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Post by Feng on Jul 11, 2013 20:09:26 GMT 11
If the weather is good I'm planning to drive out to Katoomba this weekend. Not as epic as Phoebe's trips to Newcastle from Artarmon, but I'm still keen to do it just for fun and some scenic happysnaps with the LEAF.
I've made phone calls and planned it out: 60km to Penrith Nissan who can let me use their private Chargepoint to top up over breakfast, then another 50kms out west to a caravan park in Katoomba to use one of their powered sites while I walk into town for lunch. That should hopefully leave me with enough to get home or close to it (hello Steve Jarvin!).
Here's the thing: They're want to charge me $10 for 2-3 hours of charge time. Does that sound like a reasonable price or can anyone suggest an alternative? I don't mind paying, just thought I'd ask.
Can any other Sydneysiders suggest daytrips to take with a LEAF?
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Post by duncan on Jul 11, 2013 20:41:57 GMT 11
Will be great to see how you go...I reckon some sections might be pretty slow to keep that charge up! Also, dress warm so you don't need to use the heater, it really sucks the juice down
Recharging a full battery costs about $2 on off peak, so a max of $10 would cover a full charge....I guess I'm saying it seems reasonable. But keep in mind you will only get about 1 bar of charge back per hour with the slow charger.
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Post by Phoebe on Jul 12, 2013 10:19:17 GMT 11
Be interested to seeif you had the same experience as I had. Used a lot more charge going to Artarmon than away from it ?
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Post by Feng on Jul 12, 2013 14:18:32 GMT 11
I shall log all of my distances, range and charge times as I make my way through all the stops tomorrow.
Phoebe, have you used the Chargepoint at NRMA Kotara before? It doesn't show its status on the site. Just pondering my next road trip already.
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Post by Phoebe on Jul 12, 2013 14:42:25 GMT 11
No, Feng, I didn't even know there was one. I can get to anywhere in Newcastle including the airport and home again comfortably on one charge so I haven't bothered with charging away from home. I believe there are charge points at Lake Macquarie and Newcastle Council Chambers, also, but I haven't looked into that either. Coming home to Maitland from Sydney I leave the Freeway at the Cessnock/Kurri Kurri exit, so none of those are any use to me.
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Post by Feng on Jul 14, 2013 13:06:24 GMT 11
Well the road trip didn't quite work out to plan but that was because we didn't keep an eye on the time and didn't have enough time to charge to get back. Here are the highlights:
- Left Penrith Nissan with 122km range, drove uphills to Katoomba for 56km - Here's the interesting bit: Hit the motorway with about 136km in ECO but arrived with only 14km remaining. I more or less kept to the speed limit which really drained the battery since we were way behind schedule - Charged at Katoomba Falls caravan park for 175 minutes and left with 53km remaining - Because we were late we took our chances with the downhill run. The 53km got us to the QC in North Strathfield, 90km away. Made it with 9km remaining, didn't go past 80km/h to get there - Used the quick charger for the first time to get to 50%. It was really convenient and fascinating to watch the SOC on display while it was charging
So it can be done, just make sure you give yourself plenty of time and factor in more margin than we did. We wasted 1.5 hours in Penrith Plaza which wasn't part of the plan and that screwed up the rest of the day.
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Post by Phoebe on Jul 14, 2013 14:15:27 GMT 11
Lesson well learned! Motorways uphill gobble up your charge! You were lucky you were coming back down hill! Now you also have an understanding of the difference draw of charge between uphill and downhill. With all that new knowledge and leaving yourself more time, your next road trip will be more relaxed And, Feng, you will now understand why I stuck to 70KPH on the Freeway trying to get to Artarmon on one charge - can't recommend that as trucks kept nearly running up the back of me
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Post by duncan on Jul 14, 2013 14:27:01 GMT 11
Great to hear....I definitely had doubts you would make it As our government would say "speed kills". batteries that is. it seems to take twice the power to run at twice a given speed.
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Post by Jim Hare on Jul 14, 2013 16:13:37 GMT 11
Awesome real world test! Thanks for blazing those trails for all of us! I must do the Strathfield QC one day. Maybe take my wife on a pilgrimage to Costco or something!
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Post by Feng on Jul 14, 2013 22:06:49 GMT 11
And, Feng, you will now understand why I stuck to 70KPH on the Freeway trying to get to Artarmon on one charge - can't recommend that as trucks kept nearly running up the back of me Oh yes, I can definitely relate to that Phoebe, the trip back had its moments of gripping the steering wheel tightly as a crowd of headlights approached my rear view mirror from the distance! I just don't want to give EVs a bad name by driving so slowly on the motorway! I'm already planning a second attempt in the coming weeks. The best part is it costs next to nothing to do!
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Post by Jim Hare on Jul 14, 2013 23:17:36 GMT 11
Yeah, it's ironic that we have the power to smoke most cars on the road with the shear power and speed of the EV, but since we want to maximise range we end up making it look like EVs don't have any grunt!
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Post by Feng on Jul 14, 2013 23:44:21 GMT 11
Yeah, it's ironic that we have the power to smoke most cars on the road with the shear power and speed of the EV, but since we want to maximise range we end up making it look like EVs don't have any grunt! My dad can bear witness to that, he's a real leadfoot when he uses the LEAF. Doesn't believe in using ECO, reckons the power is there to be used and he's more than happy with its performance. Whereas I like to see how much efficiency I can squeeze out of it. It's great that the performance is there when it's needed though!
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Post by Brian on Jul 15, 2013 22:01:15 GMT 11
We used to have ' Duncan Speed ' ( race car ), and ' Phoebe Speed ' ( Max. energy economy ) - Now we have ' Feng Snr. Speed ', and ' Feng Jr Speed '. Hey, it just goes to prove how versatile the LEAF is.
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Post by Feng on Jul 21, 2013 11:56:56 GMT 11
Well yesterday's trip to Katoomba was a lot better than last week's. We got there earlier, charged into the evening and left with over twice the range to return. Had loads more fun this time round too.
It only got interesting at the end because I thought I had enough range to drive my friends home. By the time I dropped my last friend off in Mosman I had 15km left, not enough to make it home. No worries, I figured, I'll just charge at Mildren Nissan only 8km away. Got there with bollards blocking me into the yard! Took my chances and limped my car across the harbour to Sydney City Nissan's charger since I used it the night before and knew it was good.
It wouldn't have been a problem had I left in the morning with a full charge instead of ~80% after the previous night's late night outing. No biggie though, all a learning experience.
Also of note was leaving Penrith with an extra 16km range, taking a slightly shorter route with gentler driving and making it with only a 5km advantage over last week's attempt. I think it was because of an extra passenger going uphills and strong winds.
While I was at Penrith Nissan I asked the service department about software updates for the LEAF. I already knew the answer, I just wanted to know what they would say about it. The guy behind the counter wasn't sure, said he'd find one of the sales guys trained with the LEAF and see if he knows anything. I followed him into the showroom and then it was an awkward case of trying to find someone who knows about the LEAF. I gave up in the end. There was a demonstration LEAF in the yard with Zero Emission and advertising stickers all over it but I wish the staff would take the LEAF more seriously!
Looking forward to doing it all again another time. Scenic World in Katoomba has a free carpark and I found a spot with a power point on the wall, I'll enquire about using it when I'm there. That'll mean free trips to Katoomba from now on!
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Post by Phoebe on Jul 21, 2013 12:29:29 GMT 11
Well done. It's important to remember that taking extra passengers and/or luggage reduces your range. If you all have a big meal while you are out that probably makes a difference on the way home, too ;D
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Post by Jim Hare on Jul 22, 2013 9:38:19 GMT 11
That's great Feng! Love living on the edge, makes EV driving exciting.
If you ever get stuck on the North Shore you can always come by my place to charge. I'm about 10 minutes from the Harbour Bridge in Killara.
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Post by Phoebe on Jul 22, 2013 10:56:31 GMT 11
It was Jim who helped me out when I nearly didn't make it from Maitland to Artarmon. If anyoneone gets stuck up here you can always call into my place and get enough charge to get you to Kloster Nissan in Newcastle, where you should be able to get enough charge to get to Jim's place. We've all got to help one another out until there are more public charging spots where we need them.
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Post by Jim Hare on Jul 22, 2013 13:11:27 GMT 11
Absolutely! We should have an informal electric highway that can get any of us from VIC-QLD!
Sorry Brian, probably not going to make it to Perth in a LEAF anytime soon! ;-)
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Post by Phoebe on Jul 22, 2013 14:27:26 GMT 11
We should rope in Phillip Carlson in Canberra, while we are at it. Smehow he still hasn't joined the forum. Can always take the LEAF on the train to Perth and charge up at Brian's while there ;D
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Post by Jim Hare on Jul 22, 2013 15:03:46 GMT 11
Heh, I'm actually catching up with Brian in September when I'm over there! Won't have the LEAF with me though... I've taken the Indian Pacific from Sydney to Perth. Fantastic ride!
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Post by Feng on Jul 22, 2013 18:20:31 GMT 11
Thanks for the offer for the charge Phoebe and Jim. Ditto if you ever find yourself around Bexley with low charge.
Funny enough I am now plotting a road trip out to the Hunter Valley Smelly Cheese Shop. Trying to see if I can pull it off in a day!
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Post by Feng on Jul 23, 2013 23:49:16 GMT 11
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Post by Brian on Jul 24, 2013 2:29:16 GMT 11
Yes, Jim, I realise the Nullarbor is a bit of a Black Hole for EVs. In Europe, Europcar have LEAFs for hire. I will work on them in Perth to have one for you to hire whilst you are over here, Jim Then you will be most welcome to use our Level 2 charger, ( as would any other fellow LEAF user ).
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Post by leafboi on Jul 24, 2013 2:30:05 GMT 11
Good find! Be sure to let us all know if it's there and operational and what pass card you may need to use it. Once you do eventually use it be sure to check in using Recargo app so people know it's operational. It's currently listed as not operational. Add a photo too!
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Post by Feng on Jul 24, 2013 10:07:06 GMT 11
I heard back from Lake Macquarie council officer and he says the charger is still there but kids keep hitting the emergency stop button and a Better Place technician is needed to reset it. That could explain why it's out of action! It doesn't look good to have a tax payer funded $80k charger just sitting there and doing nothing but what can we do about it?
The good news is there's another council charger at Speers Point which isn't on Recargo. I'm trying to find out if it's a QC.
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Post by leafboi on Jul 24, 2013 11:43:01 GMT 11
Oh Better Place, I wouldn't rely on any of their infrastructure at the moment.
Maybe Phoebe knows more about that at the moment though...
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Post by Feng on Jul 24, 2013 12:08:51 GMT 11
Hey Phoebe, how well did you know Tim? What are the chances he can get in touch with an old technician to explain what's involved with resetting the QC?
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Post by Phoebe on Jul 24, 2013 12:40:21 GMT 11
Feng, I have sent you an email with Tim Watts email address. Simpler if you ask him yourself. I have never actually met Tim. He was advising me by email when I was thinking about buying an electric car and maybe using a Better Place Charge spot. My son, Evan, was CEO of Better Place Australia at the time.
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Post by Feng on Jul 24, 2013 13:10:39 GMT 11
Thanks Phoebe, will do. Wow, I didn't know you had that kind of connection, I hope Evan's better off after Better Place (no pun intended).
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