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ElectricAvenue

Well-known member
Joined
Jan 29, 2013
Messages
50
Location
Austin, Tejas
Hey hello how are you
I'm Jim and live in Austin and my wife works for Roger Beasly who owns or co-owns Mazda, Audi, Hyundai, Subaru, Saab, Volvo, Porsche and oh yes Mistsubishi dealerships (among others) ... so no one is buying the iMiev and they put them on sale ... we got the upgrade $31,000 model for $21,000 though we won't see the $7,500 tax credit till next year (darn) ... and hoo boy are we so jazzed about what a great deal for an EV that this morning I'm looking at the owners manual an say to myself 'tire patch kit' hmmmm... I don't think I can remember all of the cars I've owned since 1967 (well if I try I might ;)) but this is the first car I've owned that didn't have a spare tire and a jack ... then I said to my self that I've ridden bicycles and motorcycles for ever and never had a spare on them so I thought I'd pose the question has anyone had a flat yet?
 
ElectricAvenue said:
...but this is the first car I've owned that didn't have a spare tire and a jack ... then I said to my self that I've ridden bicycles and motorcycles for ever and never had a spare on them so I thought I'd pose the question has anyone had a flat yet?
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ElectricAvenue, welcome as a new iMiEV owner! Hope you enjoy it as much as most of us do and find that it fulfills your needs.
Not having a spare tire can be a bit disconcerting, but I've done two things:
1. Carry a tire plug-and-seal kit - who knows, it might actually work. :? I'd rather not use the goopy thing that comes with the car.
2. Found that a small space-saver spare wheel/tire from one of my other cars fits the iMiEV (rear wheels), and plan on modifying the front hub inserts so that spare would also fit in the front. I carry this plus a small jack on the rare occasions that I venture more than about 40 miles from home.
 
Well it is true that I reasoned with my wife that we only drive around Austin limiting our daily mileage to maybe 50 miles and if we drive out to New Orleans for Jazz Fest we rent a car instead of putting the miles on my 2001 F150 4.2 liter six cylinder or her 2004 VW New Beetle 1.8 Turbo.
I drive my 06 Triumph Tiger most every day anyway so I'm figuring my missus will be driving the
i-Miev most :lol:
 
Welcome, ElectricAvenue!

I, too, am a new "i" owner. Last night, I finished reading the poorly-written (-translated) owner's manual. The illustration for the tire patch kit showed Phillips-head screws holding down the hatch under the rear seat. I wondered if I needed to pack a screwdriver into the glove box!

After some experimentation, I figured out how to remove the rear seat (pull one of the release handles, pull up that side of the seat, then repeat with the other side; don't try and do both at once!) and looked at the tire kit cover. Fortunately they put wing nuts there -- no tools required. Still a bit crowded with yourself and the seat bottom in the back of the "i" all at once.

Many high-efficiency vehicles currently don't have spares, including the Focus EV, Fit EV, and others. Carrying around an extra 30 lbs. of spare tire reduces efficiency. Just be familiar with the flat repair process, and have your insurance company's road-side assistance number handy, just in case. :D
 
I've driven my Miata for the past 13 or 14 years without a spare - Oh, it came with one, but it takes up way too much of the miniscule trunk, so I took it out and stored it in the garage. We've driven it cross country without the spare . . . . in fact, that's when you'll need the extra space the most. I've never had a flat, but I do carry both a tire plug kit and 2 bottles of the tire goo which I would use to inflate the tire

I have the same 'kit' in our other car, mostly for the wife's benefit. It does have a spare but getting it out and getting it changed would probably b more than she could manage. Likely, if she ever has a flat, I'll be getting a phone call . . . . ;)

Don
 
Hi Folks! Just recently leased an I, SE model, no big display screen nor rear view camera, but pretty much everything else--save for the QC option. So far, absolutely LOVE this car. It's quiet, smooth, comfortable, and of course cheap to operate. In some ways I wish that I had purchased, but given the newness of the technology and fact that battery degradation will occur, maybe lease was best option for me at this time. Something tells me though, that in 2 years I am going to wish I'd purchased the car. The residual cost($24,000) is way out of line with what a 2 year old car, with 24,000 miles would cost, so it's unlikley I'll buy the car, no matter how much I like it. OK, then maybe I''ll get a 2015 Mitsubishi I(if there is such an animal by then) or another EV. We'll see. For now though I am going to enjoy every clean, comfortable and relaxing mile in this cute little car. By the way, I sure get stares when people see this baby. It has the blue electric car detailing with the plug graphics on the side, so people figure out pretty quickly that it's an EV. I do wish it had an I-Phone app, that is one thing I think I'd really like to have. Maybe next edition will. Same thing about a little more range, will just take time.

Lou
 
gatedad11 said:
Hi Folks! Just recently leased an I, SE model, ... I sure get stares when people see this baby. It has the blue electric car detailing with the plug graphics on the side, so people figure out pretty quickly that it's an EV.
Click to expand...
Welcome to the EV club ... and in PA (we're in Lancaster County). We got our ES model last June and have really enjoyed it these past 6 months or so. Have fun ...
 
Hi, I am a new iMiev owner here in Austin. I love this thing as a second car. It is sooooo quiet. There are things that are certainly cheaply made. But overall what a great vehicle.

So far charging with OEM L1 EVSE has been more than enough. Austin Energy does pay for half the L2 EVSE install so I'm inclined to do it....if the electrician ever gets back to me with a price.

I like the
$749
http://store.leviton.com/Evr-Green-Charging-Station-output-EVB22-3PM/dp/B00700S23A#.UO3zYW_Xb8n

$79
I would probably also order the Installation Kit.
http://store.leviton.com/Evr-Green-Installation-Charging-Station-EVK02-M/dp/B00700SVXQ?ie=UTF8&prevPageletDesc=DP%3ARecommendations&suggestedItem=B00700S23A#.UO30P2_Xb8k

Austin also has a bunch of charging stations around town.

Lawman
 
Hey now Lawman
I live here in Austin too and if you haven't gotten your Austin Energy Plug-in card here's the deal.
You go in and pay them $25.00 and you'll get a charge point card that's good for 6 months of unlimited charging at any Plug In site! And they are all over!
http://www.austinenergy.com/About%20Us/Environmental%20Initiatives/Plug-In%20Partners/index.htm
Hope to see you around!
Jim
 
lawman78727 said:
Hi, I am a new iMiev owner here in Austin. I love this thing as a second car.
Click to expand...
Welcome!

We thought it would be our second car too, but since we bought it last May, we've put exactly $20 worth of gas in each of our other two cars, while we've racked up 7500 gas-free miles on the iMiEV

Never did we dare dream things would work out this way, but it's obviously became our #1 car somewhere along the line!

Don
 
+1 owner in PA!! Bought and drove home a white ES with QC last night. Wow, what a nice ride. So happy to finally own an EV! :D :D :D

https://www.dropbox.com/s/d85zrduo96cbxxq/2013-02-21%2022.08.30.jpg
 
Thanks. It was a tough decision for a while, especially with the LEAF dropping in price, but the i seems more reliable, and it has much better visibility. I got a great deal on the i, $6,000 dealer cash and 0% financing. :mrgreen:

By the way, the PA $3,500 rebate is all used up. They now have the $3,000 available for the next 500 up until June 30th, 2013.
 
I will drive it to work Monday. 53 mile range (47 miles driven, 5 miles remaining) with cold temps, hills, highway, and heat on the way home from the dealer.
 
PV1 said:
I will drive it to work Monday. 53 mile range (47 miles driven, 5 miles remaining) with cold temps, hills, highway, and heat on the way home from the dealer.
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Not bad, but running the heater introduces a non-motive variable which can significantly affect range. If I may suggest, until you understand the car, dress warmly, don't run the heater at all (do preheat the car and DO use the carseat heater), and drive slowly. Once you recognize how easily you can control your range, go ahead and run the heater full blast at 80mph ... always staying tuned-in to how far you're going and how much time you have available to recharge. All it takes is a little planning ahead... :geek:
 
I kept the heater off until after I got off of the highway and I knew I had enough range. At that time, there were 18 miles remaining and only 5 to drive, so I went ahead and defrosted. A good feature on the climate system is that even with it off, you can still control the recirculator and where the air goes. Made it easy to keep the windshield clear even without heat once I figured it out.

A cold ride beats a cold walk. ;)
 
Took the car out today. I plugged in last night and charged for 13 hours, giving me 13 bars and 52 miles remaining. I drove 32.5 miles to Pittsburgh for a green car event. I was able to charge for free, and there was considerable interest in the car. They also had a converted Honda Civic, a Volt, Model S, and a RAV4-EV. It was fun. Then we went to the conservatory where I was able to park and charge for free about a half mile away. At the end, I had 14 bars and 63 miles for my 34 mile trip home. HEAT! (Just kidding. The weather's not bad today.) I didn't start the trip home yet, but I'm not by a charger now because we're at a restaurant. The car is performing wonderfully so far.

One thing it did do was after leaving the first charging station, a relay on the driver's side kept clicking randomly and quickly. Anyone experience this?
 

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