What I've found about the car so far

[prberg]

I can't figure out what the little "Timer off" button does (to the left of the steering wheel). I have tried pressing it both with the car on and with it off, and the button never lights up or changes anything on the console screen or dashboard. Am I correct that you press that when you want to override your timer settings and instead do an immediate charge? Maybe the button is only functional if the charger cord is plugged in.

Here is my experience... hope it helps you.

I think the best thing is not to plug in the car if you still have over 50% left in the battery (and don't see any long trips coming tomorrow). I have a short commute and when I got home I had like 60 miles left. So I didn't even plug it in. I think not charging every night (if you can get away with it) will make the battery last a little longer. But if you think you might need to drive far or would feel nervous about not having a full battery... then plug it in and let it go to 80%.

As for the cancel timer button in the car. I know for me, I had the car plugged in but I had passed the 'start time' on my timer so the car was not charging. As soon as I hit the button, it started charging right away. I think I read that if you press the button when you are not plugged in, you have like 15mins to plug in for the immediate charging to start (assuming you have one of the timers activated, if not then the button doesn't do anything and the car will start charging as soon as you plug in).

Hope that helps.

-Peter

 

[omkar]

I can't figure out what the little "Timer off" button does (to the left of the steering wheel). I have tried pressing it both with the car on and with it off, and the button never lights up or changes anything on the console screen or dashboard. Am I correct that you press that when you want to override your timer settings and instead do an immediate charge? Maybe the button is only functional if the charger cord is plugged in.

That is how I understand it to work too. Yes, you are correct that you press that when you want to override your timer settings and instead do an immediate charge. If you don't have any timers set, your car will charge immediately upon being plugged in so the Timer Off button will have no effect. And yes, if the car isn't plugged in, there won't be any effect from the Timer Off button either.

 

[johnr]

Did you wait 15 minutes? Maybe when you plug in with the time set, you have to wait 15 minutes before it starts charging?

 

[Coffee_Slurry]

It's interesting that the "Charge Now" (timer override) button has a 15min timeout.

If I visit a Costco, and their charger is in use, then I might park next to it and hope the previous driver moves the plug over. By then, 15 minutes will have expired, and the car won't charge.

 

[LEAFer]

It's interesting that the "Charge Now" (timer override) button has a 15min timeout.

If I visit a Costco, and their charger is in use, then I might park next to it and hope the previous driver moves the plug over. By then, 15 minutes will have expired, and the car won't charge.

Good point. You'd have to disable the timer function completely ... and that might be tough to remember while out shopping. Nissan should consider changing the function (1-2 hr timeout?) or adding a new one-button override. ( How many touches does it take on the screen ? Can that be accomplished from smart phone ? Do you get a notify when the other driver plugs you in (even if charging does NOT start) ? )

 

[wsbca]

It's interesting that the "Charge Now" (timer override) button has a 15min timeout.

If I visit a Costco, and their charger is in use, then I might park next to it and hope the previous driver moves the plug over. By then, 15 minutes will have expired, and the car won't charge.

So in that case you'd just want to make sure no timer is set for that day (that's assuming a timer on a future day won't inhibit an immediate charge, just a timer on that day).

Is such courtesy typical among existing EV drivers? For this to work you'd have to leave your charge door open - maybe that is/should be the protocol for requesting such a favor? This is an area of (mostly academic, not practical) interest to me - the (as yet undeveloped) sociology/protocol of public charging stations...I speculate that the EV project stations will actually require interaction from the user before they will charge (RFID swipe?) - so someone moving the the cable to your car isn't going to help - unless somehow the Blink unit can stack up requests and tie them properly to each car as that car comes online (in order? dictated by the Charger screen?). I think it's more likely that you'll have to be there to initiate charging on your own car, which begs the question - what do you do when the cable is already plugged into another car? Pull it out, but only if the Blink and/or the car indicate charging is complete? But how many people are going to explicitly set a limitation on their opportunity charge? If they are anything but chock full when they get there, they'll probably be content to just let it give them as much as time allows...yet it's not exactly fair for you to pull the plug and cut them off, maybe they just got there.

I guess it might just end up being first come first serve with the cable only being moved to a new vehicle once the first person comes back and pulls it out and leaves - surely you won't be allowed to lock the cable to your car. Perhaps the Blink will prevent a second car from charging if that person unplugged a currently charging car? And/or it will allow a switch if the first car has finished, or reached some threshold?

At first it's not going to be any big deal, because if and when they get the EV project chargers in place, there still won't be _that_ many cars out there. But if this all works, it's going to get...interesting? From both software and human factors points of view Maybe public charging will really only come into play when people either make a planning mistake or explicitly need to exceed their home-based charge for a particular trip...especially if those controlling the chargers try to monetize them to an exploitative level, which I'm sure will occur (and which will hopefully fail).

 

[WWBD]

Here's what I forsee: eventually when gas stations are replaced with "charging stations," there will rarely if ever be a wait. You will be able to plug in at any number of outlets (pumps) and start charging. But that's a long way off. Perhaps what will develop sooner is smaller businesses with multiple chargers who maybe have an attendant on duty. That attendant will take it upon himself to move the cables from car to car. And maybe it will be customary to tip the guy when you get back. Costco could easily give this new job duty to the guys who wheel the carts back in.

What I think will be of issue immediately to all of us is who will police "EV" spaces so that the gas guzzlers don't park in them. My local library has an old EV charger with an accompanying space, and no one EVER leaves that spot open (it's a small lot so it's usually completely full). That "charger attendant" could also police the spots. But until those guys start appearing, are we allowed to just stick bananas in the tailpipes of anybody who takes our EV spots?

 

[Jimmydreams]

Here's what I forsee: eventually when gas stations are replaced with "charging stations," there will rarely if ever be a wait. You will be able to plug in at any number of outlets (pumps) and start charging. But that's a long way off. Perhaps what will develop sooner is smaller businesses with multiple chargers who maybe have an attendant on duty. That attendant will take it upon himself to move the cables from car to car. And maybe it will be customary to tip the guy when you get back. Costco could easily give this new job duty to the guys who wheel the carts back in.

I see charging stations being much like ATM machines. Any vendor can put one in and charge a small fee for it's use. Some bigger stores will offer free charging (like validating parking receipts). Whether we'll have FASTPASS-like transponders on the car that automatically wifi the data and charges to your account or you swipe a CC and they charge you $.XX/kW and you pay for what you use....either way, I see stand alone gas stations slowly going away. VERY slowly, but let's revist this in 10-15 years and see what the climate is like. I DO see EV's as a ever-increasing popularity curve with improvements in range coming fast and furious as they catch on. :mrgreen:

 

[TomT]

I was told by the EV Project folks that you would be able reserve a public charger at a specific location and time online and that you would be assigned a PIN to use with it. If someone else tries to use the charger during your time slot before you get there, it will say that the charger is reserved and not let it be used without the matching PIN.

 

[LEAFer]

I was told by the EV Project folks that you would be able reserve a public charger at a specific location and time online and that you would be assigned a PIN to use with it. If someone else tries to use the charger during your time slot before you get there, it will say that the charger is reserved and not let it be used without the matching PIN.

Interesting, but ... for what time interval PRIOR to your reservation ? Why shouldn't someone else be able to use it, let's say, for 45 minutes prior to you (then shut off automatically), and/or until you show up with your pin ?

 

[wsbca]

I was told by the EV Project folks that you would be able reserve a public charger at a specific location and time online and that you would be assigned a PIN to use with it. If someone else tries to use the charger during your time slot before you get there, it will say that the charger is reserved and not let it be used without the matching PIN.

Interesting, but ... for what time interval PRIOR to your reservation ? Why shouldn't someone else be able to use it, let's say, for 45 minutes prior to you (then shut off automatically), and/or until you show up with your pin ?

I see what you're saying - I read mogur's post as "during your time slot [but] before you get there"...the restriction only applies to your time slot (which would be bounded by a start AND a stop time), just protects the slot if you are late....what you describe should work. But if you reserve and don't show up - you should still have to pay, yes? Zipcar works that way.

 

[mwalsh]

Here's something new I found about the car....when it's plugged into an EVSE it won't report it's status to the Owner's Portal when you request it do so. :?

 

[kmp647]

My guess is without a trickle you will be into warnings half way home
You will make it but be dipping into the bottom of the pack

So what's better 100 percent charge everyday

Or 80 percent and dip into the bottom of the charge with warning lights on each trip home?

My plan is 80 percent and trickle at work (my commute is very similar to yours 62rt)

Can you set it to 90 percent charge?

 

[TimeHorse]

Re: Library EV Parking

Wouldn't it be nice to just park behind the ICE offender and block him from exit, then pull the chord over his car and charge yours that way. Leave him a note explaining his faux pas and how to contact you when he needs to leave with the warning that it may take you some time to get there as your time is precious and he shouldn't have parked there in the first place!

Re: 62mi rt

What I want to know is will they ever be able to allow charge to an arbitrary percent, say 60%? For instance, say I charge overnight and I get to work with 40% left so I decide to pay a fee and charge while I'm at work; this fee is much more expensive than my off-peak rate. So obviously I want to minimize my kWh at work. So I predict that 60% will get me home and just charge the 4.8kWh to bump me up?

I know you can't do that today, but hopefully a software update will rectify that; sounds like the Focus EV may be able to though.

 

[garygid]

Time...,
Good way to get your LEAF "keyed", or worse.

 

[wsbca]

Here's something new I found about the car....when it's plugged into an EVSE it won't report it's status to the Owner's Portal when you request it do so. :?

That's not been my experience - I have queried the car through the portal (or, from the phone through the portal) numerous times while it was waiting to charge while plugged in, or charging.

 

[mwalsh]

That's not been my experience - I have queried the car through the portal (or, from the phone through the portal) numerous times while it was waiting to charge while plugged in, or charging.

Huh. Then there is a problem with my car. Not a massive problem, and I probably wouldn't even care after the novelty wears off. But (being an IT guy) I do hate software that doesn't work the way it should.

 

[TimeHorse]

Time...,
Good way to get your LEAF "keyed", or worse.

What, you forgot to take the license plate number of the guy breaking the rules? I see any damage to my auto and guess who's the suspect...

 

[wsbca]

What I want to know is will they ever be able to allow charge to an arbitrary percent, say 60%? For instance, say I charge overnight and I get to work with 40% left so I decide to pay a fee and charge while I'm at work; this fee is much more expensive than my off-peak rate. So obviously I want to minimize my kWh at work.

I think there's a good chance that at least at first any charges are going to be flat fees for the use of the space rather than per kWh (and will translate to outrageous kWh costs - so you might as well get whatever you can for the time slot you paid for, to reduce the cost per kWh. I hope I'm wrong.

 

[wsbca]

That's not been my experience - I have queried the car through the portal (or, from the phone through the portal) numerous times while it was waiting to charge while plugged in, or charging.

Huh. Then there is a problem with my car. Not a massive problem, and I probably wouldn't even care after the novelty wears off. But (being an IT guy) I do hate software that doesn't work the way it should.

Assuming this is when connected to your own EVSE..(in your garage?) ...is it possible that the cell signal is simply not strong enough to get in & out of that location?