Philadelphia and Southeastern PA

[GaslessInSeattle]

as tps says, it's on the outer range of the Leaf's ability in the cold, but that's not to say it can't be done consistently if you are willing to adjust your driving habits. you will want to learn how to use the bubbles, GOM and trip odometer to help you adjust the driving technique to get back home. to consistently get 80 miles, I find I need to moderate speeds between 55-70 (2-3 bubbles on the power meter) the range tools of the car are precise enough to rely on down to the mile in my experience once you are past about "half a tank". fortunately, even though the GOM fluctuates wildly in the beginning, it does become quite accurate toward the end under most conditions (with the exception of going up or down in elevation continuously, which unless you live at the top of a mountain, isn't likely to happen). whatever you do on a daily basis, you will begin to get familiar with in terms of the cars limits.

Winter time is where you need to unthink your ICE habits in particular. We are used to using climate control liberally while driving in a gas car. Electric cars like the leaf are designed to rely more on prewarming before you start to drive, building up heat in the core of the car. It is very luxurious to get into a prewarmed car. In extreme cold, prewarming can be done for up to two hours if plugged in and seems to warm the battery some too. While driving it's best to not use climate control, and if you can get an adequate prewarm it's unnecessary. You live in an area where it occasionally gets down into the teens and even sub zero. for those special occasions, additional charging may be necessary along the way. it also helps if the car is garaged.

Yes, Wayne is an L2. And the two I saw outside of Nordstrom in KoP are also L2.

I'd have to stay long enough to charge to 100% in order to get back

Can you charge 100% on an L3? I thought it would only take you to 80%.

I'm looking forward to seeing what the range is really like. I finally clocked the miles for the day that I travel from Wynnewood to Malvern to Northeast Philly and back home again -- It's right around 80 miles. Think I'll make it? I'm gonna have to find out!?!

 

[tps]

Maybe Nissan is going to take over that old Heinz ketchup theme song "Anticipation..."!

Yes, the Heinz used the original Carly Simon version, a great song and a great use in a commercial, IMHO win for both Carly and Heinz.

Let's be sure everyone keeps each other updated on when we get our LEAFs. I think we all deserve to have a meetup and celebrate the end of the wait when we all have our cars. It would be great to see a bunch of LEAFs sitting side by side in this neck of the woods.

Center city Philidelphia might be an interesting destination. There are 8 Coulumb Chargepoints in the convention center parking garage, which are capable of supporting a total of 8 L2 and 8 L1 simultaneously, and they are spaced out so they could do that. The garage is a little pricey, it was $17 when I parked there to check things out, but I can't remember what the time for the minimum fee was, maybe 4 hours. I'll keep watching as the time for such a gathering draws closer. Lots of interesting things to do in that area while our cars are charging: Reading Terminal Market, Hard Rock Cafe, Chinatown, and of course, the center city historical sites and museums.

 

[hellraiser79]

We just took delivery yesterday of a Cayenne Red Leaf from Team Nissan in Vineland, NJ! The Nissan website gave us a "week of Jan 20" back in December, and they delivered as promised. I'll call this regional discussion my home, since there are way more Phillies fans here in Northfield than any other team . If anyone wants to take a trip from Philly to south Jersey and needs a charge, visit my PlugShare page.

Ron H.

________________________________
Reserved: 10/5/10
Ordered: 10/27/11
Delivered: 1/17/12
EVSE: 11/8/2011 (GE Wattstation, self-install)

2012 Nissan Leaf SL
Cayenne Red

Hi Ron, Im in south Jersey and got my car the same time as you. I got mine from cherry hill nissan. I originally was going to order from team nissan. They were the only dealer listed for me actually, but they didnt know what the hell they were doing and wouldnt give me a quote. After a few days back and forth with them, i gave up and ordered with cherry hill. how were they with you??

 

[BobE]

Well, our Leaf is almost here. I got an email from Nissan this morning so I stopped by my dealer. They got the word it is on the truck and could be here any day. I just my GE station installed this week so I am ready to go electric.

 

[BobE]

We picked up on Cayenne Red yesterday. What an experience! I believe the staff was as excited as we were to be the first at Lancaster Nissan. The serviceman was teasing that when my first service comes due, I should ask for an oil change my Leaf and see what the receptions says. With the heated steering wheel and the heated seats I have not needed to use the automatic climate control. I am having trouble remembering that I don't need to use the fob to unlock the car. I hope you all get yours soon.

 

[tps]

We picked up on Cayenne Red yesterday.

Congratulations! Let me know how you like the LEAF! With the generally mild winter we've been having, we may not get to see how the LEAF does with cold weather, snow, etc. much if at all this year.

Still waiting for the VIN for mine, but my estimated delivery has remained steady at week of Feb 6 for almost 2 months and Nissan CS says they're still on track to deliver then. Hopefully, I'll see my LEAF next week, or maybe 2 weeks from now in the worst case. Nissan's out-of-order deliveries are a shame...

Edit: Just did the online chat with Nissan CS. They said I'm still on track for week of Feb 6 and should be receiving the VIN email very soon. I hope they're right. My Nissan dealer still has no new information.

 

[BobE]

Hang in there, and you will be surprised soon. I like the car very much. Everyone I show it to become very interested. I took a trip today of 50 miles over mountain and back. The gauge read 95 miles and when I got home is was 22 miles. I went from full bars to three bars at the end, but not low enough for a warning. Temperature was in the low forties, I drove in D, and did not use the climate system. I need to get a better feel how far I can go and able to get back. I getting the idea that the more you consider consuming energy use the further you can go. If you drive it as a regular car but beware your range will be limited.

 

[tps]

I took a trip today of 50 miles over mountain and back. The gauge read 95 miles and when I got home is was 22 miles. I went from full bars to three bars at the end, but not low enough for a warning. Temperature was in the low forties, I drove in D, and did not use the climate system. I need to get a better feel how far I can go and able to get back. I getting the idea that the more you consider consuming energy use the further you can go. If you drive it as a regular car but beware your range will be limited.

Last July when I rented the Hertz NYC LEAF and drove it to Philly, of course concern with range was at the top of the list since my previous LEAF rental in April was 50 miles total. I made it to my recharging stop at Hamilton NJ about 60 miles from NYC and still had 6 bars! I probably could have made ot to my house (20 more miles) without charging at Hamilton, but I picked up a couple hours of charge there anyway; better safe than sorry. I had the LEAF for 48 hours here in Philly and returned it with 275 additional miles on the odometer. I think the Hertz NYC LEAF was a very early one, VIN < 300, probably without the firmware updates, so it will be interesting to see how my 2012 LEAF compares. My understanding is that the LEAF now hides more reserve battery capacity below the first bar. I drove that 275 miles in July almost entirely in D. I found that I didn't like the ECO regen when I took my foot off the accelerator. I felt more comfortable getting most of the regen by pressing the brake. Maybe that's me, but my simple mind likes the simple concept of accelerator=GO and brake=STOP. With ECO I found myself thinking too much about the car and not enough about driving...

It will be interesting to see what the LEAF specialist at my dealer does the day I go to pick up mine. I think they are trained to go over the operation of the car carefully with each new customer. However, back in July when I had the Hertz LEAF here, I went over it with him and took a bunch of the salesmen at my dealer for their first LEAF ride. That was a really amazing experience, because back in July, hardly anyone in this area had ever seen a LEAF. The building at the dealer just emptied out and everyone was crowding around to get a look when I drove in with the rental LEAF last July.

The 325 miles I've driven in the Hertz LEAF are what has kept me so enthusiastic during the long wait; I've had a taste of what I'll be getting. Now the wait is almost over, hopefully just a few more days!

 

[tps]

Just got off the chat with Nissan LEAF support. They said my car is not in port yet and my estimated delivery date would likely be slipping. They don't know what ship it is on, so I have no way of knowing whether it's still on the dock at Oppama or somewhere in-between. She said she'd never heard of anyone who received their car within 2 months of order, 4 months is normal. Guess my original estimate of March at the earliest was not too far off the mark. Based on this, I would say the estimated delivery is useless.

 

[tps]

I have an awesome Nissan dealer, Peruzzi Nissan, who tracked my car down. The ship is in port and it is being unloaded. He said he thinks we're still on for week of Feb 6th! And, I have a VIN; makes it feel so much more real.

 

[BobE]

It will go fast for you now. I travel over 150 miles now. I am getting use to all the screens and I even figured out how to download my cell phone numbers. I took it out on the highway and got to 80 easily but my wife asked me to slow down. I took it to show my ICE mechanic. He drove it and investigated it under the hood. He is wants to get it up on a lift to take a good look. I know he was impressed. I got an email today that I am getting my $99 reservation fee back on my credit card after 16 months. I thought that was lost. The only complaint I have is that the miles to go number is too optimistic. It is better to see how many bars are left. Hope you get yours this week.

 

[tps]

I travel over 150 miles now. I am getting use to all the screens and I even figured out how to download my cell phone numbers. I took it out on the highway and got to 80 easily but my wife asked me to slow down. I took it to show my ICE mechanic. He drove it and investigated it under the hood. He is wants to get it up on a lift to take a good look. I know he was impressed. I got an email today that I am getting my $99 reservation fee back on my credit card after 16 months. I thought that was lost. The only complaint I have is that the miles to go number is too optimistic. It is better to see how many bars are left. Hope you get yours this week.

I totally agree about the mileage estimate. Last April when I took the Hertz LEAF out for the first time I drove a bit less than 25 miles from it's lower Manhattan parking space to Alpine NJ to see a sacred place in broadcast history, the Armstong tower. (E.H. Armstrong invented FM radio.) Anyway, it was about a 500 ft elevation gain, and I used up 2 miles of range for every mile I drove. At that time, very few knew much about how elevation change affected range, but I figured it out when, on the 25 mile return trip (downhill), I used only 3 miles of range. This gave me the feeling that I could definitely get 60 miles out of the LEAF, and this planted the seed in my head for my next rental in July when I drove the LEAF to my house on the north side of Philly, which a charging stop in Hamilton NJ. I don'e remember looking at the miles remaining on that trip; I paid attention to the bars and the trip odometer only.

Yeah, I'm guessing sometime next week I'll be driving my own LEAF! Nissan CS has been nice enough, but it would be nice if they could provide the kind of information I got from my dealer. I just can't say enough good things about Peruzzi...

 

[BobE]

I got my bill from my electrician. The GE Station cost $949 from Lowe's, I mounted it in my garage myself, and my electrician wired for $242. Total cost was under $1200. AV quoted me $2300. I am so glad I took care of things myself. The GE station works great and I believe it will handle higher current chargers of the future.

I love to drive my Leaf, but no ones seems to notice it.

My problem will be to stay under the lease mileage of 1000 miles a month.

 

[tps]

I love to drive my Leaf, but no ones seems to notice it.

That was certainly the case back in April and July when I had the Hertz LEAF. Only one time did I know that anyone noticed. As I was driving down Canal Street in Manhattan with the windows cracked open, I heard the guy in the delivery van next to me say "Wow nice car". But otherwise, the LEAF looks normal enough to be mistaken for a normal car. I think that will change, because Nissan seems to be making a sustained advetising campaign to educate the public.

I think it'll be just a few more days until I'll be driving a LEAF every day. I may have already made my last stop at the gas station. We'll see if this tankful makes it until I get my LEAF. I'm anxiously waiting for the call from my dealer to tell me they're unloading my LEAF from the truck!

 

[BobE]

I just drove my Pilot first time since getting my Leaf six days ago. What a difference! I thought the Pilot was smooth and quiet. That is not the case as you realize after driving a Leaf. I notice in the Leaf I don't need to keep the radio as loud to enjoy.

 

[tps]

I just drove my Pilot first time since getting my Leaf six days ago. What a difference! I thought the Pilot was smooth and quiet. That is not the case as you realize after driving a Leaf. I notice in the Leaf I don't need to keep the radio as loud to enjoy.

My impression after having the rental LEAF for 2 days, the Malibu felt very clumsy in comparison to the LEAF's smooth and quiet operation. My dashboard has remained steady at "week of Feb 6" since early December. Well next week is "week of Feb 6", so I'm expecting a call from the dealer telling me that my LEAF is here. I'll probably be going to the gas station one last time, I don't think I'll be missing it.

 

[yeswaydude]

Congratulations, BobE! I'm envious!

I got my VIN, but my date still says the week of March 2nd.

I'm also still battling with AeroVironment -- revised quote was for $2k with over $900 in custom installation fees -- for running a 3-ft cable from the new electrical panel in my garage (40-amp breaker is already installed and labeled) to the charger dock!?! When I spoke with George at AeroVironment customer service, he was equally confused and said he'd speak to their auditor. That was 3 days ago, and I still haven't heard back. Maybe there'll be a message on my voicemail at home...

 

[charlie1300]

Yeswaydude, did you get a qoute from another electrician? AV is taking advantage of being the Nissan recommended vendor to over charge customers. Don't be fooled. This is basic residential wiring, any compentent electrician can do it, and you can buy a EVSE at homedepot or lowes for the same price as the AV unit.

 

[tps]

Yes. In my case, the electrician was in-and-out in a bit more than an hour for a cost of $170. The Leviton 16A unit with it 20A/240 requirement saved me an expensive upgrade to the sub-panel in the detached garage that a 40A EVSE circuit would have required. Also, no permit/inspection was required by the borough.

 

[yeswaydude]

Yes, my original quote from AeroVironment was over $8,000!

At their recommendation, I called my electrician. For $1,547, he put in a new panel (he said my circuit usage was well below what would have required 200A service, so he left it at 100A), rewired my old original panel with the screw-in fuses so that they're now on circuit breakers on the main panel, and added a sub-panel in the garage with a dual-pole 40A breaker for the charging dock. I paid a local kid with a lawn mowing and snow removal business $300 to dig the trench from the house to the garage and fill it back in at the end.

I filled-out the Minimum Installation paperwork for AeroVironment and waited a week or so to receive the quote for $2,000!

I still have almost a month until my car arrives, so I'm going to give them -- and Nissan -- some more grief to see if they can't reduce the absolutely ridiculous $900 "Custom Installation" fee. I'd be happy enough if they'd just sell me the charger directly for the $721.12 plus $49.95 shipping and delivery. I like the fact that it's made in America (as far as I can tell), it's capable of 30A output, it's indoor/outdoor, and it has a 25' cable. The GE only has a 16' cable. The Schneider is indoor. The Leviton is only 16A. Does anyone know the price of the 30A Eaton?

I really don't want to sling any mud, but other unsuspecting people should be warned that it's not worth bothering with the "assessment" at all -- although I'm wondering if AeroVironment just partnered with the wrong contractor for our region. Surely not everyone across the country is dealing with these outrageous prices and not complaining loudly.