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KarlK

New member
Joined
Aug 31, 2010
Messages
2
I was finally able to see the Nissan LEAF myself, and took some amazing pictures. I was surprised to see that someone the size of me (6'2" at 350 lbs) was able to fit as comfortably as I did. I learned a lot of information about the Nissan LEAF while I was there, and I would like to thank the Nissan cooperate representatives and ECOtality for their support. If anyone is interested in seeing some actual pictures or have any questions, please feel free to let me know, and I will be more than happy to get those to you.

Karl Kirker
EV Sales Specialist
Mossy Nissan of El Cajon
(619) 588-0500
[email protected]
 
KarlK said:
If anyone is interested in seeing some actual pictures or have any questions, please feel free to let me know, and I will be more than happy to get those to you.

Why don't you upload into a website like Flickr and post the link ?
 
Karlk, Could you share with us the information you discovered at the event. Not only from Nissan but also from SDG&E etc.
 
I took about 50 photos today at Street Smart of the Leaf and Blnk Charger...They had a silver SV Leaf on display today. It had no DC Fast Charge port, and no installed accessories (even floor mats)...It had pretty low mileage...

Here is the Photobucket link for my album:
http://s811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/RandyEV/Leaf%20Sept%202010/

Here is a photo showing the audio system with a USB stick:
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/RandyEV/Leaf%20Sept%202010/01.jpg

One of my goals today was to audition the Leaf's audio system. I threw some mp3 files onto a USB stick before I left, and arrived a bit early. Tom from Nissan was great (thanks Tom) and powered up the Leaf and let me do my audio thing! I'm giving what I saw 2 thumbs up, as it was better than I expected. I plugged in the stick and within a couple of seconds the USB screen popped up (I think; we were messing with the radio at the time). The screen you'll see is what I took a photo of, and it showed all 6 folders, and had titles for all of them. My mp3 files had the "Tags" populated, and all the information showed up correctly.

The car seems to have 6 speakers, 2 in the rear doors, 2 in the front doors and 2 tweeters up above the driver and passenger (L and R, respectively). We couldn't turn it up too loud, but it sounded better than I was expecting it to.

Check out the photos...I tried to take some shots that I haven't seen others post before...

It was great to see the car and meet the Nissan guys. I'll post more thoughts as the thread goes on...Just wanted to get the photos posted.
 
On photo 18 the screen shows 4.2 miles/kWh. This is what I would expect to see because 4.2 miles times 24 usable kWhs equals 100.8 miles of range. There was a lot of discussion of test drive videos where 14 to 17 miles/kWh were displayed on this same screen. See http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1189

Nice photos Randy!
 
Frank said:
On photo 18 the screen shows 4.2 miles/kWh. This is what I would expect to see because 4.2 miles times 24 usable kWhs equals 100.8 miles of range. There was a lot of discussion of test drive videos where 14 to 17 miles/kWh were displayed on this same screen. See http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?f=15&t=1189

Nice photos Randy!

Thanks for the photos, Randy. :) I had hoped to be there, but was called out of town @ the last minute
 
Thanks for photos Randy. Great job! Tom the Nissan guy seems to be very capable. I wanted to be there today but could not make it. I wanted to thank him for being supportive of Leon Kmaish`s helpful communications on this site.
 
Thanks for the photos Randy. I spent a few hours down there as I'm sure many other members of this forum did. I spent some time with a representative from SDG&E. He gave me some information about the EV Project. He said our rate would be from one of three tariffs and which tariff we get will be determined randomly. So you can't choose the one you like ahead of time. We'll all have two meters. The second meter would be installed after the EVSE was installed.

I talked to ECOtality. You will be able to purchase the EVSE installed as part of the EV Project at the end of the two years. He said all you will charged for is the taxes? So maybe like $150.

I sat in the LEAF. Saying it can seat five is kinda stretch, maybe four adults and a kid. There's a small hump on the floor in the back with a flap that can be lifted to get access to wiring. The dash around the NAV was shinny black. I thought it was the Eco Package but the rep said it was standard so I still don't know what the Eco package interior trim looks like.

If I think of anything else, I'll update this post.
 
Randy said:
The car seems to have 6 speakers, 2 in the rear doors, 2 in the front doors and 2 tweeters up above the driver and passenger (L and R, respectively). We couldn't turn it up too loud, but it sounded better than I was expecting it to.

Thanks for the report!! At this point, my biggest concern is the audio system, both in how it handles memory sticks, my iPhone, etc., and how it sounds! I have a powered subwoofer in my BMW and also in my Ford Escape Hybrid....I'm a little spoiled in the sound department and I'm a little afraid that the sound system was an afterthought.
 
Thank You! So nice to see it in "the wild". I would guess that this is the same Brilliant silver that was on our FX45. We loved that color! Thanks again.
 
Hi Indyflick...
I'll probably think of more things as well. Just wanted to point out that the carpeted cover on the hump in the back is where the battery disconnect is. Tom said that it would be used by first responders and also by service techs.

There was a 6' 2" gentleman who sat in the drivers seat while I was in the passenger seat and he said that he was dissatisfied with his "fit" in the car. The drivers seat only goes back so far. It was okay for me at 5' 9"...

I loved most everything about the Leaf but didn't care for the glossy finish around the shifter, etc. It shows dust, fingerprints, scratches, etc.
 
Randy said:
There was a 6' 2" gentleman who sat in the drivers seat while I was in the passenger seat and he said that he was dissatisfied with his "fit" in the car. The drivers seat only goes back so far. It was okay for me at 5' 9"...

Interesting. I was sitting in the back on the passenger side and a guy 6'2" (I asked) sat down next to me. I asked the "driver" to slide their seat all the way back after asking the guy next to me if it would be okay. His knees did not touch the back of the driver's seat, and his head was not touching the inside of the roof.
 
LEAFguy said:
Randy said:
There was a 6' 2" gentleman who sat in the drivers seat while I was in the passenger seat and he said that he was dissatisfied with his "fit" in the car. The drivers seat only goes back so far. It was okay for me at 5' 9"...

Interesting. I was sitting in the back on the passenger side and a guy 6'2" (I asked) sat down next to me. I asked the "driver" to slide their seat all the way back after asking the guy next to me if it would be okay. His knees did not touch the back of the driver's seat, and his head was not touching the inside of the roof.

Great! Maybe at 6-3 I will fit!
 
Randy said:
Here is a photo showing the audio system with a USB stick:
http://i811.photobucket.com/albums/zz40/RandyEV/Leaf%20Sept%202010/01.jpg
Was that music from your USB stick? If so, we share similar music taste!
 
indyflick said:
I spent some time with a representative from SDG&E. He gave me some information about the EV Project. He said our rate would be from one of three tariffs and which tariff we get will be determined randomly. So you can't choose the one you like ahead of time. We'll all have two meters. The second meter would be installed after the EVSE was installed.

This aspect has me fairly worked up - the Project (or at least the SDG&E specific implementation) appears to have no provision for sensible integration with a netmetered solar system. We sized our new PV system to accommodate the Leaf, but won't be able to directly use our surplus KwH to offset the car charging if we remain in the EV Project. It appears the best we can hope for is for the AB920 mandated payback for our surplus generation to offset some of what we'll have to pay out of pocket to charge the car... Even if our actual annual KwH usage nets to zero AND we behave exactly as should be desired, feeding the grid during periods of peak demand and only charging during periods of minimal demand, there's pretty much no way for that exchange to work out fairly. From what I can tell by looking at their application documents, SDG&E appears well on the way to getting away with an AB920 rate of around .05-.06/KwH (including buying back the REC), closer to wholesale than retail. If we end up randomly on the EV schedule that has off-peak at .14-.17, we're fairly well shafted (we provide 1 KwH in the middle of the afternoon when it's needed most, use 1 KwH in the middle of the night, and pay .10 for the "privilege") and even if we luck into one of the other tariffs at .07 or .08 off peak, we're still losing out.

I suppose we could "protest" by doing as much level 1 charging as possible on our house meter, but then any value to the macro part of the EV project (the charging/usage data, distinct from the locality-specific pricing research) would be lost. I realize that in paying this penalty we'll be saving money on the charger, and the level 3 port on the car, so it might still be worth it assuming we are able to revert to straight net metering after 2 years, but still it seems completely bass-ackwards in terms of the overall goals of the project, the vehicle, the push for using renewables etc.
 
LEAFguy said:
Interesting. I was sitting in the back on the passenger side and a guy 6'2" (I asked) sat down next to me. I asked the "driver" to slide their seat all the way back after asking the guy next to me if it would be okay. His knees did not touch the back of the driver's seat, and his head was not touching the inside of the roof.

How does Leaf compare to Prius in internal dimensions ? By my reckoning it should be similar - but probably a little less (and thus Nissan's hesitation in releasing the specs).
 
Kataphn said:
Great! Maybe at 6-3 I will fit!

I'm 6' 5" so first I adjusted the driver's seat. I would be okay at one notch forward, but best was all the way back. Then it felt fine, about the same as my Prius in leg room and (ample) head room. Leaving the seat adjusted for me, I then got into the back seat behind the driver's seat. Knee room was tolerable but tight. My knees hit the back of the front seat, whereas in the Prius they have a bit of clearance in that test. Rear headroom seemed better than the Prius. The trunk seemed a bit smaller than the Prius but it was hard to tell without taking measurements. The Leaf trunk is definitely shorter front to back, but much deeper, even if you count the under-floor-panel extra storage space in the Prius.

Talking to SDG&E at the booth I got the impression that, apart from the EV Project which wsbca wrote about, we'd do pretty well with electricity rates. I think I'd have my choice of one meter or two. If one, then I could continue on my net metering schedule or switch to a time-of-day schedule that would be very favorable to me with an EV. If I had two meters, I could have my choice of rate schedules for each.

Talking to ECOtality at the booth I learned that, even though I didn't reserve until 8/31, there is still a very good chance I may get into the EV Project. They have 1000 places in the program in San Diego, and currently have something like 800 applications, including mine.

I went to two of the CCSE workshops and found them very useful. I believe the presentation slides will be posted later to the CCSE web site, http://energycenter.org . The CCSE presentation did the best job I've seen of explaining transportation energy issues, including tailpipe emissions versus smokestack emissions. CCSE also administers the California rebate program, and there was reassuring news on that front. There is still most of the $4M from 2009-10 left, and $5M is in the draft budget for 2010-11. So people really stand a very good chance of getting their rebates. Of course with the budget still not passed, and the politicians looking for any pot of money to raid, next year's amount could still be zeroed out. But - best news of all - even if that happens, early adopters will not lose out. In the old scheme, if money ran out, you bought, and later the program was funded again, you got nothing. All the new money went to new applicants. Now, whenever the program is funded you keep your place in line to receive the next check.

From Nissan I got some reassurance that we would actually get our cars. That is, despite the seemingly gross disparity between supply and demand, they expect to be able to produce enough cars even before the Tennessee plant opens. The negative side of that good news is that I'm afraid the main reason they expect to be able to meet demand is that they expect a sizable fraction of those who reserved cars not to follow through with purchase.

Josh Tickell, director of the film Fuel ( http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1294164/ ) gave a great presentation on energy sources, uses, and distribution. Tickell sketched a scenario which he said - without contradiction by ECOtality nor SDG&E - was realistic. It's the middle of a hot summer afternoon, everyone has switched on the A/C, and SDG&E is looking at a stage 2 power emergency. You get a message on your phone from your car. It says, "I have 85 miles of range right now and you only need 25 for your next destination. SDG&E is offering $0.30 per kWh. Would you like to sell down to 30 miles of range? Press YES or NO."

Next was a presentation from ECOtality on the San Diego charging infrastructure. They are planning charging station locations based on how many applications they got from which areas of the city. Also there will be a lot of charging stations along I-5 and I-15 corridors - and from the map it looked like hwy 56 too. Also, popular destinations like Wild Animal Park and La Jolla Cove.

SDG&E gave a presentation on the smart grid that ran out of time before he got much into the rate structure he wanted to talk about, but he was ready afterwards at the booth to answer any more questions. With the addition of a "super off-peak" rate tier, it sounds like midnight to 5am will really be the ideal time to charge cars. Since that's not enough time for an L1 charge to give much range, I could see how an L2 charger might pay for itself. He also finally explained the discrepancies in L1 charging times that have been mystifying me. The difference in time estimates is whether you're charging it on a 25 amp circuit or a 30 amp circuit. Every garage is supposed to already have at least one 30 amp circuit in it. On the SDG&E web site http://www.sdge.com/ you should be able to find all that information and more.
 
Thanks for the pictures Randy. Looks very cool. It will be nice to just carry around a USB drive and not have to worry about the ipod. It was also nice to see the silver one (I was thinking of doing silver.. but went with red).

That photo of the glovebox is pretty silly. That big door.. and once you open it you just have a really tiny opening. It doesn't really bother me.. but doesn't that glovebox look really small?

Thanks again.
 
Excellent summary walterbays! Your notes reminded me of a few other items. Josh Tickell also mentioned how the GM vision of the future for living in the suburbs and working in the city (to promote the automobile) essentially sealed our fate. Also, if you want to own a home, and aren't wealthy, then you get pushed further out from the city, thus increasing your transportation costs (more cars and gasoline).

I talked to a Nissan rep and he said those that ordered in Aug would receive their cars in Dec "for certain"! He said the LEAF production line in Oppama Japan will be fired up in two weeks. He also said that by the end of Oct your dealer will be able to provide you your cars (I think he called it) build date. That date plus roughly two weeks will tell you when you'll get your car.
 
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