Getting 2013 SL Black/Black + Premium Saturday morning

[thehelix112]

Hey guys,

Just wanted to say a quick g'day. I've been interested in getting a LEAF since my wife told me about "some display of some Nissan electric car on 3rd St Promenade tomorrow", as part of their PR leading up to launch. Fast forward some years and we're finally in a position to pull the trigger, but it's mid-2012 and all I can see is the 3.3KW/H charger in the spec sheet, so we decide to wait it out. Talk about frustrating.. Nissan has already launched the 2014MY GTR before the 2013MY LEAF is available. :x

But eventually it's announced, and we start getting in touch with dealers, do a bunch of haggling, settle on a price, and then get told it's a 3 week wait.
That was 2.5 weeks ago, and I finally get an email today saying our car will be available for pickup Saturday morning. So woohoo! Much excitement.

Next step is working with LADWP/Nissan to get our home charger installed. I'm a bit conflicted there as I just finished running a 220V/50A circuit for my welder, but it just so happens that is exactly what the AeroVironment plug-in chargers need I believe, and that's a good site cheaper. But not going to be cheaper if I don't then qualify for the LADWP rebate. I guess I'll have a search around here and see what other people have done.

Plans for mods at this point include some stiffer suspension (given it's just an around-town car, it can stand to get a bit sportier), different wheels and some stickier rubber.

Nice to meet you all!

Dave

 

[dcpatters]

Congratulations.

I've only been around a few weeks, but this is what I decided to do for faster charging. Quick, clean, and convenient.

http://evseupgrade.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=4" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[cp11]

240 Chargers only need a 40A breaker and use 30A, so it's cheaper than running 50A wire.

 

[thehelix112]

Thanks for the info guys. Thats a very interesting option for charging. Seems pretty cost effective.
So this will get me 20A @ 240V, while a permanent-install will get me 30A @ 240V... interesting. Given the permanent install is ~3x the price, assuming you already have a circuit.


The secondary benefits to a home-install for me are the potential value-add to the house (unknown?), and the reduced electrical rate LADWP is offering with a dedicated circuit.

Definitely something to mull over.

Thanks for the tips!

 

[SteveInSeattle]

Your going to spend way too much with any option other than the EVSE upgrade. Keep in mind that all circuits in Europe are 220V, so this is why most of the parts in the Panasonic/Nissan can handle the higher voltage. The EVSE upgrade is making some minor changes and the end result is a very reliable and extremely cost effective alterntive. You would have to save a lot of money from LAPW to make anything else worthwhile and I doubt that is possible.

 

[thehelix112]

Steve,

Thanks for the input. You may well be right, I just need to crunch the numbers. I'll update a thread some place with what I end up doing. I'm kinda digging the OpenEVSE project too! Lots more research to do.
I'm off to pick the car up now! Can't wait.

Dave

 

[bobsfreeleaf]

Thanks for the info guys. Thats a very interesting option for charging. Seems pretty cost effective.
So this will get me 20A @ 240V, while a permanent-install will get me 30A @ 240V... interesting. Given the permanent install is ~3x the price, assuming you already have a circuit.


The secondary benefits to a home-install for me are the potential value-add to the house (unknown?), and the reduced electrical rate LADWP is offering with a dedicated circuit.

Definitely something to mull over.

Thanks for the tips!

Hi Helix:
I am quite pleased with my EVSE upgraded cable for my 2013 S model. I have yet to find the circumstance that I can't get a pretty full charge in under five hours. Now, mind you, it is a hassle to haul your cord out of the trunk every night, where having one permanently attached to the wall would be a nice convenience. Is it worth a thousand bucks? Not to me. Is it worth anything to the next home owner? Probably not (unless you give him the Leaf! :lol: ). In San Diego we have TOU 2 rates which does NOT require a new separate meter. The existing meter is converted to TOU for the whole house. This worked out really, really well for me. Check it out, maybe LA has that alternative, and save yourself a whole bunch of doe. Enjoy the ride.