ICEless in Seattle : Official Pacific NorthWest thread

[Rake]

Time to sharpen those pencils, it appears some letters need to be written. I contacted Puget Sound Energy after looking at their rate sheets, and not seeing any info on off-peak charging.
I received this email in return:

"Thank you for contacting PSE. Currently, PSE does not offer a time of day rate for EVs. Though we are looking at options, I do not have a timeline on any rate changes for EVs. If you don't mind, PSE has questions about your charging system as we want to be sure we can offer you adequate power to compensate the additional load. If you don't mind replying to this email with the template filled out, that would help us tremendously. If you have any questions feel free to reply.

Customer Name:
Name of Owner of Home:
Service Address:
Name and phone number of Contractor/Electrician:
Account Number:
Phone number with alternate number if available:
Email address (Optional):
Service address for hook-up:
Mailing address if different than service address:
How many chargers is customer installing?
Make/Model of vehicle:
**Optional if Customer knows**
Expected date for service request"

Here is their email address, feel free to help me "encourage" them..
[email protected]

Thanks!

 

[TLeaf]

The blue Nissan logo makes it look like after market black paint :lol:

No kidding. No matter what color of car you get, the emblems are the same blue! Personal opinion, I don't like it so much on the Black and Red cars. The blue obviously looks fine, and my silver one is OK. Still haven't seen a white one in person, but in pics it's not TOO bad. Seems like they would have spent an extra 5 minutes to get a better combination for the different colors. :roll:

I initially thought the same, thinking that the blue Nissan logo would have to be the first thing to go, but now that I've had the car a while it seems like less and less of an issue. Apart from apathy, I'd also attribute this to a realization that both the headlights and the taillights also have a blue tinge to them. Now if I could get the color changed on all of them....

 

[DarkStar]

Time to sharpen those pencils, it appears some letters need to be written. I contacted Puget Sound Energy after looking at their rate sheets, and not seeing any info on off-peak charging.

What you're looking for is a "time-of-use" option for your electricity billing. Sure enough, I couldn't find that in their rate schedules either!

Let them know to take a page from Portland General Electric:

http://www.portlandgeneral.com/residential/your_account/billing_payment/time_of_use/pricing.aspx

Simple and effective!

 

[QueenBee]

For example, a typical family of three uses about 80 kWh per month for electric clothes drying. Under PGE’s Time of Use option, on-peak usage for this period would equal $10.61. Mid-peak usage would equal $6.00, and off-peak would result in a cost of $3.54.

That's pretty amazing. As my natural off-peak usage increases this becomes more and more attractive. There's no reason dishwashers, dryers, EV chargers, etc. can't easily be used off peak with very little inconvenience. From what I understand PSE/our region doesn't have a big issue with on-peak demand exceeding the capacity of the grid so there hasn't been very much motivation to push this. I was asking the PSE EV guy at the test drive tour about it and he said the cost to PSE for the extra IT infrastructure to support time of use metering was very high compared to the return to them. I suspect this will continue to be the case until electrical demand outgrows capacity in our region.

BTW: Costco is selling home solar power kits.http://www.earthtechling.com/2011/04/home-solar-panel-kits-come-to-costco/ No idea how that pricing is.

 

[Anonymous]

Time to sharpen those pencils, it appears some letters need to be written. I contacted Puget Sound Energy after looking at their rate sheets, and not seeing any info on off-peak charging.

What you're looking for is a "time-of-use" option for your electricity billing. Sure enough, I couldn't find that in their rate schedules either!

Let them know to take a page from Portland General Electric:

http://www.portlandgeneral.com/residential/your_account/billing_payment/time_of_use/pricing.aspx

Simple and effective!

My brother works for PSE (not in the appropriate department for this, but he does have info), and I chatted with him about this a bit. They did a pilot project a few years ago with peak/off-peak rates, and it was determined that it simply wasn't worthwhile for them to do that kind of billing. I don't remember all the details, but something about the mix of how our power is generated that it just didn't make sense to have the overhead for such limited savings (both for consumers and the utility).

Now, granted, that pilot program was for general use, not specific to EVs in any way. I have no idea if they're looking into anything specific for EVs.

 

[Rake]

As more and more people buy BEV's, it would make sense that nighttime demand would only increase. I can imagine they might have to swap out my digital meter with one with a time function, or firmware flash my existing one. If there were a nominal fee for this to help defray PSE's cost, I wouldn't be against that; I'm trying to keep my thinking geared toward the long term. Perhaps it would fall into a catagory that would benefit from some of the federal grants available for infrastructure.

As progressive-thinking as the PNW is I find it hard to imagine that a time-of-use scenario wouldn't pay off in the long run.

 

[evnow]

My brother works for PSE (not in the appropriate department for this, but he does have info), and I chatted with him about this a bit. They did a pilot project a few years ago with peak/off-peak rates, and it was determined that it simply wasn't worthwhile for them to do that kind of billing. I don't remember all the details, but something about the mix of how our power is generated that it just didn't make sense to have the overhead for such limited savings (both for consumers and the utility).

This is what I heard from PSE person during Leaf driving test event.

 

[Marksp]

If you don't mind, PSE has questions about your charging system as we want to be sure we can offer you adequate power to compensate the additional load. If you don't mind replying to this email with the template filled out, that would help us tremendously.

PSE is clearly playing catch-up. I received my PSE "pre" EVSE installation readiness call the day after my Blink was installed.

 

[Rake]

For those of us that are going to get our Leaf's windows tinted, this story ran today:

http://www.king5.com/news/local/Police-cracking-down-on-tinted-windows-120066559.html

 

[rainnw]

I wrote to PSE about off-peak power rates, and their future plans of EV charging surcharges for customers.

 

[Rake]

I wrote to PSE about off-peak power rates, and their future plans of EV charging surcharges for customers.

A few days ago I fired off an email to PSE (some is a paste from the above post - so bear with me):

"Lev,

Thanks for taking a moment to read this.
After some discussion with various peers, it came to my attention that PSE had a pilot project at one time studying the capital returns on a time of use system. At that time it was decided that the returns were to small to make the effort. It is my opinion (one widely shared) that the game is changing.
As more and more people buy BEV's, it would make sense that nighttime demand would only increase. I can imagine they might have to swap out my digital meter with one with a time function, or firmware flash my existing one. If there were a nominal fee for this to help defray PSE's cost, I wouldn't be against that; I'm trying to keep my thinking geared toward the long term, as are many of my peers. Perhaps it would fall into a catagory that would benefit from some of the federal grants available for infrastructure.
As progressive-thinking as the PNW is I find it hard to imagine that a time-of-use scenario wouldn't pay off in the long run if it was offered, as BEV's become more widely accepted.

People will want it.

Thank you,
XXXXXXXXX

one example: http://www.portlandgeneral.com/residential/your_account/billing_payment/time_of_use/pricing.aspx "



Our emails are getting some attention because today I received an email in response:

"Lev passed your message along to me. I’d be happy to discuss PSE’s experience with time of use and EVs and what we’re looking at moving ahead. Please feel free to contact me at your convenience. As a forewarning, I will be travelling for most of this week and next, but have plenty of time to discuss this during the week of May 2nd.
Ben

Ben Farrow, P.E.
Project Manager, Emerging Technologies
Puget Sound Energy
10885 NE 4th St. (PSE04S)
Bellevue, WA 98004
p: 425.456.2541
m: 206.396.0991
f: 425.456.2467"

So if we wait until the week of the 2nd so that we can have his full attention, this should give us some time to put our heads together and clearly state our case ... suggestions?

Edit: I met with Ben and talked to him at length about TOU possibilities in the future, and he assured me that it IS being looked at. But at this point it still isn't worth it. Basically $1.00 spent in back-end development to recover $0.60 . We are also blessed with a very robust grid infrastructure, so the added loads are next to negligible at this point. By their numbers, even if 500,000 vehicles were to magically change into EV's overnight, demand would only increase by 5%. So at this point, I think I will be content with the $0.08-0.10/KWh, which compared to California rates is very low.
Very nice guy btw.

 

[Rake]

basically useless post at this point... deleted.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

i currently plug in at all times of the day and the reason is to insure plenty of range and not to charge to 100%.

for example, last night, i got home at 6, plugged in at 7 pm, unplugged at 6 am this morning because i figured a full charge would be completed around 6:30. it was still charging when i unplugged it, but still lists all 12 bars, so it may not be fully charged, but its close!!


but if there was a discount for off peak charging, say after 9 pm or something, i would do that in a heartbeat. as it stands now, i only charge 5-6 days a week. for TOU, i would charge every night but only during the discounted rate period and i bet i could still make 120 volt work!

 

[Anonymous]

Just a reminder - Next get together for all interested

4/30/11 @ 1:00 PM
Redmond City Hall

2 chargers there and plenty more in the Bellevue/Redmond area if you need one to get to/from.

Looks like we will have a good crowd based on the Facebook event page. Could you send me a RSVP via PM if you plan on coming so I can keep track of total LEAF's and participants.

Thanks

Just a reminder that this is still happening (I think) next weekend. I'll be there with my Leaf (ok, fine, my WIFE's Leaf, as she keeps reminding me) and since I'll have plenty of range I'm more than happy to take people for a spin that don't have theirs yet.

 

[IBELEAF]

Anyone knows if we are getting fast DC chargers anywhere?

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

The puget sound region will receive 50 QC stations from the ev highway project. The state will more both north and south to allow border to border ev run

 

[IBELEAF]

Just out of curiosity has anyone in Seattle area been able to achieve 100 miles on one charge? With all the hills around the best I got was 80 miles that's on ECO, very little freeway and no heater on.

 

[Reddy]

Anyone knows if we are getting fast DC chargers anywhere?

I just received this map of potential charger locations around Seattle from [email protected]. No indication of when/if they will ever be available.

http://ecotality.com/newsletter/ima...Blink L2 and DC Charger Locations - Large.jpg

-Reddy

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Supposed. To be by end of fall 2011.

I did go 89 miles on a charge and did not go to turtle more. But of that was 40 mph and less

 

[SeattleBlueLeaf]

Just in case you subscribe to this forum - posting here too

Reminder - Meet up #2 this Saturday - Redmond City Hall 1:00 PM

2 Couloumb chargers are there if you need them.