Just bought an iMiev

Got a nice silver SE with the premium package. Bought it in Hawaii on Oahu at Cutter. Still getting used to range and driving style. Coming from a Toyota Matrix, which I used as trade in. Good amount of charging stations here already which is nice. In about 45 days I will be shipping the new car to Rarotonga in the Cook Islands where I intend to live. It will certainly be the only electric car in the country. Before I put it in the 20' shipping container I will give it a full charge. The container should be at sea for 57 days. How much charge do you think will be left after that? I want to be able to drive it 10 miles to my home on the South of Raro from the dock in Avarua. Think it will hold enough of a charge to make it for that journey?

dakine - congratulations on your new iMiEV. Considering your destination, why in the world did you get a premium package for it?

For shipping your car in what might be a stiflingly-hot container for two months (why so long?), I would NOT fully charge it, but only charge the main battery to about 40%-50% (7-8 bars). It's my understanding that 40% is the suggested optimal storage SOC for lithiums. You might want to get an official technical (not salesperson's) opinion from Mitsubishi about this. After parking the car in the container I would disconnect one of the terminals on the 12v battery to keep it from going flat. Car won't come alive without 12v.

More importantly, you need to get a different EVSE or get your Level 1 EVSE modified to accept 240vac, as Rarotonga uses 240v 50Hz. Cheapest option might be evseupgrade.com, but talk to them first as to whether 50Hz is ok and whether GFCI compatibility might be an issue. I believe the Cook Islands use the Australia and New Zealand standard AS 3112 connector.

BTW, don't put a cover over the car while it's in the container as the ship's vibration can make it wear through your paint.

I think Rarotonga is a great place to have an electric car. Hope the relatively low ground clearance of the iMiEV won't prove a hindrance.

JoeS said:

dakine - congratulations on your new iMiEV. Considering your destination, why in the world did you get a premium package for it?

For shipping your car in what might be a stiflingly-hot container for two months (why so long?), I would NOT fully charge it, but only charge the main battery to about 40%-50% (7-8 bars).

More importantly, you need to get a different EVSE or get your Level 1 EVSE modified to accept 240vac, as Rarotonga uses 240v 50Hz.

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Thanks for the advice. I got the premium for the entertainment system and the back up camera. No need GPS on Raro.
So at half charge it should hold for 57 days? Quote from the shipping company "Transit time ex Hnl to Akl: 25 days
Transit time ex Akl to Raro: 10 days, The frequency of vsl sailing ex Akl to Rarotonga is only about every 21 days"

So about 56 days at sea.
Yes I am aware I will need a different EVSE, working on that.

Congratulations also, !
How come buying from Hawaii though ?. would Auckland, NZ be closer and mean one less boat ride, cheaper, or is it because we only have the smaller version in NZ, or the right hand side drive we have, which side of the road do the Cook I use .?.

The pricing here in NZ is pretty high too and no rebates yet, sigh, best price we have been offered is $48, 000 for a show car which is better in pricing than the $ 59, 990 normal price.

Once again, congrads, and have a neat ride.

In Rorotonga, what about solar charging, some vey good deals on solar to be found on www.trademe.co.nz, have seen about NZ 4 per watt !.

Eh Braddah,
Howzit!

Congrats on getting the imiev. The recomendations for body shops when repairing a imiev is to remove the 330v battery if the vehicle going into a heated drying booth. Extended high temps above 100 degrees F will cause damage to the lithium ion battery. You might want to check to see what the interior temp of the sea container will be over that extended period of time (56 days). Will it be stored above ship or below? Hotter on top, cooler below. A sea container stored in the sun at the dock will get really hot.

Disconnecting the 12v battery may be a good idea but be aware that the BMU (Battery Management Unit) keeps a running total of battery usage along with other vital data. This data will be lost after a 1 month period if the 12v battery is depleted or disconnected.

You'll have to send us a photo once the car gets there.

iMiEV808 said:

Extended high temps above 100 degrees F will cause damage to the lithium ion battery. You might want to check to see what the interior temp of the sea container will be over that extended period of time (56 days). Will it be stored above ship or below? Hotter on top, cooler below. A sea container stored in the sun at the dock will get really hot.

Disconnecting the 12v battery may be a good idea but be aware that the BMU (Battery Management Unit) keeps a running total of battery usage along with other vital data. This data will be lost after a 1 month period if the 12v battery is depleted or disconnected.

You'll have to send us a photo once the car gets there.

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Howzit!
These are some things to look into for sure. What negative effects will there be from the loss of the BMU data? I will be doing a motovlog from the car and my Harley once I get there, so plenty of pictures and video driving on that beautiful island.

dakine - I would expect the BMU to find itself in short order after the 12v battery is reconnected, certainly after the first time you charge it. My Honda Insight BMS figures everything out within about five minutes of driving. iMiEV808 - where did you find that information and was there any procedure for BMU re-boot?

Nevertheless, I'm quite concerned about the possible extensive exposure of your battery pack to high temperatures - have you talked with Mitsubishi technical about your plans? My guess is that sitting on the dock or on deck in a tropical climate the interior of that container is going to get over 120degF. Can the shipping company provide you with any environmental data?

JoeS said:

Nevertheless, I'm quite concerned about the possible extensive exposure of your battery pack to high temperatures - have you talked with Mitsubishi technical about your plans? My guess is that sitting on the dock or on deck in a tropical climate the interior of that container is going to get over 120degF. Can the shipping company provide you with any environmental data?

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Yes I am worried about that now also. I will make some calls Monday and see if I can get some information about that. Thanks guys for bringing this to my attention!

How does Mitsu get them from Japan to the US (or Europe or anywhere else for that matter) if not for shipboard containers??

I wouldn't worry about it too much

Don

Car shipping nowadays is via specialized car carriers. See -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll-on/roll-off
Cars are not exposed to temperature extremes while onboard.
I have a few shipping containers in my backyard - until I painted their roofs silver, they were ovens inside in the summer!
Here's a little more info on storing batteries:
http://batteryuniversity.com/learn/article/how_to_store_batteries
dakine - do let us know what Mitsubishi tells you.
Thanks.


Update 24 November, 2012. See here for the continuing saga:

http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=9&t=1126

Looks as though none of us thought to mention the Right Hand Drive possible issue. :shock:

JoeS said:

Car shipping nowadays is via specialized car carriers. See -
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roll-on/roll-off
Cars are not exposed to temperature extremes while onboard.

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I am pretty sure it will not be a specialized car ship. I am paying to ship two 20' containers to Rarotonga. One will have my family's personal stuff, furniture etc, and my Harley with a sidecar attached. The other one will have the car in it. I wish that there was the option of a special car transport ship.

dakine - sorry if I wasn't clear. I realize you're taking your iMiEV to Rarotonga in a shipping container, and I was just responding to Don on how Mitsu gets their cars across the ocean. I'm still bemused by your taking two such disparate vehicles to this tiny island in the middle of the Pacific... wouldn't an electric motorcycle or scooter be a better complement to the iMiEV instead of a Harley? :roll:

JoeS said:

I'm still bemused by your taking two such disparate vehicles to this tiny island in the middle of the Pacific... wouldn't an electric motorcycle or scooter be a better complement to the iMiEV instead of a Harley? :roll:

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Oh okay, I wasn't following closely. I am emotionally attached to my bike. Going from an ICE car to an electric car is no big deal. Asking a Harley owner to give up his bike for a scooter is another thing altogether. With the sidecar I can take my daughter to school in comfort, pick up groceries, etc. Things that can't be done with a scooter. Take a look at this beauty shot of my tug and tub and you will understand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnGOF7sh7Fs

dakine said:

Asking a Harley owner to give up his bike for a scooter is another thing altogether. With the sidecar I can take my daughter to school in comfort, pick up groceries, etc. Things that can't be done with a scooter. Take a look at this beauty shot of my tug and tub and you will understand.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnGOF7sh7Fs

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That is indeed a beautiful sidecar, and with it's top up your daughter will stay dry while you get drenched in the rainy season :lol:
Hmm, that sidecar would fit an electric motorcycle just fine.... :roll:
(BTW, I rode a Vincent in my youth)

I can easily understand why he would prefer to keep his Harley over getting anything electric

The whole point of riding a Harley is for the noise and the fact that it almost shakes your eyeteeth out - You probably couldn't GIVE him a completely silent, smooth replacement . . . . it just wouldn't be the same

I have a '79 Honda CBX that I feel the same way about - Nevermind that it has 4 or 5 more cylinders (and carburetors) than any motorcycle needs, that it only gets 30 MPG and that it's a maintenance nightmare . . . . if it was any different, I wouldn't want it!

Don

Don said:

The whole point of riding a Harley is for the noise and the fact that it almost shakes your eyeteeth out - You probably couldn't GIVE him a completely silent, smooth replacement . . . . it just wouldn't be the same

Don

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No offense but that is a stereotype that just does not fit me. The noise you hear from a Harley with a stage 1 and up is from a free breathing engine. I have a very heavily modified stage 4, runs like it is on fire. I really like electric motorcycles. None of them could haul my side hack, they don't make a sub-frame that fits them. Sure people like the noise of a bike with loud pipes, just like some people like a Honda civic with a coffee can on its tailpipe. Personally if my Harley made no noise I would still choose it over an electric motorcycle. The whole point point of owning a Harley for me is the love of air-cooled v-twins. I had a Moto Guzzi before. Actually I have quieter pipes than most for the comfort of my side hack passenger, commonly referred to as the monkey.
So back on topic, I am currently looking into what the conditions will be inside the container. This is a serious concern for me now as I really have no alternative for shipping and the date looms close. I have found that there are tie downs inside in the container so I can secure the iMeiv. Still considering a fitted car cover for it, taking into account what a previous poster said about covers rubbing the paint. Fitted may work out. Just got the windows tinted and custom seat covers. They look really nice, made locally with expertise. I will post pictures of them later.

There are plenty of 'even fire' air cooled V-twins, where one cylinder fires every 360 degrees of crankshaft rotation . . . . but they don't say Harley Davidson on the tank. From what my Harley loving fans tell me, the rumble caused by the uneven firing engine (one cylinder firing at 315 degrees and the other at 405 degrees) is what they all profess to love about Harleys . . . . that 'potato, potato' sound from the exhaust and the distinctive vibrations which result from odd firing engines. Nothing else will do

If you have everything securely tied down inside the container, I don't see what a car cover would benefit you - It may be dusty when you open the container without a cover on it, but it should clean up just fine

It's a crying shame it takes so long for the ship to go 3,000 miles - Even an old tub which was only capable of 10 knots could do that distance in 2 weeks or less. Maybe they want your car loaded in the container so the container can sit on the dock for 3 or 4 weeks before it's loaded aboard? I would check and see what the latest possible date you could put it in the container would be . . . . and then be there at the dock in Rarotonga the day the ship comes in and see how qiuckly you could retrieve it - Maybe you could cut a few weeks off that transit time?

Don

Don said:

If you have everything securely tied down inside the container, I don't see what a car cover would benefit you - It may be dusty when you open the container without a cover on it, but it should clean up just fine

It's a crying shame it takes so long for the ship to go 3,000 miles - Even an old tub which was only capable of 10 knots could do that distance in 2 weeks or less. Maybe they want your car loaded in the container so the container can sit on the dock for 3 or 4 weeks before it's loaded aboard? I would check and see what the latest possible date you could put it in the container would be . . . . and then be there at the dock in Rarotonga the day the ship comes in and see how qiuckly you could retrieve it - Maybe you could cut a few weeks off that transit time?

Don

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Yeah it is mostly dust or the odd flake of paint or rust or unforeseen particle that falls from the roof of the container the fitted cover would be for. It is a new car, I am paranoid.
Quote from the shipping company "Transit time ex Hnl to Akl: 25 days
Transit time ex Akl to Raro: 10 days, The frequency of vsl sailing ex Akl to Rarotonga is only about every 21 days"
It is not a direct route. I have looked into a sailing vessel that does ply the route directly, but it's schedule does not fit with my needs. Interestingly it is a smallish boat and they can take a car. They tie them to the deck. I am leaving for The Cooks in less than two months, so I will be there when the containers arrive, some hefty taxes I will have to pay on the car. The Harley I can show I have owned for more than 2 years and is exempt from taxes or fees. The car, since it is new, will require me paying a VAT. Sucks to get taxed twice, once from America and then there. Still cheaper, taxes and shipping included, than buying it from New Zealand.
This thread has really opened my eyes to a few details I had no idea about. Mahalo!

JoeS

BMU info came from the technical service manual. Section 00

PROCEDURES FOR WRITING BMU LEARNING VALUE
Required Special Tool:
•MB991958: Scan Tool (M.U.T.-III Sub Assembly)
•MB991824: V.C.I.
•MB991827: USB Cable
•MB991910: Main Harness A
PURPOSE
If replacing the BMU, write the BMU learning value.
NOTE:
If replacing the BMU and the traction battery at the same time, you do not have to do this procedure.
NOTE:
If the auxiliary battery is removed for more than a month, the BMU learning value manual must be written.

Traction battery months in use must be calculated from the battery label and re-written in to the BMU.

iMiEV808 - thank you for the information. Hmmm, I wonder what else gets programmed, because months-of-use would primarily be used by Mitsubishi for a warranty determination or perhaps battery performance degradation assessment. Notice, they say that reprogramming is not necessary if both the BMU and the battery are replaced at the same time. Makes me think that the BMU is self-learning when it comes to taking care of the battery.
Dakine - still interested in hearing what Mitsubishi had to say. Dang, with import duties and shipping, you're spending a fortune getting your iMiEV to that lovely island!