2011 Nissan Leaf Charging Questions: Can I buy in UK and make it back same day...

Donnelly117

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

See, if you bought an ICE you wouldn't have these issues.
This to me highlights the mountain of development that EVs have to go through before they are a viable alternative to cars.

Ah FFS :rolleyes: Do we really have to have this discussion on every single EV thread. We are all well aware of the limitations of EVs but we dont have to harp on about it every single chance we get. The ICE engine has over a hundred years development and refinement, whereas the EV is new technology. Give it a chance and if its not for you don't buy one

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Donnelly117 wrote: »

Ah FFS :rolleyes: Do we really have to have this discussion on every single EV thread. We are all well aware of the limitations of EVs but we dont have to harp on about it every single chance we get. The ICE engine has over a hundred years development and refinement, whereas the EV is new technology. Give it a chance and if its not for you don't buy one

First EV was made over 100 years ago

Oh and I love this guy -> :rolleyes: <-
Shows me who I have to ignore.

Donnelly117

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

First EV was made over 100 years ago

Oh and I love this guy -> :rolleyes: <-
Shows me who I have to ignore.

It was the perfect opportunity to bust it out as yet another EV thread descends into people pointing out that EV are a load of crap and diesel is for winners and so on...

September1

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Yes I know, but that's the point
ICE car - sit in and drive
EV - not possible.

That is a retrograde step

EVs have number of disadvantages, but they are so much less hassle in daily use. ICE car requires weird detours and using extra time during commutes.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Donnelly117 wrote: »

It was the perfect opportunity to bust it out as yet another EV thread descends into people pointing out that EV are a load of crap and diesel is for winners and so on...

Please show me where this happened.

September1 wrote: »

EVs have number of disadvantages, but they are so much less hassle in daily use. ICE car requires weird detours and using extra time during commutes.

No, no they don't.

September1

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

No, no they don't.

They do, I really owned both kinds of cars and amount of hassle on daily commutes with ICE way higher. Taking detours, dealing with crappy weather of West, wasting time - all this stuff needs to be done to keep driving ICE. Meanwhile EVs all you need to do is just drive.

mmitche

Hi all
Esb have contacted me and are organizing the access card. Whew that takes a lot of pressure off me and I can look forward to an exciting trip now.....
Thanks for your helpful suggestions. I suspect that I'm joining a great group of EV pioneers....

Matt

Cleveland Hot Pocket

September1 wrote: »

They do, I really owned both kinds of cars and amount of hassle on daily commutes with ICE way higher. Taking detours, dealing with crappy weather of West, wasting time - all this stuff needs to be done to keep driving ICE. Meanwhile EVs all you need to do is just drive.

What?

Are you on another planet?

There is only one inconvienient method of transport - and that is one which involves charging up for hours.

Seriously - what the hell? At least mad_lad is not totally ev biased like you seem to be.

September1

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

What?

Are you on another planet?

There is only one inconvienient method of transport - and that is one which involves charging up for hours.

Seriously - what the hell? At least mad_lad is not totally ev biased like you seem to be.

Perhaps you are not fully aware how ICE car get's its energy, but on my planet one has to go to petrol station. Perhaps if you work on petrol station that is not a problem, but I don't. I like to use my car to commute from work to home, choosing different route because that is where station is placed in not exactly convenient and adding Galway horizontal rain you end up cold and wet. I do this commute for few years now in EV, not a single time I had to alternate my route or plans to accommodate for fuel.

Sesshoumaru

September1 wrote: »

Perhaps you are not fully aware how ICE car get's its energy, but on my planet one has to go to petrol station. Perhaps if you work on petrol station that is not a problem, but I don't. I like to use my car to commute from work to home, choosing different route because that is where station is placed in not exactly convenient and adding Galway horizontal rain you end up cold and wet. I do this commute for few years now in EV, not a single time I had to alternate my route or plans to accommodate for fuel.

You're forgetting you have to wait hours upon hours for your car to charge while you are asleep at night time

Cleveland Hot Pocket

September1 wrote: »

Perhaps you are not fully aware how ICE car get's its energy, but on my planet one has to go to petrol station. Perhaps if you work on petrol station that is not a problem, but I don't. I like to use my car to commute from work to home, choosing different route because that is where station is placed in not exactly convenient and adding Galway horizontal rain you end up cold and wet. I do this commute for few years now in EV, not a single time I had to alternate my route or plans to accommodate for fuel.

*gets.

I live in Ireland, where one can barely go 2-5 miles without a petrol station. I get 250-600 miles per tank (depending on which vehicle).

Petrol stations also have roofs.

And you will always have to alternate your plans as your ev has no range.
It might suit someone that drives very short distances, or is not time constrained (ie can stand for hours waiting to charge to get to the next charge station) but won't suit most.

Right now, you are driving around in a beta max, a VCD, an 8-track. Wait until the technology of EVs evolve then the masses will change.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Sesshoumaru wrote: »

You're forgetting you have to wait hours upon hours for your car to charge while you are asleep at night time stuck at the side of the road as you actually wanted to travel more than 80km

fyp

Sesshoumaru

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

fyp

Maybe you should do a little more research before posting in an EV thread.

I've done Celbridge to Cork city with wife and 3 kids in my Leaf. That is over 200 kilometers and requires two stops. I did that trip in about four and a half hours. How exactly did I accomplish that if was "charging for hours" at each of those two stops?

My average time spent at a charger in a station is usually around 15 minutes. Those would be the rare times I need more than my average 100km of range.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Sesshoumaru wrote: »

Maybe you should do a little more research before posting in an EV thread.

I've done Celbridge to Cork city with wife and 3 kids in my Leaf. That is over 200 kilometers and requires two stops. I did that trip in about four and a half hours. How exactly did I accomplish that if was "charging for hours" at each of those two stops?

My average time spent at a charger in a station is usually around 15 minutes. Those would be the rare times I need more than my average 100km of range.

In an EV it would be less, you are proving my point.
Perhaps you should step out of your EV bubble.

I've done my research on EVs. Thanks to some informed posters on here (mad_lad in particular) I have learned a lot about EVs. I've even openly considered buying one at the right price. But only for commuting and short distance. I would still keep some ICE cars aswell.

BMJD

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

It might suit someone

this seems to be the point that you keep missing, most of us buy the car that suits our requirements, EVs suit some and not others, why feel the need to try to insult them at every opportunity?

September1

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

I live in Ireland, where one can barely go 2-5 miles without a petrol station. I get 250-600 miles per tank (depending on which vehicle).

I did never say it is very far to petrol station. You just need to adjust your route, have extra stop just because your vehicle needs special distribution system. Most stations in Ireland have opening hours and in little towns of county Galway you just cannot get petrol at 4 am.

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Petrol stations also have roofs.

Galway is a windy place. I really owned ICE and got wet few times.

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

And you will always have to alternate your plans as your ev has no range.

I never did in more than two years now.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

September1 wrote: »

I did never say it is very far to petrol station. You just need to adjust your route, have extra stop just because your vehicle needs special distribution system. Most stations in Ireland have opening hours and in little towns of county Galway you just cannot get petrol at 4 am.



Galway is a windy place. I really owned ICE and got wet few times.



I never did in more than two years now.

Even in a little town in kildare there is a 24hr petrol station.
Special distribution system? Hardly special, if the car has been around in pretty much its current format for >100 years.
And if you expect me to believe that range was not a factor once with an EV in two years then you are deluded.

September1

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Even in a little town in kildare there is a 24hr petrol station.

Just two examples Dunmore, Co. Galway and Kinvara, Co. Galway

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Special distribution system? Hardly special, if the car has been around in pretty much its current format for >100 years.

Yes, petrol station system is designed to cater for motorists. Electrical network has way more uses than my EV.

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

And if you expect me to believe that range was not a factor once with an EV in two years then you are deluded.

I wonder, what other EV drivers had to say. Did any of you had to abandon some journeys because you have EV? Certainly I did not. If anything EV allowed me to complete journeys not feasible in ICE.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

September1 wrote: »

Certainly I did not. If anything EV allowed me to complete journeys not feasible in ICE.

ROTFL
You should do standup.

Sesshoumaru

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

In an EV it would be less, you are proving my point.
Perhaps you should step out of your EV bubble.

I've done my research on EVs. Thanks to some informed posters on here (mad_lad in particular) I have learned a lot about EVs. I've even openly considered buying one at the right price. But only for commuting and short distance. I would still keep some ICE cars aswell.

Do you mean in an ICE car it would be less? If that is what you meant by "In an EV it would be less", then you are of course correct. But I'm not sure why you are quoting me with your statement? I'm not saying that longer journeys can be completed by EV's in the same amount of time an ICE car can. Maybe you meant to quote someone else?

I'm merely telling you there is no "charging for hours" when you undertake a longer journey in an EV. That was your point, was it not? That on a longer journey you will be stopping for several hours at a time to charge? Chargers installed in motorway service stations are all fast chargers, like this one in Cashel.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Sesshoumaru wrote: »

Do you mean in an ICE car it would be less? If that is what you meant by "In an EV it would be less", then you are of course correct. But I'm not sure why you are quoting me with your statement? I'm not saying that longer journeys can be completed by EV's in the same amount of time an ICE car can. Maybe you meant to quote someone else?

I'm merely telling you there is no "charging for hours" when you undertake a longer journey in an EV. That was your point, was it not? That on a longer journey you will be stopping for several hours at a time to charge? Chargers installed in motorway service stations are all fast chargers, like this one in Cashel.

My post was directed at you.
I meant ICE instead of EV.

But you get my point. You have to stop (perhaps multiple times) in an EV. You do not have to stop in an ICE vehicle.

Fast charge or not it is still an un-needed stop.

thecomedian

Four and a half hours to cork!
That's about 1 and a half hours too long.

Sesshoumaru

This is the old view of a longer journey in an EV.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12138420




Technology progresses quickly though.

http://www.nextgreencar.com/news/6504/London-to-Edinburgh-EV-trip-in-13-hours

In 2011, the BBC drove a MINI E from London to Edinburgh (see story) and made electric motoring look a lot more difficult that it actually was at the time, with the journey taking four days with a significant amount of time waiting around for charging.
At the same time, to disprove the BBC's false portrayal of electric motoring, electric vehicle enthusiast David Peilow, set off to do the same trip in his Tesla Roadster and proved that the trip (see story) could then be completed in 18 hours (although at the time his car was worth over £100,000).
Exactly three years on, David has repeated the journey with EV advocate Robert Llewellyn in a Nissan LEAF – this time taking just over 13 hours in a vehicle costing less than £20,000.
Things have clearly moved on a lot in the world of electric motoring, with improved battery technology meaning increased driving range and a developed charging infrastructure to support long distance journeys. An additional impressive fact is that the 400 mile journey was achieved completely free of charge.
- See more at: http://www.nextgreencar.com/news/6504/London-to-Edinburgh-EV-trip-in-13-hours#sthash.wf2UrM37.dpuf

Of course still longer than an ICE car, but then again I don't recall anyone saying they were faster.

Donnelly117

You cant ignore the cost implications either. I know people have diesels etc which are more suitable for the journey but, last time I drove to Dublin it cost me €80 in petrol. In a leaf that journey would probably cost a few cent, in fact nothing at all given that there is no charge on most charge points atm. A hell of a lot of people would hang around for an extra hour and a half to save 80 euro! Im not saying the technology is perfect but EVs get an awful slating here (I appreciate this is a motoring forum filled mostly with enthusiasts) but I dont think its justified. An EV would cover me for 99.9% of my journeys.

Sesshoumaru

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

My post was directed at you.
I meant ICE instead of EV.

But you get my point. You have to stop (perhaps multiple times) in an EV. You do not have to stop in an ICE vehicle.

Fast charge or not it is still an un-needed stop.

Oh, I never realised ICE cars never have to stop... Must be something like this?



On a more serious note, EV's have advantages over ICE cars. ICE cars have advantages over EVs. For my family and I an EV is a great fit. We don't miss our old diesel estate and it was quite nice (Audi A6 Avant Quattro Sport). I know longer journeys take longer in an EV. Considering those occasional longer journeys have been free since we switched to an EV in 2011, I'm not too upset about that. Ireland is not a big country and while longer range (500km) EVs are still premium, it's only a matter of time that EVs with this range (or even a good bit less would do most journeys in Ireland) reach the masses.

Electrics are already at a stage where They are perfectly feasible. Think Model S. However it just so happens Tesla are the only company who can actually make an 85 kwh battery pack from all those small cells that can fit in a car. ( granted the Model S is a big car) The rest of the auto makers use automotive specific cells which are a much larger format. And are not packaged efficiently. Even in the Leaf which has the battery installed more as part of the chassis than the Volt.

The German auto makers could have done much better but they have absolutely 0 interest in electric cars. The I3 and E-Golf are nothing special and the I3 is very expensive and not worth the premium over the MK 1.5 Leaf for what might add up to a tiny increase if any in range.

Of course the German car makers were forced to make electrics in order to continue to make ice cars so their solution was a ev with similar range as the leaf. I mean why would they bother ?

Cost is also an issue but that will come down in time. We need more people to buy electric and once there is a strong market, car makers will be scrambling to make better electrics.

Recharge times will not be too much of an issue in a few years as tech improves, the Model S can replace 170 miles in 30 mins V 70 odd in the Leaf.

While electrics in their current form won't suit everyone they will suit a lot of people, it would suit most of my driving but not all but we have 2 cars and so it wouldn't be difficult to hop from one to the other. 25,000 miles a year in a Leaf is more than doable for me. And while I'd be more than willing to take the Leaf on a longer Spin for 150 miles, I doubt I'd go further in one go, how often do I do a longer trip in one go ? rarely.

I do believe the Irish Government could do a lot more to install fast chargers, but they are not in the slightest bit interested .

The E.U itself need to do a lot more.

The Model S can do about 250-270 miles on a charge, Our CRV gets about 300, the Difference the Honda can refill in about 5 mins V 1 hr for the Model S to replace 80%.

The idea is charge at night and fast charge on route over dinner, lunch while shopping etc.

370 miles in the Model S with one 30 min fast charge isn't too bad in my book.

Nissan Leaf II will be very very interesting.

Donnelly117

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

Please show me where this happened.

Basically from post 107 onward its gone from the OP looking for info to another EV vs ICE discussion... Proves my point really

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Sesshoumaru wrote: »

On a more serious note, EV's have advantages over ICE cars. ICE cars have advantages over EVs. For my family and I an EV is a great fit. We don't miss our old diesel estate and it was quite nice (Audi A6 Avant Quattro Sport). I know longer journeys take longer in an EV. Considering those occasional longer journeys have been free since we switched to an EV in 2011, I'm not too upset about that. Ireland is not a big country and while longer range (500km) EVs are still premium, it's only a matter of time that EVs with this range (or even a good bit less would do most journeys in Ireland) reach the masses.

I reckon when these become widely available then the technology to offer this range is available.
I know EV owners say the range is not an issue, but it is embedded in the mindset of motorists (myself included) that range is needed. No-one wants to have to fill up multiple times on a journey even if it is free. For a range comparison even in my 5.7 v8 with a small fuel tank of 19 US gallons, I can drive dublin to limerick and back on less than a full tank. People are used to that.

If making it free to charge didn't work, then I think the only thing that will is achieving ICE levels of range in an EV. People have range in their ICE cars and will not want to take a step backwards and give up this range.

I know I often come across as very anti-EV in these discussions - and on some levels as a dino juice fan I am - but I am very interested in these new technologies. Anything that is a progressive step and/or will save me money interests me.
At the moment, the current range of EVs that we have in Ireland will do neither. When they will, I will look at buying one for the commute and the non-fun driving.

shedweller

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

I reckon when these become widely available then the technology to offer this range is available.
I know EV owners say the range is not an issue, but it is embedded in the mindset of motorists (myself included) that range is needed. No-one wants to have to fill up multiple times on a journey even if it is free. For a range comparison even in my 5.7 v8 with a small fuel tank of 19 US gallons, I can drive dublin to limerick and back on less than a full tank. People are used to that.

If making it free to charge didn't work, then I think the only thing that will is achieving ICE levels of range in an EV. People have range in their ICE cars and will not want to take a step backwards and give up this range.

I know I often come across as very anti-EV in these discussions - and on some levels as a dino juice fan I am - but I am very interested in these new technologies. Anything that is a progressive step and/or will save me money interests me.
At the moment, the current range of EVs that we have in Ireland will do neither. When they will, I will look at buying one for the commute and the non-fun driving.

But if people don't buy them, manufacturers will not make them. No incentive etc etc.

But seriously, why does anyone need more than 200 miles range if you could fast charge that in 30 mins ?

That means you'll carry a huge heavy expensive battery for the few times a year you might need it.

So you charge at home, drive 200 miles, bite to eat and she's charged for 170-180 miles.

In theory the Leaf would need 60 kwh to travel 200 miles according to the EPA figure of 30 kwh/100 miles, it currently has 20 kwh usable. I think I'd be happy with 150 miles range and 10 min charging !

shedweller

[Deleted User] wrote: »

I think I'd be happy with 150 miles range and 10 min charging !

The oil industry wouldn't though!

shedweller

shedweller wrote: »

The oil industry wouldn't though!

They'll still make plenty, there are a lot of products made from oil + many of these companies sell gas too.

faithfulfan

mmitche wrote: »

Hi all
Esb have contacted me and are organizing the access card. Whew that takes a lot of pressure off me and I can look forward to an exciting trip now.....
Thanks for your helpful suggestions. I suspect that I'm joining a great group of EV pioneers....

Matt

Hi Matt, How did you get on with your trip to the UK? I've also been looking at driving a Leaf back to Limerick.

Sesshoumaru

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

I reckon when these become widely available then the technology to offer this range is available.
I know EV owners say the range is not an issue, but it is embedded in the mindset of motorists (myself included) that range is needed. No-one wants to have to fill up multiple times on a journey even if it is free. For a range comparison even in my 5.7 v8 with a small fuel tank of 19 US gallons, I can drive dublin to limerick and back on less than a full tank. People are used to that.

If making it free to charge didn't work, then I think the only thing that will is achieving ICE levels of range in an EV. People have range in their ICE cars and will not want to take a step backwards and give up this range.

I know I often come across as very anti-EV in these discussions - and on some levels as a dino juice fan I am - but I am very interested in these new technologies. Anything that is a progressive step and/or will save me money interests me.
At the moment, the current range of EVs that we have in Ireland will do neither. When they will, I will look at buying one for the commute and the non-fun driving.

I wouldn't say that EV's are boring!

http://driving.ca/bmw/auto-news/news/tesla-model-s-is-better-than-bmw-m5-koenigsegg-founder/

If you were to take car advice from anyone in the world, the creator of one of the world’s most insane and expensive hypercars might be a good person to turn to.

In this case, it is Christian von Koenigsegg, the Swedish man responsible for Koenigsegg, who says his Tesla Model S daily driver is better than the mighty BMW M5 in every possible way, according to Auto Evolution. Von Koenigsegg, who has owned the Model S since October 2013 and was one of the first people in Sweden to get one, says the Tesla beats the M5 at acceleration, handling and “driving fun games” in a recent video interview from the Electric Car Conference in Helsingborg featured by the Tesla Club of Sweden (sorry, it’s in Swedish).

He says the Tesla Model S is the best car in its price range and he speaks highly of its active and passive safety features, adding that “common people” know very little about electric cars and the only way to spread the word is to get more people to test drive them.

In the video, he also predicts that 80 per cent of all cars worldwide will be electric by 2020, but he worries about how mainstream automakers like BMW and Audi will compete with Tesla.

Koenigsegg, which teased a new creation last week that will debut in Geneva, was previously in the running to buy Saab, a move von Koenigsegg says would have allowed his company to develop and make electric cars.

You can't say a man like Koenigsegg is not a motoring enthusiast and he says his own personal Tesla Model S is superior to a BMW M5. He makes an interesting prediction on EV adoption as well.

mmitche

faithfulfan wrote: »

Hi Matt, How did you get on with your trip to the UK? I've also been looking at driving a Leaf back to Limerick.

I really enjoyed the experience. Made it back but suffered range anxiety on more than 1 occasion. Irishferries are great and the onboard charger is brill!
Let me know when you're going and I'll try to put my blog of the trip together ASAP..... I've some good tips for you...

mmitche

Hi all
This is a blog of my trip from Abergele, Wales to Limerick, Ireland in my newly purchased 2011 Nissan leaf. It's a "warts and all" update....
The extent of my knowledge of the leaf was gleaned by a test drive of a leaf at the local nissan dealership in limerick (tiernans motors).it drove beautifully and I was hooked, however 　I didn't have the cash to purchase so I searched the internet and agreed a deal with Slaters motors Abergele.　
Preparation for Journey: I contacted Esb ecars who promised to have an access card for the charge network available. Given that the weather was extremely stormy I booked the "irish ferries" Ulysses from Dublin to Holyhead as it's the largest ferry on the Irish Sea and it has an on board car charge point. As their website suggested I emailed them to request access to the on board charger. They replied by asking to take some promotional pictures of the car being charged, to which I gladly agreed. This made the trip a reality and I contacted Dave of Abergele motors to ensure I had enough charge to get to Holyhead and to have the car preheated.　
Trip: 　on Wednesday 5th February the storms hit with a vengeance and many ferries were cancelled, however the Ulysses was delayed by a few hours. I was pretty nervous of the trip as the storm was very intense. Note: for €42 I had a walk on ferry ticked along with the rail ticked. Great value!!!
11:00 ferry on way and the capt announced deployment of stabilisers as force 9 gale was causing sone large swells. Gulp.... 　The ship rode the massive waves super smoothly and I even had a breakfast on board with no fear of queasiness. Note to self: always take the Ulysses, it's a super ship.....
13:00　met with Chief purser and engineer to check charge cable compatibility with leaf. Everything looks good!
15:15: rang Dave who told me high amp cable smoked therefore car put n slow charge for day and driven around to increase reported 68km range. It's 55 miles to the ferry port so I emailed Ian (pre-owner of my leaf, who's a knowledgeable enthusiast). Ian felt that I could make the trip if I drove in Eco mode at 50mph with heater off. He suggested that Slaters preheat the car off the mains, great idea....
15:34 Marie of esb cars rings to provide card. Pickup at head office on return.. Yippee, I'm getting more confident of a successful trip now! Note: on onboard internet is uber-useful....
　
17:30　my train sails past Abergele station with me standing at door watching Abergele and posnam sign fly by. Getting that nervous feeling....
17:45: I get off at Rhyl, 10 miles further down track at Rhyl. 　Police line platform and arrest a passenger. I suspect that train was diverted to facilitate this. I ring Slaters who obligingly send Dave to collect me.　
18:00　arrive at slaters who've patiently remained on late to oblige me. Finished paperwork. Nice people with which to do business!!!
18:30 on trip to Holyhead with full charge. It took me a while to get comfortable with the space age electrics. Dave programmed Holyhead into the satnav and I'm off..... The weather is actually getting worse with horizontal rain and severe gusts, hoping I make it and don't get stuck in this storm.....
7:45 arrive with 12 miles of battery rangeremaining after driving at 50 mph behind other cautious drivers.
8pm - midnight:　looked for nice restaurant and started reading manuals. Drove back to ferry port with only 8miles remaining, getting a little nervous. This drops to 4 miles by checkin time....
1:00 checkin and the ticket lady was enthralled by the shapely leaf. I was given a yellow priority boarding tag and felt the uncertainty of what would happen after my last 4 miles were used up as I queued. The range anxiety perspiration returned as I waited the last 30mins before boarding. I was fearful that the car battery would deplete and I wouldn't be able to board...
1:30: Finally, drove the car into the charge bay and connected it up. However, after connecting the car I noticed that the indicators on the dash didn't light up to indicate that charging had started. Luckily, I had noted these led indicators in the manual earlier. I found that a power switch needed to be turned on beside the charge port on the ferry and the charger then started. Wheew... Stress levels reducing.....
2:00am After a great chat with the loading crew on my goals for the leaf (we worked it down to weekly savings), we discussed the spec and the comparison to hybrids. The crew then gave me a complimentary suite and access to the luxurious club lounge. I showered and smiled at the sheer variety of the day gone by and the promise of a 140 mile road trip ahead...
　
2:40am　ship departs and I enjoy the Molly Malone suite with a shower and coffee. I pop up to the club class lounge with my complimentary pass and enjoy lovely food and drink...
6am: arrive at Dublin port and car charged to 61miles, feeling good....　
7:30am: pick up access card for charge network at ESB headquarters and I'm off, feeling tired but confident....
8:30　arrive at Belgard motors in Gallagher. Met Stephen (sales manager) who's also driving a leaf. He kindly moves cars out of the way to charge my car and offers me a coffee. Enjoyed chat and departed with full charge.... Life's good....
9:30: Arrived at Junction 14. Quick charger free so I connected it up and had a nice fry up for brekky. The car indicated 68miles range available and the next targetted quick chargepooint is in the Abbey Court Hotel Nenagh, which is 60 miles away. But I have a secret weapon in the form of the UK supplied cable with standard 3pin plug if I get stuck. Banzai and off I go....
10:30 After driving like a granny along the M7 at 50mph and hugging the slow lane it looks like I won't make Nenagh. I pull off the M7 into Roscrea. I've 13miles range left with 18 miles to go to the Abbey Court. So, pullled into the garage beside the McDonalds and explained that I needed access to a 3 ping socket. The staff were extremely helpfule and I ran a cable in the back of their hot counter area, waited 45minutes and hey presto, the range increased to 23 miles.
11:30 Off I go with my 23 miles range. However, my google maps leads me up a very hilly road for about 1 mile and I lose 5 miles from my available range. The range anxiety perspiration returnes with a vengence. I re-enter the m7 and proceed with granny like softness on the accelerator, cruising at 50mph until I reach the Abbey Court with 2 miles left, wheew.....
12:30: Connected the car to the Fast Charger but the menu system is quite confusing and I get "Tony" from the hotel to help me out. With the car charging I have a stress free cup of coffee and scone in the hotel The staff were very helpful....
1:30pm: Off I go on the final leg of my journey with about 30 miles left. I drive normally but note that the range drops pretty quickly with a little more agression on the accelerator.

2:30pm: Made it home with about 15 miles range left. Now that was an event filled trip........


Conclusion: The trip is totally doable with careful planning. Ensure that you have a backup plan in the event of problems. Do the following:
1. Get your Esb access card before the trip,
2. check with IrishFerries on chargepoint access
3. Ensure that the car has been charged and heated before you collect.
4. Ensure that your sellers provide an emergency contact number or charge point access along your route.
5. Your secret weapon is the 3pin charge cable provided with the UK car as it can plug in anywhere in the case of emergency.
6. Plan your trip carefully with Google maps and use the ESB App to plan your charge points in Ireland.
7. Everyone is interested in these cars and are willing to help you out in the case of a problem, so don't be afraid to ask......
8. Watch your available range closely as your driving style may deplete your range considerably.
　
NOTE: My leaf has since developed a fault and has been in the Nissan centre for the past week. I'm told that there are several errors that Nissan Europe are debugging. Basically, the battery went from 36miles left to completely empty overnight. It went into emergency shutdown mode and I called Nissan Pan Europe Warranty, who had the car removed. So, unfortunately I'm unable to show off my new aquisition to my many interested colleagues at work. But, hopefully Nissan will sort out the issue and I'll be back on the road soon.....

Cleveland Hot Pocket

3 Pin charger?
Does that mean that you can plug in anywhere so?
I'd be a lot more leaf-interested if you could.

bear1

Feckin hell that trip would have me stressed to the teeth.
Fair play to you for sticking it and solving problems.
I think I'll stay with fuel injection for now
Well wear and hopefully you'll get it back.
Out of curiosity, what is the problem? The battery is losing the charge?

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Oh and I meant to add, great blog. Interesting to read the advantages and disadvantages of EVs being posted in an unbiased way.

The leafs/leaves are coming down in price, here's one for under £10k for instance.
http://www.autotrader.co.uk/classified/advert/201401291395674/sort/default/usedcars/model/leaf/make/nissan/page/1?logcode=p

Combined with 3 pin charging possibility (which I didnt know existed), if they dropped another couple of thousand I can see myself buying one. I always read these threads with interest.

The 3 pin portable charger (EVSE) was only made available int he U.K. The ESB thought that 13 amps was too stressful for Irish sockets so be careful and only plug this into a fully extended extension cord to avoid heat build up.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Deleted User wrote: »

The 3 pin portable charger (EVSE) was only made available int he U.K. The ESB thought that 13 amps was too stressful for Irish sockets so be careful and only plug this into a fully extended extension cord to avoid heat build up.

So, I buy the 3 pin cable in the UK.
Does it only work with UK leafs or will it work with Irish ones too?
And am I correct in saying that there is still no VRT for ev imports?


I'm surprised how much thought I am giving this.

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

So, I buy the 3 pin cable in the UK.
Does it only work with UK leafs or will it work with Irish ones too?
And am I correct in saying that there is still no VRT for ev imports?


I'm surprised how much thought I am giving this.

Yeah it will work on Irish leaf's too.

Goto the vrt website and check, afaik there is still no vrt on imports but on new cars vrt now applies, you get back a max of 5k in vrt so probably non applied anyway.

mmitche, great blog, well done!

The MK 1.5 has a much more efficient heater, and a better range indicator.

Get the leafspy app and a bluetooth dongle and it will give you a much better indication of the range you have left, it will also report the condition of the battery, but as the batteries optimum temp ( not ambient temp ) is 20 deg C, it won't show full capacity until the weather gets warmer.

Donnelly117

Cleveland Hot Pocket wrote: »

So, I buy the 3 pin cable in the UK.
Does it only work with UK leafs or will it work with Irish ones too?
And am I correct in saying that there is still no VRT for ev imports?


I'm surprised how much thought I am giving this.

To be honest the cable is not supplied here so they can charge you €400-500 euro for it down the road. If its supplied in the UK as standard I see no reason why it isnt supplied standard here. I think its about 10 hours to charge on a 10 amp supply anyway

Cleveland Hot Pocket

Donnelly117 wrote: »

To be honest the cable is not supplied here so they can charge you €400-500 euro for it down the road. If its supplied in the UK as standard I see no reason why it isnt supplied standard here. I think its about 10 hours to charge on a 10 amp supply anyway

That's fine. Overnight charging - use the car for commute to work and back. Less than 60 miles total (probably about 40).

As I rent my house in Dublin, I can't get a permanent charger installed.

deandean

Great blog mmitche, someone'll be along to you for the film rights!

Can I ask, do you get a FC cable with the car, or it that part of the charger?

And are you gonna get a FC at home?

Thanks, and well done again, I have been following this thread.

Dean

mmitche

Yes, the battery discharged from 36miles to 0 overnight.
Nissan are looking into the multiple error codes....
No more info yet.....

mmitche

I contacted a very helpful Leaf owner in Cork (Martin) who happens to be an electrical engineer. He put me onto the following company in the UK and I've ordered the cable for around 300 euro. Details below:

1 x Type1-Type2, mode 3, 32amp, 5m charging lead (with locking facility) @ £159.00 1 x Delivery via TNT @ £39.99
-All prices are subject to vat & delivery costs.

Zero Emission Vehicles Ltd
+44(0)7917 125849
susan@zevltd.com

deandean

mmitche wrote: »

I contacted a very helpful Leaf owner in Cork (Martin) who happens to be an electrical engineer. He put me onto the following company in the UK and I've ordered the cable for around 300 euro. Details below:

1 x Type1-Type2, mode 3, 32amp, 5m charging lead (with locking facility) @ £159.00 1 x Delivery via TNT @ £39.99
-All prices are subject to vat & delivery costs.

Zero Emission Vehicles Ltd
+44(0)7917 125849
susan@zevltd.com

Very good. I wonder if you can make your own FC outlet at home? I saw a youtube clip on it where you buy the enclosure, RCBO, socket etc and have an electrician put it all together. Not sure if it was for a leaf, though.

[edit] Here's a linky:
http://transportevolved.com/2013/11/13/can-you-build-your-own-electric-car-charging-station-uk-charity-says-yes/

Donnelly117

Donnelly117 wrote: »

To be honest the cable is not supplied here so they can charge you €400-500 euro for it down the road. If its supplied in the UK as standard I see no reason why it isnt supplied standard here. I think its about 10 hours to charge on a 10 amp supply anyway

The portable EVSE was not intended to be used as the primary source of charging. As you got extra dangers such as extension cables lying on wet ground, heat in the extension reel etc.

Also it won't allow the car to charge from empty in the off peak period.