Hi everyone! I'm so excited...

Regarding getting the QC port, we elected not to. For one those charging stations are very expensive compared to an L2. Thus, you will see more of the L2 at shopping malls, etc. in the future. Second, NIssan advises not to use the QC too frequently (i.e. limit to 1x per day). This causes one to question if even 1x per day might hasten degradation of the battery. Third, Nissan has made no commitment about being able to upgrade the LEAF as newer battery technology, controllers and chargers come along. I suspect for a price you'll be able to upgrade but at this time there is no guarantee. Fourth, as the car ages it will not only decrease in value like any other car, but there may also be an obsolescence factor that will lower the trade-in value even more, much like we've seen in the personal computer revolution. We're treating the LEAF as our "starter EV", so we decided to lease rather than purchase. In three years we still can purchase the LEAF if we want, or we can get something else. It may be a little more expensive but at least it is some insulation against the unknown. It all depends on your particular use of the car. In our case, we live about 200 miles from a major metropolitan area (Phoenix), so we're hoping to see a 300 mile range become affordable in the next three years.

The May issue of Car and Driver had the following...

"A123 (a battery manufacturing company) is aimed at optimizing the battery's power, energy, and life through the use of nanostructured materials that provide a high surface-area-to-volume ratio. Experimental solid-state (also known as thin-film) cells increase the surface area even more. The potential energy density of these micron-thin ribbons is four-to-five times that of today's Li-ion batteries. As with integrated-circuit manufacturing, the cell materials are deposited one thin layer at a time in a vacuum. The result is an incredibly light, dense cell."

ERG4ALL said:

...Third, Nissan has made no commitment about being able to upgrade the LEAF as newer battery technology, controllers and chargers come along. I suspect for a price you'll be able to upgrade but at this time there is no guarantee.

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Maybe, but I'm kinda thinking that these early LEAFS are going to turn out to be the platform of choice for the next generation of DIY upgrades and experiments. Sure the newer models will have better everything as progress marches on, but a LOT of enthusiasts are buying these, and as long as the powertrain is sound, new batteries and chargers will be cheaper than a new ride.

ERG4ALL said:

Fourth, as the car ages it will not only decrease in value like any other car, but there may also be an obsolescence factor that will lower the trade-in value even more, much like we've seen in the personal computer revolution.

Click to expand...

That goes hand in hand with my first prediction. These cars will less desirable to the average consumer, and therefore easy for the DIY crowd to afford. You'll see people buying them because they are cheap, just to do upgrades. I expect I might be driving this same car 15 years from now, but with a 300 mile pack in it.

Thanks again guys. We decided to wait for our SL w/QC. We went ahead and order charging dock (Schneider Electric) with local installer and not wait for EV program.

More questions: What happen IF you drive electric car into knee-deep water? (happened sometimes when drain storm is plugged around seattle)

Does anyone makes removable partition between front seat and rear? To keep heat or cold air from air conditioning in smaller area assuming that just two of us using the car.

Thanks,
Arnon

arnon said:

We decided to wait for our SL w/QC. We went ahead and order charging dock (Schneider Electric) with local installer and not wait for EV program.

Click to expand...

I think QC is the right call. There are plans for enough of them to be installed that I think the momentum will be unstoppable. Sure, you wouldn't want to quick charge multiple times per day every day. But it could actually save your battery life to charge to 80% regularly, and not to recharge overnight if you're only down to 60% - because you know you can top off at the BP/Arco station in the rare event you need more. Otherwise you might have to charge to 100% every night - just in case.

Sure, it's bound to cost a lot compared to overnight L2 charging at off-peak rates. But I *hope* the price ends up no more expensive than gasoline. And it will surely be less expensive than renting an ICE car for those occasional longer trips.

What happen IF you drive electric car into knee-deep water? (happened sometimes when drain storm is plugged around seattle)

Click to expand...

Reportedly it's no problem: http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=23675 Although there still is that little risk with all cars of being swept away and drowned but I guess that isn't what you meant.

Does anyone makes removable partition between front seat and rear? To keep heat or cold air from air conditioning in smaller area assuming that just two of us using the car

Click to expand...

For A/C in mild climates, window down at low speeds works fine. At high speeds you can turn on the fan at low speed with the A/C compressor off. It appears to use much less energy, as you'd expect, although the car makes no distinction between fan and A/C in its suggestions to turn off climate control to maximize range. For heating I think a heated blanket like this might work at least as well as heated seats: http://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-12-Volt-Fleece-Heated-Blanket/dp/B0009Y2CFS/ref=pd_sim_dbs_auto_3

Regarding knee deep water and the battery, when we were at the test drive last December, I asked the Nissan Rep that very question. The answer was that Nissan had done complete immersion tests of the battery pack for as long as two weeks with no water leakage into the pack.

walterbays said:

arnon said:

We decided to wait for our SL w/QC. We went ahead and order charging dock (Schneider Electric) with local installer and not wait for EV program.

Click to expand...

I think QC is the right call. There are plans for enough of them to be installed that I think the momentum will be unstoppable. Sure, you wouldn't want to quick charge multiple times per day every day. But it could actually save your battery life to charge to 80% regularly, and not to recharge overnight if you're only down to 60% - because you know you can top off at the BP/Arco station in the rare event you need more. Otherwise you might have to charge to 100% every night - just in case.

Sure, it's bound to cost a lot compared to overnight L2 charging at off-peak rates. But I *hope* the price ends up no more expensive than gasoline. And it will surely be less expensive than renting an ICE car for those occasional longer trips.

What happen IF you drive electric car into knee-deep water? (happened sometimes when drain storm is plugged around seattle)

Click to expand...

Reportedly it's no problem: http://www.evworld.com/news.cfm?newsid=23675 Although there still is that little risk with all cars of being swept away and drowned but I guess that isn't what you meant.

Does anyone makes removable partition between front seat and rear? To keep heat or cold air from air conditioning in smaller area assuming that just two of us using the car

Click to expand...

For A/C in mild climates, window down at low speeds works fine. At high speeds you can turn on the fan at low speed with the A/C compressor off. It appears to use much less energy, as you'd expect, although the car makes no distinction between fan and A/C in its suggestions to turn off climate control to maximize range. For heating I think a heated blanket like this might work at least as well as heated seats: http://www.amazon.com/Roadpro-12-Volt-Fleece-Heated-Blanket/dp/B0009Y2CFS/ref=pd_sim_dbs_auto_3

Click to expand...

Awesome! Thanks.

Got email saying that my car "estimated delivery month of September 2011"...happy happy Talking to my buddy into getting one too. He is selling his Exige soon.

ERG4ALL said:

Thus, you will see more of the L2 at shopping malls, etc. in the future. Second, NIssan advises not to use the QC too frequently (i.e. limit to 1x per day). This causes one to question if even 1x per day might hasten degradation of the battery.

Click to expand...

I can't speak for other companies, but Blink has said there will be DC fast chargers (480V) every 30 miles along the interstates by the end of 2011. I plan on going to CA, Tucson, and Flagstaff for starters. I asked Brendan Jones about fast charging because he said the battery packs were extensively tested for a simulation of eight years or 100K miles of use. He said there was NO degradation from DC fast charging up to 6X a day any more than the normal 'gradual loss of capacity' from regular charging. To verify that, all we have to do is wait and see what those Dutch drivers find out with their LEAF battery pack after driving almost 800 miles in 24 hours using just DC fast chargers. I can't remember how many times a day they charged with those, but I don't think it was more than six.

Hey, congrats to you. I hope everything works out for you.

Regarding opportunities to purchase at over MSRP, my personal opinion would be to wait and work with a reputable dealer. I know that there are several in the area selling below MSRP.

Went ahead and bought an orphan SL E with lots of options, picking up Sunday. I'm keeping my September delivery and will try to sell one of them. Installing home dock next week.