Premium vs Quick Charge packages... both, neither?

[ianlin]

I am looking at a 2 year lease on a 2013 SV. Most vehicles in stock have either one or the other option already installed. For those of you who got either one or the other, or both: what is your opinion of these packages? Useful? Worthless overpriced additions?

 

[surfingslovak]

I would get the QC port and 6 kW charger. The premium package is somewhat debatable, but my friends seem to like the Around View monitor. Availability of QC stations will depend a lot on your geographic location. Would it be possible to add that to your profile?

 

[Deleted member 9549]

Completely different option packages. Depends on what you value.

I went with the quick charge etc. option. Charging is core to the usability of the car. Even though there are no quick charge stations around, I'm hoping we'll get some soon. Being able to charge in 30 minutes would be huge. The premium package doesn't have much that I needed. I'd rather have an SV with no options and save a few bucks.

 

[apvbguy]

Completely different option packages. Depends on what you value.

I went with the quick charge etc. option. Charging is core to the usability of the car. Even though there are no quick charge stations around, I'm hoping we'll get some soon. Being able to charge in 30 minutes would be huge. The premium package doesn't have much that I needed. I'd rather have an SV with no options and save a few bucks.

I have neither. I really didn't care about the backup cameras or bose sound systems as for the QC port there is but 1 installed here in FLA and it is out of range for me and the prospects of one being installed where I could take advantage of it within the 2 year term of my lease are just about nil

 

[Deleted member 8423]

I am looking at a 2 year lease on a 2013 SV. Most vehicles in stock have either one or the other option already installed. For those of you who got either one or the other, or both: what is your opinion of these packages? Useful? Worthless overpriced additions?

Quick charge package: So it has LED lights, DCFC port & 6.6kw charger. I don't know if there are any tangible benefits to the LED lights or if it's just for looks. For the DC fast charge/quick charge port, do you live in an area where there are a number of these stations? Would you be willing to pay the high price for a charge? If no, that's a strike against the QC package. For the 6.6kw charger, are you planning on having a charging station installed at home, or will use the 120v unit that comes with the car to do all of your charging? There's zero benefit with this 6.6kw option if you do all charging on 120v.

 

[planet4ever]

For the 6.6kw charger, are you planning on having a charging station installed at home, or will use the 120v unit that comes with the car to do all of your charging? There's zero benefit with this 6.6kw option if you do all charging on 120v.

Well, it's obviously true that there is zero benefit if you do all charging on 120v, but your statement overlooks the real benefit to the 6kW charger. That comes if you are 30 miles from home and have gotten the Low Battery Warning. There is a public charging station only 3 miles out of the way, so that is where you go. You figure you are going to need to add about 6kWh to make it comfortably (without crawling in at 15 mph). If you have the 3.3kW charger you are going to be sitting there for nearly two hours. With the 6kW charger, you will be on your way in an hour. Even better than 6kW, of course, is the ten minute or so Quick Charge you could get if you happen to have a charging station around that provides it. And there will be more of them in the future, so at some point you are likely to wish dearly that you had the port. You can't add it later, so get it now.

Even if you do charge at 240v at home, the 6kW charger doesn't make much difference there for most people. Do you really care whether it runs for 3 hours or 5 hours in the middle of the night? A few people do, if they have a 4-hour Super Off Peak electric rate. And a few other people care who run their car down to Low Battery every day and want to take it someplace in the evening. But they are the exceptions.

I have a relatively slow 240v charging station (12A EVSEupgrade) so the 6kW charger does nothing for me at home, but I still chose to pay extra for it. That is because I did have to charge my first LEAF a number of times away from home, and 3.3kW feels incredibly slow if you are just sitting there waiting for it.

Ray

 

[cwerdna]

Availability of QC stations will depend a lot on your geographic location. Would it be possible to add that to your profile?

Yep. OP, can you update your location info via User Control Panel (near top) > Profile (left side)? That way, we don't need to ask in future posts/threads or do sleuthing to deduce it.

Some areas have no QCs at all whereas some have plenty.

 

[Deleted member 9549]

For the 6.6kw charger, are you planning on having a charging station installed at home, or will use the 120v unit that comes with the car to do all of your charging? There's zero benefit with this 6.6kw option if you do all charging on 120v.

Well, it's obviously true that there is zero benefit if you do all charging on 120v, but your statement overlooks the real benefit to the 6kW charger. That comes if you are 30 miles from home and have gotten the Low Battery Warning. There is a public charging station only 3 miles out of the way, so that is where you go. You figure you are going to need to add about 6kWh to make it comfortably (without crawling in at 15 mph). If you have the 3.3kW charger you are going to be sitting there for nearly two hours. With the 6kW charger, you will be on your way in an hour. Even better than 6kW, of course, is the ten minute or so Quick Charge you could get if you happen to have a charging station around that provides it. And there will be more of them in the future, so at some point you are likely to wish dearly that you had the port. You can't add it later, so get it now.

Even if you do charge at 240v at home, the 6kW charger doesn't make much difference there for most people. Do you really care whether it runs for 3 hours or 5 hours in the middle of the night? A few people do, if they have a 4-hour Super Off Peak electric rate. And a few other people care who run their car down to Low Battery every day and want to take it someplace in the evening. But they are the exceptions.

I have a relatively slow 240v charging station (12A EVSEupgrade) so the 6kW charger does nothing for me at home, but I still chose to pay extra for it. That is because I did have to charge my first LEAF a number of times away from home, and 3.3kW feels incredibly slow if you are just sitting there waiting for it.

Ray

The SV comes standard with the 6.6 kw charger. That is not part of either option.

 

[adric22]

My car has neither. I bought it in 2011. My reasoning at the time was that there were zero quick charge stations around, so why pay extra for the feature? Well, fast forward to 2013 and we now have dozens of QC stations in Dallas/Ft.Worth and I can't use them now. However, I think my case may be a bit out of the ordinary. I think by now most folks know if their city will be getting QC infrastructure anytime soon.

Having said that, if you don't think your city will be getting QC then go for the 6Kw charging. Being able to recoup 20 miles range in a single hour is very useful for public charging. But ultimately, I suspect most people could probably get along without either, I have managed to.

 

[planet4ever]

The SV comes standard with the 6.6 kw charger. That is not part of either option.

Oops, brain check triggered by what ITestStuff wrote. Obviously I was thinking of the charge package on the S model, which is what I have.

Ray

 

[cwerdna]

The SV comes standard with the 6.6 kw charger. That is not part of either option.

Oops, brain check triggered by what ITestStuff wrote. Obviously I was thinking of the charge package on the S model, which is what I have.

Ray

Yep on the SV coming w/6 kW on-board charger.

Since the OP finally added their geographic area, I would almost definitely get the QC package. There are a growing # of CHAdeMO quick chargers in the Bay Area.

 

[shortcircuit]

The premium stereo is something you will enjoy all the time. Finding a QC charge station, not so much.

 

[michapok]

A reminder that the SV without the premium package has no backup camera. That's the sole reason we went with the premium package over a base SV.