Parking Lot of the Future is...now!!

[padamson1]

Where do you think this picture was taken?

A Nissan dealership? Well no, I took this picture this morning in the parking lot where I work. Pretty cutting edge company set of employees that you'll see this selection of cars in the lot and I know that at least one (white one) is missing!

...and yes they are all charging:

 

[LEAFfan]

Where do you think this picture was taken?

Google? They use a lot of PVs and have charging stations for their EV owners.

 

[trentr]

let me guess, intel? but i don't know which office.

 

[padamson1]

oops. Didn't notice the sign in the background. Du-oh! Oh well.

I still think it's pretty cool that there are at least 7 LEAFs owned at this Intel campus.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

the revolution is picking up steam, or shall I say electrons!!!!!

 

[Nekota]

Any ideas on the processor used in the LEAF? Intel Inside commercial material - I see blue cars and just missing the blue men.
Nice picture and are those hitching posts only for employees?

 

[TEG]

More Intel+Leaf:
http://solarchargeddriving.com/news/solar-charged-driving/652-intel-oregon-employees-plug-into-sun.html

 

[Beachcliffs]

An indoor version can be found at 333 S Hope St in downtown LA. According to my wife, there are now 7 or 8 Leaf owners in the building (but alas, only 4 charging stations).

 

[IBELEAF]

Makes me glad I went with silver. Pretty soon there will be "electric blue sea" :lol:

 

[stevedj98]

Very impressive. But check out the second photo. Notice all the cables on the ground and the tangled mess?

This is the first thing I noticed when charging my LEAF with The EV Project supplied Blink EVSE. I emailed Ecotality about someone tripping over the cable in the dark (law suit time) or having to carry hand sanitizer with you to clean up after plugging or un-plugging. Dirt collects on the cable inside my clean garage.

Certainly the cable could be elevated and have a spring return, just like a traditional gas pump. Another alternative would be to put the charging cable on a reel, like a garden hose. Just turn the crank to replace it.

Also what happens two or three years into the future when the rubber starts to wear and crack? Think about that the next time you come back to the car in a rainstorm. I assume there are enough protections built in so you won't get fried. But who wants to come back to a car that didn't charge because of a defective cable?

 

[Anonymous]

Also what happens two or three years into the future when the rubber starts to wear and crack? Think about that the next time you come back to the car in a rainstorm. I assume there are enough protections built in so you won't get fried. But who wants to come back to a car that didn't charge because of a defective cable?

I'm not worried about that. I've had a heavy-duty extension cord sitting outside running power to the side of my house for about 8 years, and while the color has certainly faded, the insulation is still flexible and no cracks. It all depends on the quality of the insulation, and I think my Blink cord is pretty high quality.

Now, dirt getting into the connector itself or possibly water causing rust over time in there might be a whole different issue. When using a public charger, I would check that connector pretty closely each time before plugging into the car.

By the way, a Kudos to Intel for setting this up. That's pretty sweet! Nice to see some companies embracing new technologies like this and providing these benefits for the employees. Probably didn't cost them much, considering tax rebates and whatnot, but it means they put the time into setting it up and listened to their employees, and that's a very good thing.

 

[tps]

Also what happens two or three years into the future when the rubber starts to wear and crack?

I suspect that this is often caused by using "indoor rated" cable outdoor. This should not be a problem with the cable between the EVSE and the J connector.