Chicagoland area

[davewill]

So I used a chargepoint station for the 1st time today. At my local Walgreens. ... What am I missing? Is the service free (initially)? I did see something about "activating" the card (which I don't think I did), but then why would it let me use the card?

Confused...

Pricing for the Chargepoint network is up to the location. Shopping malls and the like are often free to charge (although you still have to have a card). I have a card with no money on it and no credit card associated, but have used several Chargepoints.

 

[Tardis]

I've been to at least 3 Walgreens and they are free. There appear to be a couple ways to use station. 1) you can reserve with app and use station that says something like authorized. When you are finished use app or swipe charge point card. 2) swipe charge point card to initiate and terminate charging session. My charge point card has zero funds and no credit card.

 

[bwallach]

Thanks for the feedback. When I signed up at the chargepoint network website, it requested a credit-card and a minimum balance. How were you guys able to get a card with out this step?

 

[davewill]

Thanks for the feedback. When I signed up at the chargepoint network website, it requested a credit-card and a minimum balance. How were you guys able to get a card with out this step?

I simply called and asked them to send me one, which I then registered online. When I become aware of a Chargepoint that isn't free in a place where I'm likely to want to use it, I'll log in and register a credit card.

 

[bwallach]

Thanks for the feedback. When I signed up at the chargepoint network website, it requested a credit-card and a minimum balance. How were you guys able to get a card with out this step?

I simply called and asked them to send me one, which I then registered online. When I become aware of a Chargepoint that isn't free in a place where I'm likely to want to use it, I'll log in and register a credit card.

I see. Well, the main thing is that it is being offered free right now. Pretty cool. I imagine at some point Walgreens (and others) will want to monetize.

 

[tech01]

Thx Redleaf. I didn't know to read a pm. This is the 5th Leaf they have delivered. Bob and I continue Took about an hour and a half to do everything The salesman liked the wax we brought he asked to borrow it for his car! They knew about EV plates and we will get them soon. As it was warm and sunny we took a long ride watched all lights and status indicators. tried the heated seats, heated steering wheel, heater, cranked the serious XM, did a hot lap down rt.20 bypass along local access it is easy to exceed the limit so we installed a radar detector, then a leisurely ride along Fox river. A day kike this begs for a sunroof. Galactic Silver color. (we also didn't know how to put our info on screen) Named car BEANO (no gas) This is propitious as gas went up appreciably last night. A scenario the Leaf offsets beautifly. The leds on the Schnieder station light the garage up as well as a night light. Anticipating a nice moon light ride.

 

[Bzzzzz]

Has anyone been able to do anything useful with the Internet Feeds section of Carwings?

I use the Google Maps feed quite a bit. Send a destination from your laptop and have it waiting for you in the car. Much easier than writing down an address and typing it by hand in the car. I have yet to use the RSS feeds.

 

[redLEAF]

I've been to at least 3 Walgreens and they are free. There appear to be a couple ways to use station. 1) you can reserve with app and use station that says something like authorized. When you are finished use app or swipe charge point card. 2) swipe charge point card to initiate and terminate charging session. My charge point card has zero funds and no credit card.

I actually pass 2 sets of 2 at Walgreen's locations now (one in Palatine on Dundee and another in Buffalo Grove at corner of Lake Cook and Buffalo Grove Rd; Palatine has the AV type chargers, Buffalo Grove the ChargePoint type chargers; similar to ones I've seen at Soldier Field, believe they both use the ChargePoint network) on the way home from work -- may snap a few photos; which ones have you visited?

 

[Tardis]

Thanks for the feedback. When I signed up at the chargepoint network website, it requested a credit-card and a minimum balance. How were you guys able to get a card with out this step?

You have to pay like $5 or something to get card, then you have 2 card options. 1) zero balance and only access free stations and 2) supply credit card for minimum balance load.

 

[Tardis]

I've been to at least 3 Walgreens and they are free. There appear to be a couple ways to use station. 1) you can reserve with app and use station that says something like authorized. When you are finished use app or swipe charge point card. 2) swipe charge point card to initiate and terminate charging session. My charge point card has zero funds and no credit card.

I actually pass 2 sets of 2 at Walgreen's locations now (one in Palatine on Dundee and another in Buffalo Grove at corner of Lake Cook and Buffalo Grove Rd; Palatine has the AV type chargers, Buffalo Grove the ChargePoint type chargers; similar to ones I've seen at Soldier Field, believe they both use the ChargePoint network) on the way home from work -- may snap a few photos; which ones have you visited?

I've visited
- buffalo grove which was nice because near grocery store and Starbucks
- Northbrook. Willow and happ road. Plugged in for 3 hours during new years dinner. Drawback is Walgreens isn't 24hrs
- Elk grove. Biesterfield

 

[wcbrauneis]

I spent about one and a half hours charging while my while my wife was downtown on business. The Solar ChargePoint station is in the parking lot directly in front of the old Migs Field Terminal. It worked without a hitch with my ChargePass card. To get there is a bit confusing, drive east on the road to the Planetarium and then turn south about a block before you get to the Planetarium. The Terminal is three or four blocks up that road. It a great view of downtown Chicago.
Regards, Bill

 

[bwallach]

- My temperature bars went up today (for the 1st time). 5 bars. Lovely weather!
- Spotted another LEAF as well. 1st time.

 

[redLEAF]

wcbrauneis -- looking good, I think that's quite close to where they had the drive event this past late summer at Soldier's Field, it also looks like you have an EL plate in the 200's series?

bwallach -- I've yet to see another, recall a color, dealer and/or plate and location? As I've done with other car model forum's (Miata's come to mind) we all should have a few information sheets in our cars to have to give to any non-forum LEAF members not aware of this forum. It's too good a resource to pass up.

 

[bwallach]

bwallach -- I've yet to see another, recall a color, dealer and/or plate and location? As I've done with other car model forum's (Miata's come to mind) we all should have a few information sheets in our cars to have to give to any non-forum LEAF members not aware of this forum. It's too good a resource to pass up.

That's a good idea. I will be mindful of that next time I run into someone. I spotted a Black LEAF and it was heading East on Central Ave. in Highland Park (just east of Greenbay Rd.). It was around 7pm last night so too dark to see plates, etc..

 

[Dino]

we all should have a few information sheets in our cars to have to give to any non-forum LEAF members not aware of this forum. It's too good a resource to pass up.

Does anyone have an information sheet for other curious people?(some of whom don't even know electric cars exist) I want to have something to hand out and I can't find much. This is where I would start.

THE 100% ELECTRIC (NO GAS) NISSAN LEAF

The Good
Quiet, smooth and fast
Very low maintenance
Uses American energy (no war required) which can come from many sources
Cleaner than gas cars no matter which energy source is used
Energy efficient 99 MPG equivalent
Electricity cost is about 3.5cts/mi (Prius 50mpg gas $3.25 = 6.5cts/mi)

The Bad
Limited practical range. But as more Quick Charge stations appear, range issues will diminish.

The Ugly Truth
Range with a full charge can vary from over 100 miles to under 60 depending on conditions and driving habits. Range will also decrease as the battery ages.
And no, the batteries don't pose an environmental problem.
And no, electric cars won't overload our electric grid
And yes, the LEAF can easily go 18 miles with the amount of electricity used just to refine one gallon of gas, never mind the energy used to extract and transport the oil. http://gatewayev.org/how-much-electricity-is-used-refine-a-gallon-of-gasoline" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
And yes, your tax dollars paid for this research, so what are we waiting for? Lets use this knowledge. That’s why you get a $7500 tax credit. Because it’s good for our Country.

BeLeaf it or not
Don’t believe it? Google it.
more at mynissanleaf.com

You guys know that I don’t have L3, so practical range will always be an issue for me. But I knew what I was getting into. I hope someday I see enough L3s around to regret that decision. But for now, no regrets at all!

 

[Dino]

I added the part about the $7500 tax credit because of the EV haters. I don’t know it you guys are aware but there are people out there that absolutely hate you because the government gave you some of their taxes.

I’m sure I must be missing something , I’d like to hear your input, there’s probably someone here with better grammar, spelling and tact that could make this better.

I think we need to add some detail on why it’s low maintenance.

 

[tps]

I added the part about the $7500 tax credit because of the EV haters. I don’t know it you guys are aware but there are people out there that absolutely hate you because the government gave you some of their taxes.

That's the EV hater argument, but in reality, not a penny of the $7500 comes from their taxes. It is a credit against your tax liability. I sure they've never taken a tax credit. They're mad because they can't get this credit. They're graspong at straws to try to make us the bad guys for doing them wrong. They, of course, make no mention of the 26 pounds of CO2 that comes out of their tailpipes into the atmosphere we must share for each gallon of gasoline they consume.

The reason I'm watching this thread is because I figure it will have some good info regarding the LEAF's cold weather performance. As one who spent many years in Lafayette, IN before moving to Philly, I firmly believe that if the LEAF works for Chicagoland folks, it will definitely work in the somewhat milder winters we have here.

 

[Dino]

I added the part about the $7500 tax credit because of the EV haters. I don’t know it you guys are aware but there are people out there that absolutely hate you because the government gave you some of their taxes.

That's the EV hater argument, but in reality, not a penny of the $7500 comes from their taxes. It is a credit against your tax liability. I sure they've never taken a tax credit. They're mad because they can't get this credit. They're graspong at straws to try to make us the bad guys for doing them wrong. They, of course, make no mention of the 26 pounds of CO2 that comes out of their tailpipes into the atmosphere we must share for each gallon of gasoline they consume.

The reason I'm watching this thread is because I figure it will have some good info regarding the LEAF's cold weather performance. As one who spent many years in Lafayette, IN before moving to Philly, I firmly believe that if the LEAF works for Chicagoland folks, it will definitely work in the somewhat milder winters we have here.

We're still waiting for the cold weather. :?

 

[redLEAF]

I added the part about the $7500 tax credit because of the EV haters. I don’t know it you guys are aware but there are people out there that absolutely hate you because the government gave you some of their taxes.

That's the EV hater argument, but in reality, not a penny of the $7500 comes from their taxes. It is a credit against your tax liability. I sure they've never taken a tax credit. They're mad because they can't get this credit. They're graspong at straws to try to make us the bad guys for doing them wrong. They, of course, make no mention of the 26 pounds of CO2 that comes out of their tailpipes into the atmosphere we must share for each gallon of gasoline they consume.

The reason I'm watching this thread is because I figure it will have some good info regarding the LEAF's cold weather performance. As one who spent many years in Lafayette, IN before moving to Philly, I firmly believe that if the LEAF works for Chicagoland folks, it will definitely work in the somewhat milder winters we have here.

We're still waiting for the cold weather. :?

Quite true -- we had a day or so over the last 17 days I've had mine (one day dropped to 17 F into work another 19 F) but lately unseasonably warm, almost spring like. Today saw my battery temp go to 5 bars for the first time but dropped back to 4 as the day went on. Still funny to hear the chime warning when the temp goes to 38 F, who thinks 38 is COLD ! I still have yet to see another LEAF and most casual observer's don't even notice the car (other than a few 'nice car' remarks about the color). We passed by a newer Porsche 911 coupe that was close to the same shade of copper red -- was definitely the right color choice for us. Used ECO mode all day and no issues to speak of; now my wife and I are alternating using the LEAF almost daily (7 mile and 28 mile R/T commutes) so of course no issues with range to speak of --- of course my son whose commute is 44 R/T wants to try it but we're waiting for the more extreme temps to see how 'low' it goes -- with the warmer temps lately we have not been using the heat much so we'll see --- they had predicted a colder and snowy winter but have yet to see signs of either out our way.

 

[Bolt1]

Greetings Chicago area Leaf owners/supporters - newbie here, first post. Been reading through all of the great posts on this forum and especially this thread. Thanks to all for sharing your experiences - you gave us the courage to work through our range anxiety and test out some longer-distance trips. (Most of our daily commuting is 20 miles or less.) Hopefully we can help others by sharing some of ours too.

We have been experiencing similar results to others here, in terms of range in 'cold' weather. Leaving on 100% charge, driving in ECO, only using climate control briefly to defog windows, our longer trips have included

62 miles - R/T West Suburbs to Libertyville, only went 10 miles on highway, rest on smaller roads - came back with 19 miles left
58 miles - R/T West Suburbs to Lincoln Park, Chicago - no highways - came back with 7 miles left
54 miles - R/T West Suburbs to Huntley - no highways - came back with 12 miles left (used heat only at very end of trip)

The Huntley trip was on that day with 50 mph wind gusts. Drove into the wind there and used up half of our available range by the time we arrived. Wind was at our backs on the return trip and we made it back in much better shape, even braved using the heater at the very end. Seems to us highway speeds and colder temps are not really our friends, but a little extra time planning ahead and using alternate routes works out well.

We've used the public charging at Walgreen's Addison and Oak Park. Elk Grove Village told us theirs is being installed, but is not yet up and running.

Anyone put their Leaf through a car wash yet? I did read the posts about making sure you know how to put it in neutral first, but wondering if it's a good idea to try to explain that to the Turtle Wax crew or not....