ICEless in Seattle : Official Pacific NorthWest thread

[DaveinOlyWA]

a bit off topic but since we seem to put all WA interests in a single thread...

A spate of DCFCs installed here in recent past has aligned perfectly with a HUGE workload. Now that I have a minute to take a breather, has anyone used a recently installed fast charger and if so can you post addy or at least enough of a description that I can get the info on Google?

i admit to having read about in on FB but during a few mins I had time during lulls at work and i have terrible retention of stuff...

 

[Assaf]

Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass
Did anyone ever make this trip on a single charge ?
It says 57.4 miles to QC up on the pass from my house, so with a 100% charge without elevation, this would be easy, even at freeway speeds this time of the year. But the elevation might just make this impossible without significant extra charging.
Unfortunately there wont be any time to charge anywhere in between and since this will be a family trip, so range anxiety will be exponentially magnified....

Heh, I've had similar thoughts. I'd say with a 2011/12 Leaf not worth getting stuck. What you *can* do is stop for coffee or something in Snoqualmie Town where there are several public L2 chargers. Get at least some 15% extra into you battery and you should make it, at least in this season. But yeah, there's a gaping hole between Seattle Metro and the pass. A QC point should be set up somewhere there.

OTOH, today we tried the Highway 2 QC options for the first time. I contemplated a hike to Greider Lakes in the Snohomish PUD Spada Lake area. That's 50 miles one way, with the last 10 miles on gravel. The Sultan QC charger is perfectly situated. We stopped for about 15 minutes on the way there, and then on the way back as we had a pizza dinner a few blocks from the QC point. With a 2013 Leaf you probably wouldn't need to stop twice (we have a 2012). Our first serious use of the QC after a whole year with the car, it was liberating. The hike itself is long but beautiful.

 

[GaslessInSeattle]

Just a heads up about the meeting place for the E-mazing Race, http://e-mazingrace.com/. Kent is hoping to get a good turn out of EV's at the kick off location. come on down if you can and show your support for this epic journey across North America celebrating the completion of the Sun Country Highway, a style of high level L2 charging infrastructure that involves No Cards, No Cost, No hassle. Kent Rathwell, the founder of Sun Country, will be announcing the progress being made in raising funds for the Sun Country network in WA state!

The official kick off location is in Seattle- at the Best Western Plus Executive Inn, 200 Taylor Ave N, Seattle WA 98109-5016 across from the space needle:
September 3, 2013 10:00am

Hope to see you there,
George

PS: Please spread the word and give what you can to the roll out in Washington state. These stations are compatible with virtually every kind of EV up to 20KW's! To sponsor a high powered charging station ($1,999) you can either do so directly through Sun Country Highway (http://suncountryhighway.com/chargers/sponsor-a-charger/) or send a check written out to Plug-In North Central WA, a tax deductible organization, with “Sun Country” in the memo section of the check to: Plug-In NCW, PO Box 1064, Wenatchee, WA 98807-1064. You may also sponsor part of a charging station or multiple charging stations. If a lower amperage, less expensive unit is required for install at a site, rest assured that all remaining funds will be put toward additional charging station equipment. If you let me know what you are pledging, I can include it in the totals that Kent is announcing at the race kick off... send me a PM!

 

[klapauzius]

Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass
Did anyone ever make this trip on a single charge ?
It says 57.4 miles to QC up on the pass from my house, so with a 100% charge without elevation, this would be easy, even at freeway speeds this time of the year. But the elevation might just make this impossible without significant extra charging.
Unfortunately there wont be any time to charge anywhere in between and since this will be a family trip, so range anxiety will be exponentially magnified....

Heh, I've had similar thoughts. I'd say with a 2011/12 Leaf not worth getting stuck. What you *can* do is stop for coffee or something in Snoqualmie Town where there are several public L2 chargers. Get at least some 15% extra into you battery and you should make it, at least in this season. But yeah, there's a gaping hole between Seattle Metro and the pass. A QC point should be set up somewhere there.

OTOH, today we tried the Highway 2 QC options for the first time. I contemplated a hike to Greider Lakes in the Snohomish PUD Spada Lake area. That's 50 miles one way, with the last 10 miles on gravel. The Sultan QC charger is perfectly situated. We stopped for about 15 minutes on the way there, and then on the way back as we had a pizza dinner a few blocks from the QC point. With a 2013 Leaf you probably wouldn't need to stop twice (we have a 2012). Our first serious use of the QC after a whole year with the car, it was liberating. The hike itself is long but beautiful.

Yes, highway 2 works like a charm...
as for the Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass: It probably needs ~ 4.5 kWH extra for the elevation and at 4 Miles/kWH it should take 57.4/4+4.5 kWH= 18.85 kWH. Event at 15 % loss (= 1st bar gone, and I still have ALL bars) this should work...The problem is really that there is no backup solution, if you get stuck 2 miles from the pass....range anxiety at its best.

Yes, Snoqualmie is where there should be a QC, then it would be no problem at all...

 

[livingaboard]

Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass
Did anyone ever make this trip on a single charge ?
It says 57.4 miles to QC up on the pass from my house, so with a 100% charge without elevation, this would be easy, even at freeway speeds this time of the year. But the elevation might just make this impossible without significant extra charging.
Unfortunately there wont be any time to charge anywhere in between and since this will be a family trip, so range anxiety will be exponentially magnified....

Heh, I've had similar thoughts. I'd say with a 2011/12 Leaf not worth getting stuck. What you *can* do is stop for coffee or something in Snoqualmie Town where there are several public L2 chargers. Get at least some 15% extra into you battery and you should make it, at least in this season. But yeah, there's a gaping hole between Seattle Metro and the pass. A QC point should be set up somewhere there.

OTOH, today we tried the Highway 2 QC options for the first time. I contemplated a hike to Greider Lakes in the Snohomish PUD Spada Lake area. That's 50 miles one way, with the last 10 miles on gravel. The Sultan QC charger is perfectly situated. We stopped for about 15 minutes on the way there, and then on the way back as we had a pizza dinner a few blocks from the QC point. With a 2013 Leaf you probably wouldn't need to stop twice (we have a 2012). Our first serious use of the QC after a whole year with the car, it was liberating. The hike itself is long but beautiful.

Yes, highway 2 works like a charm...
as for the Seattle to Snoqualmie Pass: It probably needs ~ 4.5 kWH extra for the elevation and at 4 Miles/kWH it should take 57.4/4+4.5 kWH= 18.85 kWH. Event at 15 % loss (= 1st bar gone, and I still have ALL bars) this should work...The problem is really that there is no backup solution, if you get stuck 2 miles from the pass....range anxiety at its best.

Yes, Snoqualmie is where there should be a QC, then it would be no problem at all...

I saw the qc station at the gas station there at Snoqualmie pass last week. It was just a single line and of course there was a regular car parked somewhat in front of it. It didn't appear to have any lines or painted anything in front of it to kind of distinguish the charging area from the rest of the lot.

 

[QueenBee]

I saw the qc station at the gas station there at Snoqualmie last week. It was just a single line and of course there was a regular car parked somewhat in front of it. It didn't appear to have any lines or painted anything in front of it to kind of distinguish the charging area from the rest of the lot.

Note you saw the DCQC at Snoqualmie Pass Chevron and not a DCQC in the City of Snoqualmie

 

[rdhauser]

I just noticed that the "Blink Map" and Plugshare now list a DCQC at Haselwood YMCA in Silverdale. Good news to us. From Olympia, this opens up a lot of the Olympic Peninsula. We do Ft. Flagler twice a year, and this DCQC will let us use the LEAF with much less fuss!

 

[livingaboard]

I saw the qc station at the gas station there at Snoqualmie last week. It was just a single line and of course there was a regular car parked somewhat in front of it. It didn't appear to have any lines or painted anything in front of it to kind of distinguish the charging area from the rest of the lot.

Note you saw the DCQC at Snoqualmie Pass Chevron and not a DCQC in the City of Snoqualmie

good point. I changed it. thanks.

 

[dfwcre8tive]

Hi

We just moved from Dallas to Seattle over the weekend and shipped the Leaf up (we weren't ready for a 2,000-mile EV road trip). Had an electrician come out to the house Monday to hook up electric and now we're set (we've moved into the Seattle/Mt Baker neighborhood and are loving it so far). A few questions:

-- Will I need to change out the map card for the new region, or is changing the car settings enough?
-- Are there any recommendations for a good dealership to service the car? We're due for some software updates and other service items. We also lost one of our keys during the move and I know that will be a pricey replacement.
-- In Dallas we subscribed to eVgo for fast charging (cancelled since they don't service this area). We also have a Blink membership. Are there any others I should subscribe to for charging service here?

We're excited to start exploring the region!

 

[Reddy]

Welcome to the PNW. Unfortunately, you moved at the wrong time of year, so get ready for consuming lots of electrons to heat your Leaf. You should check out facebook since they have more activity than this thread. Sorry I can't help with your questions, since I'm 200 mi SE of you, except to say that you should get the Aeroviroment and ChargePoint FOBs.

 

[QueenBee]

Hi

We just moved from Dallas to Seattle over the weekend and shipped the Leaf up (we weren't ready for a 2,000-mile EV road trip). Had an electrician come out to the house Monday to hook up electric and now we're set (we've moved into the Seattle/Mt Baker neighborhood and are loving it so far). A few questions:

-- Will I need to change out the map card for the new region, or is changing the car settings enough?
-- Are there any recommendations for a good dealership to service the car? We're due for some software updates and other service items. We also lost one of our keys during the move and I know that will be a pricey replacement.
-- In Dallas we subscribed to eVgo for fast charging (cancelled since they don't service this area). We also have a Blink membership. Are there any others I should subscribe to for charging service here?

Here's some more info on the charging networks we have around here: https://www.facebook.com/groups/seattlenissanleaf/doc/387746824590094/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Just change the region and your maps will be fine. There is just one set of maps for the US.

I highly recommend Eastside Nissan and their LEAF tech Aaron McAfee. He's great, drives a LEAF, and is active on the facebook forum. http://www.eastsidenissan.com/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[WetEV]

-- In Dallas we subscribed to eVgo for fast charging (cancelled since they don't service this area). We also have a Blink membership. Are there any others I should subscribe to for charging service here?

Semacharge (Maybe. Walgreens. Some are very handy, some are worthless. Depends on where you are)

https://www.semacharge.com/signup.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

AV (Maybe. Needed for some longer trips.)

https://evnet.avinc.com/evportal/SignIn.aspx" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Chargepoint (Probably, many L2 stations in Seattle area)

https://na.chargepoint.com/register" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Blink? Depends on Bankruptcy sale.

https://www.blinknetwork.com/membership/new-membership.html#page=1" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[dfwcre8tive]

^ Thanks for those suggestions. I'll join the group to stay updated with local news.

Getting our charging infrastructure set up was a bit of a challenge. We had an electrician run new lines to our carport (in a community of 6 cottages), which involved tapping into our main meter. You would think a "built green" home from 2008 would have charging infrastructure (or, available power) for EV charging. Thinking we need a cedar box or something to keep the upgraded EVSE brick/cord from getting wet. Our Leaf has always been inside a shared garage in the past.

 

[justanormalguy]

Bellevue to Ellensburg and back in a 2013 Nissan Leaf.
We drive the Leaf like a normal car in town every day. It works great.
Our goal was to make this trip as we normally do in our gas powered SUV, full load at the speed limit. That may not be everyones goal but it was mine, just to see what would happen.
Our trip included:
• 800 pounds of people and cargo
• 60-70 MPH on freeway except on the first leg.
• 38-50 degrees outside.
• Departed Bellevue at 100% battery.
• The car has 300 miles on it total since new.

(Here's the link if the chart above goes missing: http://bit.ly/1cPJN6h" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; )

Leaf:
Total time Eastbound: 3 hours 35 min
Total time Westbound: 3 hours 48 min

ICE : Total time each way: 1 hour 50 min
We regularly make this trip in less than 2 hours each way in our gas powered car. For the newbies, a gas powered car is called an ICE (for Internal Combustion Engine car.)

How fast COULD we have done it?
About 3 hours each way with a couple hours to recharge in Ellensburg.
Considering the substantial but necessary side trip to the charger at Suncadia, even at full speed, the Leaf adds AT LEAST 1 hour and 10 min to the trip each way.
• Eastbound, I don’t think you can do the whole stretch from Bellevue to the pass at the speed limit under any circumstances.
• Eastbound: 30 min Recharge at Pass
• Eastbound: 40 min drive into and out of Suncadia including 16-minute recharge
• Westbound: 45 min drive into and out of Suncadia including 20-minute (ish) recharge
• Westbound: 30 min Recharge at Pass. You might be able to recharge only at Suncadia or the Pass or only partially recharge at each one, but do so at your own peril.

If we did it again (which we won’t),
We would:
• Start at 100% battery again.
• Go 70 mph: I’d do the speed limit everywhere except eastbound to the pass. *See note below.
• Not carry 4 people. But this is really only true eastbound to the pass. Everywhere else it was fine.
• Recharge to 85% or 90% at the L3 Quick Chargers. I wouldn’t waste the substantial time recharging more.
• Recharge to 90% or 100% in Ellensburg if time permitted. No less than 80% though. This was our destination and we were there for several hours. There are several L2 chargers in town.


Other helpful notes:
• *The eastbound trip includes a steep, almost 3000-foot climb up Snoqualmie pass. You may not make it if you don’t drive slowly and smoothly.
• All segments of the journey include long steep hills, which will suck your battery dry quickly even if you are an efficient driver.
• Headed eastbound, Bellevue is the last place there is an L3 Quick Charger before Snoqualmie Pass.
• There are no L3 Quick Chargers in Ellensburg. I don’t think there is another heading east.
• Eastbound at the pass, the charger would not work. Phone tech support could not connect to the charger to get it to start or reboot. It just started working without ever responding to their reboot requests. Frightening with only 8% battery.
• The charger at Suncadia worked fine both times.
• At Suncadia, a woman drove up, blocked the other charger in her ICE, and walked away when I was charging. This was near midnight. If I’d been a few minutes later, the L3 charger would have been blocked.
• We wasted a lot of time being careful and slow EXCEPT on the stretch eastbound to the pass. Be as efficient as you can stand to be.
• On I-90, the last L3 Quick Charger before the one at the pass is in Bellevue at Eastside Nissan. This is 2 miles further from I-90 than our starting point.
• There is an L3 right next to I-90 in Bellevue at Bellevue College but I can’t confirm it is accessible to non-students.

 

[edmorin]

Yes, the BCC DCQC charger is accessible to all and available 24x7 -- as long as it isn't being used! (It can be popular at times.)

And, you're willing to pay $5... :roll:

 

[njb27]

Okay Seattle area LEAFers, I need a little encouragement. I'm tentatively scheduled to go pick up a leased LEAF tomorrow but am getting some last-minute jitters. Im asking myself, Do I really want to get into all this? Main concern is range anxiety of course. My wife and daughter will probably use the car more during the week than I will so my worst-case scenario envisions them with a dead battery on the side of the freeway and me wondering what the heck I was thinking.

So to you folks on the other side of this decision, anything you can say to ease my mind (or confirm my fears, as the case may be) would be appreciated.

Also, if you did lease, did you do 2 or 3 years? I'm leaning toward 2 but it's a bit more expensive...

Thanks!

 

[ColumbiaRiverGorge]

I own but if I did it again I would lease for 24 months. My battery really started to degrade around 24 months. In 2 years from now, there should be better options.

 

[Deleted member 8423]

njb27 - As long as you have a place at home you can charge, range anxiety should be non-existent for daily trips. If you will rely on public infrastructure, then you need to know that it's either expensive and always available, or cheap and frequently not available. All depends on the location/time of day.

 

[downeykp]

Too many headaches. I would wait a year or two. Gas is cheap.

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

Okay Seattle area LEAFers, I need a little encouragement. I'm tentatively scheduled to go pick up a leased LEAF tomorrow but am getting some last-minute jitters. Im asking myself, Do I really want to get into all this? Main concern is range anxiety of course. My wife and daughter will probably use the car more during the week than I will so my worst-case scenario envisions them with a dead battery on the side of the freeway and me wondering what the heck I was thinking.

So to you folks on the other side of this decision, anything you can say to ease my mind (or confirm my fears, as the case may be) would be appreciated.

Also, if you did lease, did you do 2 or 3 years? I'm leaning toward 2 but it's a bit more expensive...

Thanks!

Dont worry be happy!

but seriously, we know nothing about you or your needs to so hard to make recommendations. there are things you need to look out for and we can help you with that but ya gotta give us "something" to work with.

first thing I would do is sign up for every public charging system. most cost nothing SemaConnect Charges $20 but also gives u a $20 credit for charging so its like not really paying anything. Blink has membership fees (you want the premium or whatever they call the top tier) but I have never been charged. they bill me once a year and credit me back the charge the next day.

Even if you never plan to use public charging, sign up anyway. lets face it; you never plan to be stranded, so "plans" only have so much value.