SF BayLEAFs - e-NV200 Ride & Drives and Showcase May 28

[gascant]

Minutes from the April meeting in San Francisco can be found here:
http://sfbayleafs.org/past-events/2013/04/april-members-meeting/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to everyone who attended, and to our host and speakers.

The May meeting will be held at the Santa Clara Library on the 11th, at which time their new DCQC will be dedicated.

 

[GRA]

Yesterday, I noticed that the City of Hayward and/or Ecotality has installed 10 L2 Blink EVSEs (8 normal height, 2 shorter in Handicapped spots) for 11 parking spaces in the City Hall parking garage, in the same area as the current Blink L3. The L3 is along the east wall near the north end, the L2s stretch westward along the North Wall from the NE corner. This location is less than a block from the Hayward Main Library, which I believe has a meeting room available for use on Saturdays (at least when it isn't raining, when the Friends of the Library book sales moves inside and uses it); I'll check that out and report back. This would seem to be a good central bay location for a SF BayLEAFs meeting, a few miles from the east end of the San Mateo Bridge and near the junctions of 880/92 and 238/580.

Yes, that would be a great location for a meeting, especially since we've had trouble securing places in the East Bay (though we have a standing invitation in Castro Valley). Let us know what you find. A meeting space that can comfortably hold 50 would work out well.

Unfortunately, the library's meeting room is fully booked for their own services except on Mondays, so I'm going to ask at City Hall (right across the street from the chargers) and see if they have rooms for meetings for non-profits. Failing that, I know there's a room available for events (wedding receptions etc.) a few blocks away, but that would involve a fee. Castro Valley Library has a meeting room although I don't know if it's available, and I've mentioned to them that with all the PV panels on their roof they really should install some chargers, but to no effect so far. I suppose you could shuttle people from Hayward to there, as it's only about 2 miles. Or just come into downtown Hayward after the meeting, and use the chargers while getting something to eat/seeing a movie etc., as there are lots of restaurants and a theater within a two block radius.

 

[gascant]

SF BayLEAFs May Meeting Announcement can be found here:
http://sfbayleafs.org/event/may-2013-meeting/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Featuring dedication of the SC Library's new DCQC by the mayor.

 

[edatoakrun]

Minutes from the April meeting in San Francisco can be found here:
http://sfbayleafs.org/past-events/2013/04/april-members-meeting/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to everyone who attended, and to our host and speakers...

Is a video the entire meeting available? I'd particularly like to watch the entire tech discussion:

...The second guest speaker from Nissan was Craig Pike (Nissan Technical Center North America, Arizona), who discussed “2013 Nissan Leaf – What’s New!” Craig has worked on the LEAF since pre-production of the MY2011 and attended Refuel 2012 at Laguna Seca, Monterey, CA where he met several SF BayLEAF members. To date, three MY13 LEAFs have been driven 30K miles in Phoenix and on/near test track and Fairbanks AK. Topics discussed include improvements to MY13 LEAF: efficiency: power train control logic, power train weight (10%) and volume (30%) reduction, reduce number of high voltage harness from 14 to 7, reduce water pump power by 50%, developed integrated power delivery module (charger, DC/DC converter), which is discussed in more detail at http://www.sae.org/mags/aei/11993" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;. Other efficiency improvements involve lower drag coefficient from 0.29 to 0.28, brake design change so there is less rubbing or drag of pads on rotors, use of high efficiency heat pump instead of electric heater, and more regen braking from 80% to 90% SOC...

The two most important additional LEAF comments by Craig Pike (IIRC) were that the 2013 LEAF does have greater range than the 2011-12s (I was the guy in the back trying unsuccessfully to get him to quantify the increase) and that the back-up resistance heater for the heat pump only operated below 10F.

He also said (IIRC) that the Infiniti LE had not hit the Arizona test track yet, that the program was repeatedly pushed back.

Maybe Nissan has still not determined the LE's battery pack kWh capacity?

 

[ChipsLeaf]

Just a few days ago one of my tires got a sidewall puncture so it is toast. I have 23,000 miles and given the tire wear I was planning on taking my Leaf in to Costco anyway to get all four tires replaced. But, as you all know there is no spare donut for the Leaf. I read the forum discussions that a Nissan Altima (2002 or later) spare will work. I tried calling around to the automobile junk yards but was only able to find two in the Bay Area and they wanted $100 and $125. That seemed excessive.

But one of you may have already procured an Altima spare for your Leaf. If any of you are in the East Bay (live in San Ramon and work in Hayward) and have one that I could borrow for the weekend that would save me getting a tow to Costco. I could pick it up Friday or Saturday and return it on Sunday/Monday or whenever is convenient for you.

Shoot me an email if you can help.

Thanks.

 

[gascant]

Summary of the May meeting can be found here:
http://sfbayleafs.org/past-events/2013/05/may-2013-meeting-summary/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Thanks to the 62 drivers who attended (along with 13 for the first first time)

 

[gascant]

SF BayLEAFs June meeting details can be found here:
http://sfbayleafs.org/event/sf-bayleafs-june-meeting/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Highlights include a visit from Nissan Chief EV Designer Masato Inoue and a presentation from world renowned auto journalist Robert Llewellyn.

 

[BrendanDolan]

Evernote has a Blink DCFC on hand, and if anyone needs a charge, Boardwalk is right across the freeway with our DCFC up and running as well. See you guys there!

 

[DanCar]

What time will the Nissan Engineering Guru be speaking?

 

[gascant]

Thanks to everyone that attended. Minutes can be found here:
http://sfbayleafs.org/past-events/2013/06/june-meeting-summary/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Next month's meeting is tentatively scheduled for the 13th in Sunnyvale.

 

[madhaus]

Whoops! We had our July meeting already but no announcement in advance. Here are the minutes from that meeting which was held on July 11th. This was an evening meeting held at Nissan Sunnyvale Research Center. There were more than 75 attendees.

Our August meeting won't take place at the usual time. Instead, join us and EAA-Silicon Valley for a big celebration. EV Summit '13 will take place on August 24th from 12-4 at Google in Mountain View.

See the EV Summit thread to discuss it, and click here to sign up. Please tell your friends on other EV groups where it hasn't been announced yet!

 

[Boomer23]

Ride The Future Tour is asking for a big turnout at Google HQ tomorrow, Friday, Aug 16, 5pm, for the end of their cross country 44 city EV tour.

If you are in the area, please consider turning out to meet and support this amazing team.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=310382479107265&set=a.208331845978996.68372.208306649314849&type=1&theater" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[UBUYGAS]

Chip,

I bought one of those Altima Spares and it works fine, Not sure if it works on the front though because I have a 2013 with the 17" wheels. But I paid $140 shipped from eBay and this thread shows how I installed it in my LEAF without losing any trunk space: http://tinyurl.com/mhbds49" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Sal

Just a few days ago one of my tires got a sidewall puncture so it is toast. I have 23,000 miles and given the tire wear I was planning on taking my Leaf in to Costco anyway to get all four tires replaced. But, as you all know there is no spare donut for the Leaf. I read the forum discussions that a Nissan Altima (2002 or later) spare will work. I tried calling around to the automobile junk yards but was only able to find two in the Bay Area and they wanted $100 and $125. That seemed excessive.

But one of you may have already procured an Altima spare for your Leaf. If any of you are in the East Bay (live in San Ramon and work in Hayward) and have one that I could borrow for the weekend that would save me getting a tow to Costco. I could pick it up Friday or Saturday and return it on Sunday/Monday or whenever is convenient for you.

Shoot me an email if you can help.

Thanks.

 

[sfbayleafs]

Here is a summary of the EV Summit and related activities. Many thanks to those who have attended and helped organize this event.

http://sfbayleafs.org/past-events/2013/08/ev-summit-13/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

What a fun time we had at EV Summit ’13! The event was held on August 24, 2013 at the Google Campus in Mountain View. Thanks to the generosity of Google and a major effort by Rolf Schreiber, we enjoyed the pleasant surroundings of the outdoor dining area and the parking lots on campus. In addition, Google provided approximately 50-Level 2 charging stations at this location and an additional 20 were available nearby. If that wasn’t enough, AAA brought their mobile Quick Charger for demonstration and charging. The adjacent parking lots were also full of activities with ride and drives in many kinds of EVs including… electric bathtubs. Thanks to Marina Cerin-Stith and Maddi Hausmann Sojourner who spearheaded the event for the SF BayLEAFs, and Paul Stith and Tom Sidle of the Silicon Valley EAA who co-hosted the Summit. Jeannie Lam, local Nissan NA representative, helped to make the summit a success – thank you.

The ride and drive area, complete with green-shirted EV Summit volunteers vamping the AAA charging truck. Photo courtesy of Rolf Schreiber.
There were over 290 registered attendees for the EV Summit, which included SF BayLEAFs members, family and friends, as well as Electric Auto Association members from chapters all over Northern California. Besides the local attendees, we enjoyed the company of Terry Hershner who is famous for his cross-country treks on his electric motorcycle. This time he brought a guest from Australia, Rachel McCarthy, who just recently completed a 44-day trip across country as part of a team that included a Nissan LEAF and electric two-wheelers: motorcycles and a motor scooters. Also attending was an EV icon, Paul Scott, who made the journey from Southern California to join us and connect with long-time Bay Area EV pioneers. Ed Marek, who has driven 730 miles roundtrip from Shasta County in his LEAF, holds the record for the longest distance traveled by a summit attendee in an EV. We also had a last-minute visit by Kelly Carmichael and his companion who journeyed 14 hours by Prius from Vancouver, Canada to make the event.

Yes, the EV Summit was certainly an international event, with executives from Nissan Japan (see photo below) joining us. We were very pleased to welcome Kadota-san (Chief Vehicle Engineer for the LEAF), Yamamoto-san (Program Director Zero Emission Vehicles), Abe-san (Chief Product Specialist), and Sasaki-san (Director Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Nissan’s Michigan Office) to the Summit. This was Kadota-san’s second visit to an SF BayLEAFs event. We first met him on Dec. 3, 2011, coincidentally also at Google! This was a memorable meeting for new 2011 LEAF owners to share our suggestions and experiences directly with Nissan. Nissan listened, and many of the upgrades and improvements to the 2013 LEAF are acknowledged to be due to our input at the first meeting with Kadota-san and his Nissan colleagues.

We were fortunate to have Nissan North America, Bay Area Air Quality Management District, Pacific Gas & Electric and ChargePoint as the Lead Sponsors for EV Summit ’13. AAA of Northern California, Nevada & Utah, Brammo, Schneider Electric, Bayshore Electric, AeroVironment, Clipper Creek, Capitol Fiat/DGDG, Sungevity, NRG/eVgo, VIA Motors and EV Grid were event partners.

There were a variety of BBQ meat dishes, salads, and sides, as well as vegetarian entrees, along with water and fruit drinks for attendees to enjoy. The dessert was 4 types of Marianne’s Ice Cream with many toppings, and may have been the highlight of the meal judging from the positive response.

Numerous electric vehicles were on display or for test drives; these include the Nissan LEAF, Chevy Volt and Spark EV, Fiat 500e, Tesla Model S, Toyota RAV4 EV, BMW ActiveE, Sparrow, Renault Twizy, VIA VTrux and Brammo motorcycles. All in all, there were about 100 electric vehicles present. As anticipated, the Nissan LEAF constituted about half of the fleet, thanks to a strong showing of owners from the Bay Area and beyond. There was a sizable contingent of Tesla Model S and Volt owners as well, closely followed by 1st and 2nd generation RAV4 EV owners.

Attendees had an opportunity to win some great raffle prizes: home EV charging stations from Clipper Creek, Schneider Electric and AeroVironment, an HP Tablet computer, and several gift cards for movies, P.F. Chang’s restaurant, Marianne’s ice cream and Amazon. In addition, Nissan, Via Motors and Brammo shirts and caps were given to EV trivia contest winners.

Both the future generation of EV drivers and old timers were treated to test drives on clean electric bathtubs. Anyone interested in an EV convertible should try one of these. A comprehensive collection of photos from the event can be found at http://bit.ly/evsummit2013photos" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; so check them out!

Event notes courtesy of: linkim, madhaus, psps and lemketron

 

[sfbayleafs]

Please join us for our regular monthly member meeting on Saturday morning, March 15. The gathering will be held at the Craneway Pavilion at 1414 Harbour Way South in Richmond, CA. Charging will be available onsite, and we will do our best to help coordinate carpooling opportunities and other logistics.

Event details and signup form

 

[sfbayleafs]

Please come and join us at the Nissan Research Center – Silicon Valley between April 25 and 27, and help us shape a more sustainable future. We will start with a reception on Friday evening, and spend all of Saturday and most of Sunday developing ideas. The event will conclude with judging and an award ceremony on Sunday afternoon.

We would like to bring together a group of individuals, who share a common passion for zero emission mobility. There are going to be both technical and non-technical tasks and challenges to be solved. Let’s work together to help address some of the most pressing problems EV drivers face today, and bring about a greener planet. We need your skills and talent!

The zero emission hackathon is going to be a premier industry-changing event with unprecedented access. We specifically welcome, and would like to facilitate cross-functional teams. EV drivers, UI designers, developers, business people, and even employees from sponsoring companies. Will it be you who will submit the winning idea, implement the best app or deliver the most effective presentation?

And please don’t forget to have fun while doing something for the common good! Our venue, Nissan Research Center – Silicon Valley, is a fantastic new facility with a very inviting collaborative space. We will cater yummy food, give away great schwag, and award compelling prizes across different categories. We will do what we can to make the event worth both your time and the price of admission.

Our sponsors are deeply committed, and have spared no effort or expense. They will be on hand throughout the event to help fuel your inspiration, and help realize your ideas. Sign up now to take advantage of special early-bird pricing. Come to surprise or be surprised!

 

[jsongster]

Hey folks... Looking for clarification here... Would I be wasting a space if I am not a coder?

Love to go and have a load of thoughts and ideas... (some worth exactly what you pay for them... ;-) )

I am very interested to help out... former UI worker, former software tester for Claris/Apple, current IT manager and driver of a nifty little LEAF.

Would it make sense for someone with my background?

Cheers

Jeff

 

[sfbayleafs]

Hey folks... Looking for clarification here... Would I be wasting a space if I am not a coder?

Love to go and have a load of thoughts and ideas... (some worth exactly what you pay for them... ;-) )

I am very interested to help out... former UI worker, former software tester for Claris/Apple, current IT manager and driver of a nifty little LEAF.

Would it make sense for someone with my background?

Jeff, absolutely. The only prerequisite is enthusiasm for zero emission mobility and a collaborative mindset. As it happens, we are a bit underrepresented on the UI side, and if you wouldn't mind signing up as a UI Designer, that would be much appreciated.

The stated goal of the event is to help accelerate the adoption of zero emission mobility, and not to turn a profit. The schwag alone will be worth a multiple of the admission price. Tickets are being sold at a price to ensure that the hackathon attracts the right audience, and that there is a modicum of a commitment.

If you believe that you have something to contribute, the organizer is more than willing to consider issuing a complimentary ticket to you. Although the ultimate outcome of a hackathon is never 100% assured, substantial prizes will be awarded to compensate participants for their time and effort.

Tickets are offered at a great discount to BayLEAFs and MNL members, since we would love to have you at the event. Hotel accommodation is available in short walking distance from the venue at the Sheraton Sunnyvale. A group rate of $89 is available until April 18. We will work with you, should you require airport pickup or drop-off.

 

[jsongster]

Ok... so one more... gotta commit to all 3 days to make this work best. Right?

Getting to the valley by 6 from MTZ will be a challenge... and gotta check family commits on that weekend...

Thanks for the quick response... and hopefully will be in attendance once all the t's are crossed etc

 

[sfbayleafs]

Ok... so one more... gotta commit to all 3 days to make this work best. Right?

Getting to the valley by 6 from MTZ will be a challenge... and gotta check family commits on that weekend...

Thanks for the quick response... and hopefully will be in attendance once all the t's are crossed etc

The main part of the event is Saturday. You can certainly miss the evening reception on Friday, and pick up your schwag bag the next day. Team formation can happen and will be facilitated online, which makes Friday evening optional. Per the event rules, you should be present for the final presentation and judging on Sunday afternoon. If it's impossible for you to commit to this schedule, please send an email to [email protected], and we might be able to work out something with you.