ICEless in Seattle : Official Pacific NorthWest thread

[Steve]

Hey guys. Thought I'd share an update. Got notified yesterday that I can set up carwings, and I have a VIN. Looks like, after over a year of waiting, I'm scheduled for "week of July 1". So, it looks like there will soon be another Leaf in Covington.

I haven't heard a peep from Ecotality since January. Should I be concerned? I sent them a note to find out what's going on, but I'd like to get whatever inspections and such are necessary for the install of the charger.

Don't be too worried, as long as you qualified, they will come out and install when it gets close to your delivery date. I'd contact them once you are about a month out if you dont hear from them, as they do need a tap on the shoulder when your delivery date gets close (I dont even think they can see that information)

Btw, sorry to hear about your order being drawn so far out! If it makes you feel any better, a friend of mine reserved mid summer, ordered in january, and got his car over a month ago.

Not sure what I did to get hosed, but a few months in the scheme of things isn't so bad. I'm trying to stay positive about the entire thing, but I won't lie. It's getting frustrating to see so many people who reserved well after me get their cars well before me. At this point, I'm within a month. I contacted Blink, and they said I'm good to go. I should get a call from the electrician within the next week or so to set up installation. I also called Jason down at Younker Nissan and feel pretty comfortable with that. Carwings is set up... it looks like this might actually happen.

 

[Nazanne]

Try re-entering the password. If it fails check with the dealer. There have been some reports of faulty telematics module.

Thanks, evnow. It looks like that is exactly what I'm going to have to do. The first couple times I tried connecting Carwings was in locations with spotty reception. But I've tried repeatedly now in locations where it should be rock solid and it still refuses to connect. There is one other possibility. The iPhone app is giving me an error, too. Is that because I haven't gotten the car to connect, or does that indicate a problem server side?

 

[Bud]

Try re-entering the password. If it fails check with the dealer. There have been some reports of faulty telematics module.

Thanks, evnow. It looks like that is exactly what I'm going to have to do. The first couple times I tried connecting Carwings was in locations with spotty reception. But I've tried repeatedly now in locations where it should be rock solid and it still refuses to connect. There is one other possibility. The iPhone app is giving me an error, too. Is that because I haven't gotten the car to connect, or does that indicate a problem server side?

Might check to make sure that AT&T is the selected service provider.

 

[Nazanne]

I finally got my Carwings connected. I called the dealer and they sent me to the Nissan toll free number to get help. They said to bring it back to the dealer for them to reset the TCU. Before I could get back to the dealer they called me to ask how things were going. He said I could bring it in but all they are going to do to reset the TCU is disconnect the 12V battery for a short time (this is also documented elsewhere in the forums here). So I did it myself. I disconnected the neutral terminal and waited a minute before hooking it back up again. It didn't help. So I did it again but waited a bit longer before reconnecting it. Third time was a charm.

Once I had successfully connected the LEAF to Carwings the iPhone app started working, too.

 

[Steve]

Hey guys. Just checking in. My projected delivery date was pushed back a few. I'm now slated for "Week of July 5th." Hopefully, I'll get the car sooner rather than later.

I'm scheduled to get the charger installed next Tuesday, on the 14th, so the wheels are grinding slowly.

 

[jlambeth]

I concur. I ordered in September ... and am now slated for end of June delivery. I've had very serious looking dates since the end of April. There have been 7 reschedules since then. These dates were originally solid enough for EcoTality to install, and for me and Stadium Nissan to work a deal on my previous car. I sold it to them - thinking even if the date slipped, I'd be looking at two weeks. This is two (more) months.

I feel bad for the dealers, and for Nissan customer support - none of them seem to have access to any better information then we do.

Much to their credit, the GM at Stadium Nissan got Nissan North American to pay for a loaner car (after my latest reschedule).

Anybody now what the heck the deal is getting these cars up here from Long Beach is? Mines been there since the end of April. Who's getting the space on the train? Why don't they get a few trucks?

 

[jlambeth]

There may be a better area for this question ... but I can't really find it.

There was a big hoopla today in the Qwest Field/Sound Transit train station parking lot. Four Blink charging stations (perhaps the first actual public ones?) were dedicated. It's across the street from where I work - so I went over. 5 Leafs, 2 Teslas and 1 Prius plugin-retrofit. Politicians galore. I met Mike McGinn, the Seattle Mayor.

Does anyone know the $$ details regarding use of these chargers? I couldn't ask the Mayor, as I was trying to avoid being on TV. This is a pay lot - but they claim "free chargers" (for a year). Do I pay to park, or do I plead my case to the lot attendant? If I have to pay to park, these aren't technically free. It's not that the pay-to-park deal might not be reasonable ... I just want to understand. Especially since it's right across from my workplace ... if you catch my drift.

 

[QueenBee]

Anybody now what the heck the deal is getting these cars up here from Long Beach is? Mines been there since the end of April. Who's getting the space on the train? Why don't they get a few trucks?

Mine had been there since mid march but is now on a train this way. Give Brendan Jones an email [email protected] and he will be able to figure out what is taking your car so long and do something about it.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

wow, this is great news, wish I new about it ahead of time, I would have been there! do you know if these are the L3's we've been waiting for? Honestly I'm kind of intimidated by them, but if they do the trick and don't kill the batteries, the L3 stand to basically double the functional range of the Leaf.
very exciting!

g

There may be a better area for this question ... but I can't really find it.

There was a big hoopla today in the Qwest Field/Sound Transit train station parking lot. Four Blink charging stations (perhaps the first actual public ones?) were dedicated. It's across the street from where I work - so I went over. 5 Leafs, 2 Teslas and 1 Prius plugin-retrofit. Politicians galore. I met Mike McGinn, the Seattle Mayor.

Does anyone know the $$ details regarding use of these chargers? I couldn't ask the Mayor, as I was trying to avoid being on TV. This is a pay lot - but they claim "free chargers" (for a year). Do I pay to park, or do I plead my case to the lot attendant? If I have to pay to park, these aren't technically free. It's not that the pay-to-park deal might not be reasonable ... I just want to understand. Especially since it's right across from my workplace ... if you catch my drift.

 

[jlambeth]

... do you know if these are the L3's we've been waiting for?

Nope ... this are just the same L2 chargers we have in our garages - in fancy outdoor cases. They did not plug into the L3 port on the Leafs. They do seem to be the first truly public (not in a private garage) ones in Seattle though. I think that's what the fuss was about.

 

[Steve]

I concur. I ordered in September ... and am now slated for end of June delivery. I've had very serious looking dates since the end of April. There have been 7 reschedules since then. These dates were originally solid enough for EcoTality to install, and for me and Stadium Nissan to work a deal on my previous car. I sold it to them - thinking even if the date slipped, I'd be looking at two weeks. This is two (more) months.

I feel bad for the dealers, and for Nissan customer support - none of them seem to have access to any better information then we do.

Much to their credit, the GM at Stadium Nissan got Nissan North American to pay for a loaner car (after my latest reschedule).

Anybody now what the heck the deal is getting these cars up here from Long Beach is? Mines been there since the end of April. Who's getting the space on the train? Why don't they get a few trucks?

I'm sorry to hear this. You must be frustrated. It seems like my date is changing daily. I logged in and to my pleasant surprise found that my expected delivery date is now "week of June 24th."

Looking better and better. Hopefully by the end of the month I'll be gas free... well, at least in my car!

 

[Packet]

Does anyone know the $$ details regarding use of these chargers? I couldn't ask the Mayor, as I was trying to avoid being on TV. This is a pay lot - but they claim "free chargers" (for a year). Do I pay to park, or do I plead my case to the lot attendant? If I have to pay to park, these aren't technically free. It's not that the pay-to-park deal might not be reasonable ... I just want to understand. Especially since it's right across from my workplace ... if you catch my drift.

I /suspect/ they will be pay-to-park, since they're in a pay lot; I imagine it's 'free while parking here.' However, I'm not certain, and I am interested; one of my housemates does the art design and organizes a lot of the painting for the tifo that the Emerald City Supporters unveil at Sounders games. As a result, he's down at Qwest field a lot, and if they allow free parking for EVs to use the charger, I think he might be interested in borrowing my LEAF when it arrives.

(Though he does have a parking pass for during painting and pre-game prep, that pass doesn't apply to games themselves.)

Anyway, I asked him to ask about it the next time he's down there and can actually speak to one of the parking lot attendants; that probably won't be tomorrow during the insanity of the game, so anyone who works downtown might get an answer faster.

 

[UkrainianKozak]

... do you know if these are the L3's we've been waiting for?

Nope ... this are just the same L2 chargers we have in our garages - in fancy outdoor cases. They did not plug into the L3 port on the Leafs. They do seem to be the first truly public (not in a private garage) ones in Seattle though. I think that's what the fuss was about.

I think technically we got first ones in South Lake Union (Boren and Harrison) without any fuss (installed silently without mayor presence ), they are technically in parking under Amazon offices, but it is a public garage, anyone can pay and park, and charge for free.

 

[DaveL]

KUOW (Seattle's NPR station) ran a short segment this afternoon on the question of "electric cars: should you buy one?" with Ashly Knapp, their "auto expert".

You can listen to it on KUOW's website: http://www.kuow.org/conversation/
scroll down to the last segment of the show for June 13th.

Ashly knows a lot about cars, what with his founding Auto Advisors car buying service in 1977 (http://www.autoadvisor.com). However some of his answers today were somewhat off base, especially when it came to the discussion on battery life.

I sent an email in this afternoon challenging his assertion that no company was producing an EV that showed battery capacity. Tonight I got a long reply from him, stating that the Leaf he got to test out early in the release didn't have much of a manual and he didn't realize that there was a guage on the dash showing capacity. He said that he hoped that KUOW would do another show on the topic and that he would correct his mistake then. From that and other statements in the email, it was clear that he spent some time after the show becoming more educated on the Leaf. If only he'd have done it BEFORE going on!

While I'd rather not have more FUD out there, it's still good news that some in the media are getting past the novelity of an EV and starting to talk about the practicalities of EV ownership.

Dave

 

[evnow]

From that and other statements in the email, it was clear that he spent some time after the show becoming more educated on the Leaf. If only he'd have done it BEFORE going on!

Send the email (and the reply) to NPR. They may issue a correction.

Unfortunately, the big news comes on the front page and the corrections hidden on the 18th ... (in the newspaper world).

 

[Steve]

The electrician is here as we speak installing the Blink charger. I'm pretty stoked!

 

[Packet]

Oh, look! They're finally getting them put in.

24 Blink Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Installed in Seattle's South Lake Union Neighborhood
ECOtality and Vulcan Real Estate bring 24 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations to South Lake Union

SEATTLE - June 14, 2011 ECOtality, Inc. (NASDAQ:ECTY), a leader in clean electric transportation and storage technologies, today announced that Vulcan Real Estate has joined The EV Project, a national program for the deployment of electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. As part of this agreement, Vulcan has installed 24 Blink EV Pedestal charging stations in eight South Lake Union commercial and residential buildings owned by Vulcan Inc.

"ECOtality is committed to providing clean energy solutions and installing electric vehicle infrastructure in communities like South Lake Union," said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality. "South Lake Union is a forward-thinking neighborhood with many early adopters currently driving electric vehicles. We are thrilled to be bringing our Blink chargers to locations where people normally visit in South Lake Union."

The South Lake Union charging stations will be available to the public, and are located at the following buildings: Westlake/Terry Building, 2200 Westlake, and 2201 Westlake each host three Blink Pedestal chargers, Alley24 has four chargers, and Amazon headquarter campus has installed 11 Chargers. In addition, two charging stations will be installed at the Discovery Center in the coming months.

"We are proud that South Lake Union is one of the greenest neighborhoods in the country and these charging stations are a reflection of the area's longstanding commitment to sustainability," said Ada M. Healey, vice president of real estate at Vulcan Inc. "South Lake Union now has more electric vehicle (EV) charging stations than any other neighborhood in the Pacific Northwest and one of the highest concentrations of EV charging stations in the country."

 

[rainnw]

Hahah, no battery indicator.. People like impossibly true facts, things like "Big stupid auto company made 100,000 cars without any axles!"

Speaking of the mayor, what is the word on installing a charging station on a public street? A friend of mine has a business without its own parking on capitol hill.

 

[NOPEC]

Found the 2nd charging site provided by the City of Redmond, it is at their Parks and Maint. yard 1 block due east of the Fred Meyer/Home Depot/Target at the end of SR 520. There are two L2 charge stations there and appear to be free just like the Redmond City Hall site.

 

[oldestnissandealer]

Younker Nissan in Renton, Washington has an orphaned Leaf looking for a home. Please contact Jason Favors @ 253-209-3662 if you or somebody you know can help out! This Leaf deserves a good home.