leaf modeal choice and solar install

[Lstyles]

I am new to the forum and have tried to find the answers to my questions but I think our situation is a little more complicated so I can't seem to integrate all the answers.
Our current situation is as follows:
We have a ford cmax energi and are on the E9 program. I commute 90 miles round trip three times a week and my husband commutes 22 miles round trip every day. I use the cmax those three days to commute as the stickers shortens my commute considerably. Obviously with an approx 20 mile limit on cmax, it doesnt nearly cover my commute. My work is saying they will put in a charging station is late spring so that will help some. When I don't drive, my husband takes the cmax and gets to and from work on the one charge of the cmax and uses the stickers to get across the bay bridge rapidly so that is ideal. We need a new car and given price reductions, the leaf is looking very tempting. Until my work adds charging station, my husband would likely use the leaf and so will only use about 1/3 of charge a day (at least by the estimates that are listed on this forum). The differences between the S and SV are a bit confusing but in terms of charging it seems that the improved charger on the SV would be nice to have to speed up charging. Although technically we could probably charge adequately with the 120 volt 3.3 charger on the S model. However, if my work does put in the charger then I would probably take the leaf to work and with that would be able to use electric both directions which would be very nice. So far so good but our situation gets a little more complicated because we want to install solar. We have had solarcity come by and pitch their PPA agreement and give us a price to pay for the system up front (We believe we can afford the whole cost up front too). They calculated we needed a 5.5 KW system for the existing set up (cmax energy, no leaf). They said that adding leaf would not be too big a change and we could use the system (5.5kw) they designed for our use without changing it as charging would be at night. Not sure that is really the way we want to go. They said the E9 system was the best one to use with solar in our circumstances. The last bit of information to give you is that we have one 220 outlet in garage but I think it is 20A not 30A. Here is a picture of it:

Have read on the forum about the EVSE upgrade ($270) which is added to existing cord from vehicle. Not sure it would be compatible with our existing plug amps and whether we need that.

So my questions are as follows:
1) Is the SV the way to go in terms of models? There are also several other features on the SV that we like (cruisecontrol, heater).
2) Do you agree that the present solar design should not be increased upwards for adding the leaf? Is the E9 program the way to go for a dual electric vehicle home?
3) Should we get the EVSE upgrade given our current 220 amperage? Is it worth upgrading that to 30 A?

Thanks for your patience in this very long thread but I find that sometimes its better to just put it all out there up front to give people the most information possible.
Lori

 

[planet4ever]

The differences between the S and SV are a bit confusing but in terms of charging it seems that the improved charger on the SV would be nice to have to speed up charging. Although technically we could probably charge adequately with the 120 volt 3.3 charger on the S model.

I think you may be confused here. The charger on the S model runs at either 120v or 240v, just like the one on the SV. The base S model does have a 3.3kW charger, while the SV and SL have a 6.0kW charger. You can get the faster one on the S model by adding the Charge Package option. BUT ... 3.3kW or 6.0kW applies only to a 240v supply. When charging at 120v, both chargers charge the battery at a rate of about 1.1kW.

Have read on the forum about the EVSE upgrade ($270) which is added to existing cord from vehicle. Not sure it would be compatible with our existing plug amps and whether we need that.

It certainly would be compatible, and the cheapest way to go other than charging at 120v. If you are only driving 27 miles/day, you may not need it, but I would recommend it anyway. It's the only thing I have ever used or needed.

1) Is the SV the way to go in terms of models? There are also several other features on the SV that we like (cruisecontrol, heater).

I have the 2013 S model, and am happy with it for the most part, but I agree that both cruise control and the improved heater are reasons to consider the SV or SL instead. The S model is $3,000 less than the SV. The S + Charge Package is still $1,770 cheaper than the base SV. I personally prefer the audio and climate controls on the S, but would rather have the more user-friendly timer controls and energy use displays on the SV. If you want navigation, there are cheaper and better standalone units. Remote control via CarWings would be an SV plus for some, but it's certainly not critical in the mild Bay Area climate.

2) Do you agree that the present solar design should not be increased upwards for adding the leaf? Is the E9 program the way to go for a dual electric vehicle home?

PG&E Schedule E9 has now been replaced by PG&E Schedule EV, though you can remain "grandfathered in" for (I think) another year. Your longer term choices are E1, E6, and EV. Which one is best depends on how much electricity you use for other purposes, especially air conditioning, how much your solar array will generate, and whether you upgrade to 240v charging. Assuming you have a SmartMeter, PG&E has a web page where you can make comparisons. SolarCity has a lot of experience in financial tradeoffs of various array sizes, and I think I would probably trust their judgement on that.

Ray

 

[DNAinaGoodWay]

1) SV with QC port.

2) I don't know what E9 is, but, I do wish my array was bigger. The LEAF came later and consumes 300 kWhs/month.

3) You'll want a 40 amp breaker minimum on your 240 volt circuit.

 

[planet4ever]

1) SV with QC port.
2) I don't know what E9 is, but, I do wish my array was bigger. The LEAF came later and consumes 300 kWhs/month.
3) You'll want a 40 amp breaker minimum on your 240 volt circuit.

OK, I'll play, so long as you understand these are my choices and may not fit your circumstances:
1) S with Charge Package
2) E6 (though I'm waiting for a SmartMeter so I can evaluate EV)
3) Your existing 20A circuit is fine for one EV, but you will probably want an additional circuit for two. They can both be 20A. An alternative would be to upgrade the wiring (and breaker) to 40A and install a sub-panel in the garage with two 20A circuits.

Ray

 

[Lstyles]

Thanks for the responses. I think we have decided to go with the SV version of the leaf. No quick charge as I dont think we will need it and we will see if the 240 volt upgrade is needed in the future. We have checked with PGE website as you have suggested and the switch to EV plan will lower our electrical rate to 20 cents per KWh (Currenly averages 26 cents per KWH on E9). We had solar city and sungevity give us quotes and it seems like with their PPA/lease options for a 5.5 KWH system they are offering us 19 cents per KWH which isn't much better (I understand that the PGE rate will go up in future). The details of our use are that if we use EV plan we use 48% off peak, 25% peak, and 27% part peak. Because we use so much off peak and the EV rate doesn't have tiers we actually get a reasonable cost per KWH (20 cents/KWH) on EV plan. The question I now have is, is it a good idea to design a system of this size since so much of our energy is used at low off peak rates. It is probably doesn't actually pay to design a solar system to cover the off peak use as the price per KWH for the solar equipment wont be recouped enough to cover the electric cost. Does that make sense? I think this same principle is why they only design solar systems to cover tier 3 and 4 usage in customers who have standard E1 plan as it doesnt pay to cover the costs of tier 1 and 2 usage. Its all very complicated and I am not sure that the solar people that have visited us really have an understanding of the whole issue. Any new thoughts?
thanks,
Lori