Just got my Leaf

[OttoH]

Better yet, get the upcoming Leafscan from Ingineer. I have the Gid-o-meter which shows the percent usable SOC remaining and never even look at the Guess-o-meter. Much better than going by the number of bars. Many of us are chomping at the bit to get the Leafscan as soon as it available:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=8251" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now that sounds like something I'd like to have. I've bookmarked the discussion. With any luck it will not be too much time before it's ready.

 

[Ingineer]

Hi Otto, Congrats on your Leaf! I think you will fall in love as soon as you get used to it!

Since you already have 240v outlets, getting our upgrade would be the lowest-cost method of more than doubling your charge speed. In addition, you will save electricity, as charging on Level II with our upgraded unit wastes less power.

We offer an Advanced Replacement service so you can not be without charging. You can order an upgraded unit on our web site which will be sent out to you, while you keep your existing 120v only unit, then once you are up and running with the upgrade, you simply send us back your original 120v unit. We charge a deposit, but it's fully refundable if you return the unit in good shape. (No PayPal fees on the deposit either)

Even if you later decide to have a wall-mounted Level II unit installed, it's still a good idea to keep the upgrade for a backup, and maybe even for opportunity charging for an occasional long trip. Many of our customers combing the upgrade with a "Quick220" device that allows you to safely obtain 240v from two standard 120v outlets as long as they are on opposite circuits. We have literally hundreds of customers charging daily using this method, no electrician or permits needed! This can be used for long-distance visits to friends/relatives, etc.

Please feel free to give us a call or an email, we will be happy to discuss your situation with you and offer suggestions.

(Our phone number/email contact is on our website.)

I am working hard on getting LEAFSCAN out to everyone ASAP. Feel free to send us a note asking to be notified when it's available, and we will add you to our list.

-Phil

 

[OttoH]

Hi Otto, Congrats on your Leaf! I think you will fall in love as soon as you get used to it!

Please feel free to give us a call or an email, we will be happy to discuss your situation with you and offer suggestions.

-Phil

Hi Phil,
This is what I got when I tried to send an email:

We cannot verify that you are trying to send an email from this form. Please try again.

I tried again, same result.

Edit: I think it worked the third time.

 

[OttoH]

So, time for my second attempt at driving to Gainesville and back. Started out with full charge, 12 bars and 105 miles on the GoM. Taking 441 and running at 52 to 53mph except where limits were lower. Intending to hit University Blvd, turn left and go to Red Lobster for lunch. Then back to 34th to Archer Rd PetSmart to look at used dogs, and then back home again.

Arriving at the PetSmart parking lot the GoM showed 36 miles. My wife was a little apprehensive so we decided to head for Gainesville Nissan and a quick L2 charge. Stop at Dunkin Donuts for some coffee and a flashing of our AARP cards to get free donuts and we're off to the races. After about 35 minutes of charging we showed 42 miles, and the GPS said we had 36 miles to go to get home. No problem, right?

The miles dropped off rather quickly. I was in Eco mode and doing between 45 and 50. A/C was on, a penalty of two miles indicated on the screen. It didn't take long before I realized this was going to be a nail-biter. When we passed the sign that said "16 miles to Ocala" we had 8 miles indicated on the GoM. I had by now dropped to 40mph and the A/C was off.

Low battery warning came on. Cindy was not happy, but she trusted that I would get us home. One way or another.

The Very Low battery warning came on. We still had miles to go. Figuring we could just as well continue since the car was still moving, I pressed on at 35mph or so. At least one other driver was a bit upset with my speed - or lack thereof - but didn't get violent in any way.

0.8 miles from home the Turtle showed up. Cindy looked at me and proclaimed that if we could make it past Tucker, we'll just push the thing the rest of the way. "Tucker" is a hill on our street that Cindy used to have problems with when riding her bicycle. Somewhere she read that if you gave your enemy a name, he would be easier to defeat. So the hill became "Tucker".

A disembodied voice announced that "power output is reduced" just as I had to come to a stop prior to crossing Hwy 40. There is a Walmart a mile or so down the road, and the Walmartians apparently wanted to go home in one large group. Eventually I caught a break and got across the street. Tucker seemed to be laughing at us. Having a bit of speed and inertia helped and we got halfway up before I felt the motor actually needing to work. Cindy and I both tried to push the car by just willing it to keep moving.

We made it to the top. A sigh of relief escaped both of us, and we coasted to the bottom of the hill. From there a short climb and we turned into our driveway and the J1772 plug waiting for our return.

The trip meter said 105.3 miles since starting out this morning. We drove 19.8 miles from the point where the GoM said we had 8 miles left. 11.8 miles past zero.

All's well that ends well, but I don't want to do that again. So, lessons learned:

- This is not a 100 mile range car. It may or may not be a 75 mile range car.
- Driving at 50 - 55 in a 65 zone works if you have more than one lane in each direction. If you don't, it probably isn't such a great idea.
- In spite of having a card from AARP, I don't want to drive like a grandma. This is Flordia and we have enough of those as it is. This will reduce the effective range of the car even further.
- I still like the car better than any car I've ever owned.
- Putting vinyl lettering on both doors saying: "100% Electric" has lead to more questions and talk about electric cars than anything else. Normal people don't know what "Zero Emissions" means, but they have no problem understanding what "100% Electric" means.
- When my lease is up, I will get another electric car. Probably a newer Leaf.