as "champion juice suckers" and we still have a ton of electricity leftover that we sell to states like CA at bargain basement prices. By better utilizing our natural resources, we benefit the state as a whole making EV support a worthy investment for the State.
Now, I need feedback here. Would a program like this interest you as an EV driver? If so, what is a reasonable yearly fee for access? If not, why not? If you think the existing "planned" quick charge network is ok, say so. Or if you are in the camp that thinks quick charge is as overrated as it is overpriced!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)