ICEless in Seattle : Official Pacific NorthWest thread

[GaslessInSeattle]

Any idea how to do that efficiently...Calling and writing emails does not seem to have much of an effect...
Anyway, I will happily support any efforts towards this goal.

I'll check in with them and see if there is anything we can do. having Jay Inslee in office may help... he's got an amazing vision for pretty much all things alternative energy. Ecotality's days are numbered if they don't do something drastic soon to improve reliability, IMHO.

 

[Luft]

Has anyone gone from Tumwater DC QC to Ocean Shores. It's about 75 miles. A group of my friends want to know if I can take them there in my LEAF this April. We would rent a cabin for the night so I think I could charge there for a return trip.

If it's not too cold and I ran the whole way at 50 MPH will the terrain allow me to make it?

What do you think? Bad idea or go for it?

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Has anyone gone from Tumwater DC QC to Ocean Shores. It's about 75 miles. A group of my friends want to know if I can take them there in my LEAF this April. We would rent a cabin for the night so I think I could charge there for a return trip.

If it's not too cold and I ran the whole way at 50 MPH will the terrain allow me to make it?

What do you think? Bad idea or go for it?

I did it Summer before last. April might be a tough one. I drove 50-58 mph and pulled in with like 5 miles left to Ocean State Park. my trip length was like 79 miles i believe.

I think it depends where in Oly you live. if its the Westside you might be ok, if not? dont know. I came from Lacey so a bit further

I think that on a dry day you will make it especially at 50 mph. rain might derail you. i see it taking up to 10 miles of range from me on the heavier rainy days

if you do take the trip, take advantage of multi lane highways. I have seen plenty of cars going 50 mph on hwy 8 PLENTY of times.

**edit**

besides you know me... I would always say go for it if there was any chance at all of making it. the weight will matter and may be the determining factor. I just did an 81 mile RT on Tuesday and did about 40 of those miles at 50-55 mph and I was riding alone. parked the car with 12 GID left just North of "Turtleville"

 

[Luft]

Has anyone gone from Tumwater DC QC to Ocean Shores. It's about 75 miles. A group of my friends want to know if I can take them there in my LEAF this April. We would rent a cabin for the night so I think I could charge there for a return trip.

If it's not too cold and I ran the whole way at 50 MPH will the terrain allow me to make it?

What do you think? Bad idea or go for it?

I did it Summer before last. April might be a tough one. I drove 50-58 mph and pulled in with like 5 miles left to Ocean State Park. my trip length was like 79 miles i believe.

I think it depends where in Oly you live. if its the Westside you might be ok, if not? dont know. I came from Lacey so a bit further

I think that on a dry day you will make it especially at 50 mph. rain might derail you. i see it taking up to 10 miles of range from me on the heavier rainy days

if you do take the trip, take advantage of multi lane highways. I have seen plenty of cars going 50 mph on hwy 8 PLENTY of times.

**edit**

besides you know me... I would always say go for it if there was any chance at all of making it. the weight will matter and may be the determining factor. I just did an 81 mile RT on Tuesday and did about 40 of those miles at 50-55 mph and I was riding alone. parked the car with 12 GID left just North of "Turtleville"

I live in Tenino but plan to charge to 100% at the Tumwater DC QC. If you made it from Lacey it should be doable from Tumwater.

The average tempeture in April is only in the fifties so I'll lose some range there and my car will have about 20K miles by then.

How slow do you think I can go and not get busted?

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Has anyone gone from Tumwater DC QC to Ocean Shores. It's about 75 miles. A group of my friends want to know if I can take them there in my LEAF this April. We would rent a cabin for the night so I think I could charge there for a return trip.

If it's not too cold and I ran the whole way at 50 MPH will the terrain allow me to make it?

What do you think? Bad idea or go for it?

I did it Summer before last. April might be a tough one. I drove 50-58 mph and pulled in with like 5 miles left to Ocean State Park. my trip length was like 79 miles i believe.

I think it depends where in Oly you live. if its the Westside you might be ok, if not? dont know. I came from Lacey so a bit further

I think that on a dry day you will make it especially at 50 mph. rain might derail you. i see it taking up to 10 miles of range from me on the heavier rainy days

if you do take the trip, take advantage of multi lane highways. I have seen plenty of cars going 50 mph on hwy 8 PLENTY of times.

**edit**

besides you know me... I would always say go for it if there was any chance at all of making it. the weight will matter and may be the determining factor. I just did an 81 mile RT on Tuesday and did about 40 of those miles at 50-55 mph and I was riding alone. parked the car with 12 GID left just North of "Turtleville"

I live in Tenino but plan to charge to 100% at the Tumwater DC QC. If you made it from Lacey it should be doable from Tumwater.

The average tempeture in April is only in the fifties so I'll lose some range there and my car will have about 20K miles by then.

How slow do you think I can go and not get busted?

this is knowledge from 15 years ago or so...

minimum legal speed on divided highway is 45 mph ( i think) you need to get a "farm permit" or something along those lines and a pilot car if you plan to move slower so you will be fine.

the actual laws vary from area to area and maybe different but my Dad used to buy up property, develop them and put up houses, modulars and refurbishing mobiles he did a lot of and usually had to permit them as slow moving vehicles for I-5 (a lot came from Centrailia) but the permit requirements vary from road to road and even from section to section. IOW, different parts of I-5 have different rules.

keep in mind that in most areas, 60 mph is the MAX speed, not the minimum like we treat it. at 50 mph, you are COMPLETELY safe. as i stated before, I have run across several old beater pickups driving that slow or slower (guessing farm workers or whatever)

there are also several exceptions. Nisqually Hill is a place where if you want, just nestle behind one of the trucks chugging up the hill at 40 mph

if you do charge up at Tumwater (i might call the Oly dealer to see if they are getting a QC plus that will cut a few more miles off the trip length) charge to 80% then finish on the L2. this leaves charger open for anyone who might need QC. there is a tipping point where L2 and L3 are going to charge at the same speed and i dont remember what it was (80 something %) but Tom Saxton blogged about some time tests he did and it was in that range. if you in a hurry maybe push it to 85%?

 

[Luft]

this is knowledge from 15 years ago or so...

minimum legal speed on divided highway is 45 mph ( i think) you need to get a "farm permit" or something along those lines and a pilot car if you plan to move slower so you will be fine.

the actual laws vary from area to area and maybe different but my Dad used to buy up property, develop them and put up houses, modulars and refurbishing mobiles he did a lot of and usually had to permit them as slow moving vehicles for I-5 (a lot came from Centrailia) but the permit requirements vary from road to road and even from section to section. IOW, different parts of I-5 have different rules.

keep in mind that in most areas, 60 mph is the MAX speed, not the minimum like we treat it. at 50 mph, you are COMPLETELY safe. as i stated before, I have run across several old beater pickups driving that slow or slower (guessing farm workers or whatever)

there are also several exceptions. Nisqually Hill is a place where if you want, just nestle behind one of the trucks chugging up the hill at 40 mph

if you do charge up at Tumwater (i might call the Oly dealer to see if they are getting a QC plus that will cut a few more miles off the trip length) charge to 80% then finish on the L2. this leaves charger open for anyone who might need QC. there is a tipping point where L2 and L3 are going to charge at the same speed and i dont remember what it was (80 something %) but Tom Saxton blogged about some time tests he did and it was in that range. if you in a hurry maybe push it to 85%?

I'm right with you about not hogging a DC QC to go to 100%. It takes about 1.5 hours to go from 80% TO 100% on a L2 and only 40 min or so on a DC QC. I'll probably stay on the QC but if anyone comes to use it I'll let them have it and go to the L2.

 

[rdhauser]

If you make the trip, please take notes and let us know how it goes. I'm right by the Capitol, and I'd love to take the car down there for a weekend at the house of some friends. Haven't gotten the wife to sign on yet though, because running out of battery and calling for help is not her idea of a good time.

Just for the good of the order, though, you might also consider stopping at Taylor Shellfish in Shelton to have lunch while you top off to 100%. Then take Hwy 108 down to Montesano (or perhaps it's Elma) and on to Ocean Shores.

It's about 65 miles from there. Here is a link to (I hope) a google map:

http://goo.gl/maps/LvCLK" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Last year, I corresponded with an employee at the store who said that the L2 was installed there for a worker, but would be open to anyone. Best call first to confirm.

You know, that looks very doable to me. I'll have to have a talk with the wife ;-)

(yes, if we go, I'll take notes and report back).

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

If you make the trip, please take notes and let us know how it goes. I'm right by the Capitol, and I'd love to take the car down there for a weekend at the house of some friends. Haven't gotten the wife to sign on yet though, because running out of battery and calling for help is not her idea of a good time.

Just for the good of the order, though, you might also consider stopping at Taylor Shellfish in Shelton to have lunch while you top off to 100%. Then take Hwy 108 down to Montesano (or perhaps it's Elma) and on to Ocean Shores.

It's about 65 miles from there. Here is a link to (I hope) a google map:

http://goo.gl/maps/LvCLK" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Last year, I corresponded with an employee at the store who said that the L2 was installed there for a worker, but would be open to anyone. Best call first to confirm.

You know, that looks very doable to me. I'll have to have a talk with the wife ;-)

(yes, if we go, I'll take notes and report back).

that is for TaylorSF here (Steve Marsh) but i am pretty sure there are two. one in employee parking and another in front of the store. now that is up 101 past the highway 8 turn so it might be a bit of backtracking unless there is a cut over in the area? Shelton "could" be a shorter slower route.

when I went to Ocean State Park we went to Lake Trask which is just North of Shelton so there is a route that does go across. dont remember if its shorter though

 

[Luft]

If you make the trip, please take notes and let us know how it goes. I'm right by the Capitol, and I'd love to take the car down there for a weekend at the house of some friends. Haven't gotten the wife to sign on yet though, because running out of battery and calling for help is not her idea of a good time.

Just for the good of the order, though, you might also consider stopping at Taylor Shellfish in Shelton to have lunch while you top off to 100%. Then take Hwy 108 down to Montesano (or perhaps it's Elma) and on to Ocean Shores.

It's about 65 miles from there. Here is a link to (I hope) a google map:

http://goo.gl/maps/LvCLK" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Last year, I corresponded with an employee at the store who said that the L2 was installed there for a worker, but would be open to anyone. Best call first to confirm.

You know, that looks very doable to me. I'll have to have a talk with the wife ;-)

(yes, if we go, I'll take notes and report back).

Thank you sir! I think your Idea makes it doable. One of my fears was that I would barely make it to Ocean Shores and then on the way back it would rain and that would strand me!

I'll contact Steve and get the details on the charger(s) availability. I know he needs it to get home so his leaf takes priority but if there are two chargers it shouldn't be a problem.

 

[rdhauser]

Do we have a separate thread about the quick chargers at the Tahoma Market in Fife? Last week I emailed Blink and asked what they knew and got no answer. Today I checked the map and found that the Tahoma Market site now only has the four level 2 chargers and has no mention of the two quick chargers.

 

[sproqitman]

Do we have a separate thread about the quick chargers at the Tahoma Market in Fife? Last week I emailed Blink and asked what they knew and got no answer. Today I checked the map and found that the Tahoma Market site now only has the four level 2 chargers and has no mention of the two quick chargers.

There is a thread, but it's over on the Seattle Nissan Leaf Owner's facebook page. The latest from that thread is that the DCQC is not "officially" open for business, but folks have successfully charged there.

 

[rdhauser]

Thanks. Not the sort of thing I'd depend on for a day trip to Seattle. We'll try to be patient.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Thanks. Not the sort of thing I'd depend on for a day trip to Seattle. We'll try to be patient.

Tahoma "officially" opened today. i charged there yesterday

i plan to depend on it. I have job in Federal Way so will be driving from Oly to Fed way then stopping at Fife on the way home for a quick charge. only need about 10 minutes to make the 92 mile RT

 

[rdhauser]

Tahoma "officially" opened today.

Thanks, Dave that's good news.

 

[TaylorSFGuy]

Tahoma "officially" opened today.

Thanks, Dave that's good news.

One day later, only half of the charger works. There is masking tape over the left side with a note to use the other side. I for one am glad this unit is working, albiet only at 50%. Like Dave, I am moving up and down I5 from the south end of Puget Sound and there has been no QC between Tumwater and Seattle up until now. My range worries have been taken away at least for the time being.

 

[EdmondLeaf]

Tahoma "officially" opened today.

Thanks, Dave that's good news.

One day later, only half of the charger works. There is masking tape over the left side with a note to use the other side. I for one am glad this unit is working, albiet only at 50%. Like Dave, I am moving up and down I5 from the south end of Puget Sound and there has been no QC between Tumwater and Seattle up until now. My range worries have been taken away at least for the time being.

What is your mileage now and estimated capacity loss or range?

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Tahoma "officially" opened today.

Thanks, Dave that's good news.

One day later, only half of the charger works. There is masking tape over the left side with a note to use the other side. I for one am glad this unit is working, albiet only at 50%. Like Dave, I am moving up and down I5 from the south end of Puget Sound and there has been no QC between Tumwater and Seattle up until now. My range worries have been taken away at least for the time being.

ya, i think the left side was never fixed to begin with but I was able to get the charge i needed today. did 15 minutes instead of 10 but only because that is how long it took me to eat... Tahoma Market actually has some pretty decent food. nothing over the top but soups, sandwiches, various microwave stuff and what not. today was actually the first time i went into the store.

but ya, it really opens up a lot to me. hopefully the additional ones in Puyallup and others will be running soon along with Nissan's contribution, we might be able to make a go of this after all

 

[Luft]

It's always good to hear about a new DC QC station opening but we need redundancy. I just don't trust Blink chargers. I've been burned twice already. I was able to get my first Blink quick charge just this week from the Tigard station and even that didn't go perfectly. I arrived and the right side was ICE'd by a jerk who was using the ATM and couldn't be bothered to park in a stall 10 feet away. So I pulled into the left side and it wouldn't work so I tried to use the right side while parked in the left stall but the plug wouldn't reach. :evil: I had to wait for that jerk to leave and then move my car to the other spot.

On a different note: Assuming that we can get a charge in Fife; is that charger close enough to reach the Snoqualmie QC station 59 miles away? I'm thinking that the sudden altitude change may be a killer even if we leave Fife with a 100% charge.

 

[ALF]

I went into work at Everett Community College yesterday and here is what I saw:

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

It's always good to hear about a new DC QC station opening but we need redundancy. I just don't trust Blink chargers. I've been burned twice already. I was able to get my first Blink quick charge just this week from the Tigard station and even that didn't go perfectly. I arrived and the right side was ICE'd by a jerk who was using the ATM and couldn't be bothered to park in a stall 10 feet away. So I pulled into the left side and it wouldn't work so I tried to use the right side while parked in the left stall but the plug wouldn't reach. :evil: I had to wait for that jerk to leave and then move my car to the other spot.

On a different note: Assuming that we can get a charge in Fife; is that charger close enough to reach the Snoqualmie QC station 59 miles away? I'm thinking that the sudden altitude change may be a killer even if we leave Fife with a 100% charge.

not sure I would try it. there are a few QCs between Fife and Snoqualmie swinging thru Seattle. another thing is simply the time to charge. QC should not be used to fully charge if there is a queue.

now with AV, the machine cant determine a queue but the blink can and i think the machine should automatically limit anyone to an 80% charge if that is the case (please no comments on the % of Blinks that have two functioning sides, we are only speculating here) and allow a free top off at the L2 stations of which Blink always seems to have plenty of (imo, a poor excuse to "make the numbers" for the Feds...)