LEAF in Kansas City

[ksnogas2112]

Hey...on the kcpl front. There are now 5 devices/10 plugs at the Truman Sports Complex between The K and Arrowhead! That almost makes the $20 parking worthwhile.

 

[ksnogas2112]

test post to find this thread with the new layout

 

[ScienceProjectX]

Hello! Figured I would post this picture of 5 leafs caught in the wild.

 

[MobileEV]

Eric,

Pretty cool! Where and when was this? Are we maxing out on charging stations already?

Karl

 

[ScienceProjectX]

This was Hyvee off of Barry road

 

[eclecticflower]

ScienceProjectX,

Thanks so much for posting the picture! It was a fun time meeting you and your girlfriend and I hope you keep in touch on this thread. I didn't take a pic, since I would've been facing west into the sun.

That's Henry's white LEAF on the DCQC and my red car to the right. The black one to the right of mine was another gentleman's, whom I met but can't remember his name (sorry). I have to admit names don't stick in my head. ScienceProjectX (name?) is next to the black and his girfriend arrived in blue and parked next to him.

I had happened to go to HyVee for a QC so I would have a little extra range to get down I29 going home towards the 29/35 split. Henry's white car was charging, so I went inside to kill a few minutes. It was quite surprising to come out and see the crowd of LEAFs!! Also, exciting to see my first blue one in the wild. After 3 years of looking and rarely spotting another one of us, it was a treat of an accidental gathering. I noticed people leaving the parking lot were turning heads to look at the strange little cars with plugs in their noses, lol!

Kathy

 

[MobileEV]

Just a data point on tires:

I discovered a nail in one of my Ecopia tires yesterday, and the hole was not patchable. I have had good experiences with TireRack.com, but since I was in a pinch for time (car was up on its jack in the driveway), I went to the only tire place still open at 7PM on a Saturday, which was WalMart on 72nd and Rt. 1 in Gladstone.

I was pleasantly surprised that they had the Ecopia EP22 in stock and only $100.50, which is ever lower than TireRack (http://goo.gl/RF8ylx), and other than the $1.50 disposal fee and sales tax, that was the complete price with mounting and balancing.

BTW, I stopped in a the HyVee near Zona Rosa yesterday hoping to see a charging scene like the above, but I was the only one. On the plus side, the DCQC was free and working.

TTFN,

Karl

 

[ericvoll]

I have seen this topic discussed before. I found this thread:

Post subject: Re: Bought an HD Dash Cam for my LEAF - Check it out here...

Couldn't make a link copy with my phone, sorry.

Kathy

Karl/Kathy -

Thank you for the great information. I did a bunch of research and have ordered the dash cam system recommended in the thread started by Lasareath ( http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=15151" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ). The unit parts are very discreet, record both front and back, and there are some really good videos/reviews online. It was a bit pricy ($239.95), but if I had it a year ago, it would have saved me a lot of money.

I'll post something after I get it all installed and setup.

ERIC

So, the dash cam system came in last week. I was really impressed with the quality of the unit. I'd love to have it installed, but ....

I did some more research on how I'd actually install it in the car. Most of the options had me stuffing the cabling in where the side airbags are located. Also, I'm not sure how I'd deal with the hatch back area. Lasareath indicated he ran the cable thru the rubber tube that has the other wiring, but after looking at my car (and not wanting to experiment and possibly break something) I don't know how this would be done. I finally decided that unless I have a step-by-step guide and a plan that wouldn't interfere with the airbag system (something I'm not willing to do), that I don't want to chance installing the camera system. I could take my car to have it "professionally" installed, but after doing some research on that, that even seems chancy.

I ended up sending the dash cam system back because unless I know for certain installing it isn't going to break or interfere with something, I don't want to take the risk. I don't want to experiment with my LEAF.

 

[cdherman]

Just a data point on tires:

I discovered a nail in one of my Ecopia tires yesterday, and the hole was not patchable. ........

TTFN,

Karl

On the tire topic, today I rather serendipitously found a screw in one of my tires (I was on the floor checking the tire pressure of vehicle next to the Leaf and placed my hand on the Leaf tire to give myself a boost back up, and I felt the head of the screw under my index finger!) The Leaf tire was holding pressure, so I thought perhaps the screw was short. But when I pulled on it, the hissing started.....

So up on my jack, off with the tire to NTB at 5:30 (they close at 6) and by six it was repaired. Nice to have tools and a spare...

Back to topic: Should anyone of the regulars (or even our newer arrivals who have not yet had the honor of a Leaf party at my home, so long as someone can vouch for you) need a spare, a jack, or even a replacement for "rescue foam kit" or whatever its called (I got one cheap off ebay for $29 and will resell to anyone in need), just let me know.

My spare, jack etc are all in my garage and my garage has a password. So all you would need to do is contact me for the password. My cell is eight 1 sicks, sicks 54 - 3 one 4 sicks

Just call if you're ever in need.

I am starting to research new tires for this fall, as I'll be over 30k, and I will be holding on to the one best of my 4 old Ecopia's. Never a bad idea to have an old scab tire for emergencies.... Luckily my tire could be repaired.

 

[eclecticflower]

Are any of you other 2012 owners interested in doing this climate control mod, since I got kicked to the curb by EVSE Upgrade yesterday after 7 months of trying to buy their modded unit? It appears there are 3 DIY solutions, according to this thread:

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?t=11412

I like option #3, but I wouldn't have a clue about the parts.

Thanks,
Kathy

 

[ksnogas2112]

Hey all...back from the Alaskan cruise, getting ready for Michigan next week.

 

[ericvoll]

I have seen this topic discussed before. I found this thread:

Post subject: Re: Bought an HD Dash Cam for my LEAF - Check it out here...

Couldn't make a link copy with my phone, sorry.

Kathy

Karl/Kathy -

Thank you for the great information. I did a bunch of research and have ordered the dash cam system recommended in the thread started by Lasareath ( http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=15151" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ). The unit parts are very discreet, record both front and back, and there are some really good videos/reviews online. It was a bit pricy ($239.95), but if I had it a year ago, it would have saved me a lot of money.

I'll post something after I get it all installed and setup.

ERIC

So, the dash cam system came in last week. I was really impressed with the quality of the unit. I'd love to have it installed, but ....

I did some more research on how I'd actually install it in the car. Most of the options had me stuffing the cabling in where the side airbags are located. Also, I'm not sure how I'd deal with the hatch back area. Lasareath indicated he ran the cable thru the rubber tube that has the other wiring, but after looking at my car (and not wanting to experiment and possibly break something) I don't know how this would be done. I finally decided that unless I have a step-by-step guide and a plan that wouldn't interfere with the airbag system (something I'm not willing to do), that I don't want to chance installing the camera system. I could take my car to have it "professionally" installed, but after doing some research on that, that even seems chancy.

I ended up sending the dash cam system back because unless I know for certain installing it isn't going to break or interfere with something, I don't want to take the risk. I don't want to experiment with my LEAF.

So after I sent back the dash cam system, a guy at work was in an accident, and his dash cam saved his butt. An aggressive, road-rage driver hit his car on purpose and then tried to play it off as my coworkers fault. The police offer was going to write it up as a no-fault accident. Problem for Mr. Aggressive is that my coworker had a dash cam system running. He showed the police, and now Mr. Aggressive was cited and his insurance is picking up all the repairs.

I'm really hesitant to have someone messing with my car, but I decided in the end to have the high end RoadCam 1080P front and back camera system put in by Best Buy tomorrow. I'll post pictures, videos, etc. tomorrow after I get it installed.

 

[ericvoll]

It is done! I had the K1S dash cam system installed in my car today by guys at Best Buy in Liberty. The price was very reasonable too. The unit was $239.95 on Amazon and the install was $221.77 (2 hours labor, materials, parts, tax). I have to say that I am extremely happy with the camera and the installation by the guys at Best Buy. I thought someone messing with my car would be pretty dicy, but everything was done very professionally. I couldn't be happier.

The camera system records 1080P both front and back to a micro-SD card. The front camera was installed behind the rear view mirror. They made sure it wouldn't obscure any of the rear view mirror sensors. All of the wiring is hidden with the rear view mirror wiring. I can't see it when I'm driving. The rear camera was installed on the rear hatch, in the middle, and the cabling was run thru the cable boot on the passenger side, then down, and thru the rocker panels at the bottom of the doors. The control button was installed just under the NAVI in the same area as the 12 Volt outlet. In this way, it's also hidden from view but easily accessible. Although the unit turns on/off automatically when the vehicle is turned on/off, the button lets you manually turn on/off the unit (when powered) as well as allows me to mark a video moment as important. If marked, the unit stores the front and rear video files in a separate folder and locks them. Finally, the unit itself was installed on the roof of the glove compartment. There is already a hole in the top of the compartment (probably for a light that was never put in) that all of the wiring goes thru. The GPS/speaker unit is affixed to the upper, right hand corner of my windshield. To supply power to the unit, an additional (hidden) 12 Volt outlet was installed. The leads were soldered to the existing 12 Volt outlet. This way all of the energy accounting (power being used by accessories) is correct and the fuse box didn't have to be touched. All in all, it's very unobtrusive, professional, and I'm quite happy.

Below are some pictures of the unit in my car (FYI: the big white square in the picture is my turnpike transponder):

 

[MobileEV]

Eric,

Thanks for the report. I might have to have the same thing done to add the rear-facing recording and to get rid of my kludgy suction cup and dangly cord into the 12V plug setup.

Do you think you can post a link to some video taken during the day and night. I'm interested how the front and rear recording looks ... is it two separate files or on the same video?

Karl

PS: Good seeing you at HyVee on 72nd the other day.

 

[MobileEV]

I discovered another KCP&L CleanCharge EVSE on ChargePoint.com and went and checked it out. It's a great little place to park and charge if you're in Westport since it's in walking distance of the restaurants and the Tivoli theater.

Added to PlugShare:

http://api.plugshare.com/view/location/68155

Keep an eye on ChargePoint...there are more stations popping up all the time. I keep eyeing up the airport, but not seeing anything yet.

Karl

 

[ericvoll]

Eric,

Thanks for the report. I might have to have the same thing done to add the rear-facing recording and to get rid of my kludgy suction cup and dangly cord into the 12V plug setup.

Do you think you can post a link to some video taken during the day and night. I'm interested how the front and rear recording looks ... is it two separate files or on the same video?

Karl

PS: Good seeing you at HyVee on 72nd the other day.

Karl -

The unit stores the video taken in separate files (1 for the front camera and 1 for the back). They are both synchronized, so recording starts/stops for both at the same time. One can configure the video lengths to be 1 - ? minutes each. I have mine set for 1 minute increments as it makes the files easier to manage. The file naming convention makes the files very easy to find. Also, iMovie on the Mac makes doing picture in picture, etc. very easy.

The first day I had the unit, it caught a speeder (going maybe 70-80 down North Oak) and a red light runner on Antioch. I may post the video. In the meantime, I can send you the raw footage via email (the email will contain links to download); just private message me your email address. It records pretty well, but is subject to a lot of glare. I may get out my Vernier calipers to size the lens and see if I can find a CPL filter that will fit.

 

[evtinker]

I got a laugh out of the EVSE at the Sun Fresh in Westport. About a zillion years ago (Okay, probably 1997) one of the members of our EAA chapter, the Mid-America Electric Auto Association worked for Imo's Pizza and occasionally delivered pizza in his 1980 Lectric Leopard (a commercial conversion of a Renault LeCar). He found a 20 Amp 120 Volt outlet on one of the light poles in parking lot and would sneak power when he could. How the times do change.

 

[ericvoll]

Eric,

Thanks for the report. I might have to have the same thing done to add the rear-facing recording and to get rid of my kludgy suction cup and dangly cord into the 12V plug setup.

Do you think you can post a link to some video taken during the day and night. I'm interested how the front and rear recording looks ... is it two separate files or on the same video?

Karl

PS: Good seeing you at HyVee on 72nd the other day.

Karl -

The unit stores the video taken in separate files (1 for the front camera and 1 for the back). They are both synchronized, so recording starts/stops for both at the same time. One can configure the video lengths to be 1 - ? minutes each. I have mine set for 1 minute increments as it makes the files easier to manage. The file naming convention makes the files very easy to find. Also, iMovie on the Mac makes doing picture in picture, etc. very easy.

The first day I had the unit, it caught a speeder (going maybe 70-80 down North Oak) and a red light runner on Antioch. I may post the video. In the meantime, I can send you the raw footage via email (the email will contain links to download); just private message me your email address. It records pretty well, but is subject to a lot of glare. I may get out my Vernier calipers to size the lens and see if I can find a CPL filter that will fit.

Here is some video I took the day I have my dash cam installed. Sorry, I had to mute the audio in the video because youtube detects a copy write violation because of the background music I was listening to at the time. I also cropped out the text at the bottom with GPS, License Plate, etc. info.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kdQDhqrEknU

 

[MobileEV]

Eric,

Thanks for posting. Looks like quite good picture quality. I did notice that it's hard to read license plate at night, but mine has the same issue.

Here's a similar one from my dash cam (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00EP90CIC?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage), which I'm sure has been superseded by newer models.

http://youtu.be/T2mGxU4SHaM

At about 1:15 I pass a car and you can make out the license plate if you play back on 1080.

Karl

 

[ksnogas2112]

Looking good Eric. Hope you never need it but nice to see.

Tom