Nissan To Install 500 More Quick Charge Stations

[DaveinOlyWA]

The Nissan Dealer DCQC units are not part of the AV network, and the AV RFID fobs will not work with the Nissan units. AV was contracted by Nissan to do the installations of the Dealer QC units, but that is all.

Most dealers will have a process that someone from either the sales or service desk will need to come out and unlock the unit for use, but some dealers are looking into just having the QC units unlocked and ready for use by customers.

At some point in the future, the Nissan units may be part of one of the monitoring networks that are out there, but initially.

unfortunately, that is what I expected. was hoping I was wrong based on "iteststuff?" comments

 

[timhebb]

There are two parts to this issue. One is whether users will eventually be allowed to join a network and have their own RFID cards to enable Nissan dealership charging (doubtful). The other is whether we can simply monitor operational status of dealer QC units remotely (both functions would probably be implemented through a network account in the AV system).

Even if the decision to allow RFID cards to be issued to us never sees the light of day, we should at least be permitted to check status on a QC unit 50 or 60 miles away that we will be depending on to return or to continue on a journey.

Side note: stopped at Glendale Nissan around 11pm last night. Doors open, lights blazing, buyers and salesmen huddled around tables negotiating. Asked for the fob to charge. Told "we close at 10," denied access.

Morons. These guys can't put 2 and 2 together, clearly (except in the finance office). Do you want to sell more cars? Then help increase the cars' functionality by providing access to the charging facility you installed. I felt treated as if charging was a courtesy, a gratuity, rather than the essential sales tool that Nissan corporate understands it is.

Car dealership guys need to be lined up immediately after all the lawyers in front of the firing squad. The ocean of ignorance they continually exhibit is simply breathtaking.

Tesla is so smart and so lucky not to have to trust their product to these clowns.

EDIT:

Stopped back at same dealership this morning. Took about 15 minutes to have employee's non-charging Leaf moved from QC parking space and get front desk employee to find and use fob to activate QC. This is no doubt going to be an ongoing ordeal, worth the trouble only in emergency situations. Count on adding 15 mins. to any QC event for "overhead" or administrative time.

This is no way to run...well, anything. Makes the Post Office seem like a streamlined model of efficiency by comparison. Feel like visiting the "Gun Discussion" thread to borrow a firearm to blow my effing brains out...

 

[DaveinOlyWA]

There are two parts to this issue. One is whether users will eventually be allowed to join a network and have their own RFID cards to enable Nissan dealership charging (doubtful). The other is whether we can simply monitor operational status of dealer QC units remotely (both functions would probably be implemented through a network account in the AV system).

Even if the decision to allow RFID cards to be issued to us never sees the light of day, we should at least be permitted to check status on a QC unit 50 or 60 miles away that we will be depending on to return or to continue on a journey.

Side note: stopped at Glendale Nissan around 11pm last night. Doors open, lights blazing, buyers and salesmen huddled around tables negotiating. Asked for the fob to charge. Told "we close at 10," denied access.

Morons. These guys can't put 2 and 2 together, clearly (except in the finance office). Do you want to sell more cars? Then help increase the cars' functionality by providing access to the charging facility you installed. I felt treated as if charging was a courtesy, a gratuity, rather than the essential sales tool that Nissan corporate understands it is.

Car dealership guys need to be lined up immediately after all the lawyers in front of the firing squad. The ocean of ignorance they continually exhibit is simply breathtaking.

Tesla is so smart and so lucky not to have to trust their product to these clowns.

EDIT:

Stopped back at same dealership this morning. Took about 15 minutes to have employee's non-charging Leaf moved from QC parking space and get front desk employee to find and use fob to activate QC. This is no doubt going to be an ongoing ordeal, worth the trouble only in emergency situations. Count on adding 15 mins. to any QC event for "overhead" or administrative time.

This is no way to run...well, anything. Makes the Post Office seem like a streamlined model of efficiency by comparison. Feel like visiting the "Gun Discussion" thread to borrow a firearm to blow my effing brains out...

starting to see signs that not all dealers are created equally.

as far as after hours business, closing a deal several hours after closing time happens about 80% of the time. 3 times, I was out after 11 pm (we closed at 8) because someone walked onto the lot 10 minutes before closing. it is just the way it works. problem is, in many cases its a logistical nightmare in some cases to open anything back up.

if we have pulled keys, then we would have to sort thru every key on the lot to find the right one to open a car up. there is no sorting system. they are just put on this giant ring as salesmen walk the lot to retrieve them

as far as the charger? could be stored at the service dept and locked up and the man with the key sitting home watching tv so really hard to say what was going on when you were there. to close a deal you only need your finance guy, a lot attendant, the salesman and sales manager. everyone else would be long gone

 

[tbleakne]

I QuickCharged at Gendale Nissan on Friday, on the first leg of my trip to Santa Barbara, and again on Sunday on my way home. This saved me 3 hours of L2 charging time. I still needed a total of 1.3 hour of L2 time at 3 other dealerships, but the time savings at Glendale made the trip feasible for me. I spent the most in-route charging time at the beach at Ventura, which was not wasted time because I had good meals there both directions. L2 at my motel filled me up in Santa Barbara.

I was very grateful to get QC at Glendale Nissan despite the hassles. It is a small but very busy dealership. On Sunday every table in the lobby had a family and sales person closing a deal. It was very strange to see much larger Nissan dealerships in more upscale areas at Mission Hills, Simi Valley, and Thousand Oaks whose sales people and managers barely knew what a QC was, and had never heard of Nissan's offer to pay for installation. None of these people showed any interest in helping to get their dealership to participate in Nissan's QC program.

Mission Hills in particular would be an ideal location, adjacent to a large freeway intersection with plenty of room, but I fear this is the best it is going to get in this area, with no further dealership participation. However, the planned public Blink QC in Thousand Oaks, along with Glendale, will enable LA - Santa Barbara travel. No QC is needed in Santa Barbara as long as you stay in one of the 3 motels that have L2 charging.

 

[Valdemar]

Someone said earlier in this thread that Mission Hills will be getting a DCQC.

 

[fooljoe]

Stopped by the new QC at Power Nissan in Hawthorne today, but could not use it. They've got the QC right next to their two L2s right in the front, but they've never installed any sort of EV charging signage or made any effort whatsoever to keep the spots available for charging. Adding the QC is apparently not changing that at all - I found a Versa parked right in front of it today.

Even if it were possible to park in front of it, I don't think I could've used it, as the guy that I talked to mentioned it wouldn't be operational for a couple more days, and didn't know anything about the fob to activate it.

At least I grabbed a bit of L2 around the back while I grabbed a few sample from Costco.

 

[91040]

Nissan of Mission Hills is not installing a Quick Charger. However, there was a CEC grant given for one at the Ralph's just south of them a couple of blocks. Don't know anything more though.

 

[timhebb]

The prospects for better, more reliable access to QC (and L2) charging at participating Nissan dealerships is probably dim in the short term.

However, as traffic and demand for QC increases at the dealerships, I'd guess we will see better policies and practices put in place, such as trying to keep the associated parking spots open and making sure access fobs are readily available. More to the point, as the mix of LEAFS in the sales figures gets richer, and management begins to connect the dots that higher LEAF sales and the deployment of QC units are related, we should begin to see something like real respect for the EVSE on Nissan lots.

Imagine the apes in the Dawn of Man sequence of 2001: A Space Odyssey tentatively touching and fondling the mysterious black slab. Read: apes = car dealers/salesmen; black slab = QC unit.

Sorry, it's just too early in the morning for me to restrain my contempt for all things auto dealer-ish. Too many miles on that sad, barren trail...

 

[jrreno]

This link describes why these dealers have NO interest in what Nissan might want:

http://www.npr.org/blogs/money/2013/02/19/172402376/why-buying-a-car-never-changes" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

 

[cdub]

No QC is needed in Santa Barbara as long as you stay in one of the 3 motels that have L2 charging.

Where is there L2 charging there?

 

[91040]

Check with PlugShare and Recargo.

St. Barbara-
Parking Lot 6
Parking Lot 7
Canary Hotel 14-50 plug (valet)
By the beach near the pier
Couple of blocks east of the train station
Pepper Tree Inn
Botanical Garden
Goleta

Where is there L2 charging there?

 

[tbleakne]

Check with PlugShare and Recargo.

St. Barbara-
Parking Lot 6
Parking Lot 7
Canary Hotel 14-50 plug (valet)
By the beach near the pier
Couple of blocks east of the train station
Pepper Tree Inn
Botanical Garden
Goleta

Where is there L2 charging there?

This past weekend I charged at 3 locations on this list.
+ Ramada Inn,
+ 70A at Rabobank in Goleta. For me, Canary Hotel, Pepper Tree Inn, and Ramada Inn are most significant for Santa Barbara as a destination, because you can fill up overnight while you sleep just like you do at home. Even a Tesla can fill up on L2 overnight.

On another thread I am occasionally adding to the list of towns in CA that have at least one motel or hotel with L2.

 

[tbleakne]

The prospects for better, more reliable access to QC (and L2) charging at participating Nissan dealerships is probably dim in the short term.

However, as traffic and demand for QC increases at the dealerships, I'd guess we will see better policies and practices put in place, such as trying to keep the associated parking spots open and making sure access fobs are readily available. More to the point, as the mix of LEAFS in the sales figures gets richer, and management begins to connect the dots that higher LEAF sales and the deployment of QC units are related, we should begin to see something like real respect for the EVSE on Nissan lots.
..

I agree with your assessment of current status, but for me the hassle is tolerable and the availability anxiety zero because my experience has been that the dealerships will move the cars to make space for you if that is the only way you can get your charge. Almost anywhere else, all spots ICEd means going to another location. I figure that stopping at dealerships and asking for charge, even if I don't strictly need it, helps accelerate the change in attitude you allude to.

 

[apvbguy]

I think that before the EV car market can grow to levels that could be considered more than just a niche market the charging infrastructure must have an exponential growth spurt.
while there seems to be decent coverage in parts of some western states, here in the east coverage is spotty at best. In my area there is 1 public charging station that is not part of a nissan dealership for hundred+ sq miles.

 

[lpickup]

I think that before the EV car market can grow to levels that could be considered more than just a niche market the charging infrastructure must have an exponential growth spurt.

I think it just needs to keep pace with the EV market growth. And I suspect that will happen, although I believe it will lag slightly behind EV market growth until commercial establishments start to get the message that WITHOUT charging stations, a significant portion of their potential clientele is going to their competitors that DO. At that point I think we will see charging infrastructure proliferate. But certainly not before.

 

[apvbguy]

I think that before the EV car market can grow to levels that could be considered more than just a niche market the charging infrastructure must have an exponential growth spurt.

I think it just needs to keep pace with the EV market growth. And I suspect that will happen, although I believe it will lag slightly behind EV market growth until commercial establishments start to get the message that WITHOUT charging stations, a significant portion of their potential clientele is going to their competitors that DO. At that point I think we will see charging infrastructure proliferate. But certainly not before.

my wife, who is as typical as they get nailed it, when she noted that the LEAF cannot be used like an ICE vehicle can be used because it's source of power cannot be replenished in as many places as a gasser can be filled up to add range. when the day comes that an EV can be charged up in a convenient way it won't grab the attention of people like her, who are the vast majority of people

 

[eclecticflower]

I think that before the EV car market can grow to levels that could be considered more than just a niche market the charging infrastructure must have an exponential growth spurt.

I think it just needs to keep pace with the EV market growth. And I suspect that will happen, although I believe it will lag slightly behind EV market growth until commercial establishments start to get the message that WITHOUT charging stations, a significant portion of their potential clientele is going to their competitors that DO. At that point I think we will see charging infrastructure proliferate. But certainly not before.

my wife, who is as typical as they get nailed it, when she noted that the LEAF cannot be used like an ICE vehicle can be used because it's source of power cannot be replenished in as many places as a gasser can be filled up to add range. when the day comes that an EV can be charged up in a convenient way it won't grab the attention of people like her, who are the vast majority of people

Oh, but it CAN be used like an ICE vehicle and already is. The available power sources for ICE vehicles doesn't mean they're at the gas station every day; they just have that convenience, since ICE vehicles are well-established. The LEAF is a different animal altogether - we recharge every day and sometimes more. IMO, people should adjust their paradigms, plan to recharge their BEV within a shorter time frame (at their homes/businesses or other available opportunities), in the interim of wide-spread availability of public EVSEs. Public stations can be used, if desired, if/when available and if/when required (more are in the works for further range). I actually thought this might be a problem when I first bought my LEAF (where can I charge???), but it simply hasn't been (my paradigm shifted). It's a rare ICE vehicle driver that fails to plan for a fill-up, completely empties their tank and strands themselves routinely, so the "typical" thinking on managing BEV fueling needs to broaden.

 

[apvbguy]

Oh, but it CAN be used like an ICE vehicle and already is. The available power sources for ICE vehicles doesn't mean they're at the gas station every day; they just have that convenience, since ICE vehicles are well-established. The LEAF is a different animal altogether - we recharge every day and sometimes more. IMO, people should adjust their paradigms, plan to recharge their BEV within a shorter time frame (at their homes/businesses or other available opportunities), in the interim of wide-spread availability of public EVSEs. Public stations can be used, if desired, if/when available and if/when required (more are in the works for further range). I actually thought this might be a problem when I first bought my LEAF (where can I charge???), but it simply hasn't been (my paradigm shifted). It's a rare ICE vehicle driver that fails to plan for a fill-up, completely empties their tank and strands themselves routinely, so the "typical" thinking on managing BEV fueling needs to broaden.

the world you are using your EV in and ours may not share the qualities, like traffic patterns, climate and the ability to recharge.
in the short time I have had my vehicle I have not even come close to running out of "juice" however that is because I have altered the way I use the vehicle. In a perfect world, IE: a EV with about 2x the current range of the LEAF, I could get in my car in the morning, go about completing a few hours worth of errands without any worries or range anxiety. what I have found myself do is limiting my trips to singular "missions" and not deviating from a pre planned itinerary. I think that the fundamental issue is that where you say people need to adjust the way they do things, I am advocating making the EV experience more like the ICE experience, because in our world here in FLA the ability to charge on the fly is almost non existent.

At this point I love the EV experience, I just need a car that is more suited to my habits and routines, at this point in time the Tesla would be that car but I am reluctant to make the investment required to have one.

 

[eclecticflower]

Oh, but it CAN be used like an ICE vehicle and already is. The available power sources for ICE vehicles doesn't mean they're at the gas station every day; they just have that convenience, since ICE vehicles are well-established. The LEAF is a different animal altogether - we recharge every day and sometimes more. IMO, people should adjust their paradigms, plan to recharge their BEV within a shorter time frame (at their homes/businesses or other available opportunities), in the interim of wide-spread availability of public EVSEs. Public stations can be used, if desired, if/when available and if/when required (more are in the works for further range). I actually thought this might be a problem when I first bought my LEAF (where can I charge???), but it simply hasn't been (my paradigm shifted). It's a rare ICE vehicle driver that fails to plan for a fill-up, completely empties their tank and strands themselves routinely, so the "typical" thinking on managing BEV fueling needs to broaden.

the world you are using your EV in and ours may not share the qualities, like traffic patterns, climate and the ability to recharge.
in the short time I have had my vehicle I have not even come close to running out of "juice" however that is because I have altered the way I use the vehicle. In a perfect world, IE: a EV with about 2x the current range of the LEAF, I could get in my car in the morning, go about completing a few hours worth of errands without any worries or range anxiety. what I have found myself do is limiting my trips to singular "missions" and not deviating from a pre planned itinerary. I think that the fundamental issue is that where you say people need to adjust the way they do things, I am advocating making the EV experience more like the ICE experience, because in our world here in FLA the ability to charge on the fly is almost non existent.

It appears you did, indeed, change your paradigm and make adjustments; and our worlds do share quite a few similarities (no fuel-on-the-fly here either, QC non-existent, similar traffic, but with climate extremes - snow/heat). It's not merely my saying people need to adjust the way they do things with this vehicle; my point is, it's a different kind of vehicle. The EV driving experience is very much like the ICE experience and even better in many ways, but operational needs are different. Gas stations didn't used to be widely available (fueling was more planned), but in time, the availability of charging stations will increase, somewhat equalizing the BEV fueling experience to an ICE, for which I believe we're all very much advocating.

 

[lpickup]

At this point I love the EV experience, I just need a car that is more suited to my habits and routines, at this point in time the Tesla would be that car but I am reluctant to make the investment required to have one.

I'm going to make the argument that it's a GOOD thing that you had to change your habits. With the added convenience of being able to "fill up" any time and anywhere, and with the ability to travel large distances, that we have became a very wasteful society, energy-wise. The fact that there are limits to the LEAF's range and charging forces us to be more efficient:

- we try to combine trips
- we plan our days to encourage carpooling and avoid unnecessary trips
- we drive better so we are not tailgating right up to the next light and have to start/stop all the time
- and hopefully it encourages not to live 60-70 miles from our job/stores/etc.

If EVs do become more "convenient" (and there is no doubt they will), I'm just afraid we'll pick up all these bad habits we've learned in the last few decades.