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

Here are the webcast details. We'll update the thread if there are any changes. For the audio - you can use built in VoIP or dial the teleconference separately. Testing the connection tomorrow and will post any updates / changes.

Topic: SF BayLEAFs Gathering #13
Date and Time:
Sunday, March 4, 2012 9:00 am, Pacific Standard Time (San Francisco, GMT-08:00)

Event number: 853 224 057
Event password: BayAreaLEAF#13
Event address for attendees: https://sum.webex.com/sum/onstage/g.php?d=853224057&t=a" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

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Teleconference information
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Call-in toll number (US/Canada): 1-408-792-6300
Access code: 853 224 057

Minutes of today's Gathering #13, with thanks to linkim for being such a great recordist/historian. Thanks also to Carolyn for hosting the gathering Luscious Garage, San Francisco. This was our largest regular meeting to date, with 75 attending in person. There were 7 LEAFs charging in the garage, 35 other LEAFs parked outside, 3 Volts, 3 Coda sedans, 2 Teslas, as well as some members who LEAF-frogged from the South Bay and San Jose/Scotts Valley. Also, Ingineer demo-ed his range-extender, mobile microturbine electric generator, which included two large propane tanks that provide a driving range of about 500 miles. This meeting was also presented live on WebEx, thanks to psps, with one listener in Europe and a total of 12 on-line…we even had cupcakes provided by Kara’s cupcakes, who has 2 LEAFs as delivery vehicles.

Once again Nissan Japan was prominently represented, with 7 members involved with product development in attendance. There were also 14 new LEAF owners and 3 interested attendees who came to their first BayLEAF meeting. It is evident that the BayLEAF meetings are attracting owners from a wide area, and at this meeting there were owners from as far north as Santa Rosa and south to Scotts Valley – a distance of about 130 miles. The total count included members of the Golden Gate Electric Vehicle Association (GGEVA) who hold their meeting following the BayLEAFs meeting. The GGEVA arranged for CODA to bring two EVs that were available for test-drives after the meetings.

Future meetings of interest: There will be an Easter parade in Campbell where the BayLEAFs have an opportunity to showcase the LEAF. With the approach of Earth Day in April, there will be many events (for example, Gilroy, Cupertino, Redwood City, etc.) in which LEAF owners can participate, mainly on April 21. Silver Spring Networks will host an Earth Day event on April 24 on their campus, which the BayLEAF group is invited to participate. In addition, there will be opportunities to participate at the San Jose Mercury “Hybrids to Hotrods” event on May 12.

As a prelude to the presentation by our guest speaker, several of the members led a discussion on the status of the charging infrastructure in the Bay Area. Charging docks are slowing being installed in the region, and plans are underway to install two quick chargers (QC) in Palo Alto – one downtown (Lytton/Alma) and the other near the intersection of Embarcadero and Highway 101. They are expected to be available for use early next year. The Nissan QCs are also expected at various locations in the Bay Area. Another issue is the installation of chargers at multi-family dwelling such as condominiums. There still appears to be a problem for these residences to install chargers, but this is slowing being addressed, and is supported by companies such as Coulomb Technologies.

The guest speaker was Richard Lowenthal, Chief Technology Officer of Coulomb Technologies (CT) who discussed their business model and experiences with the installation of charging stations. CT has over 800 customers in 14 countries, with an installed base of about 6500 stations that delivered a total of 325 MWhs in Dec. 2011. The company does not set the pricing for the charging docks they install – that is left to the owners. An important message from CT is that we should all work together and not consider alternative EVs, PHEVs, and charging companies as adversaries. At this stage of EV development/charging infrastructure, everyone should try and work together to insure the success of the technology. According to CT, battery cost is decreasing at >12%/year, which is faster than many have projected, and may reach $200/kWh in the long term, perhaps in 5 years. Mr. Lowenthal presented a new term to go along with “range anxiety”, i.e., “gas anxiety”, which occurs when the Volt must switch to gas-generated power from plug power. The aim is to avoid gas anxiety and drive only with the battery only using plug power.

The local Nissan representative provided an update on the improvements to Carwings, which will be accessed via the internet or smartphone app. The three areas receiving major attention are 1) information on the charging infrastructure, 2) difference in the projected remaining mileage estimates and actual driving range, and 3) reliability of DTE (Distance-to-Empty). The projections will consider altitude, temperature, and speed, as well as data collected on drivers experience on the inputted routes and destinations. These enhancements should be available shortly, but changes that involve the SOC are not expected to b deployed, as yet.

Ingineer presented his upgrade to the climate control (CC) module that permits control of the heater function. Presently, the heater turns on when the temperature is less than the set point, and the lowest temperature that can be set is 60F. With the upgrade, the CC operates without activating the heater when the temperature is less than 60F. In the near future, the stock CC module can be exchanged for a modified one by placing an order at http://www.evseupgrade.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

A horn clinic was held and one LEAF received the upgrade, with the assistance of OrientExpress.

The next meeting for the group is the joint EAA/BayLEAF meeting on April 14 in Santa Clara, and the CODA sedan will be available for test-drives.

Pictures from today's event can be seen at our Facebook page, http://www.facebook.com/groups/BayLeafs/312745135449821/?notif_t=group_activity" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Thanks to all who participated and made this a very successful gathering.

gascant said:

Mr. Lowenthal presented a new term to go along with “range anxiety”, i.e., “gas anxiety”, which occurs when the Volt must switch to gas-generated power from plug power. The aim is to avoid gas anxiety and drive only with the battery only using plug power.

The local Nissan representative provided an update on the improvements to Carwings, which will be accessed via the internet or smartphone app. The three areas receiving major attention are 1) information on the charging infrastructure, 2) difference in the projected remaining mileage estimates and actual driving range, and 3) reliability of DTE (Distance-to-Empty). The projections will consider altitude, temperature, and speed, as well as data collected on drivers experience on the inputted routes and destinations. These enhancements should be available shortly, but changes that involve the SOC are not expected to b deployed, as yet.
...
The next meeting for the group is the joint EAA/BayLEAF meeting on April 14 in Santa Clara, and the CODA sedan will be available for test-drives.

Click to expand...

Wow, sounded like a great meeting.

Regarding "gas anxiety", someone I know from Priuschat (who is quite anti-Volt) coined the term "range extender anxiety" (http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-hybrid-ev-alt-fuel-news/87189-2011-chevrolet-volt-gets-epa-certified-rating-93-mpge-37-mpg-in-gasoline-mode-2.html#post1220252" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false in 2010.

I'm pleasantly surprised to hear about Nissan actually improving the projections (in the near future) to take into account all that data. It wasn't that long ago when it was presented as an idea to Nissan folks at the BayLEAF meeting at the Googleplex...

If my taxes are done/nearly done by April 14th, I may swing by to test drive that Coda.

Nice job on the meeting summary, Howard and linkim. Sounds like everyone had fun and lots of new info. Phil's L3 extender demo and heater mods sound excellent. Sorry I missed it :-(

cwerdna said:

gascant said:

Mr. Lowenthal presented a new term to go along with “range anxiety”, i.e., “gas anxiety”, which occurs when the Volt must switch to gas-generated power from plug power. The aim is to avoid gas anxiety and drive only with the battery only using plug power.

Click to expand...

Wow, sounded like a great meeting.

Regarding "gas anxiety", someone I know from Priuschat (who is quite anti-Volt) coined the term "range extender anxiety" (http://priuschat.com/forums/prius-hybrid-ev-alt-fuel-news/87189-2011-chevrolet-volt-gets-epa-certified-rating-93-mpge-37-mpg-in-gasoline-mode-2.html#post1220252" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false in 2010.

I'm pleasantly surprised to hear about Nissan actually improving the projections (in the near future) to take into account all that data. It wasn't that long ago when it was presented as an idea to Nissan folks at the BayLEAF meeting at the Googleplex...

If my taxes are done/nearly done by April 14th, I may swing by to test drive that Coda.

Click to expand...

Gas Anxiety is a term we should all share and use. Too many people are afflicted with Gas Anxiety and are unaware of it!

I coined the term back in 1/10/2011, in an email to the RAV4 EV owner's list describing the Joy of Electric Drift and Gas Anxiety. I suspect a number of people independently coined the term.

I suggested it a couple days later on 1/12/2011 to Plug In America as a possible PSA episode.

A theme for next Plug In America PSA's
You know, every time I drive a gasser, I get pretty serious case of GAS ANXIETY! All that noise, vibrations, not to mention the damage of getting and burning gasoline. That gas damage is the legacy we leave for our kids (mine included), and air breathers (water breathers via runoff and ocean acidification) of all species. Of course the planet will still be here for millions of years, the question is which species, including homo sapiens, will be able to inhabit it! Now that's some serious anxiety!

Click to expand...

There are likely even earlier occurrences that I didn't catch in a quick Google search that shows several usages after 1/10/2011:
http://www.google.com/search?q=%22gas+anxiety%22" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Charging Ahead
Jun 20, 2011 – But another may soon join it: “gas anxiety.” “Gas anxiety is the fear of a plug-in hybrid turning on the gas engine,” says Michael Rowand, ...

Click to expand...

http://blog.rmi.org/ChargingAhead" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

A later Plug In America blog also uses the term:

Separating Gas Anxiety and Range Anxiety
Sun, 01/01/2012 - 1:14pm — Chad
Gas Anxiety
“Gas Anxiety” is very common among plug-in vehicle owners. Although most of us still have access to gas propulsion, we would rather not use it. Not when cheaper, cleaner, quieter, smoother, responsive and torquey electric drive using domestic fuel is available! So we go through all sorts of gyrations to maximize our time driving electric.

Click to expand...

http://www.pluginamerica.org/drivers-seat/separating-gas-anxiety-and-range-anxiety" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I'm pleased to see the term being used more and more. I like it as different view point to the often mentioned Range Anxiety. we will need both electric vehicles and gasoline (hopefully hybrid, or better plug in hybrid) vehicles for some time to come. No single vehicle is all things to all people. One of the BayLEAFs members is extremely sensitive to gasoline and gets migraines just from the the fumes. Even just the fumes on the road when the vehicle is set to fresh air instead of recirculate. Gas is a Pain in the Head for some people! It's not that common but I've met 3 people who are very sensitive to fumes.

I'm also floored by the relatively quick response Nissan is doing to improving the range estimator (DTE - Distance To Empty). I've owned the 1999 GM EV1, 2002 Toyota RAV4 EV, 2002 Prius, and now the 2011 Nissan LEAF. I have never experienced a major automaker being this responsive to user feedback. Truly Awesome. Thank you Nissan and all the wonderful Nissan people who have taken the time to attend BayLEAFs, gather user feedback and act positively on it. I'm sure Nissan is also listening to LEAF owners through other channels than BayLEAFs.

The meeting was awesome, so many great people, so much to learn, CODA test drives, so much to do to get more EVs on the road... WOW!

No offense to Nissan, but I'll believe this when I actually see it... SONY comes to mind: Soon Only Not Yet...

gascant said:

3) reliability of DTE (Distance-to-Empty). The projections will consider altitude, temperature, and speed, as well as data collected on drivers experience on the inputted routes and destinations. These enhancements should be available shortly...

Click to expand...

Question regarding the Range estimate on the GOM. In his presentation, did I understand the engineer to say that it was based on the last 500 meters? If so, do they explain why they can't base it on a greater distance? 500M seems way too small, and way too volatile. That's barely a freeway entrance ramp, or a 2 block uphill stretch. I'd be fine with "based on your driving for the past 5 miles, the estimated range is xxx". Or base it on the current displayed m/kwh (which driver can reset). It seems that this would be more likely to be accurate, and would tend toward accuracy over time. And it seems a whole lot easier to implement than what other Leafs have done on the same road.

That was another outstanding EV meeting. It was great to have so many different types of EV's and their owners attending. A good representation of the progress we have made in the last year.

Great job to everyone that organized and helped out.

I have to say that the new version of the Coda sedan is much sharper and better looking than the previous. I liked it. I'm happy to see another Great EV choice for us on the market. The battery was dense, small, large in capacity and pretty impressive.

Glad Phil brought the range extending trailer, it was an impressive piece of engineering work. Just goes to show that if you are determined with a clear vision and the right technical skill, almost anything is possible.

I like the fact that Nissan came to listen to it's customers again. I hope we all made it worth their effort.

Thanks Caroline for hosting once again.

The next meeting I attend, I'll bring a Leafless friend. Some of my friends are slow adopters. They will come around. I get gas anxiety just thinking about my friends buying $5 gas from questionable oversees sources.

EVDrive said:

I have to say that the new version of the Coda sedan is much sharper and better looking than the previous. I liked it. I'm happy to see another Great EV choice for us on the market. The battery was dense, small, large in capacity and pretty impressive.

Click to expand...

I like the Coda too. I like the size of the battery pack and the fact that it has 6.6kW on board charging. I was planning to get one until I found out Sunday that it does not have a DC/QC/L3 charge port. Now I am back to ground zero looking for an EV that has larger battery pack and at least 6.6kW charging capability with DC/QC/L3 port for less than $50K before incentives.

waidy said:

EVDrive said:

I have to say that the new version of the Coda sedan is much sharper and better looking than the previous. I liked it. I'm happy to see another Great EV choice for us on the market. The battery was dense, small, large in capacity and pretty impressive.

Click to expand...

I like the Coda too. I like the size of the battery pack and the fact that it has 6.6kW on board charging. I was planning to get one until I found out Sunday that it does not have a DC/QC/L3 charge port. Now I am back to ground zero looking for an EV that has larger battery pack and at least 6.6kW charging capability with DC/QC/L3 port for less than $50K before incentives.

Click to expand...

Remeber that the J1772 Level 2 standard can go up to 240V 80A which is 19.2 kW if your vehicle's on board charger can use that much power. The Model S has a $1500 option to upgrade the 10kW stock charger to 20 kW. 20 kW is 40% of the power of 50 kW Level 3 DC fast charger (Quick Charger) without requiring all the complexity and extarordinary expense of 480 3 phase power needed for the 50 kW Level 3 chargers. http://www.teslamotors.com/models/options" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Level 2 (Standard J1772 connector)
3.3 kW (240V 16A) = 12 mphc (Miles Per Hour of Charge) < Leaf limit
6.6 kW (240V 30A) = 25 mphc < most public chargers
10.0 kW (240V 40A) = 37 mphc
17.5 kW (240V 70A) = 66 mphc < about a dozen existing J1772 stations in CA (more elsewhere)
20.0 kW (240V 80A) = 75 mphc < Maximum for J1772 standard.

Level 3
50.0 kW (~400VDC) = 160 mphc (based on 30 minutes to 80% = 80 miles for the LEAF)

Level 3 Tesla SuperCharger (Proprietary charger, connector and network)
90.0 kw (~400VDC) = 320 mphc

Supercharger Access
Tesla is building a network of Superchargers throughout North America. The Supercharger is an industrial grade, high speed charger designed to replenish 160 miles of travel in about 30 minutes when applied to the 85 kWh vehicle. This is roughly the amount of time it takes to have lunch or dinner at a highway rest stop after a three hour drive, making cross country travel an easy proposition. Includes all software and on-board hardware.

Click to expand...

http://www.teslamotors.com/models/options" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Now the trick is to pick up a Model S for

$50K before incentives.

Click to expand...

The 40 kWh Model S is $49,900 AFTER federal $7,500 incentive. Then add $1,500 for that kickin' 20 kW onboard charger option. I sure would have paid $1,500 to upgrade my LEAF from 3.3 kW to a 13.3 Kw onboard charger!!!

ElectricVehicle said:

... without requiring all the complexity and extarordinary expense of 480 3 phase power needed for the 50 kW Level 3 chargers.

Click to expand...

Uhm, Wrong! There is no particular 480v requirement. For example, the very first CHAdeMO installed in the US (Vacaville) is connected to 208v 3-phase. In fact, a QC could be configured to run on 240v single-phase, just like is found in most homes. (Though it would require 225 amps!)

-Phil

Mrs. gascant gets gas anxiety every time she serves me leafy green vegetables or beans at dinner.

Ingineer said:

ElectricVehicle said:

... without requiring all the complexity and extarordinary expense of 480 3 phase power needed for the 50 kW Level 3 chargers.

Click to expand...

Uhm, Wrong! There is no particular 480v requirement. For example, the very first CHAdeMO installed in the US (Vacaville) is connected to 208v 3-phase. In fact, a QC could be configured to run on 240v single-phase, just like is found in most homes. (Though it would require 225 amps!)

-Phil

Click to expand...

Well, qualified by currently available products. Most of the Quick Charger installation costs start at $14,000 and go up to $30,000+. I know a number of the Quick chargers work on 208v 3-phase, it's still $14,000+. I wasn't focusing on 208V vs. 480V, what I was pointing out is the current expense with current products of QC installation. If you do your own electrical, you could probably get it down to a few thousand for the install, but that's donating your engineering and labor. At the moment, there's no under $5,000 solution for charging the LEAF faster than 3.3 kW (12mphc). You obviously know a great deal about making a faster charger for the LEAF, and due to the cost of the CHADemo connector, you posted that modifying the $10,000 Nissan QC might be the way to go, especially if it's modified to run off of single phase for locations that don't have 3 phase and maybe dial the power down a bit to make use of 10kW 240V 40A (37 mphc) or 20 kW 240V 80A (75mphc). The cheapest quick charger at any power level so far is the soon to ship Nissan 50kW QC at $10,000.

I really like the Tesla Model S with a 10kW stock charger and the $1,500 upgrade to 20kW. Remember all the EVs of the 2000 generation had 6.6 kW onboard chargers. You'd think in this generation with many EVs still having 100 mile range, that they would at least have upgraded to 10 kW stock... We won't get to convenient quick chargers every couple blocks for a decade or two if ever. 240V at 40A or 80A is a lot easier to find. Or 208V at 40 or 80A. 80% charge in a touch over an hour (20kW) would be a really nice feature built in to the car. If I had to chose between Quick Chargers or 20kW onboard, I'd probably go with 20 kW on board and no Quick Chargers.

Of course when we get 200 (55 kWh) and 300 (85 kWh) mile batttery packs, we won't need to charge as often, but when we do need charge, we'll need to charge even faster, so then you would want 20kW onboard and Quick Chargers with 50kW and 100kW, maybe 200 kW at a really big mall or big office building!

The rollout of 240V 30A level 2 is great, but I feel it's a little short sighted as we get to the mass adoption and larger battery packs. Wherever there are mutliple J1772s, and in some cases when there's only one, one them should be 240V at 70A or at least 50A, and when an 80A J1772 connector is available, some should be 80A.

I actually really like the Tesla charger connector that is compact, light weight for the given power level and handles from 120V 1.4 kW to 240V level 2 all the way up to 90kW DC fast charge.

I noticed in following the CHADeMo discussions between you and others that the CHADeMo standard maxes out at 50 kW. Ahh, the joy of early adoption, sorting all this stuff out and making it WORK!

The next gathering will be on April 14th and it's a joint meeting with two South Bay EAA Chapters, i.e., Silicon Valley and San Jose. For those that missed the unveiling of the CODA Sedan last month in San Francisco, this meeting will be a chance to see and test drive it.
Location
: Coda Dealership (DGDG) 4175 Stevens Creek Blvd in Santa Clara
We have access to 8x L2 charging stations at this location
If you want to stay for lunch, provided by Del Grande Dealership Group, please visit the following link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEwyanFlRzBLc0t6OGVzSVgxbEVYTVE6MQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Joint EAA/SF BayLEAFs meeting from 9:45-11:45,
- IBM Reseach on Lithium Air Battery* - Dr.Winfried Wilcke
- H2H final planning
- General topics of EV interest (rebates, Nissan feedback, etc.)
- Sandwiches 11:45 (complements DGDG, we need signups above)
- noon - 12:30 DGDG presents the Coda to the group
- 12:30 test drives of the Coda

** https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEwyanFlRzBLc0t6OGVzSVgxbEVYTVE6MQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
*Dr. Winfried W. Wilcke is Senior Manager for Nanoscale Science&Technology and Chair of the Almaden Institute for Energy Storage at the IBM Research Center in San Jose, CA. His recent personal research has been in advanced energy storage, leading him to launch the Battery 500 project. In 2001, he started the IBM Icecube project, which became an IBM spinout company. In 1991, he participated in forming HAL computer systems as Director of Architecture and later CTO. In 1983, he joined IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, where he played a key role in the creation of IBM’s line of large message-passing supercomputers. Dr. Wilcke received a PhD in nuclear physics (1976) and worked at the University of Rochester, Lawrence Berkeley Lab and Los Alamos, resulting in over 120 publications.
Title: Lithium/Air Battery Technology and the Battery 500 Project
Abstract
The talk will give a summary of the current status and scientific results of the IBM /Battery 500 Lithium/Air battery project.
Lithium/Air is a chemistry with the potential for very high specific energy density (Wh/kg). It relies on the use of oxygen (or ideally ambient air) to form a Lithium compound during discharge and the reduction of this compound to lithium metal and gaseous oxygen during recharge. Key results are that such batteries are rechargeable, provided the correct electrolytes are used; catalysts are not required, the origin of the overvoltages seen is most likely due to high I*R drop in Lithium Peroxide. Very high charge densities have already been measured, but power densities are still very low.

At today's (14 April 2012) Bay Leaf/EAA meeting I signed up to display the Think City that I expect to receive next week in addition to the Leaf that I had registered earlier. However, I can only drive one of them to the event and would seek help with the other car in case my wife has other plans with the ICE. I would like a PM from an MNLFer who could help.

We had another great meeting this last Saturday, with about 110 attendees, Thanks the Coda for hosting the event.

Our EV stable this time included the following:

50 Nissan Leafs
2 Mitsubishi iMevs
5 Coda Sedans
3 BMW Series 1 ActiveE coupes
1 Ford Ranger EV pickup
2 Toyota Rav4 SUVs
1 Tesla Roadster
1 VW Karmann Ghia EV conversion
1 Honda Insight EV conversion

gascant said:

The next gathering will be on April 14th and it's a joint meeting with two South Bay EAA Chapters, i.e., Silicon Valley and San Jose. For those that missed the unveiling of the CODA Sedan last month in San Francisco, this meeting will be a chance to see and test drive it.
Location
: Coda Dealership (DGDG) 4175 Stevens Creek Blvd in Santa Clara
We have access to 8x L2 charging stations at this location
If you want to stay for lunch, provided by Del Grande Dealership Group, please visit the following link:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEwyanFlRzBLc0t6OGVzSVgxbEVYTVE6MQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Joint EAA/SF BayLEAFs meeting from 9:45-11:45,
- IBM Reseach on Lithium Air Battery* - Dr.Winfried Wilcke
- H2H final planning
- General topics of EV interest (rebates, Nissan feedback, etc.)
- Sandwiches 11:45 (complements DGDG, we need signups above)
- noon - 12:30 DGDG presents the Coda to the group
- 12:30 test drives of the Coda

** https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dEwyanFlRzBLc0t6OGVzSVgxbEVYTVE6MQ" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
*Dr. Winfried W. Wilcke is Senior Manager for Nanoscale Science&Technology and Chair of the Almaden Institute for Energy Storage at the IBM Research Center in San Jose, CA. His recent personal research has been in advanced energy storage, leading him to launch the Battery 500 project. In 2001, he started the IBM Icecube project, which became an IBM spinout company. In 1991, he participated in forming HAL computer systems as Director of Architecture and later CTO. In 1983, he joined IBM Research in Yorktown Heights, where he played a key role in the creation of IBM’s line of large message-passing supercomputers. Dr. Wilcke received a PhD in nuclear physics (1976) and worked at the University of Rochester, Lawrence Berkeley Lab and Los Alamos, resulting in over 120 publications.
Title: Lithium/Air Battery Technology and the Battery 500 Project
Abstract
The talk will give a summary of the current status and scientific results of the IBM /Battery 500 Lithium/Air battery project.
Lithium/Air is a chemistry with the potential for very high specific energy density (Wh/kg). It relies on the use of oxygen (or ideally ambient air) to form a Lithium compound during discharge and the reduction of this compound to lithium metal and gaseous oxygen during recharge. Key results are that such batteries are rechargeable, provided the correct electrolytes are used; catalysts are not required, the origin of the overvoltages seen is most likely due to high I*R drop in Lithium Peroxide. Very high charge densities have already been measured, but power densities are still very low.

Click to expand...

Great job pulling this together everyone!!!

If anyone has a Quick 220-240 that can be borrowed this weekend for a volunteer event where there is no dedicated 240v, please PM me. Would need it by Thursday 4/19 evening and could return it as early as Sunday. Am finally ready to order one of these but may not get it in time. Am informed that charging questions are foremost on people's minds.

I will be happy to lend mine. Feel free to Contact Me.

-Phil

Minutes of Saturday's meeting--many thanks to linkim for doing his usual great job.
The joint meeting of the SF BayLEAFs and two EAA Chapters (San Jose and Silicon Valley) was held on April 14, 2012 at the Del Grande Dealer Group’s (DGDG) new CODA dealership in Santa Clara. We owe a special thank you to DGDG for generously hosting the meeting, making available L2 chargers, providing refreshments and lunch, as well as test drives in their CODA EV. We also thank psps for arranging the webcast of the meeting. The total attendance was close to 100, with 12 participating virtually through our webcast, sponsored by The SUM Group. The EVs were scattered throughout the dealership and on the street, but one estimate indicates 50 LEAFs (at least 8 charging in the garage), 5 CODA sedans, 3 Mitsubishi iMEV, 3 BMW ActivE, 2 Toyota RAV-4, 1 Tesla, 1 Karmann Ghia conversion EV, and 1 Ranger EV.

Dr. Winfried Wilcke of IBM Research (San Jose, CA) was the special guest speaker who discussed the research on “IBM Lithium/Air Battery Project. – Battery 500” The mission of the project is to develop a Li/air battery that has a range of 500 miles for EVs. Besides IBM, the collaborators include DOE National Laboratories and 4 commercial partners. This project focuses on organic electrolytes, which is a departure from much earlier work on metal/air batteries that utilized alkaline electrolytes. A key benefit of the metal/air battery is that no precious metal such as platinum is needed in the air electrode. This project is still in its early stages and many technical challenges must be overcome to make a viable commercial product, which are many years away (in the 2020-2030 timeframe). More details on the IBM research is described at
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg21328466.200-air-battery-to-let-electric-cars-outlast-gas-guzzlers.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; and http://www.favstocks.com/ibm-almaden-researchers-say-li-air-batteries-offer-promise-for-transition-to-electrified-transportation-but-face-challenges-and-multi-decade-development-cycle/0920298" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

The “Hybrids 2 Hotrods” event in San Jose on May 12, 2011 is coming up fast so some of the organizers that are coordinating the participation of EVs made a pitch to complete the required registration forms. A signed liability form is required to participate in the event. Details are available at http://hybrids2hotrods.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. There is plenty of discussion of this event on the MNL forum - viewtopic.php?f=4&t=5902&sid=ac345b2364a644995abd4b954f816501.

ElectricVehicle gave an update on the status of quick chargers (QC) in the Bay Area. The first QC in operation is located in the Stanford Shopping Center (Pal Alto), and the cost is $7/charge (requires a prepaid $21 card to use, sign up at http://350green.com/card/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false. Four more chargers (2 in San Francisco, one in San Leandro and 1 more in Palo Alto) are expected to be available by the end of June, with a total of 18 installed by the end of the fall. Ecotality may have 2 QC locations (San Ramon and Volkswagen Research Lab. in Belmont). An announcement on the Nissan $10K QC is expected by the end of May. More discussion on MNL forum -viewtopic.php?f=26&t=5692&sid=ac345b2364a644995abd4b954f816501

Gascant presented a summary the interaction of the BayLEAFs with Nissan. He stressed that our interactions at the individual level and collectively, by companies such as Google and direct communication at BayLEAFs meetings (for example the Dec. 3, 2011 meeting) are all helpful to push improvements to the LEAF. Nissan has listened and is making improvements to the prediction of driving range and energy consumption. At the last SF BayLEAFs meeting (March 4, 2012), a Nissan representative described their efforts to address some of the driving concerns of LEAF owners.


A 10-minute audio conference was held with Terry O’Day of NRG. He provided a brief overview of the projections for their EV infrastructure, which will involve the installation of 200 L2 stations in California over the next 4 years.
This topic has been discussed extensively on the MNL forum - viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8323&p=189997&hilit=NRG#p189997.

Taylor Harper (Manager, Sales, Marketing and Aftersales) introduced the audience to the CODA EV Sedan. He mentioned that there is a high hurdle to overcome to change the mindset of the driving public away from ICE vehicles to EVs, and part of the strategy is education. Thus, the EV community should welcome new entries into the EV market, and work collectively to publicize and inform the public about the benefits of EVs. At the end of the meeting, CODA allowed attendees to test drive the Sedan.

Two photos from the event appear below:

Charging inside the CODA Dealership with brand new GE Watt Stations


Over 60 EV's filled the parking lot and streets at the meeting