I had my first negative experience with my 2012 Nissan Leaf, Electra yesterday. Actually, I must say it wasn't actually Electra, rather it was ChargePoint and Walgreens. Let me explain.
If you've been following my blog, you know that on Saturdays I take my daughter to swim practice, and round-trip to the pool maxes out Electra's range. If I veer off the round-trip path by more than five miles, I won't make it home. Well, this past Saturday, I had to do a quick trip to the store before heading to practice, eating up my five-mile buffer zone. Therefore, after I dropped my daughter off at the pool, I concluded that I needed to get a quick charge in before heading home. Otherwise, I might not make it home.
Rather than going to the library as I often do because it's the closest charging station to the pool, and it's free, I decided to see what my other choices were. I found a Walgreens five miles from the pool, and the bonus?, it was right next to the mall. I figured I could plug Electra in, enjoy a quick trip to the mall for some last minute Christmas shopping, and then get Electra and my daughter and head home. Please note that the Walgreens is five miles further away from my house. If the charge failed, I could end up stranded.
Carwings took me directly to Walgreens. There, I swiped my ChargePoint card. Buzz! The LED display showed that I was at a pay station and my ChargePoint card was only good for free locations. No problem, I called the ChargePoint number. As usual, they were very friendly and the customer service was super...they gently reminded me to activate my ChargePoint card (which I'll do), took my Visa number, and unlocked the holster.
I plugged Electra in, but her charge lights wouldn't turn on. I called ChargePoint back. We went through the entire process again, and still Electra wouldn't start charging. We tried both holsters. Same results. Then I realized something unique! Holster One was plugged into HolsterTwo--the chargers were swapped! (Note to ChargePoint--color code the holsters!)
The ChargePoint rep and I worked together, and we managed to get both holsters unlocked so that I could get One in one, and Two in two. Next, I plugged Electra in again. Same results. Scratching my head, the ChargePoint rep and I did some analytics and discovered that although the LED display said One was charging, Two was plugged in. And visa versa. The holsters and LED screen were opposite each other due to an improper installation, perhaps?
Ultimately, we could never get the Walgreens' station to charge, and I ended up down the street at the AAA station. While Electra charged, I got the chance to enjoy some Starbucks and the front page for about forty-five minutes. I then scooped up my daugther and made it home with five miles to spare.
But here's my point. By choosing to be an early adopter of technology, we all must have patience. Early technology always has glitches no matter how much the technology's marketing machine might tell you otherwise. If you choose to own a Leaf, you also choose to have a bit more patience and kindness. Otherwise, you'll be frustrated and annoyed at times when things fail. Remembering this early adopter creed is important for you and the manufacturers--you offer to participate in a grand experiment, and the manufacturers must never abuse your attitude.
Fortunately, I had time, patience, and attitude on my side. Other days might be a big more challenging. Hopefully if those days come, ChargePoint's reps will have a sense of humor to guide my attitude, and Electra will get me home. So far, neither have failed me.
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