Florida

[StrangerTides]

Well, I guess the good news is that even though I chose the most popular color (blue), I probably won't have to worry about not standing out from the crowd down here.

Plus by the time I get a Leaf in my garage, I will have already read about everyone else's several months of driving and charging experiences. :roll:

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Well, I guess the good news is that even though I chose the most popular color (blue), I probably won't have to worry about not standing out from the crowd down here.

Plus by the time I get a Leaf in my garage, I will have already read about everyone else's several months of driving and charging experiences. :roll:

Nice to hear from someone else in FL.

 

[StrangerTides]

Yep, I guess there are at least a couple of us. Where in FL are you located?

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Yep, I guess there are at least a couple of us. Where in FL are you located?

I'm in Delray. There's a Maroone Nissan dealer over on Federal Hwy I figured I'd use. Never bought from them but I do have an old Altima I got used for which they've done service work. (First time owning a Nissan, hard to not be impressed with a car still going strong after 200k miles) The people in the service dept have been really helpful, I'm sure the sales dept just is what they all are.

It's been a couple months since I've spoken to anyone over there about the Leaf. Some there had heard about it and there were some misconceptions but that may have changed some by now. You can't blame them for being primarily concerned with making their quota for the month rather than daydreaming about future technology. It's a job for them.

Still seems like FL would be a good target for the Leaf. No hills and heat is rarely needed. I went with the white for the sake of A/C load, although it isn't clear how much difference that makes.

 

[StrangerTides]

I agree - seems like we ought to be up there with CA as a target market.

Yeah, Maroone's the closest; I've never bought from them either. My only previous Nissan was an '81 200SX that I got used from a Broward dealer.

So what's your guess on where we are in the rollout timeline - next spring? I have a 2000 Toyota 4Runner with 125K miles - would rather not spend any more money on it, so I'm hoping nothing serious and expensive breaks before I can get the Leaf.

 

[AndyH]

First Coulomb/ChargePoint America opens in Orlando on June 17th. There are plans for 300-500 total installations in Orange County by the end of 2011.

http://www.wesh.com/news/23908102/detail.html

ORLANDO, Fla. -- The first electric car charging station will be unveiled Thursday [June 17th] at 2 p.m. in front of Orlando City Hall.

The opening of the charging station, which can be used to charge a plug-in electric vehicle, comes four months after Orlando Mayor Buddy Dyer and Orange County Mayor Rich Crotty got behind the wheel of the Nissan Leaf, a five-door hatchback electric vehicle.

In a partnership with Coulomb Technologies, an electric vehicle infrastructure company based out of California, OUC has installed two solar-powered ChargePoint stations at its new headquarters on Anderson Street in downtown Orlando.

http://chargepointamerica.com/blog/chargepoint-america/chargepoint-america-launches-in-orlando/

 

[StrangerTides]

Cool, thanks for the info! Unfortunately, it's about 180 miles from my house to Orange County - even if there's a charging infrastructure in place by the time I get a Leaf, we'd still probably end up driving our "other" vehicle when we go to Disney World .

But it's good to know that Orlando wants to be EV-friendly - maybe a good sign for expansion into South FL in the not to distant future.

 

[LTLFTcomposite]

Cool, thanks for the info! Unfortunately, it's about 180 miles from my house to Orange County - even if there's a charging infrastructure in place by the time I get a Leaf, we'd still probably end up driving our "other" vehicle when we go to Disney World .

But it's good to know that Orlando wants to be EV-friendly - maybe a good sign for expansion into South FL in the not to distant future.

I've been wondering if there could be an opportunity there to have a charging station halfway along that S Fla - Orlando corridor. Stop for a meal and juice up the car. Another idea would be an auto-train type thing. Drive your EV to the station, put it on the train, then relax in the lounge car for the long part of the trip.

 

[FloridaRobot]

I agree that Florida seems a logical choice for an early deployment of the Leaf and hopefully that will become a reality. And it's good to finally see some other Leaf enthusiasts from Florida !

I'm on the West Coast in the Tampa Bay area (Clearwater) and am glad to hear that Orange county will have many charging stations. It would be nice if Disney and Universal had a parking area with charging stations. Great for visitors but even better for promoting this technology. The publicity would be very good for the consumers and Disney/Universal.

 

[LEAFer]

It would be nice if Disney and Universal had a parking area with charging stations. Great for visitors but even better for promoting this technology. The publicity would be very good for the consumers and Disney/Universal.

And "tell them" to put those stations under solar panels for shading makes them look even "cooler" and will keep your LEAF cooler and more efficient while charging

 

[Jimmydreams]

It would be nice if Disney and Universal had a parking area with charging stations. Great for visitors but even better for promoting this technology. The publicity would be very good for the consumers and Disney/Universal.

And "tell them" to put those stations under solar panels for shading makes them look even "cooler" and will keep your LEAF cooler and more efficient while charging

There is a dog kennel here in San Diego that uses solar panels to shade the dog runs. If I didn't already have solar on my roof, I'd seriously consider using panels for shading my porch. I've seen some pictures of well-designed projects that look FANTASTIC while still being completely functional.

 

[hodad66]

New reservation here with map of locations (from the Google map)

 

[StrangerTides]

FYI, I've asked two local dealers if they will commit to selling at or below MSRP.

From Royal Palm Nissan (http://www.palmnissan.com/) I got the following statement:

We will sell you the Leaf at MSRP. You still have to pay the tax, title, and fees.

From Maroone in Delray (http://www.maroonenissanofdelray.com/), the dealer responded to my email but completely ignored that question. A second email reiterating the question got no response at all.

Haven't checked with any others yet.

 

[LEAFguy]

The "below MSRP" offers currently "out there" are from Southern California dealers. The thought of the initial rush of hundreds of orders in a very short time has prompted some dealers to offer the LEAF below MSRP. My thinking is that in areas of the country that do not have hundreds of reservationists in the system, ready to place orders, it will be unlikely to see the LEAF significantly below MSRP. I may be wrong, but I just don't see it happening. That said, if anyone is trying to sell it over MSRP, just say "no thanks" and call your next closest dealer. And remember, once the initial reservationists are satisfied, then dealers will start receiving the cars into inventory. At that point in time, you may have a better chance of getting a deal.

 

[StrangerTides]

...
My thinking is that in areas of the country that do not have hundreds of reservationists in the system, ready to place orders, it will be unlikely to see the LEAF significantly below MSRP. I may be wrong, but I just don't see it happening. That said, if anyone is trying to sell it over MSRP, just say "no thanks" and call your next closest dealer. And remember, once the initial reservationists are satisfied, then dealers will start receiving the cars into inventory. At that point in time, you may have a better chance of getting a deal.

You may be right, but I figure it can't hurt to ask! And I am an initial reservationist - not sure it makes sense to give up one's place for a better chance of getting a deal - who knows when that will be?

 

[electricD]

That's about all I expect from Maroone, I've never found them to be very responsive via the internet. But then again why should they be, Leaf sales are still aways away and dealers live month to month. I wouldn't expect to much in the way of deals or below MSRP quotes until you have a charger in your house and money in your pocket. Why should they tip there hand so early in the process

There are 7 dealers within 30 miles of my place and I would go further then that to save a few hundred (but less then a 100 miles for obvious reasons). I'll be contacting them all, even though the 3 are Maroone. Different sales managers may have different ideas about the car and may be closer or not to there sales target for the month.

All in all this should be an interesting sale for both the consumer and the dealer. Think they will throw in 3 free oil changes to sweeten the deal? Try to put tape pinstripes on all of them for $500? Or will more savvy dealers try to sell as many as they can to boost there monthly number to reach a goal or bonus level? Should also be interesting to see if Nissan offers any secret dealer incentives.

 

[electricD]

Not sure if this is new news or not but I though I post a little excerpt from an IM chat I had with Nissan about when my home assessment will be done. See following:

Erica:
Thank you for that information, Daryl. I do see your reservation in our system, and that you made your reservation on April 20, 2010. You will be contacted by e-mail when it is time to schedule your home assessment in your area.

Daryl:
any idea on that schedule?

Erica:
It will be sometime prior to December because the order process will launch in December for your area, and you will need to have at least scheduled your home assessment before you will be able to place your order.

I also like to mention that Erica was very helpful and also mention that I most like would see my home assessment scheduled before the end of October. Yeah! Can't wait to head out to the beach with my leaf.

 

[garygid]

The nome assessment is not necessary.
If you do not want it, ask CS to enable a "waiver" for your account.

 

[electricD]

Thanks Gary for the suggestion. Although since the ordering processes for Florida doesn't seem to be starting till December I'm not in a big rush. If getting a wavier got me any closer to getting a Leaf in my driveway then sure, waiver it is. Like lots of people in south Florida we have a 220v outlet in the garage because of the dryer, so I don't foresee any big issues.

 

[garygid]

When your order-day does finally arrive, as it is now, you will NOT get enabled to RFQ unless you:
1. are in EVProject, OR
2. have an AV assessment scheduled (or more), OR
3. have had your "waiver" enabled by Nissan CS.