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gatedad11

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 18, 2013
Messages
95
Location
Bucks County, PA
Sending good thoughts and thanks for Conicelli Nissan, in Conshohocken, PA.
I really appreciate that they were kind enough to allow me to plug in and give me an hour of charge today. Had a Dr's appointment in Philadelphia, I-MiEV was at about 80% SOC. Traveled from hospital in city to work in Conshohocken (to later get back to my home in Warminster, PA) so they allowed me to plug in. I know that this is apparently commonplace with Nissan dealers(and other EV mfgrs'), but I didn't want to let the opportunity to thank them pass. By the way, having only Level 1 Trickle charge at home is OK, but Level 2 is soooo much better. Having the opportunity to charge when not at home really removes range anxiety(not that I have any, because I don't).

Lou
 
gatedad11, thank you for the complimentary post. IMO, dealerships allowing 'foreign' vehicles to charge generates not only goodwill, but is a win-win at negligible cost to the dealership. It allows us, as 'foreign' visitors, to explore the latest offerings of that car brand and usually results in that dealership's business card in our hands. For example, I've talked my next-door neighbor into buying a Leaf as, with three kids, he really needs five legal seats. I would hope that Mitsubishi dealers would be similarly cooperative.
 
ElectricAvenue said:
I had noticed that a couple of different Nissan dealerships (one in Round Rock and the other outside Belton) show up on the EV Charger APP ...

Is there an official Nissan policy re non-Leafs charging at Nissan dealership EVSEs? When I look at PlugCharge comments, some sound like anyone can charge there, while others say they were told that the chargers are for Leafs only. I could see Nissan's motivation from either perspective. If they make it exclusive, they reward Leaf buyers with extra charging stations. If they allow all EVs, it helps show EVs — including the Leaf — are a reliable option with a strong infrastructure, and it earns goodwill toward the company that could lead to sales down the line. With Nissan's plans to install quickchargers at a lot of its dealerships, I can definitely see where it might be handy to access their EVSEs.

I would hope that, if nothing else, the local dealer group that sold me my i-MiEV (Ken Garff) would let me charge at their three Nissan dealerships. (Conveniently located 35-40 miles from each other, one north and one south of my city, so that could really improve my prospects of making a long round trip.)
 
More than one poster, on this board as well as My Nissan Leaf, have commented that Nissan's dealers seem to be very open to any EV charging at their location. As you mentioned, an EV of any type is an advertisement for the technology in general, and can only help EV sales and use. I have charged at Conicelli Nissan and they were totally gracious, and having called a few other local Nissan dealers(to figure out back up locations), they all have been absolutely fine with me charging my I there.

Lou
 
gatedad11 said:
More than one poster, on this board as well as My Nissan Leaf, have commented that Nissan's dealers seem to be very open to any EV charging at their location. As you mentioned, an EV of any type is an advertisement for the technology in general, and can only help EV sales and use. I have charged at Conicelli Nissan and they were totally gracious, and having called a few other local Nissan dealers(to figure out back up locations), they all have been absolutely fine with me charging my I there.
I would hope that Mitsubishi dealers would do the same, with the perspective that doing so exposes the other to one's product.
 
This issue got me thinking, so I made a few phone calls. We've never recharged ANYWHERE, so I had no idea how this would work, or if it would at all

The Mitsu dealership I bought my car though told me at the time that they had received three L2 chargers from Mitsu as part of their being selected as an iMiEV dealership and that once they got them installed, we could count on a free recharge there anytime we were in the neighborhood. This was last May. Problem is, they never installed any of the three. I ask about them each time I'm there and today I called the manager and he informed me that they are 'rethinking their commitment to EV's and that he would be making a decision soon as to whether or not they would ever be installed' - Stand by!

I have a couple of Nissan dealerships in my area and both are listed on Plugshare as places to recharge. I *suspect* that Nissan corporate listed every single United States dealership they have on Plugshare . . . . and without letting many of them know. I called both dealerships to see if they would allow any other make of car to charge there and got the same answer from both - "Our recharging system only works with Leafs". When I told them that any 'charging system' which would recharge a Leaf would also work with a Chevy Volt, Mitsu, Prius and several other brands I got . . . . silence! They obviously had no clue. One dealership promised to get back with me after they got with the powers that be and the other told me to call back today. I did and he still had no valid answer . . . . I'm still waiting to hear from the other one

So - Just because you find a Nissan dealership listed on Plugshare doesn't mean that anyone at the dealership *knows* they are listed and it also doesn't mean they will let you charge there . . . . which is the whole point of a Plugshare listing, at least as I understand it

Don
 
I think the best philosophy for the Nissan dealerships might be that it's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission. If you call them, they might say it's Leaf-only, but if you just show up and plug in, who knows if they'll even be paying attention? Hey, if they get Chademo EVSEs you might get charged up before anyone even notices you're there.
 
Don said:
I ask about them each time I'm there and today I called the manager and he informed me that they are 'rethinking their commitment to EV's and that he would be making a decision soon as to whether or not they would ever be installed'
Tell him to give you the three EVSEs if he's not going to use them. I'll buy one from you at the right price! :D
 
nsps said:
I think the best philosophy for the Nissan dealerships might be that it's easier to ask forgiveness than to ask permission. If you call them, they might say it's Leaf-only, but if you just show up and plug in, who knows if they'll even be paying attention?
I questioned Nissan USA corporate about this subject and got the reply that "Each dealership is a privately owned entity and since they own the charging stations and pay for the power to run them, they can each make their own decisions as to who can use them"

I knew that already

What I don't understand is . . . . who is listing all these dealerships on Plugshare as places where anyone can recharge without even telling the dealerships that they are being listed there?

Need to get with Plugshare I guess and see if they can verify their database as having only dealers who will allow their stations to be used, since neither of the ones I asked even knew they were listed there

Don
 
Over at this site's sister Leaf forum, it sounds like people are rather frustrated. I guess Nissan required dealers to install the charging stations for Leaf certification, but didn't think to make them sign any commitment to let people charge there, presumably because it seemed like common sense. Most people think that Nissan listed all the dealerships on PlugShare and Car Wings, but some of the dealers won't let Leafs charge unless they were purchased, or block the parking spaces with ICE cars. My girlfriend test-drove a Leaf today, so I plugged into one of the chargers while we were there without issue.
 
I've charged at a Nissan dealership about 30 miles from my house a few times, including today. I saw it on PlugShare. Nobody seems to mind. One of the mechanics was checking my i-MiEV out so I asked him if they had the 2013 Leaf yet. He told me that they just got one in and they were checking it out in the shop and it would be available in a couple days. They have three Level 2 chargers; a 2012 Leaf was charging in one and the other two were blocked by ICE cars. I was able to charge from the road behind the chargers since they have long cords. The i-MiEV charges at about 3 kilowatt-hours, so at the New Jersey rate of 16 cents a kilowatt-hour, that's about 50 cents for each hours worth of charge. What can we do as electric vehicle owners to encourage the installation of more charging stations? Level 2 chargers should be at places where you would spend at least an hour; malls, shopping centers, sports stadiums, company work locations, casinos. Level 3 or DC fast chargers should be at highway rest areas and combination gas station/convenience stores. DC fast chargers can give around 30 miles range in 15 minutes. Can our government get the electric companies to pitch in?
 
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