Chicagoland area

[greengate]

I've found the dealers to vary greatly. M'Lady won't allow anyone but those who buy from them. I called ahead to Bill Kay in DG when I was out that way and they couldn't have been nicer. My friend had a similar experience at Arlington Nissan who also allowed her to top off her car.

Like everyone else in the thread, I wish there were more stations not charged to dealerships so I can venture out more on the weekends.

Forget M'Lady.

I wouldn't buy from anyone who doesn't support the use of Leaf's by this policy.

So what's it going to cost them in electricity? If it's $50 a month, look at the positive gain to be realized and the negative repercussions if they restrict it to only their customers. In my opinion, this is a bad business decision..bad for future customers, bad for the environment, bad for Nissan and bad for the spirit of generosity which is sadly in short supply.

 

[BrockWI]

I don't get it either, talk about a captive audience. They can come out and chat with you about the leaf, talk about upgrading to a new one or take a look around at other vehicles while yours is charging. They spend 10's of thousands in advertising to get people to come in and yet $50 a month is to much to get your target audience at the dealership, trapped there for 30 to 60 minutes? Crazy.

Honestly I can see giving preference to their own customers and I would gladly give up my spot for a customer who did purchase from them, I understand and appreciate that and would like to think my dealer would give me fist shot at an evse spot over someone who bought from the competition.

I have to say we were in Sheboygan, WI and the folks there told us, yes if you ever drive to or from Milwaukee (were from Green Bay), feel free to stop and charge here, 24x7. If they would have had a car on the lot we would have bought one from them. That's the way it should be.

 

[greengate]

I don't get it either, talk about a captive audience. They can come out and chat with you about the leaf, talk about upgrading to a new one or take a look around at other vehicles while yours is charging. They spend 10's of thousands in advertising to get people to come in and yet $50 a month is to much to get your target audience at the dealership, trapped there for 30 to 60 minutes? Crazy.

Honestly I can see giving preference to their own customers and I would gladly give up my spot for a customer who did purchase from them, I understand and appreciate that and would like to think my dealer would give me fist shot at an evse spot over someone who bought from the competition.

I have to say we were in Sheboygan, WI and the folks there told us, yes if you ever drive to or from Milwaukee (were from Green Bay), feel free to stop and charge here, 24x7. If they would have had a car on the lot we would have bought one from them. That's the way it should be.

+1 X 10 squared!!

 

[redLEAF]

No new posts on this thread in a month so thought I would post something for a bit of thought (for both our own area and where I saw this in Knoxville, TN on a recent trip); after all we can't REALLY take our LEAF on trips like this (NW 'burbs of Chicago > Asheville, NC > Orlando > St. Augustine > Knoxville > NW 'burbs; about 2,700 miles in total). While we stayed at a Hampton in Knoxville; I was literally 'shocked' to see a L2 Blink EVSE ready to be used (as far as I could tell, pressing the setup button, it appeared to 'fire up' at only $2/hour !) ... just think how long it would have taken my LEAF to even get to Knoxville (~ 570+ miles) to take advantage of this charger ... we did see a few LEAF's in and around Orlando, several Tesla S sedans around FL and lots of Volts anywhere on the trip. My trip car needed to carry 4 people and lots of luggage all this way, spent about $400 for gas round trip (would have only been about $27 using our summertime 5 miles per kWh at .0496/kWh rate with the LEAF) but would have needed to take several more days off to even get it done (if even possible with hopefully L3 chargers). The whole point here is that we still have away to go ... this is that last 5% to 10% usage that the LEAF simply can't do practically but that's fine with me. We have always charged it right out of our garage but at least seeing some additional public chargers out there is encouraging; my EV has saved me lots of cash spent on gas. This charger was around the back and of course it was blocked by an ICE. Came across it by accident as we were checking out so didn't check with the front desk, etc. but would be curious if some of our eastern TN folks knew of this one ...

 

[brianchi73]

No new posts on this thread in a month so thought I would post something for a bit of thought (for both our own area and where I saw this in Knoxville, TN on a recent trip); after all we can't REALLY take our LEAF on trips like this (NW 'burbs of Chicago > Asheville, NC > Orlando > St. Augustine > Knoxville > NW 'burbs; about 2,700 miles in total). While we stayed at a Hampton in Knoxville; I was literally 'shocked' to see a L2 Blink EVSE ready to be used (as far as I could tell, pressing the setup button, it appeared to 'fire up' at only $2/hour !) ... just think how long it would have taken my LEAF to even get to Knoxville (~ 570+ miles) to take advantage of this charger ... we did see a few LEAF's in and around Orlando, several Tesla S sedans around FL and lots of Volts anywhere on the trip. My trip car needed to carry 4 people and lots of luggage all this way, spent about $400 for gas round trip (would have only been about $27 using our summertime 5 miles per kWh at .0496/kWh rate with the LEAF) but would have needed to take several more days off to even get it done (if even possible with hopefully L3 chargers). The whole point here is that we still have away to go ... this is that last 5% to 10% usage that the LEAF simply can't do practically but that's fine with me. We have always charged it right out of our garage but at least seeing some additional public chargers out there is encouraging; my EV has saved me lots of cash spent on gas. This charger was around the back and of course it was blocked by an ICE. Came across it by accident as we were checking out so didn't check with the front desk, etc. but would be curious if some of our eastern TN folks knew of this one ...

Nice!

 

[GRA]

[Rant on] I am undoubtedly anal-retentive, but I see this all the time at local Blinks and it bugs the hell out of me - are people really so lazy that they can't be bothered to put the connector back properly? The whole point of doing so is to keep it from falling to the ground and getting damaged, and to keep crud out of the pins by shielding the connector head from weather. You'd think simple self-interest would make people do it right, but unlike gas pump dispensers this behavior seems to be epidemic at L2s. I can sort of see not wanting to re-coil the cable first, as it gets dirt and dust all over it which transfers to your hands, but putting the connector in place? How difficult is that?! [Rant off - I feel better now]

 

[IrvingHarlem]

redLEAF -

Your dream of driving across country in our electric car reminds me of trains. I love riding on trains, especially cross country. Every time I have an out of town destination I try to find a way to take Amtrak. But, like charging stations, there just aren't enough of them. They only run once a day and always arrive or depart at an awful hour. So, I end up driving, flying, or taking the bus instead.

But we can dream of Americans returning to the rails and adopting electric transportation and building the necessary infrastructure, can't we?

 

[IrvingHarlem]

Mariano's Preferred Parking?

The new Mariano's at Ravenswood & Lawrence in Chicago has parking on the roof. The edge of the roof is lined with handicapped parking spaces. There must be at least ten. BUT, right in front of the door are about 5 to 10 spaces for "low emission" vehicles. Since there were no charging stations there I can't figure the point of the special parking. I asked an employee and he had no idea.

Does anybody have any insight into this?

 

[OldQuadDog]

A few months ago I parked at up front Low Emission spaces at the Whole Foods in Palatine.... also no chargers but at least a recognition/perk. (One was ICEd in). Have only returned once as that perk is not worth the cost to me.
I do go to 2 Mariano's in the suburbs regularly but no spaces reserved as far as I have seen.... I will start looking. They might be there.

 

[greengate]

Mariano's Preferred Parking?

The new Mariano's at Ravenswood & Lawrence in Chicago has parking on the roof. The edge of the roof is lined with handicapped parking spaces. There must be at least ten. BUT, right in front of the door are about 5 to 10 spaces for "low emission" vehicles. Since there were no charging stations there I can't figure the point of the special parking. I asked an employee and he had no idea.

Does anybody have any insight into this?

I am not familiar with this restaurant, so I looked them up on the web.

I then sent an email to their company chairman, (Bob,) complementing him on the parking at the Ravenswood and Lawrance location, suggesting that they place a charger for electric vehicles near the front door to further support his position around low emission vehicles.

Lets see what the response is!!

 

[brianchi73]

Mariano's Preferred Parking?

The new Mariano's at Ravenswood & Lawrence in Chicago has parking on the roof. The edge of the roof is lined with handicapped parking spaces. There must be at least ten. BUT, right in front of the door are about 5 to 10 spaces for "low emission" vehicles. Since there were no charging stations there I can't figure the point of the special parking. I asked an employee and he had no idea.

Does anybody have any insight into this?

I am not familiar with this restaurant, so I looked them up on the web.

I then sent an email to their company chairman, (Bob,) complementing him on the parking at the Ravenswood and Lawrance location, suggesting that they place a charger for electric vehicles near the front door to further support his position around low emission vehicles.

Lets see what the response is!!

I think it's just a perk. IKEA had these spaces years ago because I had a hybrid, and I remember parking in it. Honestly an L2 charger at a grocery store is fine if I need one in an emergency, but Walgreen's, grocery stores, etc. really need L3 chargers. I just don't spend enough time there to make it worth using an L2 in normal circumstances.

 

[djkjmuoh]

Mariano's Preferred Parking?

The new Mariano's at Ravenswood & Lawrence in Chicago has parking on the roof. The edge of the roof is lined with handicapped parking spaces. There must be at least ten. BUT, right in front of the door are about 5 to 10 spaces for "low emission" vehicles. Since there were no charging stations there I can't figure the point of the special parking. I asked an employee and he had no idea.

Does anybody have any insight into this?

I am not familiar with this restaurant, so I looked them up on the web.

I then sent an email to their company chairman, (Bob,) complementing him on the parking at the Ravenswood and Lawrance location, suggesting that they place a charger for electric vehicles near the front door to further support his position around low emission vehicles.

Lets see what the response is!!

LOL. Mariano's is a supermarket. It does have a little food court type thing inside but not really a restaurant. Owned by a former Dominick's Executive who got fed up with the way they ran business so he opened up this Whole Foods look-a-like with a business plan basically stating... "shut Dominick's down." Mission complete I guess! Just a friendly FYI.

 

[greengate]

Mariano's Preferred Parking?

The new Mariano's at Ravenswood & Lawrence in Chicago has parking on the roof. The edge of the roof is lined with handicapped parking spaces. There must be at least ten. BUT, right in front of the door are about 5 to 10 spaces for "low emission" vehicles. Since there were no charging stations there I can't figure the point of the special parking. I asked an employee and he had no idea.

Does anybody have any insight into this?

I am not familiar with this restaurant, so I looked them up on the web.

I then sent an email to their company chairman, (Bob,) complementing him on the parking at the Ravenswood and Lawrance location, suggesting that they place a charger for electric vehicles near the front door to further support his position around low emission vehicles.

Lets see what the response is!!

LOL. Mariano's is a supermarket. It does have a little food court type thing inside but not really a restaurant. Owned by a former Dominick's Executive who got fed up with the way they ran business so he opened up this Whole Foods look-a-like with a business plan basically stating... "shut Dominick's down." Mission complete I guess! Just a friendly FYI.

Thank's for the info.

Always great to know that the brain isn't completely full or shut down!!

 

[tangfj]

Happy new Leaf lessee as of today! I live in downtown Chicago in Wicker Park. Anyway, I got a Gray 2014 SL with premium package at Autobarn Evanston. Martin was well educated on the leaf and helped to explain all of the details for me and even spent the time to give it a final detail before I left! The negotiation went as well as can be expected with a dealer. I ended up getting the car for 36 months at $299 a month... This is the first car I've ever leased as I've previously only owned or financed cars. I ended up with $35k for the car, $8625 (fed tax credit plus special bonus for 2014's), and I netted $7k for my trade. The residual on the 2014 SL is $15,600. Overall, I'm happy with the deal I got! I was a little uneasy with leasing vs buying but I think enough of the good people on this forum gave me good advice to lease b/c of battery degradation plus the fact that in 3 years there will very likely be something much better than anything available now.

Looking forward to a gas free life (and some killer parking downtown)!

 

[brianchi73]

Happy new Leaf lessee as of today! I live in downtown Chicago in Wicker Park. Anyway, I got a Gray 2014 SL with premium package at Autobarn Evanston. Martin was well educated on the leaf and helped to explain all of the details for me and even spent the time to give it a final detail before I left! The negotiation went as well as can be expected with a dealer. I ended up getting the car for 36 months at $299 a month... This is the first car I've ever leased as I've previously only owned or financed cars. I ended up with $35k for the car, $8625 (fed tax credit plus special bonus for 2014's), and I netted $7k for my trade. The residual on the 2014 SL is $15,600. Overall, I'm happy with the deal I got! I was a little uneasy with leasing vs buying but I think enough of the good people on this forum gave me good advice to lease b/c of battery degradation plus the fact that in 3 years there will very likely be something much better than anything available now.

Looking forward to a gas free life (and some killer parking downtown)!

Congrats!! I live in Uptown and commute to Skokie with my Leaf. I've had it for 1 1/2 years so far, and I also have the lease.

 

[tangfj]

Anyone know if there is a place to plug in at O'hare? My SO is coming home tomorrow and I'd like to get a quick top up while I'm waiting if possible. Thanks!

 

[cwerdna]

Anyone know if there is a place to plug in at O'hare? My SO is coming home tomorrow and I'd like to get a quick top up while I'm waiting if possible. Thanks!

I'd suggest using http://www.plugshare.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

 

[brianchi73]

Anyone know if there is a place to plug in at O'hare? My SO is coming home tomorrow and I'd like to get a quick top up while I'm waiting if possible. Thanks!

I'd suggest using http://www.plugshare.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

Plugshare is the best resource for this. I don't think you'll like the options at O'hare. I think the chargers are only on the first level, and usually you cannot park on Level 1 because it's full.

 

[greengate]

Happy new Leaf lessee as of today! I live in downtown Chicago in Wicker Park. Anyway, I got a Gray 2014 SL with premium package at Autobarn Evanston. Martin was well educated on the leaf and helped to explain all of the details for me and even spent the time to give it a final detail before I left! The negotiation went as well as can be expected with a dealer. I ended up getting the car for 36 months at $299 a month... This is the first car I've ever leased as I've previously only owned or financed cars. I ended up with $35k for the car, $8625 (fed tax credit plus special bonus for 2014's), and I netted $7k for my trade. The residual on the 2014 SL is $15,600. Overall, I'm happy with the deal I got! I was a little uneasy with leasing vs buying but I think enough of the good people on this forum gave me good advice to lease b/c of battery degradation plus the fact that in 3 years there will very likely be something much better than anything available now.

Looking forward to a gas free life (and some killer parking downtown)!

Congrats!! I live in Uptown and commute to Skokie with my Leaf. I've had it for 1 1/2 years so far, and I also have the lease.

Sounds like you did your research quite thoroughly, so you should continue to be pleased as well as a proponent for the Leaf. It fulfills all of my needs.

Martin is probably..most certainly..the most informed person on the Leaf. Not only does he own one himself, he is deep into all of the chemistry around the batteries and their development as well as all of the functioning of the Leaf. He's a scientist/engineer as well as a good and happy person at heart. You can stop in at anytime and have a conversation with him as the relationship didn't end with the sale. He came to my house after work a few weeks ago to see if he could release the 110 volt charger from my car as it seemed to be stuck, which it was. He finally got it to release..the pushdown button would only partially pushdown, but somehow he got it removed from the car. (It was returned to Nissan for a replacement and is currently on backorder. I'm using my 20 amp Clipper Creek 220 volt charger portable charger as a replacement for the 110 volt one that came with the car.)

Enjoy the car!!

 

[djkjmuoh]

Anyone having issues with the "Activity" menu on PlugShare? I frequently check local activity to see if new photos, descriptions, or whole stations have been added. Just recently, however, it's not updating and seems about 5 days behind. I contacted PlugShare and they can't replicate the issue thus far but are working on it while communicating with me.