Official Plug-In 2010 Conference thread

[Stoaty]

Nissan chat still says (today) you have to have SL trim to get the level 3 charging option. They don't have a price on how much the option will cost. I would take this as the official Nissan position, and the other statement with a grain of salt (even though it could turn out to be true down the line).

 

[gasmiser1]

Nissan chat still says (today) you have to have SL trim to get the level 3 charging option. They don't have a price on how much the option will cost. I would take this as the official Nissan position, and the other statement with a grain of salt (even though it could turn out to be true down the line).

Man, I wish Nissan would send out reps that know everything up front. Guy there told me both SV and SL would have L3. I signed up for an SV, but if I need to get the SL for L3, I'll spring for the SL.

I think I'll email Nissan directly to get the scoop on L3 packaging.

 

[leafygreen]

regarding L3 charging option, the rep I spoke with at plug-in said that probably neither trim would come with L3 as they still weren't quite sure on the standard. She said that car could be upgraded at a later time for a cost <$1k, probably around $800

 

[planet4ever]

... and the rep I spoke with at the Nissan booth said no SV would have L3, and in general SL would have it only in EV Project areas, though you might be able to get it (extra cost option?) elsewhere.

It seems like we are getting just about every possible "official" answer.

 

[planet4ever]

Why was Best Buy at the conference? Are they installing chargers in their parking lots? or Are they going to be selling home chargers?

I'm not sure. There was so much to see at the show, I never made it over to the booth. Anyone have an idea?

It was a rather sad booth. Just four poster boards and no one around (at least when I stopped by). In essence they were saying the Geek Squad could install EVSE's for you, but there was no indication of price or which EVSE's they would be carrying.

 

[planet4ever]

One rather intriguing, albeit expensive, EVSE was from a company called Evatran. They call it "Plugless Power", and the concept is a "Parking Block", 6' x 2½' and 4¼" inches thick that you drive up against, inductively coupled with a "Vehicle Adapter" mounted behind the front bumper of your car (about 15" x 8" x 3"). They claim a power factor greater than 90% on 32A input, 208/240v.

The EVSE part can be a hard-wired wall mounted unit that costs $2995, or a more expensive pedestal, and includes a J1772 connector. It is supposed to be available this fall. If you give them an extra $800 they will upgrade you with the Parking Block "as soon as the proximity charging option is available." I got no estimate of the cost of the Vehicle Adapter or its installation. Obviously it would connect somehow behind the car's J1772 connector.

This is obviously a startup company with a clever idea, but who knows if they can even build what they are claiming, let alone get Nissan or other EV makers to approve the modifications needed.

 

[EVDRIVER]

One rather intriguing, albeit expensive, EVSE was from a company called Evatran. They call it "Plugless Power", and the concept is a "Parking Block", 6' x 2½' and 4¼" inches thick that you drive up against, inductively coupled with a "Vehicle Adapter" mounted behind the front bumper of your car (about 15" x 8" x 3"). They claim a power factor greater than 90% on 32A input, 208/240v.

The EVSE part can be a hard-wired wall mounted unit that costs $2995, or a more expensive pedestal, and includes a J1772 connector. It is supposed to be available this fall. If you give them an extra $800 they will upgrade you with the Parking Block "as soon as the proximity charging option is available." I got no estimate of the cost of the Vehicle Adapter or its installation. Obviously it would connect somehow behind the car's J1772 connector.

This is obviously a startup company with a clever idea, but who knows if they can even build what they are claiming, let alone get Nissan or other EV makers to approve the modifications needed.

Not to mention the huge conductive losses.

 

[evnow]

Nissan itself has announced wireless inductive charging. But that is only in the lab - with no mention of production.

Wireless inductive charging would be a good idea in public parking. Lessens the anxiety about pranksters.

 

[evnow]

Plug-In 2010: Bill Nye, Chelsea Sexton return for public night panel

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/07/28/plug-in-2010-bill-nye-chelsea-sexton-return-for-public-night-p/

 

[Gonewild]

... and the rep I spoke with at the Nissan booth said no SV would have L3, and in general SL would have it only in EV Project areas, though you might be able to get it (extra cost option?) elsewhere.

It seems like we are getting just about every possible "official" answer.

I am in the EV Project I hope it will be FREE like my charger.

 

[AndyH]

Plug-In 2010: Bill Nye, Chelsea Sexton return for public night panel

http://green.autoblog.com/2010/07/28/plug-in-2010-bill-nye-chelsea-sexton-return-for-public-night-p/

Thanks! Listening to the 2 hour public night MP3 now. Nice giggle, Chelsea!

 

[gasmiser1]

... and the rep I spoke with at the Nissan booth said no SV would have L3, and in general SL would have it only in EV Project areas, though you might be able to get it (extra cost option?) elsewhere.

It seems like we are getting just about every possible "official" answer.

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I emailed Nissan and called them this morning re: Level 3 charging option---L3 only comes with the SL package. It is included in the price of the SL option. "The Level 3 charging port will be an option only on the SL trim level. However, changes still may occur before production starts and if there is a change we will contact you. The solar panel spoiler, also on the SL trim, will charge the accessory battery to avoid using the main battery and dos not have a significant impact on range.
We appreciate your time, and encourage you to chare contact details with friends and family. For you convenience, we can be reached: By return email, through our website at www.nissanusa.com and by phone at: 1(877)664-2738. Sincerely, Jesse, Nissan EV Customer Support."

I have now upgraded by vehicle to the SL trim level. I may not need L3 daily, but it will be most likely a once a week necessity.

 

[Ready2plugin]

Great to hear that it will be standard on the SL trim. Thanks for the report! L3 may be important for resale value as well if you plan to purchase and not lease. Hopefully L3 charging stations will be the "norm" down the road (pun intended! ).

 

[mwalsh]

I'm personally going to suspend all belief (or hope) that L3 will come on any Leaf until I see it on my car's build sheet.

 

[gasmiser1]

Great to hear that it will be standard on the SL trim. Thanks for the report! L3 may be important for resale value as well if you plan to purchase and not lease. Hopefully L3 charging stations will be the "norm" down the road (pun intended! ).

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I agree. Resale value is important, but I plan on running the Leaf for over 10 years

 

[AndyH]

The 2 hour Q&A session from the Plug In conference was well worth listening to.

There's something for everyone - from history to bicycles and urban planning to why Washington is a red/blue state to EVSE roll-out plans to an update on the Revenge of the Electric Car movie.

Here's a direct link to the MP3 file: http://stadium.weblogsinc.com/autobloggreen/audiointerviews/100727-public-night-edit-low.mp3

Thanks again evnow - this was well worth my time!

 

[Stoaty]

emailed Nissan and called them this morning re: Level 3 charging option---L3 only comes with the SL package. It is included in the price of the SL option. "The Level 3 charging port will be an option only on the SL trim level.

Well, they wouldn't tell me how much the L3 option cost yesterday (said they didn't know), so I would this answer with a grain of salt too. They did say it was only available with SL trim level.

 

[planet4ever]

... and the rep I spoke with at the Nissan booth said no SV would have L3, and in general SL would have it only in EV Project areas, though you might be able to get it (extra cost option?) elsewhere.

It seems like we are getting just about every possible "official" answer.

I am in the EV Project I hope it will be FREE like my charger.

I'm not sure what you are trying to say. What you get free from the EV Project is an L2 charging DOCK that the L1/L2 charger built into the car can connect to. There is no such thing as an L3 charging dock, because the L3 charger is not, and almost certainly never will be, built into the car. L3 chargers are very expensive, like on the order of $20,000. You are not going to get one of those for your garage from the EV Project! Those are only public infrastructure.

The only point at issue here is who gets a working L3 charging PORT built into your Leaf. It seems pretty clear that people in EV Project areas who get the SL model will have that L3 port, and it won't cost extra. How many others might get it and what they might have to pay is unclear.

 

[EVDRIVER]

Great to hear that it will be standard on the SL trim. Thanks for the report! L3 may be important for resale value as well if you plan to purchase and not lease. Hopefully L3 charging stations will be the "norm" down the road (pun intended! ).

------------------------------------
I agree. Resale value is important, but I plan on running the Leaf for over 10 years

Don't expect L3 to be the norm, there is a significant commercial electrical upgrade needed and the cost will remain high for a long time. Few places even have the capacity or wiring to instal such chargers. It is far more likely to see larger chargers in new EVs, not the pathetic 3.3kw models. The Tesla charger is 18kw capable.

 

[garygid]

The public L3 "charger" is only the high-power part of this "Level 3 Quick-charger System". It is basically just a DC power supply that can be controlled by the car.

Inside the car, other than the visible L3 socket and some wiring, is the "important" part of the L3 charging system - the controller for this "Quick" charging process.

This controller needs to tell the external "power supply" how much current to "push" into the battery pack at any given moment. This changing current is a "charging profile", adjusted to fit the SOC of the fullest cells in the battery pack.

So, the L3 "charger" (system) consists of two important pieces, one external, and one internal to the car. A working L3 charging system requires both.

Note: Once the "communication" between the car controller and the external power supply is known, it should not be difficult to build a L3 "dock" (power supply) for the well-powered home, charging in under 4 hours.