SF BayLEAFs - e-NV200 Ride & Drives and Showcase May 28

MsLusty said:

Rat, there was a guy (Robert?) at the Boardwalk meeting who was giving out his business card as an installer for Blink systems. Several people at that meeting had their systems installed by him and all spoke highly. I don't have the card any longer; I gave it to my boss who had his Blink installed by the guy.

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I missed that meeting. I would definitely like his card or at least come contact info.

Rat said:

MsLusty said:

Rat, there was a guy (Robert?) at the Boardwalk meeting who was giving out his business card as an installer for Blink systems. Several people at that meeting had their systems installed by him and all spoke highly. I don't have the card any longer; I gave it to my boss who had his Blink installed by the guy.

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I missed that meeting. I would definitely like his card or at least come contact info.

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Electrical Vehicle Installation Specialists
Robert Whiteaker Owner
415-933-0551
Robert Whiteaker <[email protected]>

When Ecotality was scheduling my installation, I suggested Robert, because they were talking about sending out someone from Napa Electric. I never got a response. I did, however, get a call from Napa Electric and they did a fine job. You might have better luck getting Robert on the Peninsula, since I don't think they'd send someone from Napa that far.

I emailed Robert and he is happy to attend Gathering #6. I just need to provide the time and place (which we will ideally decide in the coming days).

So far 5 or 6 votes for Redwood City and none (maybe a half) for Belmont.
Make your choice known in the next 2 days--will make a decision by Sunday.
Also keep sending your agenda items and if you would like to volunteer to lead a discussion on a particular topic (e.g., who is the Carwings expert in the group?).

+1 for RWC.

On a related note, I know several people at Silver Spring Networks. They reportedly have several Leaf owners, two J1772 chargers at the front entrance and their campus is about a mile away from the RWC library. Please let me know if I should reach out to them. Even if it's too late for the August gathering, I would be happy to ask if they would consider hosting us in the future.

I'm good with either location.

Things I am interested in:

See a car with a seat covers (Wet Okole?)

Things I can share:

How to find wind/coil cords and cables to avoid twists and kinks

I'm not a Carwings expert but literally just minutes ago I figured out how to use the route planner and retrieve the route in the car. I also figured out how use Google maps to send an address to the system and set it as navigation destination.

What makes my LEAF and I different (and I can also talk about):

Our Cayenne Red LEAF with the ECO design package has a 60% ceramic tint (very light) tint on all windows except the windshield.

I have the magnetic motion sensing light that fits inside the charge port door.

I have an upgraded EVSE, a set of adapters and a multimeter that fit in the original Nissan case.

The house has eMonitors so I get per circuit monitoring.

The house also has a large battery backed up PV system and a smaller leased grid-tie only system.

I am NOT an electrician but I've installed my own circuits before (including an L6-20 for outdoor/emergency charging for someone w/ an upgraded EVSE)

We also own a RAV4-EV w/ over 108,000 miles.

This will be only the second gathering for me. I suspect given the recent deliveries there will be many people who will also be attending for the 1st and 2nd time so earlier topics might be worth a revisit.

Redwood City works for me too. Belmont price for rental is way too much.

Unfortunately I will be out of town for this one, so do not schedule any agenda items on my behalf. I would still enjoy hearing details on the charging stations and installation issues from Robert or someone, but for now Ecotality has resolved the issues for me with the other electricians.

Redwood City is fine with me. I have Wet Okole seat covers installed for anyone to look at. Also "Electric" letters on the side and rear.
I would very much like to see the receiver hitch that someone figured out.

I should be able to make this one. I should be able to bring some upgraded EVSE's as well.

I'll be happy to host a LEAF Technical Q&A session if anyone is interested.

-Phil

Phil,
I'll miss the August meeting, but we should talk about the September 17 meeting. Give me a call or email me. 608-729-4082. [email protected]

OK, the votes have stopped coming in and Redwood City has it by a landslide. We'll meet at:
Redwood City Library
1044 Middlefield Road
Redwood City 94063.

We have the Community Room (upstairs, separate entrance) from 10:00 - 12:30. This includes set up and break down time. Suggest we start gathering in the Parking lot for tailgating just after 9. The two lots (either side of the Library) are public lots, so there may be other cars there already. Don't forget to bring $1.00 or $1.50 in change as these lots charge for parking after 10 AM.

Approximate mileage to nearby cities for planning purposes:
Walnut Creek 48
Santa Cruz 48
Morgan Hill 44
UC Berkeley 37
Oakland 34
Pleasanton 34
South San Jose 29
GG Park/SF 27
Fremont 18
Sunnyvale 16

So, nearly everyone should be able to drive their LEAF, and Redwood City has a number of stations in the immediate vicinity of the Library for those that need a charge. Boardwalk Nissan isn't too far away, and there are two charging stations at Silver Spring Networks. A number of us are on the way for South Santa Clara County LEAFers and would be happy to host charging and/or carpooling.

Still firming up the agenda, but it looks like we will have discussions on 1) the visit of Kadota-san, Chief Vehicle Engineer for the LEAF, 2) Recent updates on home charging dock installation from Robert Whiteaker (A-1 Electric), 3) How to use Carwings, and 4) possibly a demo of an SOC meter for the CAN Bus (courtesy of garygid in SoCal).

For those interested in some hands on work, we'll be offering the horn upgrade/installation clinic after the formalities. Please bring a set of FIAMM El Grande horns ($17)--Orient Express will bring some wiring pigtails that are needed. We will provide tools and/or muscle for those who want them. I can also do a demo on making an L6-20 to 14-50 adapter. Note: you will not get dirty doing either of these.

Look forward to seeing everyone on the 13th.

I plan to attend meeting #6 and I have the quick release trailer hitch if anyone would like to check it out.

gascant said:

Boardwalk Nissan isn't too far away

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We have four EVSE's, and I don't mind carpooling over there, or running a shuttle van back and forth. PM me if you want to use one.

jeffd11 said:

I plan to attend meeting #6 and I have the quick release trailer hitch if anyone would like to check it out.

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Great! Maybe you and Electric4me can present dueling trailer hitches--it would be interesting to see if you took the same approach.

BrendanDolan said:

We have four EVSE's, and I don't mind carpooling over there, or running a shuttle van back and forth. PM me if you want to use one.

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Thanks Brendan! That's the BayLEAFs spirit coming through.

gascant - I definitely took the same approach. Electric4me is the one I got the trailer hitch from.

Jeff spent the day at my house Saturday and we modified my hitch to be comfortable for him to tow his small utility trailer.

Edit: I may have some extras with me on 8/13...

Just got news that my mom lost a great friend of hers, and they're having a memorial next Saturday. I won't be able to attend the BayLEAF meeting, but the offer for the EVSE's is still on, and I'll make sure we'll have someone able to run people over to the event.

For those planning to do the horn upgrade at Gathering #6, You still have time to pick up your FIAMM "El Grande" horns. Here is a list of tools that would be helpful:
> 10 mm box or socket wrench (for the reservoir bolts)
> 12 mm box or socket wrench (prefer socket for the horn bolt)
> Narrow, flat blade screwdriver (for removing the plastic pop fastners)
> Pliers (for tightening horns to bracket)
> Needle nose pliers (just in case)
> Lock washers or Loctite Blue 242 Threadlocker (available at Ace Hardware)

I'll have a set of tools with me to lend and, if no one wants to participate in the L6-20 to 14-30 adapter demo, some muscle to do the job. To get a preview of the process visit the thread started by Orient Express: http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=37&t=4000

Orient Express is bringing 5 pigtails to the meeting, so don't worry about making one ahead of time.

We're on track for the Redwood City Library, though one of our members is working on an alternate location. So, check back during the week to see the outcome. We look forward to seeing everyone.

I'm assuming that Leafers-to-be are welcome. My Leaf is scheduled for October and I hope no one minds me showing up in my gas-guzzler Prius :lol: