Say hello to sparky!!

[damnameisinuse]

Hey guys! Signed up for some info, figured I should say hi & not just be a lurker! Say hello to Sparky!

2013 SV with premium package...loving this thing! I was excited about the gas savings (I spent more money in gas for my truck each month than the lease payment on my Leaf) so it's a free car as far as I'm concerned, and GA does that $5000 tax credit so I'll be getting cash in my pocket, so I couldn't think of a reason NOT to drive one. Figured it's an ugly slow little economy car but I can deal with that for it being free. Then I got in the thing & found heated seats & steering wheel, 360º backup camera, XM radio, bose system, nice climate controls, and a ridiculously fast & responsive engine in a really responsive chassis that handles like a sports car. Who knew??? And in black, it's a pretty dang good lookin' car too now that I really look at it! I love this thing. Can't believe I'm actually making money by driving it!

 

[braineo]

Welcome to the Atlanta Leaf Freeloaders, those whose commute pays us to rive uour Leaf's for free!

I also extend you an invitation to our evclubsouth.org monthly meetings at Manuel's.

What kind of deal you got?

 

[sparky]

... Say hello to Sparky!

Uh, hi back at you?
Welcome and good color BTW.

 

[damnameisinuse]

Haha, no fair Sparky, you stole my cars name ages before it existed! When I was at the dealer setting up Carwings, he asked for the cars nickname & Sparky was the first thing that came to mind...I told him I'm sure I wasn't the only person who said that but he said he hadn't heard it before. Clearly I'm not an original.

And Braineo, thanks! I'll go check it out. I got a 2 yr lease on the SV with Premium pkg with nothing down for $360/mo after taxes. Was going to get an S with less options but once I started really crunching the numbers & found that I still came out making a profit even after adding all the creature features, I figured what the heck lets splurge.

 

[Klayfish]

Welcome and congrats! Yes, the LEAF comes with a lot of nice little touches that used to be reserved for more high end cars. Some of it is just common sense for Nissan...it takes less battery power to heat the seats and wheel than the entire cabin...but regardless of why, those features are nice to have. You'll get used to the instant torque off the line, but it'll never make you stop grinning ear to ear. It drops off below about 50mph, but who cares, most of my driving is below 60mph anyway. The car has a lot of room inside, which has been nice since I've got a family of five. As I've mentioned to others new owners (guess I'm still new, I've only had mine 2 months) is that the more you drive the more you'll realize the car is definitely not sporty. That's not a knock whatsoever on the car, I love mine. But the handling is best described as competent. It's heavy for its' size, has a lot of body lean and lacks a lot of steering feel. But that's not the point of the car. It's an awesome, economical, unique, and entertaining commuter. Enjoy!!

 

[adder70]

Welcome to the Atlanta Leaf Freeloaders, those whose commute pays us to rive uour Leaf's for free!

I also extend you an invitation to our evclubsouth.org monthly meetings at Manuel's.

What kind of deal you got?

Maybe by October 16 I'll have confidence to run a 61 mile loop on one charge.

Corey

 

[braineo]

There are 5 charging stations at Manuel's and we have a nice charging etiquette, you will not leave wanting a charge. People do move out of the charging parking spot if someone needs a charge.

 

[Klayfish]

Maybe by October 16 I'll have confidence to run a 61 mile loop on one charge.
Corey

Pphhhhttt....as long as you're not driving it like you stole it, while running the heater full blast, 61 miles should be a breeze. I do that nearly every day. Driving the LEAF definitely takes a mindset shift, but you'll quickly grow confident in its' ability.

 

[damnameisinuse]

Looks like about a 65 mile round trip day for me to go to Manuel's, and I've actually got plans in the Highlands a couple times between now and the 16th. Still trying to learn my range limits so I haven't pushed it that far without a level 2 charger along the way, especially with the bike rack I just mounted, I'm not real confident in my range yet though it's done pretty well so far as long as I do the math before getting myself stuck somewhere. If Manuel's has chargers it shouldn't be a problem, do I need to join a charging network or are they free? I was disappointed to find out I couldn't use the ones at Walgreen's without getting some kind of swipey card or something. There are a couple free ones by my office I've been using so far when I'm not at home. Works perfectly when I go mountain biking, I just park in the EV spot, get it charging, hit the trails, come back to a mostly charged car.

Dumb question but what is the charge etiquette you mention? I don't want to be the guy who shows up & doesn't know I'm blocking the charger from someone else or cuts in a line I didn't know about or something like that. Does the bar staff keep tabs on who drives the EVs so they give someone a heads up when you need to charge or something?

 

[braineo]

Looks like about a 65 mile round trip day for me to go to Manuel's, and I've actually got plans in the Highlands a couple times between now and the 16th. Still trying to learn my range limits so I haven't pushed it that far without a level 2 charger along the way, especially with the bike rack I just mounted, I'm not real confident in my range yet though it's done pretty well so far as long as I do the math before getting myself stuck somewhere. If Manuel's has chargers it shouldn't be a problem, do I need to join a charging network or are they free? I was disappointed to find out I couldn't use the ones at Walgreen's without getting some kind of swipey card or something. There are a couple free ones by my office I've been using so far when I'm not at home. Works perfectly when I go mountain biking, I just park in the EV spot, get it charging, hit the trails, come back to a mostly charged car.

Dumb question but what is the charge etiquette you mention? I don't want to be the guy who shows up & doesn't know I'm blocking the charger from someone else or cuts in a line I didn't know about or something like that. Does the bar staff keep tabs on who drives the EVs so they give someone a heads up when you need to charge or something?

You will need a blink card which are free for 2013 and will cost $1 per hour for charging. We meet in the North room and anyone can request needing a charge to the group, or arrive by 6pm and there will be plenty of charging spaces. Meeting starts at 7pm while everyone has dinner. we discuss what's going on in Atlanta within the EV space and as a collection of owners, we do have some attention from manufacturers and share trip tips, vehicle quirks and activities promoting EV adoption. It is great to learn and share experiences. We are stay atop of Georgia legislature and grants in the EV space and also location of new charging stations around town. One of the members is in the Nissan Worlwide panel of selected owners and is a great source of information on what's going on.

Other than the once monthly meetings, having 5 units offers plenty of charging opportunities. I've been patronizing the place more frequently on my trips to downtown due to its ease of use and location.

Hope to meet you in one of our events!

 

[Yogi62]

"Sparky" is the John Smith of EV names. We've had two.

 

[donald]

"Sparky" is the John Smith of EV names.

But, wouldn't that be like nicknaming a brand new ICE 'smokey' or 'clunkey', because if an EV sparks then wouldn't it mean it's got a bad motor?

It's just a name! I hope the OP continues to get full enjoyment from his car.

 

[damnameisinuse]

Donald & Yogi - Absolutely! I figured Sparky & Evie are probably the most common names for an EV...followed closely by Buzz. I thought about getting TRNOVER for my license plate...so it would be "Turnover, a new Leaf." But that just didn't seem to fit its personality so I quickly scrapped that idea. I'm one of those weirdo's who anthropomorphizes cars & this particular Leaf's personality to me is just totally like a 10 year old son who looks up to me & follows me around, just wanting to make me proud, so I call him Sparky.

On the complete opposite end of the spectrum, my other other car...Black Betty. She's a '55 Cadillac, too classy to race but too sexy to behave.

I could probably rename them both to Ebb & Flo or Yin & Yang or something. :lol:

Braineo, sounds great! I like my free chargers near the office a lot though...one is even solar powered so it gets bonus points for being truly Zero Emissions in my mind. Though for the sake of supporting businesses that support EV infrastructure I'd be fine with paying for it too...where do I get a Blink card?

 

[Klayfish]

Nice car(s)!! Having a car like the '55, have you gotten many cross eyed or bewildered looks from your other car friends? I got a lot of surprised looks when people saw my LEAF or heard about it. In my past, I've always had some monster gas guzzler...and when the budget is right probably will again...from 'Vette to Mustang, Cobra replica, '39 Dodge, etc... This is a total departure for me.

 

[dietersrover]

Hello
Nice car. Looks just like mine.
I have a 2013 Black SV with the premium package as well. So far so good. I'm about 500 gas free miles.
Cheers

 

[braineo]

Blink cards - go to blinknetwork.com

 

[vrwl]

... Figured it's an ugly slow little economy car but I can deal with that for it being free.

Ugly?!?! Never! Love my LEAF! Congrats on your new little friend.

 

[damnameisinuse]

Klayfish, yes! Glad I'm not the only one with completely paradoxical tastes in cars. Surprisingly though, it was my mountain biking buddies that have given me the hardest time about the Leaf, not the hot rodders. My first other car is a Toyota Tacoma, and they just can't believe my spot at the trailheads is now filled with a little economy car instead of a pickup.

Braineo, thanks! signed up for it today.

dietersrover, that's just about exactly where I'm at too! we've got twins.

and vrwl, I know! I feel so bad for my mistaken first impressions now! I pat him on his weird little bugeye headlights every time I walk past now. But I'm very glad I got black for sure though, definitely my favorite.

 

[TomT]

Mine is Electra...

Donald & Yogi - Absolutely! I figured Sparky & Evie are probably the most common names for an EV...followed closely by Buzz.

 

[damnameisinuse]

Mine is Electra...

Donald & Yogi - Absolutely! I figured Sparky & Evie are probably the most common names for an EV...followed closely by Buzz.

I like that.