Considering 2013 S - How important is Carwings?

[cwerdna]

Thank you for the ideas and guidance! I had not considered the heat pump issue. I will be calling to talk to the dealer tomorrow and I will see if they can find me an SV or SL that does have the back-up camera.

Is there a way to look at the on-board charger and know if it's 3.3 or 6.6? The one in the car even had the paperwork but it didn't indicate that anywhere on it. I did see that it had a regular, three prong 120w plug - not the 240w. I thought that meant that it was just a 3.3, but it seems that I don't know what I am looking for.

I think that someone already mentioned that if it has the QC port, it has the faster charger. The actual charger is built into the car; the charging cable supplied with the car just provides the charger with house current and makes sure the connection is reasonable safe.

Yes on all of these. And yes, see http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=432566#p432566. If it has a 6 kW OBC, it will list 3 charge time estimates in the dash display. Press the upper left button in the cluster of 4 to the left of the steering wheel to cycle thru the screens.

Also at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=432518#p432518, I pointed to a pic at http://sfbayleafs.org/commentary/2013/09/2013-vs-2011-nissan-leaf-whats-new-whats-gone-whats-changed/ showing the CHAdeMO inlet next to the J1772 inlet.

Car WITHOUT CHAdeMO inlet (aka quick charge port) pictured at http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=433513#p433513.

 

[GRA]

Thank you for the ideas and guidance! I had not considered the heat pump issue. I will be calling to talk to the dealer tomorrow and I will see if they can find me an SV or SL that does have the back-up camera.

Is there a way to look at the on-board charger and know if it's 3.3 or 6.6? The one in the car even had the paperwork but it didn't indicate that anywhere on it. I did see that it had a regular, three prong 120w plug - not the 240w. I thought that meant that it was just a 3.3, but it seems that I don't know what I am looking for.

I feel like I am getting a little more confident of what to look at and for. I have realized that the dealers know less than I do - and browsing online is useless because the ads never mention the things EV owners want/need to know.

Thanks again,

Just to be absolutely clear, the On-Board Charger (OBC) in an S with QC package, or a 2013 or later SV/SL, will be 6.6 kW (actually 6.0 kW output), capable of charging on 120 or 208-240 Volt circuits. You seem to be confusing that with the portable EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment), which (unless modified by EVSEupgrade.com) can only use a 120 Volt circuit, and thus any charging you do using it will be very slow (about 4 miles of range/hr). If you need/want to charge at home faster than this (required by many, recommended for all), you will have to purchase a separate 240 volt EVSE (or have your portable one upgraded as above), and have a 240 volt circuit available or more likely, have it added by an electrician.

HTH.

 

[jpadc]

Why do you think it is unlikely? Nissan benefits from Carwings.

How does Nissan benefit from Carwings if this is a free service, still? They showed little desire to support existing customers so far, I wouldn't expect this to change.

They benefit by getting ongoing telematics on usage of their cars. .... They have also indicated that they use the data to get a better understanding of the lifecycle of their batteries.

As you (Jefe) corrected about your post, Nissan has already moved past 2G radios in the cars it is selling now and while they may use the data they have acquired for R&D, they are in the business of selling NEW cars. There are few "UPs" for a new car company to provide upgrades to cars that are 5+ years old and out of warranty. Even auto makers that just put GPS devices in cars generally stop selling map upgrades for older devices past the warranty of the car. Again, no up side for a company in the business of selling NEW cars.

I've said it elsewhere on MNL, I'll say it again. If/when the AT&T 2G service is gone, there will be NO upgrade path for CarWings (they even changed the name) from Nissan. Nissan has signed statements from every original owner since the 2013 model year that indicates that we understood that could/would happen. There's a reason they made us (even S model buyers) sign such a statement. You liked that functionality? They will be happy to sell you a NEW car that has all that and more....

 

[paulcone]

Why do you think it is unlikely? Nissan benefits from Carwings.

How does Nissan benefit from Carwings if this is a free service, still? They showed little desire to support existing customers so far, I wouldn't expect this to change.

They benefit by getting ongoing telematics on usage of their cars. .... They have also indicated that they use the data to get a better understanding of the lifecycle of their batteries.

As you (Jefe) corrected about your post, Nissan has already moved past 2G radios in the cars it is selling now and while they may use the data they have acquired for R&D, they are in the business of selling NEW cars. There are few "UPs" for a new car company to provide upgrades to cars that are 5+ years old and out of warranty. Even auto makers that just put GPS devices in cars generally stop selling map upgrades for older devices past the warranty of the car. Again, no up side for a company in the business of selling NEW cars.

I've said it elsewhere on MNL, I'll say it again. If/when the AT&T 2G service is gone, there will be NO upgrade path for CarWings (they even changed the name) from Nissan. Nissan has signed statements from every original owner since the 2013 model year that indicates that we understood that could/would happen. There's a reason they made us (even S model buyers) sign such a statement. You liked that functionality? They will be happy to sell you a NEW car that has all that and more....

If Nissan doesn't care about existing car owners then why after I took my LEAF to our local Nissan dealer ONCE did they call me and email me and snail me repeatedly about buying a new car? Nissan wants satisfied customers like everyone else, and that means continued satisfaction with their purchase.

And yes, you can bet they will not want to lose access to all of that telematics from me and everyone else who's been driving LEAFs for a while. I predict they'll come out with a new radio to keep CarWings working, it will add new features, and it won't be that expensive.

(So quit being a naysayer.)

 

[LeftieBiker]

If Nissan doesn't care about existing car owners then why after I took my LEAF to our local Nissan dealer ONCE did they call me and email me and snail me repeatedly about buying a new car?

Heh. Car dealerships are like malware-infested websites. Visit one once and you'll never get rid of them. That doesn't equal customer service.

 

[Jefe]

I've said it elsewhere on MNL, I'll say it again. If/when the AT&T 2G service is gone, there will be NO upgrade path for CarWings (they even changed the name) from Nissan.

I think the chosen language on the window sticker implies otherwise. "Nissan is not responsible for associated costs that may be required for continued operation"

This strongly implies that there will be an upgrade path, either by allowing us to change to a different 2G network (if one is available) for a cost, or upgrading hardware.

 

[Stanton]

I've said it elsewhere on MNL, I'll say it again. If/when the AT&T 2G service is gone, there will be NO upgrade path for CarWings (they even changed the name) from Nissan.

I've said it elsewhere on MNL, I'll say it again. If/when the AT&T 2G service is gone, there WILL be an upgrade path for CarWings (they even changed the name to be compatible with the rest of their telematics strategy). We just don't know if it will be:
1) 3G or 4G (LTE)
2) CAPEX (buy a modem and continue to get "free" service) or OPEX (we'll give you the modem if you sign a service contract)

There could be other combinations/options, but one thing is for sure: Nissan doesn't want to abandon all the R&D invested in CarWings (and telematics).

 

[jjgilham]

I own a 2013 SV and I have been extremely satisfied with the car. I use Carwings mostly because I like the data but as far as features (remote charge and warm-up) I have only used it a handful of times. I wouldn't pay anything to continue the service and I won't be terribly disappointed if it went away. I wouldn't make it a consideration.

The Leaf fits my commute and use pattern perfectly (40 mile round trip commute) and lots of errands. We also have an ICE car to cover longer range trips. 99% of the time the range is adequate for my needs and if it is not I use another car. I do 99% of my charging at home and I would highly recommend getting a 240V EVSE to take advantage of the 6.6 kV charger. I find if I come home from work and plug in I'll have added 25 miles of range in an hour whereas on the 120 V "trickle" charge you'll only add 5 or so, I think with the 3.3 kV you'll get 13 or so added miles.

I have the QC port but I've only used it once. I think you'll love the car but the most important factor is making sure your use pattern is appropriate for the range of the car. I don't mind charging occasionally on the public network but I would not want to do it very often. I average 1 or 2 public charges a month.

One other tip - if you are serious about the leaf - get the LeafSpy application and an OBDI interface dongle. This will allow you to "check" the state of the battery on any Leaf you are considering. You'll want to have it if you get it should help you make sure you get a battery pack in good order, which is very important.

Good luck on your car and let us know what you get.