Chicagoland area

[greengate]

The 50 % evse state rebate is suspended unfortunately.

Was this Rauner's doing?

 

[Phatcat73]

That's what they told me

 

[gray]

The 50 % evse state rebate is suspended unfortunately.

Are you sure it's the EVSE rebate that's suspended? From what I can see, it's the $4k EV state rebate that's on hold. The DECO's EV Infrastructure Rebate Program seems to be unchanged?

EV rebate (IL Alternative Fuel rebate program): http://www.illinoisgreenfleets.org/rebates/index" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EVSE rebate (EV Infrastructure Rebate Program): http://www.illinois.gov/dceo/whyillinois/KeyIndustries/Energy/Pages/ev.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[redLEAF]

The 50 % evse state rebate is suspended unfortunately.

Are you sure it's the EVSE rebate that's suspended? From what I can see, it's the $4k EV state rebate that's on hold. The DECO's EV Infrastructure Rebate Program seems to be unchanged?

EV rebate (IL Alternative Fuel rebate program): http://www.illinoisgreenfleets.org/rebates/index" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

EVSE rebate (EV Infrastructure Rebate Program): http://www.illinois.gov/dceo/whyillinois/KeyIndustries/Energy/Pages/ev.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Their last update was February which said they still had funds … best bet would be to contact the IL rep on this, not sure it would be the same contact but back when I received mine it was:

Mike Motor (yes, that's his actual name and NOT a typo) at (217) 524-5859 [email protected]

http://www.illinois.gov/dceo/whyillinois/KeyIndustries/Energy/Pages/EnergyEfficiencyForms.aspx

IL has cut lots of programs but if all the 'allocated' funds to this particular IL EPA program for chargers were not used up they may have some left; doesn't hurt to call/email; this program requires you to jump through many more hoops than the EV rebate but is worth 50% of your EVSE equip + install so still worth it. As this one also deals more on the 'business' side (covers commercial EVSE installs as well as residential) perhaps they kept it ...

 

[greengate]

The 50 % evse state rebate is suspended unfortunately.

Was this Rauner's doing?

This is the new State of Illinois Capital building and the governor's residence.

 

[greengate]

He also pulled the plug on the 10%..up to $4,000 rebate.

Ready for this?

 

[ishiyakazuo]

I'm curious about my battery life compared to others' in the area... I've got an uninsulated garage, and when I bought the car (fairly nice day in the 50s, mid-March), they charged it to 100% using the L1 EVSE the car came with, and it read 85 miles remaining in D mode. On that trip, I took it across the suburbs on roads with 45mph speed limits, and plenty of stops, and a little bit on I-290 (up to about 70mph), and I went 29 miles and the GOM said 52 at the end.
I charged it on a L2 EVSE last night to 100%, and it said 82 miles remaining when I started out this morning. My commute is about 80% highway (if not more), 20 miles one-way, and it says 50 miles remaining (in D) at the end, with 8/12 charge bars remaining.
Is this pretty typical for a car that still has 12/12 capacity bars? I seem to remember some people saying that when they start the car, it reports over 100 miles remaining, so I'm wondering if it's temperature-related, or if I'm pretty close to losing that first bar. (Maybe both?) I just thought I'd like to hear how others have fared in Chicagoland over the past couple of weeks.

 

[greengate]

I'm curious about my battery life compared to others' in the area... I've got an uninsulated garage, and when I bought the car (fairly nice day in the 50s, mid-March), they charged it to 100% using the L1 EVSE the car came with, and it read 85 miles remaining in D mode. On that trip, I took it across the suburbs on roads with 45mph speed limits, and plenty of stops, and a little bit on I-290 (up to about 70mph), and I went 29 miles and the GOM said 52 at the end.
I charged it on a L2 EVSE last night to 100%, and it said 82 miles remaining when I started out this morning. My commute is about 80% highway (if not more), 20 miles one-way, and it says 50 miles remaining (in D) at the end, with 8/12 charge bars remaining.
Is this pretty typical for a car that still has 12/12 capacity bars? I seem to remember some people saying that when they start the car, it reports over 100 miles remaining, so I'm wondering if it's temperature-related, or if I'm pretty close to losing that first bar. (Maybe both?) I just thought I'd like to hear how others have fared in Chicagoland over the past couple of weeks.

Have you had the battery check performed?

 

[redLEAF]

I'm curious about my battery life compared to others' in the area... I've got an uninsulated garage, and when I bought the car (fairly nice day in the 50s, mid-March), they charged it to 100% using the L1 EVSE the car came with, and it read 85 miles remaining in D mode. On that trip, I took it across the suburbs on roads with 45mph speed limits, and plenty of stops, and a little bit on I-290 (up to about 70mph), and I went 29 miles and the GOM said 52 at the end.
I charged it on a L2 EVSE last night to 100%, and it said 82 miles remaining when I started out this morning. My commute is about 80% highway (if not more), 20 miles one-way, and it says 50 miles remaining (in D) at the end, with 8/12 charge bars remaining.
Is this pretty typical for a car that still has 12/12 capacity bars? I seem to remember some people saying that when they start the car, it reports over 100 miles remaining, so I'm wondering if it's temperature-related, or if I'm pretty close to losing that first bar. (Maybe both?) I just thought I'd like to hear how others have fared in Chicagoland over the past couple of weeks.

First off, the GOM (guess-o'-meter) on the dash indicating remaining range is simply that; it will constantly change based on the last drive you took as well as ambient temp, etc., etc. Ours is a '12 with 28K miles over 39 months; our garage is semi-heated (about 60 F most times). Being a '12; I can set the charge to 80% during the week days and 100% on the weekends when we do lots of errands. It's been a bit intermittent, but I lose my first bar in just a few miles when I charge to 80% but it will typically take awhile longer at 100%. Yesterday was particularly mild in Chicago 70 to 73 F so I noticed the battery temp when up from 4 to 5 bars. My work commute is just a tad under 30 miles R/T; typical suburban mix -- yesterday started at an indicated 80 miles of range and ended at 39 miles of range; you would think it should be 50 right?

On one other trip (my son was driving; again charged to 80%) last week with temps around freezing; his was a 32 mile R/T commute and due to an accident with lots of stop & go traffic, he returned to the garage with only 19 miles of range (only using the heated seats and steering wheel) so range can vary a lot.

 

[ishiyakazuo]

Have you had the battery check performed?

Not yet. Going to take it to the local dealer soon to get that done. Also waiting on a Bluetooth OBD-II device so I can check it out with Leaf Spy.

First off, the GOM (guess-o'-meter) on the dash indicating remaining range is simply that; it will constantly change based on the last drive you took as well as ambient temp, etc., etc. Ours is a '12 with 28K miles over 39 months; our garage is semi-heated (about 60 F most times). Being a '12; I can set the charge to 80% during the week days and 100% on the weekends when we do lots of errands. It's been a bit intermittent, but I lose my first bar in just a few miles when I charge to 80% but it will typically take awhile longer at 100%. Yesterday was particularly mild in Chicago 70 to 73 F so I noticed the battery temp when up from 4 to 5 bars. My work commute is just a tad under 30 miles R/T; typical suburban mix -- yesterday started at an indicated 80 miles of range and ended at 39 miles of range; you would think it should be 50 right?

On one other trip (my son was driving; again charged to 80%) last week with temps around freezing; his was a 32 mile R/T commute and due to an accident with lots of stop & go traffic, he returned to the garage with only 19 miles of range (only using the heated seats and steering wheel) so range can vary a lot.

OK, so it sounds like things are pretty typical on mine. My commute is about 33 miles of highway (I-90, under construction, so I'm going 55-60 most of the time), 7 miles city (and most of that is 35-45mph roads), and when I leave in the morning (80% charge) I have about 72 miles, and end up with ~15-20, according to the GOM. Usually from 10 bars, I end up with 2 remaining, and if I give it a little goose in the morning (override the timer to get ~90%), I go from 11 bars down to 3.

 

[brianchi73]

Have you had the battery check performed?

Not yet. Going to take it to the local dealer soon to get that done. Also waiting on a Bluetooth OBD-II device so I can check it out with Leaf Spy.

First off, the GOM (guess-o'-meter) on the dash indicating remaining range is simply that; it will constantly change based on the last drive you took as well as ambient temp, etc., etc. Ours is a '12 with 28K miles over 39 months; our garage is semi-heated (about 60 F most times). Being a '12; I can set the charge to 80% during the week days and 100% on the weekends when we do lots of errands. It's been a bit intermittent, but I lose my first bar in just a few miles when I charge to 80% but it will typically take awhile longer at 100%. Yesterday was particularly mild in Chicago 70 to 73 F so I noticed the battery temp when up from 4 to 5 bars. My work commute is just a tad under 30 miles R/T; typical suburban mix -- yesterday started at an indicated 80 miles of range and ended at 39 miles of range; you would think it should be 50 right?

On one other trip (my son was driving; again charged to 80%) last week with temps around freezing; his was a 32 mile R/T commute and due to an accident with lots of stop & go traffic, he returned to the garage with only 19 miles of range (only using the heated seats and steering wheel) so range can vary a lot.

OK, so it sounds like things are pretty typical on mine. My commute is about 33 miles of highway (I-90, under construction, so I'm going 55-60 most of the time), 7 miles city (and most of that is 35-45mph roads), and when I leave in the morning (80% charge) I have about 72 miles, and end up with ~15-20, according to the GOM. Usually from 10 bars, I end up with 2 remaining, and if I give it a little goose in the morning (override the timer to get ~90%), I go from 11 bars down to 3.

Here's how I calculate my range.
1. Reset Trip 1.
2. Reset m/kwh meter (can't remember where it is off the top of my head).
3. For 100% charge...take your m/kwh * 16 and that's how far you can go.
4. For 80% charge...take your m/kwh * 13 and that's how far you can go.

This gives you a real-time range based on your efficiency which can be different depending on how much heat you are using, driving conditions, etc. Obviously if you're efficiency changes (m/kwh) then your range changes.

Here's what I want to know. If the battery is a 24 kwh battery...why do we only get access to 2/3 of it? I know that Nissan has to save a little on the bottom and the top so that we don't ruin the battery but 8 kwh seems like a lot.

 

[ishiyakazuo]

That sounds about right for me... I've been getting roughly 55 mile range (estimated) with 85-90% charge, and my mi/kWh is 4.0, so ~14*4 = 56... reasonably close. Thanks for that!

 

[redLEAF]

On a topic that lamented the end to the IL EPA EV incentives; I was curious how much was given back to IL residents, how many EV's, etc. and was able to find this ...

'Illinois kicked off its Alternate Fuels Rebate Program in 1998 and, through 2013, has doled out more than $14 million worth of rebates to buyers of more than 13,000 alternative-fuel vehicles. The state even touts its role in getting people to buy enough alt-fuel vehicles to cut collective fuel use by more than six million gallons.'

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/03/31/illinois-pulls-plug-on-state-funded-rebates-for-electric-vehicle/

The early part of the program covered a lot of home-built EV conversions, etc. as 'pure 100% electric power' special plates have only recently topped the 3,000 mark (as evidenced by their sequential nature but a number of LEAF's and Tesla's, etc. opt instead for vanity and/or other types of special plates) still, it was decent run. The 13K number includes more than just EV's as well and actually some PHEV (the Volt) were but the Ford C-Max Energi wasn't eligible under this program. I still feel bad for those that applied in 2014 and the funds were cutoff --- IL has far more worse deficit issues than these but it was good while it lasted.

 

[greengate]

On a topic that lamented the end to the IL EPA EV incentives; I was curious how much was given back to IL residents, how many EV's, etc. and was able to find this ...

'Illinois kicked off its Alternate Fuels Rebate Program in 1998 and, through 2013, has doled out more than $14 million worth of rebates to buyers of more than 13,000 alternative-fuel vehicles. The state even touts its role in getting people to buy enough alt-fuel vehicles to cut collective fuel use by more than six million gallons.'

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/03/31/illinois-pulls-plug-on-state-funded-rebates-for-electric-vehicle/

The early part of the program covered a lot of home-built EV conversions, etc. as 'pure 100% electric power' special plates have only recently topped the 3,000 mark (as evidenced by their sequential nature but a number of LEAF's and Tesla's, etc. opt instead for vanity and/or other types of special plates) still, it was decent run. The 13K number includes more than just EV's as well and actually some PHEV (the Volt) were but the Ford C-Max Energi wasn't eligible under this program. I still feel bad for those that applied in 2014 and the funds were cutoff --- IL has far more worse deficit issues than these but it was good while it lasted.

It's the change of consciousness that troubles me. Before long we will be burning the furniture for heat and selling off anything that's left in the public domain...and there's probably a politician there waiting to benefit from the manufacturing and selling of face masks.

 

[ishiyakazuo]

Honestly, I think we're at a point where the $7500 federal incentive on its own makes new BEVs comparable enough to their ICE counterparts. For example, compare a Leaf S to a Prius C. I would say the Leaf S compares favorably, and the sticker price is only within a couple grand of the Prius C (after $7500 fed rebate).

Heck, I went out and got my Leaf SL used, with the Nissan extended warranty, after taxes and after buying my EVSE, for less than the base price (pre-tax and extended warranty coverage) I negotiated for my Honda Fit a couple years back -- both were 3 years old at the time with roughly 20k miles. Therefore, I don't think price is necessarily the factor in keeping people from choosing a BEV. Just about everyone I've talked to since I got it says "wow, this is a great car... now if it only would go over 100 miles on a charge..."

Personally, I'd rather see the State of Illinois beef up the charging infrastructure than offer an incentive to get more of the cars on the road, because I think that is more effective in changing people's minds about the feasibility of the tech. From an environmental perspective, if they really wanted to do good for the environment, they'd offer an incentive on used BEVs so that many of them didn't rust in dealer lots...

 

[redLEAF]

Personally, I'd rather see the State of Illinois beef up the charging infrastructure than offer an incentive to get more of the cars on the road, because I think that is more effective in changing people's minds about the feasibility of the tech. From an environmental perspective, if they really wanted to do good for the environment, they'd offer an incentive on used BEVs so that many of them didn't rust in dealer lots...

Good luck on either one ... at least initially, there was a fair amount of hype on the whole 'commercial' EVSE charger installs in and around Chicagoland. Unfortunately, the graft and corruption on the contracts being granted by IL government along with mismanagement by the installers and service companies, etc., so it hasn't really taken off. The Mitsubishi plant down in Normal, IL also heavily promoted EV use and provided incentives, etc. and there is a Tesla 'supercharger' facility down state as well but not in any significant numbers. I myself depend solely on my own L2 EVSE in my garage as many others do; would an improved EVSE network add to the utility of EV's around Chicago; possibly but just like traveling from 'burb to 'burb around Chicago points to poor road planning, doubtful it would be extensive enough to really help grow EV use. A better approach would be EVSE setup at companies with large numbers of far flung employees (again, I'm close enough where just a top off or possibly use when its really cold might help) but we do have a few employees who live in southern WI or NW IN who don't have a choice that a company available L2 EVSE charger might promote more ICE to EVSE conversion.

As to an incentive on used BEV's, the resale value drops like a rock within a short amount of time putting the price well below typical new car purchase price so that's probably a non-starter as well.

I have seen a number of 'good' deals on used EV's on Carmax (appears that they will also ship some of the CA compliance at a decent price as well) some with very low miles in case someone allows the typical depreciation to do its work; really enticed by the Rav4 EV if it only was available out this way

 

[ishiyakazuo]

Yeah, a RAV4 EV would be amazing. I'd definitely be interested in something along those lines. (Even Soul EV would be nice...)
BTW, just to clarify I'm not saying that those things are feasible, but I believe they'd do more to increase the number of BEVs on the road than the IL $4k incentive on new purchases ever would. You do make a good point about leaving the planning of those charging stations in the hands of those who planned the roads around here, though...

 

[brianchi73]

Yeah, a RAV4 EV would be amazing. I'd definitely be interested in something along those lines. (Even Soul EV would be nice...)
BTW, just to clarify I'm not saying that those things are feasible, but I believe they'd do more to increase the number of BEVs on the road than the IL $4k incentive on new purchases ever would. You do make a good point about leaving the planning of those charging stations in the hands of those who planned the roads around here, though...

The Fast Charging situation is getting better thanks to eVgo. They are the ones who bought and inherited the mess that 350 Green left, and it took well over a year for all of that to happen. I talked to the eVgo guys at the Chicago Auto Show. First they have brought all of the existing L3 stations back online. Second they are going to start replacing the old L3 chargers with new ones where they can get real-time status about the charger's availability. Also the new chargers have a plug that is MUCH easier to use. They let me try it out on the Leaf at the Auto Show.

Those are big improvements, and hopefully their chargers will be connected to an app or website like ChargePoint where you can not only see the up/down status but also see if the chargers are being used, etc.

 

[JohnTomaszewski]

Yeah, a RAV4 EV would be amazing. I'd definitely be interested in something along those lines. (Even Soul EV would be nice...)
BTW, just to clarify I'm not saying that those things are feasible, but I believe they'd do more to increase the number of BEVs on the road than the IL $4k incentive on new purchases ever would. You do make a good point about leaving the planning of those charging stations in the hands of those who planned the roads around here, though...

The Fast Charging situation is getting better thanks to eVgo. They are the ones who bought and inherited the mess that 350 Green left, and it took well over a year for all of that to happen. I talked to the eVgo guys at the Chicago Auto Show. First they have brought all of the existing L3 stations back online. Second they are going to start replacing the old L3 chargers with new ones where they can get real-time status about the charger's availability. Also the new chargers have a plug that is MUCH easier to use. They let me try it out on the Leaf at the Auto Show.

Those are big improvements, and hopefully their chargers will be connected to an app or website like ChargePoint where you can not only see the up/down status but also see if the chargers are being used, etc.

I sure hope so, because many of the re-branded 350 Green eVgo L3 stations on the Oasis centers on the highway are in disrepair. The handles are broken on several and the one n/b O'Hare hasn't worked at all in months - despite reporting it several times. Even after reporting broken equipment it does not seem to do any good. Forget about emailing; they rarely reply. Message them on FB? They don't reply either. I would hope this is just because they plan on replacing them all, but in the meantime it is a PITA trying to take a highway trip of any distance because their L3 stations are not reliable enough. The one at n/b O'Hare almost left me stranded back in January (it's still broken) and I called ahead of time; they assured me it was fixed (yeah, right). Thank goodness the one at PNC Bank worked and was a short distance away. I don't want to hate on this company as prior to the acquisition the only L3 chargers around were at a few Nissan dealers and the free one at IIT in Chicago, so it IS better than before. If they would keep their stuff working it would be great!

 

[brianchi73]

Yeah, a RAV4 EV would be amazing. I'd definitely be interested in something along those lines. (Even Soul EV would be nice...)
BTW, just to clarify I'm not saying that those things are feasible, but I believe they'd do more to increase the number of BEVs on the road than the IL $4k incentive on new purchases ever would. You do make a good point about leaving the planning of those charging stations in the hands of those who planned the roads around here, though...

The Fast Charging situation is getting better thanks to eVgo. They are the ones who bought and inherited the mess that 350 Green left, and it took well over a year for all of that to happen. I talked to the eVgo guys at the Chicago Auto Show. First they have brought all of the existing L3 stations back online. Second they are going to start replacing the old L3 chargers with new ones where they can get real-time status about the charger's availability. Also the new chargers have a plug that is MUCH easier to use. They let me try it out on the Leaf at the Auto Show.

Those are big improvements, and hopefully their chargers will be connected to an app or website like ChargePoint where you can not only see the up/down status but also see if the chargers are being used, etc.

I sure hope so, because many of the re-branded 350 Green eVgo L3 stations on the Oasis centers on the highway are in disrepair. The handles are broken on several and the one n/b O'Hare hasn't worked at all in months - despite reporting it several times. Even after reporting broken equipment it does not seem to do any good. Forget about emailing; they rarely reply. Message them on FB? They don't reply either. I would hope this is just because they plan on replacing them all, but in the meantime it is a PITA trying to take a highway trip of any distance because their L3 stations are not reliable enough. The one at n/b O'Hare almost left me stranded back in January (it's still broken) and I called ahead of time; they assured me it was fixed (yeah, right). Thank goodness the one at PNC Bank worked and was a short distance away. I don't want to hate on this company as prior to the acquisition the only L3 chargers around were at a few Nissan dealers and the free one at IIT in Chicago, so it IS better than before. If they would keep their stuff working it would be great!

I have a direct contact for eVgo from the Auto Show. Let me dig up his info. As a matter of fact I had been meaning to tell him that this forum would love to hear from him. I've also almost ended up on the back of a tow truck because of these L3 chargers being unreliable.