Leafs Over Texas!

[dallasleaf]

Welcome new Leaf-ites.
The NTEAA is having another meeting this saturday to christen the new Blink charge stations at the Green Spot in East Dallas
Saturday July 9, 2011

Green Spot Market and Fuels
702 N. Buckner Blvd., Dallas, TX 75218
Meeting time is 10 am to Noon

It is their weekend for the art and farmers market so it will be a great excuse to come out and see some EVs and pick up some farm fresh eggs! You might want to come early. Market goes from 8 am until 1 pm.
Look forward to seeing some new faces.

 

[philaphonic]

Houstonites,

Just read on the Houston Chronicle web site today that the new Whole Foods opening up on Waugh Dr. and W. Dallas will have two charging stations. I think their grand opening is very soon, perhaps June 22. If so, I'll be there sometime on the following Saturday to check it out. Hope no ICE cars are parked in those spots.

Well, my first visit to the Waugh Dr. WFM was actually today, 9 July (did a drive-by a couple days ago and saw my first Volt in the wild, charging up). ChargePoint card worked as advertised, and apparently the 240 V electrons are free. Actually, I had forgotten to activate my card on the ChargePoint web site and it still worked! Got an extra 3 miles for my 15 minute visit.

Reserved spaces for 2 "electric cars only" are right up near the store's exit doors. Very convenient.

 

[aqn]

We might cross paths. Mine is red!

I saw a red LEAF in front of 3301/3303 Northland the other day when I stopped by the Starbucks near there. Is that yours?

 

[tzzhc4]

Add Anna to the list

 

[dallasleaf]

OK guys NTEAA is hosting another Electric car show at Bankston Nissan, this Saturday, August 6 from 10-2.
They invited us back to have all of their dealerships take part in this event. There should be plenty of Leafs there, maybe a couple of Chevy Volts and of course EV conversion cars to see.
Evgo and Blink reps will be there to answer any questions about charge stations and availability.
Anyone is welcome to attend to learn more about electric cars. Lunch will be provided. They should have some air conditioning available too!
The location is Bankston Nissan, 4707 Lyndon B Johnson Freeway Dallas, TX 75244
You can check our website for more info <www.nteaa.org>
Stay cool :ugeek:

 

[AndyH]

http://www.aacog.com/civicalerts.aspx?AID=61
http://www.cpsenergy.com/About_CPS_...n_Vehicles/Public_Charging_Stations/index.asp

CPS Energy is seeking local businesses, non-profit organizations and governmental entities that are interested in hosting electric vehicle (EV) charging stations (EVSEs) in CPS Energy’s EV network as part of a federally-funded research project. The stations are available at no cost to station hosts who would like to participate in the research project, who are willing to pay installation costs, and who meet CPS Energy’s selection criteria.

For the duration of the federal research project, ending December 31, 2013, the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) will own the stations and CPS Energy will manage the stations, including maintenance and operating costs. CPS Energy also may offer special programs to EV drivers, including a pilot subscription for unlimited access to all the stations in the CPS Energy EV network.

During the two-year research term, the U.S. Department of Energy and Idaho National Laboratories will study EVSE use including time, charging rate, charging duration, location and electricity demand

Much more info at the links for those that might be interested.

 

[philaphonic]

Can anyone recommend an electrician in Houston to install a 240V line and an SPX EVSE unit? I have the SPX already, sitting in a box. I just got an estimate that's more than the Aerovironment one, and the AV estimate included the EVSE! This would be in the greater Heights area.

 

[caffeinekid]

asdf

 

[OrientExpress]

Houstonites,

Just read on the Houston Chronicle web site today that the new Whole Foods opening up on Waugh Dr. and W. Dallas will have two charging stations. I think their grand opening is very soon, perhaps June 22. If so, I'll be there sometime on the following Saturday to check it out. Hope no ICE cars are parked in those spots.

Can you post the link to this announcement? Thanks

 

[philaphonic]

Houstonites,

Just read on the Houston Chronicle web site today that the new Whole Foods opening up on Waugh Dr. and W. Dallas will have two charging stations. I think their grand opening is very soon, perhaps June 22. If so, I'll be there sometime on the following Saturday to check it out. Hope no ICE cars are parked in those spots.

Can you post the link to this announcement? Thanks

Here you go:
http://www.chron.com/default/article/New-Montrose-Whole-Foods-makes-green-a-priority-2081266.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
and here's a follow-up:
http://www.chron.com/default/article/The-whole-shebang-2081185.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Phil

 

[philaphonic]

I had my SPX Power Express EVSE installed Friday. New 240 V, 40 A circuit, 35 feet conduit run straigt along the lower edge of my old bungalow's wood siding, from the breaker box to the hard-wired SPX unit. I chose OnTime Electric, their bid (no charge for the bid) was reasonable and they have done EVSE installs already. Altogether, about $800 less than AV bid for just a 30 foot long line.

Unfortunately, the Leaf and the SPX may not be communicating perfectly, as it has failed to charge overnight. I'm contacting SPX's tech support to figure that out. But my experience with the electrician side of things was great.

 

[philaphonic]

"Houston Public Car Charging Stations Launch This Week"
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2011/09/07/houston-public-car-charging-stations-launch-this-week/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Houston became the first major U.S. city to announce an electric vehicle charging network in November with the launch of NRG Energy subsidiary eVgo.

Now it’s finally getting the chargers to match the announcement.

A number of electric car owners signed up with the company for in-home charging stations in the past year, but this week will see the opening of the first of the network’s public charging stations.

The so-called “Freedom Station” will be located at the H-E-B Buffalo Market at the intersection of Buffalo Speedway and Bissonnet Street.

The station, which workers were installing today, is located on the former site of Buffalo Grille (actually right about where the coffee serving area was — I could almost smell the pepper bacon as I stood there).

Each station allows for two cars to charge simultaneously. They will have a 480-volt DC fast charger able to charge an EV at a rate of 160 miles of range per hour (or about 30 miles in as little as 10 minutes) and a 240-volt Level 2 charger that can add up to 25 miles of range in an hour.

Three additional Freedom Station sites will open within the next two weeks at the Shops at Houston Center in downtown Houston (NRG’s local headquarters are near there, not-so-coincidentally), the Walgreens at 19710 Holzwarth Street and the Walgreens at 8942 West Sam Houston Parkway North.

There will be 25 Freedom Stations around Houston by the end of 2011 and 25 more in 2012 with additional stations located on the grounds of retailers such as H-E-B, Best Buy, and other retailers."

 

[gkalexdc]

I went to the grand opening of the Freedom Station at H E B on Buffalo Speedway in Houston this morning, and as I understand it, from the eVgo people there, this Freedom Station is the second DC fast charger in the NATION !!!! Way to go Houston !!!!!!

 

[Navin]

How much does it cost to charge on the fast charger?

 

[philaphonic]

And if you feel like reading more about this, but from the Blinksters, here's anudda link (got this in an email but found it on the web):
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/ecotality-announces-the-expansion-of-the-ev-project-into-houston-2011-09-08" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

"Houston Public Car Charging Stations Launch This Week"
http://fuelfix.com/blog/2011/09/07/houston-public-car-charging-stations-launch-this-week/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[dallasleaf]

We are getting together with the NTEAA in Irving this Saturday, Sept 10th for the Main Street Event in the old downtown area. There is a car show called Manifolds on Main St. where we will be showing our Leafs and other EV conversions.
Everyone is welcome to the event. There will be music and food as well as the car show.
The link for event is here <http://www.cityofirving.org/news/current/911-mse.asp>
Starts at 10am and runs until 7pm. Our official meeting will be from 10-12, but we will be there for part of the afternoon.
Come on out and bring the family and the Leaf. The McDonald's with the Blink station is just a few blocks from the event, so you could pick up a charge. I will have my Blink card if you dont have one.
Next month we are meeting in Irving at Herring Mitsubishi to see the new "i" MIEV electric.
Check the web site for more information
<www.nteaa.org>
Also when you are at the Irving web site, check out their "ICTN on Demand" video page, go to the "Shows" page and watch the Think Green, Be Green #8. It is about green driving and features me with my VW and includes an interview with my wife and daughter about our Leaf. We are about 10 minutes into the show. Lots of information from the NTCOG in the lead-in segment and a feature on the Irving west library where they have 40 plugs to charge your car. Hey Pepcecil, that should be on your list!

 

[pjoseph]

First post. Lurked for a couple of weeks.

Been searching on the roads around here in Austin for the past 3 months or so. Have seen exactly 0 LEAFs. Really, this in progressive, uber-cool Austin? :mrgreen:

Found two cars at the dealership, including the demo which i drove.

Sent pm to one member i found here (Andy). The dealer (South Point Nissan) claims to have delivered 20 LEAFs so far. Are they all hiding in the Hill Country? :lol:

 

[aqn]

First post. Lurked for a couple of weeks.

Been searching on the roads around here in Austin for the past 3 months or so. Have seen exactly 0 LEAFs. Really, this in progressive, uber-cool Austin? :mrgreen:

They're out there. My dealer (Town North) sez back in April that he was delivering 25 LEAFs "over the next few months".

I've seen four LEAFs in Austin, including one that I saw on the road within an hour of picking up my brand-new LEAF (on April 30)!

 

[pjoseph]

Wanted to confirm the current draw of the L2 charger.
3.3 kW @ 240 V works out to 13.75 A (useful power). That could equate to a maximum power draw of 16 A.

Background: We have a 60 A sub-panel in the garage that powers the minions in the house. The electrician chimed in that with a 40 A breaker (for most EVSEs) the current draw would trip the breaker almost every time. i did the math (above) for him. Made multiple calls to both Nissan and AV customer service. They have simply been script readers thus far.

Thanks,
Peter

 

[mckemie]

First post. Lurked for a couple of weeks.

Sent pm to one member i found here (Andy). The dealer (South Point Nissan) claims to have delivered 20 LEAFs so far. Are they all hiding in the Hill Country? :lol:

There are TWO in Dale, 30 miles south. Both came through South Point. Two families, ordered independently, without any colaboration.

I haven't seen any on the road other than my neighbor's. We regularly get up to Parmer Lane, Far West Blvd, St Edwards University.