Official EV Project / Ecotality / free charger thread

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evnow

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 22, 2010
Messages
11,480
Location
Seattle, WA
Aug 12 :

Tom finished the Survey sometime back. I didn't learn much new.
- Tom will do the estimation and send it to ecotality
- Someone else will do the install
- I wanted a 110V receptable nearby, which he said I should talk to the electrician doing the install and pay separately
- Last time he was in my area, he surveyed a 10,000 sq ft garage with 9 cars :shock:

Aug 10 :

Got a call from "Tom" to schedule the assessment appointment ! It will be on 12th, day after tomorrow. He had some 20 others to do the assessment - in the first batch.

July 30 :

Email from Ecotality explaining what you can do to get into EV Project - in case you were not approved.

From: CRM [mailto:[email protected]]
Subject: Status of your Leaf Charger

Dear John,

Your responses on the questionnaire suggest that the installation at your residence of the EV charger may be more costly than allowed by EV Project guidelines. However, we would still like to include you in the EV Project.

We can arrange with you to have a local electrical contractor provide a free home assessment to determine the actual installation cost. This assessment may show that you do in fact qualify for a free home charging unit and free installation. If, however, the installation does fall outside of the EV Project cost guidelines, you will be offered a credit of up to $1200 toward the installation cost along with the free home charging unit.

If you choose not to accept this option, your registration with Nissan for the LEAF remains valid and you will be contacted by Nissan on your next steps.

We thank you for your willingness to participate in the EV Project and for deciding to be part of the gasoline-free future.

If you are interested in arranging a free home assessment, please send an email to [email protected] to request an appointment. Your prompt reply within the next 72 hours is greatly appreciated.

__ Please call me to schedule the survey home assessment
__ The preferred number is:
__ I do not want my home surveyed, please notify Nissan and keep my registration for the LEAF valid.

In case you have already been approved, you still need to get assessed.



July 22 :

Got an email from Nissan saying "you're approved".

July 21 :

I've been approved. Check your account status ... :D

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/dashboard/index

leafapproval.png


June-29 : Nothing much ...

etecmail.png
 
See my post in the thread: "June-30 Mail Anticipation Thread". We must have sent these at the same time.
 
To those who sign up on ECOtality / EV Project website or that "Free Charger Study Group", has anyone received any notification yet?

I assume the EV Project and the "Free Charger Study Group" referenced in some of this forums is really talking about the same free charger incentive right?

So, who has been selected for a free charger so far?
 
I am in Los Angeles (the city of). I signed up to be considered for the project. I registered for my Leaf on April 20. I have yet to hear about scheduling the home assessment. I got the same email lots of people did this week saying Nissan was still processing the surveys and we would hear at some point. I am assuming that because I have not been told to schedule a home assessment that I am still being considered for the EV project. As yet, I have not heard anything. I am also eager to hear who gets selected so I am glad there is a separate thread now for this.
 
So I just managed to keep up with the activity on the GM Volt side....

Is the EV Project with Nissan Leaf offering free chargers by a specific statement of how many will get it or it is *still* currently unknown? It was never clear in any of my readings how it will work for the Leaf, sounds more like a lottery based on city/state...

The EV Project with GM Volt states clearly how they are going to do it. And if you had reserved early and confirmed your registration, you have a res number so you will know what number you are in the queue.

See below.

http://news.cnet.com/8301-11128_3-20008016-54.html?tag=mncol;title

General Motors will offer the first 4,400 buyers of its Chevrolet Volt the option of having a 240-volt charging station installed in their home when the car is released this fall, the company said Thursday.

The Volt is General Motors' upcoming plug-in electric car that promises a range of 40 miles on electricity alone before one is forced to switch to gas for fuel. GM refers to it as an extended-range electric vehicle, or EREV, instead of a hybrid because the gas engine generator is not directly tied to the car's transmission.

The 240-volt charging stations will be free to Volt buyers; the cost will be covered by a grant from the Department of Energy under the Transportation Electrification Initiative funds inside the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

In addition, Ecotality or Coulomb Technologies will install the station themselves. With the backing of a federal program and installation from the supplier directly, it may be less of a headache to get local inspectors to understand and sign off on the installation of a 240-volt charging station in a residential garage.

However, the charging station doesn't come without a price. There is a privacy trade-off.

As part of the deal, the Department of Energy will be granted access to monitor the charging stations' use. This is part of a 15,000-car study to determine the habits of electric car owners and how electric cars and high-voltage home-charging stations adopted on a large scale might affect the electrical grid. The data will be used for electrical infrastructure planning, according to General Motors.

Should one fail to buy one of the first 4,400 Volts--or choose not to buy a Volt at all--there are two other options to get a grant-covered, fast-charging station. Ecotality and Coulomb both have charging-station installation programs backed by Department of Energy grants.

< cut>
 
General Motors will offer the first 4,400 buyers of its Chevrolet Volt the option of having a 240-volt charging station installed in their home when the car is released this fall, the company said Thursday.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . snip
The 240-volt charging stations will be free to Volt buyers; the cost will be covered by a grant from the Department of Energy under the Transportation Electrification Initiative funds inside the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act.

In addition, Ecotality or Coulomb Technologies will install the station themselves. With the backing of a federal program
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . snip
However, the charging station doesn't come without a price. There is a privacy trade-off. As part of the deal, the Department of Energy will be granted access to monitor the charging stations' use. This is part of a 15,000-car study to determine the habits of electric car owners and how electric cars and high-voltage home-charging stations adopted on a large scale might affect the electrical grid. The data will be used for electrical infrastructure planning, according to General Motors

DOE to study EV's grid impact vis a vis the Volt? A free charger for an OVER priced car, that's NOT even electric? Now THAT is SO Fed government. The charger may never even get used! Even if they do use it, it's only a 40 mile charge. Hub boy - now THAT's a realistic research plan. I don't see that research plan being rationally related to achieving any real world stats.
 
I don't think most Volt buyers would benefit from a 240V EVSE - the battery pack is smaller so it charges fast enough on 120V, which is more convenient anyway.
 
johnr said:
I don't think most Volt buyers would benefit from a 240V EVSE - the battery pack is smaller so it charges fast enough on 120V, which is more convenient anyway.

True - but if you travel the same distance in Leaf or Volt - and that is < 40 miles - both will take the same time to recharge.
 
evnow said:
johnr said:
I don't think most Volt buyers would benefit from a 240V EVSE - the battery pack is smaller so it charges fast enough on 120V, which is more convenient anyway.

True - but if you travel the same distance in Leaf or Volt - and that is < 40 miles - both will take the same time to recharge.

Not really. I suspect that the Leaf will draw less kWh to go 40 miles than the Volt. But that is just a hunch.
 
palmermd said:
evnow said:
johnr said:
I don't think most Volt buyers would benefit from a 240V EVSE - the battery pack is smaller so it charges fast enough on 120V, which is more convenient anyway.
True - but if you travel the same distance in Leaf or Volt - and that is < 40 miles - both will take the same time to recharge.
Not really. I suspect that the Leaf will draw less kWh to go 40 miles than the Volt. But that is just a hunch.
GM seems quite adamant that they only use 8kWh of their battery, and that it does go 40 miles on that amount. 40 * 2.5 = 100. 8 * 2.5 = 20. Is your hunch telling you that the Leaf goes 100 miles on less than 20kWh?
 
planet4ever said:
GM seems quite adamant that they only use 8kWh of their battery, and that it does go 40 miles on that amount. 40 * 2.5 = 100. 8 * 2.5 = 20. Is your hunch telling you that the Leaf goes 100 miles on less than 20kWh?
Nissan has already said the car will go up to 135 miles on the 20kWh if you drive at a steady speed. So far gm has not released any figures for the volt. Like I said it's just a hunch. Quite different from a fact.
 
palmermd said:
Nissan has already said the car will go up to 135 miles on the 20kWh if you drive at a steady speed. So far gm has not released any figures for the volt. Like I said it's just a hunch. Quite different from a fact.

There will be some differences - but nothing major. They will consume similar amounts per mile driven.
 
palmermd said:
Not really. I suspect that the Leaf will draw less kWh to go 40 miles than the Volt. But that is just a hunch.
Why? - I expect both to be just about identical...
 
evnow said:
johnr said:
I don't think most Volt buyers would benefit from a 240V EVSE - the battery pack is smaller so it charges fast enough on 120V, which is more convenient anyway.

True - but if you travel the same distance in Leaf or Volt - and that is < 40 miles - both will take the same time to recharge.

Not necessarily - the Volt's weight must be significantly higher ... sporting both a battery pack, as well as the ICE and tranny and toxic explosive fuel. It's drag is greater too, making for a poorer use if total Kwh energy.
 
hill said:
Not necessarily - the Volt's weight must be significantly higher ... sporting both a battery pack, as well as the ICE and tranny and toxic explosive fuel. It's drag is greater too, making for a poorer use if total Kwh energy.

Volt's CD is supposed to be lower at .27 vs .29 for Leaf. Don't know about total drag.

Anyway, this is splitting hair - as for as getting stats about home charging is concerned.
 
I've seen some recent activity on some of the other topics on the Board and wondered once again if I missed an email or two.

Well, I revisited my account on the nissanusa.com website where I submitted my original reservation (4-20-2010) and Charger Survey.
I saw a note below the "reservation complete" page which stated that I was approved for the US Government EV Project free charging dock and installation which is to take place approximately one month before delivery of the vehicle. They indicated that ECOtality would be contacting me in the future.

Is this a generic reply based on the survey I completed? Did anyone else get the same message? I'm a bit confused as to the delivery.

I swear I didn't see the comment when I completed the reservation and charger survey.

Cheers
 
I've been approved. Check your account status ... :D

http://www.nissanusa.com/leaf-electric-car/dashboard/index

leafapproval.png
 
Lucky, mine says "you may still meet the criteria for the free home charger - see details"

Details are:
additional information is still needed to determine if you meet the criteria for a free home charging dock and installation as part of the U.S. government's EV Project. ECOtality will contact you in the next few weeks to review your survey responses and schedule an in-home assessment, if needed. thank you for deciding to be part of the gasoline-free future
 
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