Blink Vs. Leaf timer - power for HVAC Climate Control timer?

[Livemeyer]

Bought our Leaf in May and haven't really messed with the iPhone app's ability to remote-start the climate control system in the car. Now, it is starting to get cold out and the wife would really like to have the car's climate control do the heat-up thing before she leaves for work.

But I've run into a snafu: I have an Ecotality Blink charger that charges overnight, and is finished before she leaves in the morning. It switches the power off hours before she unplugs in the morning. And, apparently, if the charger isn't supplying juice, the remote climate control on the iPhone app won't activate.

So... just guessing here, but I'm thinking I now have to do away with the Blink timer and give charging control to the car? Will this maintain a "hot"connection so that the climate control can turn on?

For background's sake, here is more info: We own, not lease, we charge to 100%, the Blink is currently set to start charging at 12:30 am, and we have a single electricity rate (.08kwh) from the Snohomish County PUD, day or night, so charging time is not an issue.

My objective is to have the car fully charged every morning between 5:30 and 6am and to also have the climate control function running for as long as necessary before she hops in the car to leave for work.

Should I
a) cancel the Blink timer, set a Leaf timer, set a climate control timer
b) adjust the Blink timer, set a climate control timer
c) cancel the blink timer, set a Leaf timer and let her remote-start the climate control from the iPhone
or d) something entirely different?

 

[LEAFfan]

I just set my LEAF timer to 11AM (start) and 11AM (end). That way, it will charge anywhere and anytime I plug it in. The Blink doesn't have to be charging, just plugged in, when you use the pre-heating and cooling. Now this is something I learned from a LEAF expert: You only need 5-10 minutes of pre-cooling or pre-heating, just to make the cabin comfortable when you get in. It isn't meant to heat up or cool down the whole car. So what I do is pre-cool or pre-heat about 5-10 minutes before I leave and it works great! If you pre-cool or pre-heat any longer than that, you're just wasting energy. In the winter, I'm going to use a heated seat cushion ($14-$25) instead of using the LEAF's heater since it uses a LOT of energy/kWs.

 

[Livemeyer]

So I can delete the charge schedule in the Blink and set a timer in the Leaf and it will start automatically? If the two "talk" to each other, home come the leaf's climate control doesn't come on when requested? I guess I'll try removing the Blink charging timer and see how the car behaves that way.

 

[TomT]

Yes, both Ecotality and Nissan recommend using the Leaf's timer and not the Blink's.

So... just guessing here, but I'm thinking I now have to do away with the Blink timer and give charging control to the car? Will this maintain a "hot"connection so that the climate control can turn on?

 

[davewill]

So I can delete the charge schedule in the Blink and set a timer in the Leaf and it will start automatically? If the two "talk" to each other, home come the leaf's climate control doesn't come on when requested? I guess I'll try removing the Blink charging timer and see how the car behaves that way.

Because they don't talk to each other in the way you're thinking. The car can tell the Blink to turn the juice on or off, but the Blink can't really tell the car anything but the max current it can supply. If the Blink is on a timer, it simply ignores the car's "on" request until the timer is active. By removing the Blink timer, the car gets total control and can turn the EVSE on and off whenever needed.

 

[Leggedo]

With the winter season approaching us, in most areas of the country, I read many of the threads on our LEAF forum discussing the pro's and con's, mostly con's, of using the heater on the LEAF and the negative impact it has on the car's range.

Have any of you guys purchased one of the battery operated heat cushions, that are on the market, and if so, what were your findings? Did it work efficiently to provide some warmth in your LEAF without having to have the heater on? Would you recommend the purchase of one? If the answer is yes, where did you purchase yours and what was the brand and price you paid.

Thanks, Leggedo

 

[walterbays]

Yes, both Ecotality and Nissan recommend using the Leaf's timer and not the Blink's.

If you normally charge to 80% it's not so clear. If you override the Leaf's timer to start charging early, whether from the car, smartphone, or web, it charges instead to 100%. If you are instead using the Blink for timing, overriding it to start early still leaves you with the desired 80% charge.

 

[wishboneash]

I turned off the Blink timer and now am exclusively on the Leaf's timers for charging and heating. I have ordered a 12V heating blanket and plan to use it for my commute to keep warm if needed. One doesn't need the heat early on but after about 1/2 hr the car can get cold with recirculate mode and climate control turned off. One still needs to use the defroster from time to time, but a minute or so of usage will not kill range too much.

 

[shay]

Yes, both Ecotality and Nissan recommend using the Leaf's timer and not the Blink's.

If you normally charge to 80% it's not so clear. If you override the Leaf's timer to start charging early, whether from the car, smartphone, or web, it charges instead to 100%. If you are instead using the Blink for timing, overriding it to start early still leaves you with the desired 80% charge.

How would the Blink charger know to stop at 80%?

 

[walterbays]

A Leaf timer set to 80%, 24 hours a day, lets you control actual timing with Blink, or just by when you plug in. For 100% just turn off timer.

 

[MikeD]

Livemeyer: I suggest option b), as that is what I do.

I set my Blink charge window from 11:00p to 8:00a and set my Leaf HVAC timer to finish at 7:20a (so far it has always started the HVAC timer 25 min early at 6:55a). This way even if the Leaf (whose charging timer is set 24 hrs (12:00a to 12:00a) at 80%) is completely discharged there is enough time to totally recharge before the HVAC cycle starts. So far there have been no problems. I can easily use the Leaf's charging timer termination button to charge to 100% when needed (I don't think that adversely affects the HVAC timer).