Nissan Offering Free Charging - "No Charge to Charge"

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KJD

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OK I promise not to trash talk Nissan for at least the next couple of days.

Nissan Motor Co. (7201), after best-ever U.S. sales of Leaf hatchbacks in 2013, plans to offer two years of free public charging for the battery-powered car in its strongest U.S. markets to entice more drivers to buy one.
http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-04-16/nissan-offering-free-leaf-charges-to-lift-u-s-battery-car-sales.html?cmpid=yhoo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
http://insideevs.com/two-years-free-charging-on-nissan-leaf-and-at-all-the-major-networks-too/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

This says it will apply to any LEAF sold after 4/1/14.

Ten markets initially, "at least" 15 to be added later.

But, will it cause more station congestion?
 
It is only for the new buyers :( .

But since that new EZ-Charge card seems to work on Blink, AV and ChargePoint I would not mind buying one if it is around $20 a month. I would pay even if it has a limited number of charges included in that price.
 
If Nissan is offering it to new buyers from 4/1/14 and later, then we know that they are paying something for it. How much? Would they be willing to allow earlier Leaf buyers to also purchase one from them?

This is interesting!!! I know that the dealer I got my Leaf from has turned over management of their L3 to NRG eVgo. Maybe this is part of the deal.
 
It will be interesting to see the details ( pricing ) on this new EZ Charge Card. It sounds like existing owners can buy into the system.
One of the minor hassles of owning an electric car is the need to have multiple accounts, passes, and fobs to access multiple different public charging networks.

Now Nissan is working to make public charging simpler, introducing a program called EZ Charge that lets Nissan Leaf electric-car drivers access multiple charging networks with a single access card.
http://www.greencarreports.com/news/1091495_nissan-ez-charge-card-to-let-leafs-recharge-on-four-networks" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
got mine in Dec so missed out again. BUT... does anyone know if this applies to purchase only or are leases included?

could be a move to try to tip the balance a bit more. I also fear this will cause the already weak charging network to become overburdened...
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
got mine in Dec so missed out again. BUT... does anyone know if this applies to purchase only or are leases included?

According to: http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa/releases/nissan-launches-programs-to-make-leaf-charging-free-and-ez" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

It includes sales or leases.
 
According to this: http://www.hybridcars.com/nissan-launches-free-and-ez-leaf-charging-for-2014-leaf-customers/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Prior owners will be able to buy a card, no price mentioned.

It was Ghosn's idea.

Card will be tied to Vin #, so no selling or sharing.
 
I don't know how to react to this. I was hoping that the EvGo rollout in SoCal would help to have more places to charge when I need it w/o waiting in line but now many new owners may just flock to those locations just because they can get free juice, and there will I be waiting to pay in line with 2 people in front of me who charge for free.
 
DaveinOlyWA said:
I also fear this will cause the already weak charging network to become overburdened...
On the contrary I think it will make the 4 charging companies stronger. They will have a steady stream of income from Nissan and they will use that new income to expand the charging network. This is a win win for everyone.
 
KJD said:
DaveinOlyWA said:
I also fear this will cause the already weak charging network to become overburdened...
On the contrary I think it will make the 4 charging companies stronger. They will have a steady stream of income from Nissan and they will use that new income to expand the charging network. This is a win win for everyone.

unless they double the number of fast chargers and put them in key areas, they will continue to struggle
 
I also do not think this will over-burden the system. At first new buyers will use these L3 chargers, but eventually they will realize, as I did, that instead of waiting for 20 to 30 minutes to charge, or even longer if someone else is already connected, to get $1.00 or $2.00 worth of electricity for free is not worth the time. Unless these new Leaf owners live somewhere that will not allow them to have their own L2, they will eventually learn it is much cheaper to have their own L2 EVSE and charge overnight.

This evening we drove about 30 miles away to another community for a function. Since there was a Nissan dealer about 1 mile from the location we went to we used their L3 to top off. Actually we only drove about .5 miles out of our way, and sat there for about 20 minutes while we were charged back up to 80%. It was free (for now, as it still uses their own key fob) to use, but the one at the dealer we got the leaf from has already been taken over by eVgo and costs to use. Otherwise, we only charge at home on our L2 EVSE. If we had charged up to 100% at home we could have made the entire trip with reserve. As it was, without the charge we would have been close to empty when we got home.
 
http://insideevs.com/nissan-leaf-now-gets-free-public-charging-on-all-the-major-networks/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; now has an update via http://green.autoblog.com/2014/04/16/nissan-will-expand-free-charging-incentive-to-25-leaf-markets/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

The deal means that new Leaf buyers will get to charge for free at public chargers that accept the new EZ-Charge card, within limits. That means a maximum of 30 minutes at CHAdeMO DC fast chargers and just one hour at Level 2 stations, Brendan Jones, director of Nissan EV infrastructure strategy and development, told AutoblogGreen. This should be plenty of time, Jones said, since the average Leaf driver comes to a CHAdeMO station with 35-40 percent state-of-charge on the battery and the average time they stay is around 16-17 minutes. A half hour is fine at a fast charger, since the battery will get to 80 percent full within that time, but we're less impressed with the one-hour limit at a Level 2 station, since that will only put maybe 20 miles into the battery...
 
Most people charge at home, and/or at work if they're lucky, so no effect there. It would be good for QC hopping in places where the QCs now have a fee. (Hardly any fees here yet, but that will change.)

An hour on L2 is good for a quick top up while shopping or getting lunch. But I wonder if some people will move cars or plugs from one L2 to another?

Will this promotion really encourage more installs? Unlike Tesla, Nissan's strategy is to get others to help build out a ubiquitous infrastructure.

Will other EV makers follow suit?

Why not just make the promotion nationwide and help build out everywhere? Smaller markets won't add much cost.
 
This article: http://www.plugincars.com/nissan-promises-common-card-all-public-ev-charging-129654.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Suggests that Nissan will not be paying the fees if it can help it, but asking station owners to allow free charging. ChargePoint will publish map of participating stations.
 
I am not thrilled about this simply because of the scarcity of L3 units. It my opinion, it pushes off the installation of home chargers from the time of vehicle purchase until expiration of the free charging period. That means more cars trying to use the few L3 we have.

I currently rely on 2 of these to complete my daily commute. They are about 50 miles from my start points (each direction). I usually stop for less than 15 minutes. Since the initiation of Aerovironment's monthly fee, I have only had to wait for another LEAF one time.

I am not looking forward to waiting while someone sits there charging on a L3 trying to top it off because the GOM is down to 50. Some new owners believe that means they are at 50% and many more will sit there toasting their batteries. It doesn't matter to them because the car is being leased.

It may sell a few more cars, but I think it will be detrimental to the drive times of early owners. We have gone from no L3 units, then they were free, to now a fee, (unless we buy a new car).

How about just making them free for all again (Nissan's subsidy - tied to Vehicle is fine) and then the playing field will be a bit more even?
 
^^^^Agreed. Steve, maybe you need to have a sign at the station that says: "Reserved from xx:xx to yy:yy for US Record Mileage Leaf Driver" ;)
 
DNAinaGoodWay said:
This article: http://www.plugincars.com/nissan-promises-common-card-all-public-ev-charging-129654.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Suggests that Nissan will not be paying the fees if it can help it, but asking station owners to allow free charging. ChargePoint will publish map of participating stations.

In addition, there is a suggestion on the LEAF Facebook page that Nissan will be making the charge cards available to existing LEAF owners (presumably for a fee) and there is another comment suggesting that Nissan is rolling out charge collections on their dealership QCs.

This makes me wonder if this is Nissan's answer to Nissan dealers who keep people from using their charger unless they bought the LEAF there. I'm speculating based on limited data, but what Nissan may be saying to dealers is: If you want into this program that will help you sell LEAFs you must make your chargers open for a fee, but free to people (LEAF-drivers) with these cards.
 
NEW YORK – Nissan today announced the expansion of its successful "No Charge to Charge" promotion, which will provide two years of no-cost public charging with the purchase or lease of a new Nissan LEAF. In total, Nissan will launch "No Charge to Charge" in 25 U.S. markets, which are currently responsible for more than 80 percent of Nissan LEAF sales.

The "No Charge to Charge" expansion will use the new EZ-ChargeSM card, a first-of-its-kind platform that will offer Nissan LEAF owners access to the leading EV charging networks with a single, all-access card. New owners will receive an EZ-Charge card that will provide access to chargers with ChargePoint, Blink Network from Car Charging Group, AeroVironment and NRG eVgo.

"'No Charge to Charge' and EZ-Charge are a winning combination, making public charging free and easy for new LEAF buyers," said Fred Diaz, senior vice president, Nissan Sales & Marketing, Aftersales. "Public charging is an important way to provide added range confidence to EV buyers and persuade more shoppers to join the more than 110,000 LEAF drivers around the world."

"No Charge to Charge" will launch using the EZ-Charge card on July 1, 2014, in 10 of the top markets for Nissan LEAF sales, including San Francisco, Sacramento, San Diego, Seattle, Portland, Ore., Nashville, Phoenix, Dallas-Ft. Worth, Houston and Washington, DC. The "No Charge to Charge" offer and EZ-Charge card will be provided retroactively to buyers in these markets who purchased their LEAF on or after April 1, 2014.

After the rollout in the first 10 markets, Nissan plans to add "No Charge to Charge" and EZ-Charge at LEAF dealers in at least 15 additional markets during the following year. More details on the programs in these additional markets will be made available closer to their launch.

The EZ-Charge access card is managed by NRG eVgo with support from ChargePoint, CarCharging and AeroVironment.

"Nissan's commitment to mass-market electric cars is matched by our commitment to increase charging infrastructure for LEAF owners," said Brendan Jones, director, Nissan EV Infrastructure and Strategy. "EZ-Charge is a natural progression of our multi-pronged commitment to developing EV charging at workplace campuses, at Nissan LEAF dealerships and in the communities where LEAF drivers live and work."

About Nissan North America
In North America, Nissan's operations include automotive styling, engineering, consumer and corporate financing, sales and marketing, distribution and manufacturing. Nissan is dedicated to improving the environment under the Nissan Green Program and has been recognized as an ENERGY STAR® Partner of the Year in 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2014 by the U.S Environmental Protection Agency. More information on Nissan in North America and the complete line of Nissan and Infiniti vehicles can be found online at http://www.NissanUSA.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.InfinitiUSA.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, or visit the Americas media sites NissanNews.com and InfinitiNews.com.

About Nissan
Nissan Motor Co., Ltd., Japan's second-largest automotive company, is headquartered in Yokohama, Japan, and is part of the Renault-Nissan Alliance. Operating with more than 236,000 employees globally, Nissan sold more than 4.9 million vehicles and generated revenue of 9.6 trillion yen (USD 116.16 billion) in fiscal 2012. Nissan delivers a comprehensive range of over 60 models under the Nissan and Infiniti brands. In 2010, Nissan introduced the Nissan LEAF, and continues to lead in zero-emission mobility. The LEAF, the first mass-market, pure-electric vehicle launched globally, is now the best-selling EV in history.

For more information on our products, services and commitment to sustainable mobility, visit our website at http://www.nissan-global.com/EN/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

About the EZ-Charge partners:

About ChargePoint
ChargePoint is the largest and most open electric vehicle (EV) charging network in the world, with more than 16,500 charging locations and a 70%+ market share. Ranked #1 by leading independent research firm, Navigant Research, ChargePoint makes advanced hardware and best-in-class cloud based software. ChargePoint's open network is utilized by many leading EV hardware makers and encourages all EV charging manufacturers to join. Every 10 seconds, a driver connects to a ChargePoint station and by initiating over 4.5 million charging sessions, ChargePoint drivers have saved over 3.9 million gallons of gasoline and driven 93 million gas free miles. For more information about ChargePoint, visit http://www.chargepoint.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

About CarCharging
Car Charging Group, Inc. (OTCQB: CCGI) is the largest owner and operator of electric vehicle (EV) charging services with more than 13,650 charging ports in 35 states and three countries. CarCharging owns and operates the Blink Network, the software that operates, monitors, and tracks the Blink charging stations and all of its data, and owns and operates EV charging equipment manufactured by various additional providers. CarCharging has strategic partnerships across multiple business sectors including multifamily residential and commercial properties, parking garages, shopping malls, retail parking, and municipalities, enabling EV drivers to easily recharge at locations throughout the United States. For more information about CarCharging or the Blink Network, please visit http://www.CarCharging.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, http://www.BlinkNetwork.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;, http://www.facebook.com/Car.Charging" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; or http://www.twitter.com/CarCharging" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

About AeroVironment, Inc.
AeroVironment is a technology solutions provider with decades of experience delivering complete EV charging solutions, such as home charging, public charging, fast charging, data collection, grid-integrated communications, and complete installation, training and support services for consumers, automakers, utilities, government agencies and businesses. The company has deployed more than 15,000 Level II charging stations in North America and hundreds of DC fast-charging stations, including along the pioneering West Coast Electric Highway, where the company supplies, installs and maintains the highway's EV charging network. AeroVironment is a leading supplier of high-power test systems used worldwide by automakers and advanced battery manufacturers to develop the next generation of electric vehicles and batteries. To learn more please visit http://www.evsolutions.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

About NRG eVgo
The NRG eVgoSM network gives electric vehicle (EV) owners new freedom and range confidence via home and workplace charging docks, plus a network of fast charging stations conveniently located at retailers along major transportation corridors within eVgo cities. Service plans offered by eVgo can provide EV owners a home or workplace charger and use of eVgo's Freedom Station® sites and other public charging stations. eVgo is a wholly owned subsidiary of NRG Energy, Inc., a Fortune 500 company at the forefront of changing how people think about, buy and use energy. Through eVgo, NRG will provide access to hundreds of public charging sites across California, Texas and the greater Washington, D.C., metropolitan area. To find out more, or to join the eVgo network, visit http://www.nrgeVgo.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Connect with eVgo on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @nrgeVgo.






http://nissannews.com/en-US/nissan/usa/releases/nissan-launches-programs-to-make-leaf-charging-free-and-ez" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
 
Having more people use chargers is always a good idea - even if it causes temporary congestion.

This would prompt more infrastructure to be built.
 
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