Florida

[Brightonuk]

Really looking forward to meeting you guys

 

[N1ghtrider]

What kind of donuts do you like?

 

[Brightonuk]

Fat Free Ones

 

[evenoelle]

I wonder if there's a way to contact a representative for the Drive Electric Tour and offer to be ambassadors for their product. I would think they would want real, live South Florida LEAF owners to show how wonderful the car is.

Anyone have any ideas how to find this info out?

The marathon is actually on Sunday, so I would venture to say we should probably avoid gathering there on Sunday since if it is anything like the corporate run downtown, it will be a madhouse.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

This looked like an interesting project to get specialized plates for electric vehicles... until I got to the part about the "up to 60k" application fee.

http://www3.flhsmv.gov/DMV/Proc/RS/RS-20.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I am curious how many takers there would be. Maybe the proceeds could go to the turnpike authority for building charging stations at service areas. I know someone at who's fairly high up in the turnpike authority, I'll ask her about it.

 

[BrainDonor]

I wonder if there's a way to contact a representative for the Drive Electric Tour and offer to be ambassadors for their product. I would think they would want real, live South Florida LEAF owners to show how wonderful the car is.

Anyone have any ideas how to find this info out?

The marathon is actually on Sunday, so I would venture to say we should probably avoid gathering there on Sunday since if it is anything like the corporate run downtown, it will be a madhouse.

I went ahead and signed up on the Drive Electric Tour web site for Saturday, 1/28, at 3pm; that's about the earliest I can make it and hopefully I have enough juice to get there from Lake Worth. Tomorrow I plan to call the phone number listed in the SD event topic, 1-866-879-3832, and see if they can do something similar to what they did for the SD LEAFers. Here is the email posted on that thread:

We know you're just as passionate about the Nissan LEAF™, as we are. Now, get treated like a VIP as you share this enthusiasm with other potential owners at the Nissan LEAF™ drive electric tour. Receive a complimentary Nissan LEAF™ T-shirt*, and enjoy VIP parking as well as a VIP area with food and beverages. Plus, use our quick chargers to charge up while you're there**.

Call 1-866-879-3832 to RSVP, and make sure to check in with a staff member when you arrive. See you there.

*While supplies last. **Limited charging stations available. Test-drive vehicles will have priority charging

 

[BrainDonor]

FP&L has recently upgraded most of us in South Florida to smart meters. If you have a smart meter, you can register to view your detailed electricity usage online, broken down by month, day, and hour! It is very interesting to see the before and after LEAF usage. You can register at https://app.fpl.com/eca/EcaController" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

I just completed the first full billing cycle after getting the LEAF. During the 12/9-1/11 billing cycle we put 1,010 miles on the LEAF. The FP&L bill came out to $152, of which $30 can be attributed to the LEAF. A year ago, for the same billing cycle, the cost was $302 (primarily due to the colder weather last winter)!

For comparison, the same 1,010 miles in our old 2005 Toyota 4Runner (which was replaced by the LEAF) would have cost $232. Now that's real savings!

 

[N1ghtrider]

Hey Florida Leafers: Will there be any other members of the 200 KM club at our meeting tomorrow?

 

[evenoelle]

went ahead and signed up on the Drive Electric Tour web site for Saturday, 1/28, at 3pm; that's about the earliest I can make it and hopefully I have enough juice to get there from Lake Worth. Tomorrow I plan to call the phone number listed in the SD event topic, 1-866-879-3832, and see if they can do something similar to what they did for the SD LEAFers.

Ok - I'm going to sign up for the same time.

You are much braver than I am though...Lake Worth to Miami Beach...WOW. :shock: Maybe N1ghtrider can give you some tips! I'm still the newbie in the group and I haven't driven the car much more than the 25 mile round trip commute I have every day. My family lives in Broward (Mom is 42 miles from me - sister a little farther) so I am trying to figure out how to get up there and make it home without having to stay overnight. There is a charger at Publix near my Mom's and then there are always the dealerships. (Has anyone charged at a dealership yet? I didn't know if I should call ahead and make sure I could use the charger or what?)

 

[evenoelle]

Hey Florida Leafers: Will there be any other members of the 200 KM club at our meeting tomorrow?

My goodness - you did this and you still didn't get the turtle? Amazing. Can you tell us more - did you do any highway driving? That is where my downfall is because my commute is mostly highway. I try to do the 55 thing but keep finding myself going faster.

 

[N1ghtrider]

I only did about 10 to 15 miles on I-95, never more than 55 mph.

 

[BrainDonor]

Hey Florida Leafers: Will there be any other members of the 200 KM club at our meeting tomorrow?

Congrats, Roy! You're our long range specialist.

 

[spike09]

I removed the ZeroEmissions badge from the back and added "ELECTRIC". All the auto parts stores in South Florida (Advanced Auto, AutoZone and PepBoys) stock the same chrome letters. Unfortunately their E is rounded and does not match the "LEAF" on the back of the car. I got these letters from Ebay seller "creative_bargain" who gets them from China. Total was $12.17 including shipping. Positioning and applying the letters was quick and easy. They are a bit larger and thicker than I wanted so am still on the lookout for a better match. If I find the time I will find someone locally who can laser cut 3-D chrome letters.

 

[spike09]

Since the EVSE tax credit was set to expire I bit the bullet and got a 240V charger even though I probably could have lived with plugging into a regular 120V outlet.
I went with AV because they are the only ones with a 25' cable and I needed the extra distance to reach my car. My installation quote was $2800. They waived the $100 fee and I ended up doing a "Cash and Carry". The EVSE was $1040 and my electrician http://www.Abender.com charged me $250. I ran the conduit and wiring myself. The run is almost 60' of 1" PVC. I used 8AWG wire and 10AWG for the ground. My electrical inspector was the same one who came when I installed my solar panels back in 2009. EVSE was placed into service with just days left in 2011. I think I will get the 30% tax credit along with the $7500 one for the car. I will know for sure when when I meet with my accountant come tax time.
Although the EVSE is weatherproof I might put it in a NEMA 4 cabinet of some sort. For now I am just protecting the cord. I found a simple solution by covering it with a 3/4 inch electric cord keeper from IKEA (also available in black at Radio Shack).

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Nice work Mr Spike.

Looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow.

 

[BrainDonor]

Looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow.

Same here. I plan to get there about 10:15 since I need to drop off my daughter at dance studio.

 

[evenoelle]

Looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow.

Same here. I plan to get there about 10:15 since I need to drop off my daughter at dance studio.

Have fun. I'll miss meeting you guys! Take pictures!

 

[spike09]

Looking forward to meeting you all tomorrow.

Same here. I plan to get there about 10:15 since I need to drop off my daughter at dance studio.

Should be there by noon!

 

[keydiver]

Everyone make it back home safely? It was a waste of time going to Clematis Street in West Palm. Even on Saturdays you need to pay to park in the garage, and then the chargers were all Chargepoint, which I don't have a card for. Oh well, now I know. We ended up going to Juno Beach for some great grouper quesadillas!
Nice to meet all of you, and I think we gave the Gold Coast EV club something to talk about.

 

[N1ghtrider]

We had a fine first meeting of our Leaf group. Thanks for the update on Clematis Street.