Some editing of your comments:
abasile said:
I believe that public L2 charging is highly desirable, for the following reasons:
1. DC Fast Charging is often what we really want, but realistically it's quite expensive to install and won't be nearly as common as L2 for a number of years.
If one can make use of L2 at a destination/store/whatever, even if for only an hour or two, that can in some cases make the difference as to whether a trip is feasible or not.
2. "Topping up" by way of "opportunity charging" gives one the flexibility to make additional, unplanned sidetrips as the need arises.
3. Less "range anxiety."
4. 70-100 miles of range may be plenty for many, but >>>> destination L2 charging can bring many more places within range. I could see this being useful even with a 200 mile EV.
5. Less of a need to use the full charge range, i.e. charge to 100% or fully discharge, which Nissan clearly states will help prolong the life of your battery.
We've used public L2 charging (including at Nissan dealers) roughly an average of once per week. This has enabled us to make a number of trips that otherwise would have required the use of an ICE. As a result, the LEAF has become our primary car. It'll get even better when charging is more convenient.
+1 on all these points.
I see two basic situations where public charging pays off:
1. Destination charging. The place you want to reach and spend time at (at least an hour) has charging, and you can reach this destination even if it lies outside your comfortable round-trip range. Nissan dealerships are
NOT usually your destination. In my own 10 weeks of Leaf ownership, I have tried out public charging at many places, but only one, at Pasadena City College, was located at my destination at which I spent 1.5 hours attending a lecture.
2. In-route charging. Your primary destination does not have charging, or it is likely overloaded (LAX), so you look for one or more places to charge in-route. What I sense is often overlooked in this "opportunity" case is that you might plan your trip to include a meal, extended shopping, or even perhaps a movie if it were available within walking distance of your charging location, so the charging time is not wasted.
Those of us who are doing our best to utilize the Leaf as our primary vehicle need to lobby mall owners, rail and air transit officials, restaurant chains, and town officials to show them that there is a real growing community of potential EV charging customers. Properly located L2 charging can bring in EV customers who would otherwise go somewhere else or not go at all.
When I presented these kind of arguments to an official at Victoria Gardens (a large upscale outdoor mall in Rancho Cucamonga), he replied that they were thinking about EV charging, but only a very small % of his customers would benefit, and he did not know how to assess whether there was sufficient demand. It is true that one charging station (among several) could not be expected at best to supply more than perhaps 30-40 90-minute charges per week without a significant random risk of it being busy when you arrived. However, the cost of the electricity is minimal and the installation cost could be amortized over 5 years or more, so it would seem to me that the increased customer traffic would justify the expense for the right kind of locations.
