How is 'to generate foot traffic' different from 'to sell cars'...?
AlanSqB said:After reading these, I realize we're pretty lucky where I'm at. Not only does Tynan's Nissan have chargers at their dealership, they also paid to put a L3 and two L2 stations at our local mall. Those chargers are rarely busy, so I've been "filling-up" for "free" pretty regularly. The dealer stations are often ICE'd with new vehicles at both of their locations, Fort Collins and Aurora, but they always rush to move them when I show up with the Leaf.
They even bring me out a bottle of water and stick around to chat about the car. I did go to the Aurora store one morning to find the L3 out of service, but by noon the service dept let me know it was fixed so I went right back over.
I have heard that the other dealerships in my area are not as friendly to the Leaf but I haven't been to any of those yet.
I beg to differ. Dealers with QC charging clearly don't intend them to be used merely by service customers - L2 would serve that purpose.EVDRIVER said:I wish people would stop relying on dealers to charge other then when they need service, this should not be their role any more then having gas pumps. I don't blame dealers for wanting to avoid this for many reasons, If you buy a LEAF you should be able to meet your charging needs at home first and foremost. Relying on other sources that are not reserved for you is an issue.
timhebb said:I beg to differ. Dealers with QC charging clearly don't intend them to be used merely by service customers - L2 would serve that purpose.EVDRIVER said:I wish people would stop relying on dealers to charge other then when they need service, this should not be their role any more then having gas pumps. I don't blame dealers for wanting to avoid this for many reasons, If you buy a LEAF you should be able to meet your charging needs at home first and foremost. Relying on other sources that are not reserved for you is an issue.
Also, you might want to consider Leaf drivers who live in condos or apartment buildings where it isn't possible to install home charging units. I have been driving a Leaf since 2011, sometimes living in a single family dwelling where I could install home charging (but declined to), sometimes not. The Leaf has worked fine for me for more than three years using mostly public charging, partly because I always have a backup plan in mind. I would prefer you not presume to tell me how I should or shouldn't manage charging my Leaf, and I will confer the same respect on you. Thanks.
jlv said:Some dealers are certainly more enlightened than others. I'll put in a plug for my local dealer (Marlboro Nissan) has they do keep their QC and their L2 chargers unblocked.
Unfortunately, they've starting locking the QC when the dealership is closed. I wish they could keep them open and available for Leaf owners.
rogersleaf said:I think there is a perception that dealers install chargers to sell cars. Personally believe dealers install chargers to generate foot traffic in their dealership. It's the same concept as providing free beverages and wifi in a service lounge, which in many newer designed dealerships is open to the showroom. So it make perfect sense for a dealership to provide complementary EV charging as it provides an opportunity to have face-to-face contact with a potential customer.AlanSqB said:Well, as my post was intended to respond to the question from the OP, I am happy to be dealing with a dealer that supports their EV customers.
My dealer did not promise free charging, or guarantee an amperage rate for charging, or guarantee the station would not be in use. But did tell me I'm currently welcome to use their charging equipment or at their sister Chevy dealership at no cost when in need. Other dealers in the area appear to be just as welcoming. None have L3's, and if you think about it there is a much better chance of face-to-face contact if the customer is loiter around their business waiting on a L2 charge.
I had that same conversation with co-workers last week. Explained the various charging methods, private and public charging options in the area (note that pubic choices are very limited in this area). They basically looked perplexed and had a difficult time just understanding the concept of not buying gasoline. Some of them also live in condos/apartments where private L2 or L1 charging would not be an option. The ability to own one of these all comes down to the capability to charge at a fast enough rate at times when the car is not needed. I can easily see a change in jobs, or a change in work locations, or a change in living arrangements making this car unworkable.timhebb said:Also, you might want to consider Leaf drivers who live in condos or apartment buildings where it isn't possible to install home charging units. I have been driving a Leaf since 2011, sometimes living in a single family dwelling where I could install home charging (but declined to), sometimes not. The Leaf has worked fine for me for more than three years using mostly public charging, partly because I always have a backup plan in mind. I would prefer you not presume to tell me how I should or shouldn't manage charging my Leaf, and I will confer the same respect on you. Thanks.
I hope all is well. Anschutz really does need some public L2. Somewhere between the two hospitals would be perfect. We have some excellent L2 spots in the UCH employee garage, but it is defiantly a restricted area. However, it shows somebody there is aware of EV's. I will send in a suggestion to ask them to look some public spots.cgaydos said:I have to agree. The past 6 weeks I've been essentially commuting to Aurora Children's Hospital from our home in Monument and have been able to do the commute with the LEAF because of Tynan's.
AlanSqB said:I hope all is well. Anschutz really does need some public L2. Somewhere between the two hospitals would be perfect. We have some excellent L2 spots in the UCH employee garage, but it is defiantly a restricted area. However, it shows somebody there is aware of EV's. I will send in a suggestion to ask them to look some public spots.cgaydos said:I have to agree. The past 6 weeks I've been essentially commuting to Aurora Children's Hospital from our home in Monument and have been able to do the commute with the LEAF because of Tynan's.
timhebb said:I beg to differ. Dealers with QC charging clearly don't intend them to be used merely by service customers - L2 would serve that purpose.EVDRIVER said:I wish people would stop relying on dealers to charge other then when they need service, this should not be their role any more then having gas pumps. I don't blame dealers for wanting to avoid this for many reasons, If you buy a LEAF you should be able to meet your charging needs at home first and foremost. Relying on other sources that are not reserved for you is an issue.
Also, you might want to consider Leaf drivers who live in condos or apartment buildings where it isn't possible to install home charging units. I have been driving a Leaf since 2011, sometimes living in a single family dwelling where I could install home charging (but declined to), sometimes not. The Leaf has worked fine for me for more than three years using mostly public charging, partly because I always have a backup plan in mind. I would prefer you not presume to tell me how I should or shouldn't manage charging my Leaf, and I will confer the same respect on you. Thanks.
He told me the same thing when I leased the car from him, and it used to be so. They fixed the broken handle about 4-5 weeks ago, and since then it was locked both times I stopped off hours. Both times were over 3 weeks ago, as since then my Leaf has been on their lot waiting for parts for a warranty repair. When I pick my Leaf on Monday, I'll ask what the deal is.DNAinaGoodWay said:jlv said:Some dealers are certainly more enlightened than others. I'll put in a plug for my local dealer (Marlboro Nissan) has they do keep their QC and their L2 chargers unblocked.
Unfortunately, they've starting locking the QC when the dealership is closed. I wish they could keep them open and available for Leaf owners.
If you examine the lock closely, after hours, you'll find it's not actually closed and locked, it just looks very much like it is. Per Jim McCall, it's a decoy to deter vandals. Except its so good a decoy, someone broke the handle once to use it, about a month or so ago. It still works, even though it's still broken, and with the stubby handle that's left, it couldn't possibly be locked anyway. They also haven't learned how to clean the filters yet, it overheats occasionally. I wish they'd lose the decoy, but they tell me they've had vandal trouble before, so it's a compromise. Nice to have a Home Depot across the street too.
Milford, Auburn, and Lancaster are other dependable 24/7 QCs.
We aren't talking about free charging here. Moocher are a problem - I doubt you'll find anyone say otherwise which is why nearly everyone agrees that ideally public charging should be more expensive than charging at home.EVDRIVER said:Actually they do, they often need to charge cars quickly and some dealers do high volume, I know of two and they are fed up with the mooches that come to charge daily. People that live in a condo and do not have access to charging has nothing to do with a dealership, they should consider those limitations before buying and in not way should a dealer be the solution. There is a big difference is highly populated areas with high numbers of LEAFs and there are drones of LEAF drivers that just show up daily as is it is their right to charge or they are too cheap to charge at home. I see them all the time and I have heard these comments directly from them.
Yes, I had the same observation about Nissan QC's as well.drees said:Charging on a Nissan QC today I noticed that the cooling fans seem to run full speed even when not used and didn't appear to vary speed depending on load on the station. It seems that if the fans would spin down when additional cooling isn't needed the inlet filter (inexplicably located right on the ground where tons of dirt can be picked up) it would increase time before the filter clogs up.
jlv said:He told me the same thing when I leased the car from him, and it used to be so. They fixed the broken handle about 4-5 weeks ago, and since then it was locked both times I stopped off hours. Both times were over 3 weeks ago, as since then my Leaf has been on their lot waiting for parts for a warranty repair. When I pick my Leaf on Monday, I'll ask what the deal is.DNAinaGoodWay said:jlv said:Some dealers are certainly more enlightened than others. I'll put in a plug for my local dealer (Marlboro Nissan) has they do keep their QC and their L2 chargers unblocked.
Unfortunately, they've starting locking the QC when the dealership is closed. I wish they could keep them open and available for Leaf owners.
If you examine the lock closely, after hours, you'll find it's not actually closed and locked, it just looks very much like it is. Per Jim McCall, it's a decoy to deter vandals. Except its so good a decoy, someone broke the handle once to use it, about a month or so ago. It still works, even though it's still broken, and with the stubby handle that's left, it couldn't possibly be locked anyway. They also haven't learned how to clean the filters yet, it overheats occasionally. I wish they'd lose the decoy, but they tell me they've had vandal trouble before, so it's a compromise. Nice to have a Home Depot across the street too.
Milford, Auburn, and Lancaster are other dependable 24/7 QCs.
Kelly Nissan of Woborn (intersection of I95 and I93) also has a 24/7 QC (at least it was unlocked on a Sunday night at 9PM back in May).
cwerdna said:drees said:I haven't participated in this thread but two Nissan QC's (at Walgreens) I've used have apparently gone from fee to being on the Blink network and thus have their crappy fees. I guess I won't be using those anymore. Many dealers the Bay Area have transitioned to charging $ for DC FCing now.
I looked at http://www.nissanqc.com/pdf/techspecs.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; from http://www.nissanqc.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; for the first time and noticed in the specs it mentions "Installed at < 3,280 ft ". Aha! Fort Collins' elevation is apparently ~5000 feet. That's probably a good reason why the ones you've used aren't http://www.nissanqc.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.AlanSqB said:Every QC I've used here in CO has been an ABB unit. They seem to have variable speed fans and are silent when not being used. They seem to be very reliable, but they also don't seem to get constant use.
Great story and great work working with your local dealer.kikngas said:I live in SE MN where there are very few L2 charging stations and only Tesla for QC. I see the lack of charging infrastructure as being key to EV adoption and wanted to do my part to try and help things along. Many of the chargers around are at local Nissan dealerships and so I am glad they are there (hopefully working).
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