PEAK Engineer Alan Batie Goes Leafin’ (Nissan Leaf)
Enviado: 11 mai 2011, 20:17
PEAK Engineer Alan Batie Goes Leafin’ (Nissan Leaf)
"Peak Engineer Alan Batie has long been a fan of EVs (Electic Vehicles). In June of 2000, he bought his first EV, a used Sparrow (a picture of which, in fact, is the one at the top of the Wikipedia article), and for the last several years has been driving a Solectria Force. Although it only had a 20-25 mile range, it was perfect for Corvallis: he only drove a gas car when he had to go outside of Corvallis and farther than Philomath, even when, as the batteries aged, the range dropped to 10-12 miles.
Something like the Nissan Leaf has, however, been on his wishlist for decades, and Wednesday, April 13, 2011, that wish came true when he took delivery of Leaf #887. He lucked out, and it shipped out from Japan the very day before the recent earthquake that devastated the country.
While even modern, longer range, EVs, like the Leaf, are still primarily metro area, second car, vehicles, with a little planning, patience, and the charging infrastructure currently being put into place, they can satisfy the vast majority of most people’s driving needs. Alan expects to use the Leaf as his primary car, and rent a gas car the half dozen times a year he needs to go outside the Leaf’s range.
Indeed, the first weekend after picking up the Leaf, even before the fast charge infrastructure has been built out, he drove to Battle Ground, WA in the new car as a “proof of concept” to see what it could do. Up 99W to Chuck Colvin Nissan in McMinnville, which has a Level 2charging station (240V, 3kw), where he had lunch while picking up an extra 15 miles to bridge the gap to the only current DC Fast Charge station (at the PGE headquarters in downtown Portland: 400V, 50kw), where he picked up 15kwh to bring the car up to 90% in 1/2hr while doing a little shopping at Pioneer Place.
With a fresh charge, it was up to Battle Ground for dinner with a friend and then back to PGE for another 15kwh, and McMinnville, where the only snag in the trip happened: the Nissan dealership accidentally turned off power to the charging station when they closed up for the night.
Currently, EV’s are rather like being out in far SW Oregon, where the only gas station is in Fields. If it’s closed, you’re camping for the night. After spending the night in a hotel, he got the car charged up while visiting another friend in McMinnville and completed the 234 mile round trip, using 65kwh of electricity, averaging 3.6miles/kwh (about $8 worth of local, renewable, electricity, vs 14 gallons of foreign gas in his old Explorer or even 5 gallons in a Prius).
Being on the bleeding edge isn’t without its risks, but by the end of this year charging stations will run the length of I-5 from the Canadian border to the California border, making long distance excursions, if not quite as convenient as using gas, at least practical. The technology is changing rapidly right now (one reason he’s leasing rather than buying the Leaf): in a few years the whole driving landscape will be vastly changed by electric vehicles, and not a moment too soon.
In the meantime, even now, EVs are perfect second cars for virtually everyone. For metro area driving, you don’t *need* any charging infrastructure but in your garage. For most people, even a standard 110V outlet (albeit a dedicated circuit) will work, though given the low 3 mph charging rate, a Level 2 charging station that works at about 12-15 mph is what most EV owners are installing. To see what range *you* need, simply reset your trip meter every morning when you leave, noting what it read for the previous day’s travels. Add 50% for peace of mind and that’s all you need to smile and wave at $4-6 gas as you whirrr quietly past the old fossils along the highway."
Em: http://blog.peakinternet.com/marketing/ ... ssan-leaf/
"Peak Engineer Alan Batie has long been a fan of EVs (Electic Vehicles). In June of 2000, he bought his first EV, a used Sparrow (a picture of which, in fact, is the one at the top of the Wikipedia article), and for the last several years has been driving a Solectria Force. Although it only had a 20-25 mile range, it was perfect for Corvallis: he only drove a gas car when he had to go outside of Corvallis and farther than Philomath, even when, as the batteries aged, the range dropped to 10-12 miles.
Something like the Nissan Leaf has, however, been on his wishlist for decades, and Wednesday, April 13, 2011, that wish came true when he took delivery of Leaf #887. He lucked out, and it shipped out from Japan the very day before the recent earthquake that devastated the country.
While even modern, longer range, EVs, like the Leaf, are still primarily metro area, second car, vehicles, with a little planning, patience, and the charging infrastructure currently being put into place, they can satisfy the vast majority of most people’s driving needs. Alan expects to use the Leaf as his primary car, and rent a gas car the half dozen times a year he needs to go outside the Leaf’s range.
Indeed, the first weekend after picking up the Leaf, even before the fast charge infrastructure has been built out, he drove to Battle Ground, WA in the new car as a “proof of concept” to see what it could do. Up 99W to Chuck Colvin Nissan in McMinnville, which has a Level 2charging station (240V, 3kw), where he had lunch while picking up an extra 15 miles to bridge the gap to the only current DC Fast Charge station (at the PGE headquarters in downtown Portland: 400V, 50kw), where he picked up 15kwh to bring the car up to 90% in 1/2hr while doing a little shopping at Pioneer Place.
With a fresh charge, it was up to Battle Ground for dinner with a friend and then back to PGE for another 15kwh, and McMinnville, where the only snag in the trip happened: the Nissan dealership accidentally turned off power to the charging station when they closed up for the night.
Currently, EV’s are rather like being out in far SW Oregon, where the only gas station is in Fields. If it’s closed, you’re camping for the night. After spending the night in a hotel, he got the car charged up while visiting another friend in McMinnville and completed the 234 mile round trip, using 65kwh of electricity, averaging 3.6miles/kwh (about $8 worth of local, renewable, electricity, vs 14 gallons of foreign gas in his old Explorer or even 5 gallons in a Prius).
Being on the bleeding edge isn’t without its risks, but by the end of this year charging stations will run the length of I-5 from the Canadian border to the California border, making long distance excursions, if not quite as convenient as using gas, at least practical. The technology is changing rapidly right now (one reason he’s leasing rather than buying the Leaf): in a few years the whole driving landscape will be vastly changed by electric vehicles, and not a moment too soon.
In the meantime, even now, EVs are perfect second cars for virtually everyone. For metro area driving, you don’t *need* any charging infrastructure but in your garage. For most people, even a standard 110V outlet (albeit a dedicated circuit) will work, though given the low 3 mph charging rate, a Level 2 charging station that works at about 12-15 mph is what most EV owners are installing. To see what range *you* need, simply reset your trip meter every morning when you leave, noting what it read for the previous day’s travels. Add 50% for peace of mind and that’s all you need to smile and wave at $4-6 gas as you whirrr quietly past the old fossils along the highway."
Em: http://blog.peakinternet.com/marketing/ ... ssan-leaf/