Thomas W. Lewis

7/31/2010

DC fast charging is the Holy Grail for eliminating range anxiety in pure battery electric vehicles.  It has the promise of permitting you to charge 80 miles of range on the Leaf in less than 30 minutes.  So, to the extent that these beasts are accessible out on the road, you will be able to drive farther, and recover when you forget to plug-in.  Also, they open the EV market to folks who cannot charge at home or work, including the millions of urban dwellers for whom an EV could be ideal.  No matter how big the battery, there are cases where access to a DC fast charger will be valuable.

Well, it turns out there are two incompatible standards emerging for DC fast chargers.  There were some sessions in the Plug-in 2010 conference in San Jose this week that added clarity to these two alternatives. Read more »

7/27/2010

I was fortunate enough to drive a real Leaf yesterday.  The dash provides a techie turn-on sequence when powered up.  As you can see in the below picture showing David Harron at the wheel, this vehicle included the optional navigation in the dash.  If you put it in a special ECO mode, then acceleration requires more throttle travel and the regenerative breaking is stronger.  But you can temporally override ECO just by tromping on the “gas”.  You can see my knees in the back are not against the seat back, but I did notice that I could not tuck my feet under the front seat. Read more »

5/12/2010

Starting May 15th you will be able to reserve an all-electric Nissan Leaf at this link.  You will need to pay a $100 refundable deposit to get on the list.

The Leaf is targeted to be a commute car, so it can be viable if you have access to another vehicle in your family for long distance traveling.  There are plenty of naysayers who have plenty of reasons why the Leaf is not for them, and why they think it will not be successful.  But the Leaf is the first car since the RAV4EV to be a viable mass market all-battery electric.  The recent oil spill in the gulf helps highlight why this car is so compelling, and if you insist on transportation without oil, then the Leaf is definitely your best choice right now.

Charging

While the charger is build-in to the car, a home “charging” dock will be needed and will cost around $2,200 including installation.  A Federal tax credit may offset 50% of the cost (up to $2000) through Dec. 2010.  Here is a video about the 220/240V, 40A dock: link.    Charging from empty to full with this dock will take 8-hours.

Nissan is helping establish a charging network at malls, service stations, etc., presumably using 220/240V, 40A units.   The navigation system will show these locations as they come online.  You can also plug the car into a regular 110/120V 20 amp dedicated outlet for slower “trickle charging”.  Finally, the car can handle 400/480V quick-charging (30 minute to 80%) stations that will eventually be available in many markets.

Range

The 100-mile range is based on the LA4 drive cycle – an EPA testing and rating system.  Range will vary with your driving style, and conditions.  Nissan expects the battery to have a lifespan of 5-10 years, and battery age will lead to a corresponding decrease in range.  So, if your work is 50 miles from your home, then you will need to negotiate with your workplace to plug-in during the day.  The navigation system will tell you if your planned destination is within estimated range.

“Details”

• MSRP is $32,780
• $7,500 in Federal tax credits.
• $5,000 in California rebate.
• California registered Leafs can apply to drive in HOV lanes regardless of vehicle occupancy.

January 17, 2010

Some details surfaced this week about a patent Apple filed last May for a system to manage power delivery to home electronics.  It is based on the HomePlug standard, and it appears there is a provision for energy storage in the home.

See these links for details: Link1 Link2