I'm ReLeafing! (why I didn't get a BMW i3)

Electra's, my 2012 Nissan Leaf, lease was coming to an end on Oct 4, so I began to evaluate whether I wanted to re-up with another Leaf or try a different electric vehicle. The last time I looked at EVs, the biggest contenders were the Leaf, the Fusion, Tesla, and Mitsubishi's i-MiEV. Since then, the  BMW i3, Prius EV, and Mercedes B-class have entered the market.

As for the contenders, I think the MiEV died a quick death. Although I love the fact that Ford sponsors my favorite show, _The Amazing Race_, I still don't like the Fusion. It feels like a teeny-bopper car. The Tesla is still too rich for my book, but I'm eagerly awaiting the EveryMan's car in 2016/7. I don't like the looks of the Prius and the range is too low. I didn't consider the Mercedes B as it hasn't released here yet in Denver. Thus, the only other car of interest was the BMW i3.

What a stupid car. Sorry to all of you BMW fanatics, but what was BMW thinking with those rear doors? The first problem is that they are suicide doors and trying to open one from the inside takes Cirque de Soliel efforts. Then, the front seat driver has to wait until the back seat rider has to close her door in order to close the front seat door. It's a comedy of synchronicity that requires tons of patience and a user guide. And finally, although I'm sure engineers love the ingenuity, the way the i3 slows down when removing your foot from the gas pedal is flat out weird. It's almost like you stepped on the brake, but didn't. Frankly, I like coasting--and even if the slowing down is regenerating the battery, it's an awkward feeling and does not feel like driving. I dismissed the i3.

In the meantime, since I had a couple of months before my lease was up, I stopped in at AutoNation to start the conversation with the dealer. Disney helped me, but not well. I told him what I was up to, that I wanted the exact same terms on my new lease for an SL as I had on my old (2 years, nothing down, 12000 miles, and $254 or less a month), and to call me when he was ready. He never called.

Since I didn't know the exact process to returning my Leaf according to my lease terms, I called Nissan Finance. They mentioned I would need a wear-and-tear report, which they would arrange for free through a third-party vendor. A week later, the vendor showed up and evaluated Electra. She had some body damage (I can't believe my garage door frame jumped out at me like that!) on two panels and some minor bumper scruffing. The grand total would be $850 in repairs, or I could repair myself.

The next day, I had a mobile detailer come to take care of the majority of the damage at $300. I then also found out that if I returned Electra and leased another Nissan, I would not only get $500 credit toward wear-n-tear,  I would get the deal reduced by $1000 due to my "good standing" with the finance company. So once I got the damage repaired, I started with the dealers again.

Disney didn't return my call. So I reached out to Tynan's and to AAA. AAA was super--they responded immediately with some terms, I countered back, they sweetened the pot and came close. Nothing down, $284 a month. Tynan's offered the same. I thought I'd call the Finance company again to make sure I was doing everything right, and they informed me that I would be responsible for my last lease payment, even if I turned the car in. This was news. I responded back to AAA that I was going to wait until September, after I had made all my payments, to get my next Leaf.

In the meantime, since my wear-n-tear report had expired and it needed to be updated to reflect my repair damage, I called for another appointment. They reviewed the car again, bringing my total wear-n-tear down to $475, which will be covered under my $500 re-lease credit.

Thinking I would start the negotiation process with the dealer in the middle of September, in time for my Oct 4 lease surrender, I decided to bide my time. Then Disney called out of the blue on Friday. He said he had a deal that met my terms. I asked him to email me the VIN and the terms. It matched. But being wise, I knew not to take the first offer.

I responded back that he was close. but his timing was off. I wasn't willing to leave money on the table by still being required to pay my last payment. He said he'd call back. Later in the day, he emailed me with my terms and an agreement to make my last payment. Done deal.

Then, I walked onto the lot. Ready to turn in Electra, Disney and I looked at the fine print. Apparently, he "made a mistake" and there was a problem with the VIN. They no longer had the VIN on the lot. I said tough. He needed to honor my deal and come up with a car to match, as I had honored his terms, he need to honor mine. So they came up with a nicer SL with Bose and Surround View, which had an MSRP of $1500 more. None the less, they honored the original offer, including paying my last payment gratis.

So now I'm the proud lessee of my 2014 Nissan Leaf SL. She's blue, leather, loaded. I think I'll call her Aqua. Or maybe Pacifica. Any suggestions?

Will I get a Nissan Leaf 2014?

It's summertime again, and Electra's (my 2012 Nissan Leaf) range is back to triple digits. So last week, I decided to go out for the big drive, and I discovered I was too far from home to get home. What should I do?

I pulled up my Carwings and discovered a Nissan dealer just three miles away! So off we went to charge for an hour to get enough juice to get home. To my delight, the Nissan dealer had one of the super chargers! My goodness, POWER! Within just a few seconds, after watching the embedded video animation at the charging station, I plugged in the super charger. And whoosh, like an ftp transfer, a charge dumped into Electra. Within 40 minutes, she was 80% charged.

While I waited, I had to take a look at the 2014 Leafs. My lease is up in October. I've already had Nissan out to evaluate my car for my end-of-year termination, and I found out that I'm actually within the time range of when I can trade-in my car. But since I looked at Electric Vehicles in 2012, there are a few new options, including the BMW i3, a more interesting Ford Fusion, the RAV4, and a few others. But since I was at Nissan, why not look?

The first question I asked was about the 2015s. When will they be out and will it be timely for a 2014 trade in? So, the answer appears to be, "No." The 2015 Leafs are the last model Nissan rolls out, so I shouldn't expect them before December. Thus, I did discover that really the only change on the 2014 from the 2012 is a bit of a longer range and a better trickle charge option. But it is enough to keep me interested.

I told my sales rep that he has to at least match, if not improve, my deal on my 2012. I put nothing down and pay $250 a month (including taxes) on my two-year lease of 20,000 miles. I think that's a great deal (but you're welcome to tell me that it's not!). When he can match or better that deal, call me and I'll step right into a 2014. This time I want an electric blue Leaf--this silver I have now is so boring.

The sales rep hasn't called yet--so I've started my review of the other options that have appeared on the market. Honestly, I wish Tesla would get its "everyman" car out--the one I can afford--but that's not until 2015 at least. Do you know anything different?

Losing some confidence, will I make it home?

In my last post, I mentioned that the range on my 2012 Nissan Leaf, Electra, was dropping as the temperature dropped. This infographic tells the whole story.
http://insideevs.com/infographic-fleetcarma-cold-weather-fuel-efficiency-electric-versus-gasoline-showdown/

So now that I understand which elements of Electra cost the most on her battery, I can manage her range a bit more. But still, I find that I am losing my confidence in her range, and I'm finding I am not sure if I can make it home. I have yet to "turtle," but I feel that I'm always just a kilowatt away from finding myself dead on the side of the road. This is not a comforting feeling.

Since I've been in Denver, I haven't had to seek out any of the public charging facilities because I've always been within range of home. But now I'm thinking I might need to make myself aware of the charging stations. I've blogged before about how Denver seems to be less on the grid than Tampa, gasp! And shockingly, Denver International Airport does NOT have any charging stations. They are offsite. I love Canopy's offsite option, but I wish for more convenience by having them at Denver International.

Alas, I'll be hunting out some convenient public charging, and I'll loop back and let you know what I find. BTW, it seems like High Schools would be great spots for EV chargers, and EVs would be great first cars for high schoolers--cheap to  maintain, safe, and a range that mom and dad love. I'm thinking my 10 year old's first car might be my used 2014 Leaf. Has anyone else passed a Leaf on to their kids?

Gulping Power and Winter Math

Electra, my 2012 Nissan Leaf, is gulping. And her distance math is challenging my best geometry. Let me explain. Temperatures have dropped here in Denver, and I'm finding the many ways to warm myself in her presence. Of course, the more I warm myself, the faster the battery drains.

Electra has several ways to warm her passengers. There's the regular way--through the vents--and she also heats up her steering wheel, which I am finding an absolute pleasure. The third way is via the individual seat warmers, which can be turned on for each front seat and/or the rear bench seat.

The more heat I have on, the shorter the range. Whereas in the summer with the air conditioner on, Electra ranges about 90 miles. But in the winter with the vent and one or two seats on, her range is 68. But, I am not quite sure about her winter range. It is Leaf Math...and since I generally no longer drive a full range at once, I frankly am not sure if 68 really means 68. Regardless, there is a difference on winter range, and I cannot confidently state what is is.

I do positively want to state that Electra keeps me toasty. I can usually get by with just using the steering wheel heat and the vent directed at my feet. Occasionally, I turn on the seats. I'm still very happy with my Nissan Leaf, but I am wishing for a better indicator about range. In addition, I do wish the buttons to turn on the different heating options turned back to off when turning the car off. I often find that the rear seat is on unnecessarily because I did not manually turn it off from the last use, thus making Electra unnecessarily gulp precious battery time.

Electra Turns 1 Year Old!

8,977 miles. That's crazy. But, yes, on Electra's (my 2012 Nissan Leaf) first anniversary with me, she has a mere 8977 miles on her. If you have known me for a long time as someone who used to drive over 90,000 miles a year, driving 1/10th of it is, well, refreshing.

I thought now would be a great time to review my experience of being an electric vehicle driver, especially as we celebrate National Plugged-In Day. A year ago I was debating my driving needs, how my life would be changing over the coming year, and what type of vehicle I would need. After reviewing the Ford Escort, VW Golf TDI, Chevy Volt, Cooper Mini and the Nissan Leaf, I picked the Leaf. With fear. Would the fear of "turtle-ing" put me on the side of the highway without AAA to come and get me? How would my life style change with my electric vehicle? What wouldn't I be able to do?

Nothing.

Not one of these fears ever came true in my year of travelling. Electra has quickly, efficiently, and cleanly taken me every where I have wanted to go. She has hauled groceries, bikes, dogs, kids, co-workers, family, and synchronized swimmers all over Tampa and Denver. Her range has never been less than 85, and she has managed snow, ice, mountains, beaches, and highways with no trouble. She's heated me and chilled me. Her navigation got me un-lost, and her pep pulled me off the front-line faster than any car I've raced her against.

I have not one complaint about Electra. I would lease her again. I can't wait to see what Nissan brings for 2014.

I will complain about the lack of infrastructure in Denver to support electric vehicles. I really thought Colorado would be much better than Tampa, but I am finding Denver's charging stations and the presence of Charge Point minimal. The fact that the Denver aiport doesn't have an EV station is disheartening, although I give big shout outs to Canopy's off-site parking, which does.

A few things I thought I would do but haven't:

• I never upgraded my power in my house to support a higher charge for Electra. I have never felt I needed it, as the trickle charge is working just fine for me.
• I thought I would need to drive my husband's Prius many more times for "just in case" scenarios, but Electra's range is accurate and reliable.
• I thought I would lose weight because I wouldn't be buying as many snacks from stops at gas stations--I haven't been in a gas station in a year, but I still weigh the same.
• I thought people would ask me more questions about Electra, but they haven't.
• I thought I might run over someone because Electra is so quiet--I haven't, but the opportunity has presented itself way too many times.

I am thrilled with my first year as an electric vehicle owner. Still contemplating buying an electric vehicle? Do not hesitate. I love my Nissan Leaf. Email me if you want to discuss your decision!

Electra Gets Mile High

We have made it to Denver, and Electra, my 2012 Nissan Leaf, couldn't be happier. But it appears the higher altitude is messing with her range. (See my previous post about Leaf Math.) Let me explain.

We arrived in Denver on April 19 via our Prius through Texas, and Electra arrived on April 20 via a truck transport. She only had 13 miles range on her, so immediately I plugged her into Denver's power grid. By Monday, she was charged up and ready to go. My husband borrowed Electra on Monday to go to work, and she did just fine. On Tuesday, we were going to do a trial run of Electra's range in Denver. We woke up to a blanket of snow. and snow. and snow. and snow.

My daughter's school is only 19 miles from the hotel, or roundtrip 38 miles. I figured I'd take her to school, return to the hotel to work, charge Electra enough to do the afternoon round trip, and pick my dauther up as well. So much for plans! Electra, my daughter and I loaded up and headed to school. We inched our way to the interstate, where are 19 mile trip took over 90 minutes in the snow. Electra's seats were warm, the defroster was running, and the steering wheel was toasty. I dropped Kelly off at school with 22 miles of range left off an original 92.

I didn't think I'd make it back to the hotel, so my escape plan was to get to my husband's office and swap cars with him. Since Electra gobbled up so much range in the snow, I knew she wouldn't be able to get charged up enough in six hours for me to complete the round trip again. I swapped cars with my husband, picked up my daughter later that day, and my husband made it home with Electra that evening with 1 mile left.

I plugged Electra in to charge over night. I could see her from my hotel window, and I noticed that her first blue light was staying on for a very long time. I thought perhaps the amps at the hotel were lower, or perhaps she charged slower in the cold. I couldn't quite figure out why she didn't seem to be charging her normal way. But I went to bed, thinking everything would be fine in the morning.

The next day, the snow had stopped, it was still cold, and the roads were clear. Thinking that my original plan to drive my daughter both ways to school, while charging Electra mid day would work, we went down to Electra to start our commute. Strangely, her one blue light was still blinking. I opened the door and uncovered the problem. I had left Electra on overnight, and she was charging while "running!"

Need less to say, she did not have a full charge, and again, my husband and I automagically re-engineered our commute to get our daughter and him back and forth to school and work. Laughing about the fact that I had left Electra running all night, I soon realized I had a giant problem. I had no understanding of her range in Denver and what I could plan.

Here's the dilemma: the one snow day's travels had totally altered her range meter. We had run at 3-4 mph in the snow with the heat on, so when her range showed the next day, it only showed 60. Then, when I ran her all night, I had a range of 39. How could I plan a day of 76 miles with no idea of her range? But the good news was this. I trusted Electra, and I knew she could get me back and forth as I had planned, and I just had to blindly ignore her range meter until it worked itself out.

And it did. So, the Mile High City seems to have freaked Electra and me out, but now, we're doing okay. It does appear that Electra gets more range here--less air conditioning, lower speeds, more regeneration because of a lot of surface roads--whatever the reason, we're happy. Very happy. And the commute is going smoothingly. Let's hope the weather stays beautiful so our construction crew can finish up our house early!

Electra Gets a Lift

The big move has happened! My family and I have relocated to Denver, CO, and it's taken quite a lot of logistics to make it happen. Here are the details.

My husband went first via the plane...he had a conference in Dallas. Our stuff went next via PODS. If you have ever needed to move your household items, I can't recommend PODS more. They deliver a storage container to your house, you load it, they move it, they store it, you unload it. You only have to touch your stuff twice, and it's always in a safe and secure environment while it's in transit or storage. I have used PODS twice, and I would recommend them hands-down. I wish they were publicly traded, as I'd buy some stock!

Next went Electra, my 2012 Nissan Leaf. I bid her travel online with various truck brokers, and I was able to find her transport for $750. The truck driver picked her up and loaded her safely. I mentioned to the driver, Norman at TA Trucking, that I had three bikes that I'd be hanging off the back of my husband's Prius as my daughter and I drove across country. Norman didn't like this idea, and he offered to take the bikes for me. I didn't like the idea either, and I gladly let him take them...and tipped him an extra $100 for the courtesy. If you want Norman's number, let me know!

Norman loaded Electra up on a Sunday evening, and she arrived in Denver on Friday morning. When I met Norman to unload Electra and the bikes, I have to say that I had missed her! Although my daughter and I had a fun time driving the Prius across country, reuniting with Electra was like finding my lost friend. I really had missed her!

Lastly, my daughter and I left Tampa. We routed through Pensacola and then Shreveport, Dallas, Sperling, and then Denver. The wind hit us from the northeast for three days at 22 mph. Need less to say, I was glad we didn't have the bikes off the back of the car! We enjoyed a trip through the JFK Museum in Dallas, a stop at Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, and a quick snow ball fight in Raton, NM.

We are super glad to be in Denver. While we wait for our house to finish being built, we are enjoying a stay at the Towne Place Suites. And guess what! They've accommodated Electra! We have a special parking spot for her so I can plug her in each night! We're right at home.