DFW Metroplex

[vrwl]

Arlington to McKinney with 65 miles on the GoM ? Very impressive for a first drive.

I presume you didn't go in 121 blasting at 70 mph

We DID do highway driving all the way up to George Bush Tpk and Preston (121 northbound is torn up around the airport and we had to go to 635 and then GBT from there). Took surface streets from that point up to the far northern reaches of McKinney/Frisco. However, since it was pretty late at night, I was able to get away with driving 60 on all the highways and tollroads without a lot of PO'd drivers behind us. Drove 40-45 on the surface streets.

 

[vrwl]

Oh, and we also turned off all climate control and sweated it out with the windows barely cracked. LOL!

 

[SierraQ]

Well, we took the plunge last night. Vandergriff Toyota in Arlington had a "used" 2011 Leaf with 89 miles on it. We had a hairy ride home, with some serious range anxiety.
...
Needless to say, I'm signing up with Blink this morning. So for anyone out there considering purchasing a used Leaf from a NON-Nissan dealership, make sure that car has a full charge before you head home in it.

Welcome to the DFW Leaf Club! That trip to McKinney must have taken awhile! I'm happy you made it. I drive about 68 miles every day and because half of it is highway sometimes it is a bit close but I've discovered the car miraculously always seems to have exactly enough power to get home.

As far as charging en route, you could have probably stopped at any Nissan dealer if need be. Most of them have chargers and
will let you use them. Also be sure to get one each of the elusive Blink and Chargepoint cards as those will open your options up considerably.

 

[vrwl]

We thought about the Nissan dealerships, but those charging stations are usually up close to the buildings and the dealerships usually have restricted access (gates across the driveways) after they close. Since this was at 11pm-12:30am at night, we didn't think we'd have a chance at a dealership so we didn't divert from the direct path home to check.

 

[garygTx]

As far as charging en route, you could have probably stopped at any Nissan dealer if need be. Most of them have chargers and
will let you use them. Also be sure to get one each of the elusive Blink and Chargepoint cards as those will open your options up considerably.

As for good places to charge, Twin Peaks has several locations in the Plano, Frisco, North Dallas area. They have Blink chargers that usually work, and they are available 24/7. (And you can go inside and get out of the heat.)

 

[vrwl]

As for good places to charge, Twin Peaks has several locations in the Plano, Frisco, North Dallas area. They have Blink chargers that usually work, and they are available 24/7. (And you can go inside and get out of the heat.)

But since it's a Blink charger, don't you have to have some sort of membership card to use them? Since this was our first 2 hours of ownership, we hadn't yet signed up for any of the charging program memberships. (But believe me, I'm signing up this morning!)

 

[shay]

As for good places to charge, Twin Peaks has several locations in the Plano, Frisco, North Dallas area. They have Blink chargers that usually work, and they are available 24/7. (And you can go inside and get out of the heat.)

But since it's a Blink charger, don't you have to have some sort of membership card to use them? Since this was our first 2 hours of ownership, we hadn't yet signed up for any of the charging program memberships. (But believe me, I'm signing up this morning!)

Yes you do. I think chargepoint stations you can call a number to get it activated.

 

[garygTx]

There are some places (like Whiskey Cake Kitchen and Bar at the tollway and Parker) that have a Blink card that you can use. The hostess will let you borrow it, and may have extras to give you a card to activate via the web. That was how I got my Blink card.

 

[SierraQ]

There are some places (like Whiskey Cake Kitchen and Bar at the tollway and Parker) that have a Blink card that you can use. The hostess will let you borrow it, and may have extras to give you a card to activate via the web. That was how I got my Blink card.

And unless Blink has gotten better about delivery times that may be the best way to get one! I requested one about 8 months ago... never got it. Eventually got one via someone around here.

The Chargepoint card did arrive... eventually.

 

[vrwl]

Ahhh, good info on those cards! Thanks!

 

[vrwl]

Question.... is there a glossary on this forum for all the frequently used acronyms people refer to in their posts? I tried searching on things like SOC and GID, but those terms are used so much, I can't find any threads where they are defined/explained. Granted, I'm reading the threads in this forum quite a bit, but my speed reading skills aren't quite up to par! :shock: Anyway, if someone could point me to a place where all these terms are defined, I'd be happy to learn on my own.

 

[davewill]

There is one in the Wiki. However, those two weren't on the list, so I added them. If there are others, folks should add feel free to expand the list.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/wiki/index.php?title=Glossary" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[vrwl]

Thanks so much!

 

[Pipcecil]

In case you haven't found it here is the map I keep updated with all the charging stations in DFW:

https://maps.google.com/maps/ms?msid=211891722519472891922.0004a754eab81f5c0cf11&msa=0" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I update it weekly, so it never gets outdated. For future reference for that drive, there is an independent (free) station at the Courtyard Marriot near PGBT and Preston (its a GE Station).

Unlike others I had no problems getting blink or chargepoint cards. eVgo requires membership, which usually includes a home level 2 charger. There is an undisclosed plan on their site that just allows access to the public charging system for $40 per month (vs $80 for charger and public charging - although the additional 30 per month hasn't kicked in until they open more stations..).

There is also the TXU chargers (one of which is at the McKinney Library!!). There still is unsure usage of these stations. They work on a fob system (stations are exactly like eVgo's since both use AeroVironment). But they have no way to get a fob before hand (seriously dumb). There is a 1-800 number on the stations that you can call and this is supposed to unlock the stations, and, maybe, at that point you can register and order a card. I was fortunate because I work with a gov entity that helped this initiative (and I knew whom to contact) I got a fob before the 1-800 number was set up.

Maybe you can try the one in McKinney and see if you can get a fob sent to you vs. having to call the number every time you want to charger at their stations.

 

[vrwl]

Pipcecil, thanks for that map. I had seen it before, but that was a couple of months ago while I was still researching the car, and I had lost track of the link. I'm saving it now! Since I'm right here in the McKinney area, I'd be happy to go check out the library charger to see what's up with it. I signed up for Blink and Chargepoint yesterday, now it's just a matter of getting the cards delivered. I probably won't sign up with eVgo just yet, because I have no idea whether or not my outside charging use will justify the monthly expense (I have no plans on using their home charging system, so if I DID use them, it would be for their unadvertised "mobile only" service). Now if they ever offered a "pay per use" plan, I would definitely sign up with them as well.

 

[vrwl]

I'm so sick over this... my BRAND NEW CAR (well, new to me) just got a big door ding/gouge on the way home today from a huge flying rock. Some SUV went flying by me on the left near Preston Rd and Hwy 380, kicked up this big-a**ed rock near a bunch of road construction which then proceeded to fly into my driver's side door. I've only had the car TWO DAYS!

 

[adric22]

I'm so sick over this... my BRAND NEW CAR (well, new to me) just got a big door ding/gouge on the way home today from a huge flying rock. Some SUV went flying by me on the left near Preston Rd and Hwy 380, kicked up this big-a**ed rock near a bunch of road construction which then proceeded to fly into my driver's side door. I've only had the car TWO DAYS!

I hear you. I remember when I bought a Prius a few years ago brand new. 2 days later somebody smashed into the rear driver's side quarter panel while it was parked at a store. Never found out who it was. It required $1,500 to repair.

 

[Pipcecil]

Uggh dings and stuff like that on new cars are the worse! I was lucky on my leaf that I didn't get damaged until maybe 6-7 months of ownership and got a horrible ding/scratch in a parking lot by a huge truck. The ding/scratch when all the way down through the paint near the metal...it is quite bad.

My wife on the other hand had it worse, she was re-ended in her new volt (5 weeks old) late last week. Poor girl, we had had the absolute hardest time getting her Volt and things still happen to her. Luckly all is repaired and I am picking up her volt today.

@vrwl - thanks for checking on the TXU station I was wondering how the 1-800 number would work (just open the charger or can get a fob out of it!). If you can get a fob, post the number so we can all call ahead and get one!

As for eVgo, it can be difficult to justify the cost sometimes. For me, living so far south (Midlothian) I use the fast chargers all the time. It allows me to visting family and friends in the northern DFW area, I can now go to mesquite and fort worth with impunity (chargers there). The arlington chargers, being in the middle of DFW open up many doors and the DeSoto charger helps if we underestimate range and need a charge on the way home. But if you find yourself always in northern DFW then it won't be worth it.

 

[adric22]

Uggh dings and stuff like that on new cars are the worse! I was lucky on my leaf that I didn't get damaged until maybe 6-7 months of ownership and got a horrible ding/scratch in a parking lot by a huge truck. The ding/scratch when all the way down through the paint near the metal...it is quite bad..

I will confess a sin here though. A few years ago during a really bad thunderstorm I opened the door to my car in a parking lot and the wind yanked the door right out of my hand. The car next to me was spaced in such a way that my door had to open within an inch of its maximum before it collided with the car next to me. At that point it had a lot of momentum behind it. It damaged the end of my door, but did a lot more damage to the car next to me. I stood there for a moment, staring at what had happened. I know how horrible it is that my car has been damaged by jerks over the years without leaving notes. But then I looked over the car I had just damaged. It was an old clunker and it had dings and dents all over it. The whole car probably wasn't worth $1,000 tops. I knew it would cost probably close to that just to fix the damage in one door. So, I said "screw it, society owes me" and left.

While that was probably wrong of me, I can still rationalize it pretty well. For one, it wasn't entirely my fault. Nature was some to blame. Second, I am not entirely sure the driver of such an old beater would even notice the extra damage. It kind if blended right in with the rest of it. It certainly didn't affect the overall appearance of the vehicle. And last, in my experience it is usually people who drive old beat up cars that are usually responsible for most of the door dings and damage that those of us endure with our new cars.

 

[Cheezmo]

Just had a nice phone call with Jason from evGo to tell him about our new Volt (he said we can share the keyfob for now and they are working on a low cost level 2 only plan for Volt owners), but they don't really have provisions for 2 car families yet, but I digress.

The reason for this post is that he said there are 5 more QC stations really close (as in 1-2 weeks) from being available. I believe that will bring the total up to 11 in the Metroplex!