Considering/buying a 2012 with less than 2K

[blackheart]

Hi all. I am learning a ton from your posts. Thanks for blazing the way.
I am FINALLY going to take the plunge I have wanted to take for nearly 30 years. And since it still seems out of reach to build my own EV - I am prepping to buy a 2012 lease return with less than 2k on it.
I know that there are questions for battery storage, etc. Any suggestions for things that I should be looking for on a car that has really, literally, sat for most of it's life? Thanks in advance!!

 

[jray3]

Talkin to it with CANion is very helpful, but at least do a full discharge through 'normal driving' down below two bars and see what the range estimate reports after a full Level 1 or Level 2 recharge in a single session.

 

[JoeS]

Agree with what jray3 just posted and might suggest that 'normal driving' not be leadfootin'. What you'd like to see when the car fully recharges and stops charging by itself is a reading of Range Remaining (RR) > 50 miles (this depends on how you drove) and all sixteen bars present. Any battery cell issue will result in charging stopping short of 16 bars or the charger running for > 2hours after achieving 16 bars. Still a non-issue, as the battery is covered by warranty and Mitsubishi so far has been exemplary about replacing the packs with defective cells.

Congratulations on your new purchase and delighted you're getting the Remote with it.

 

[blackheart]

Thanks - I have a call into an electrician to put a 240v plug on the outside of my house and then I need to call EVSEupgrade and see what doing their upgrade to the 8A Panisonic brick will do to the remote. I would like to get the level 2 charging there at the house FOR SURE - but the thought of pre-heating the car in the colder months would be nice!!

 

[JoeS]

The Remote works first time every time with the EVSEUpgrade.com upgraded EVSE on 120vac, but still requires 1-3 attempts to get it to 'take' when plugged into 240vac. Takes but a few seconds to do it and I still haven't discovered a pattern. I use my EVSEUpgrade unit all the time for both charge timing as well as pre-heating.

 

[blackheart]

Thanks JoeS. I have called the folks up there at EVSEupgrade and will get their upgrade on my EVSE... When it is my EVSE - I go see it in three days!!!

 

[blackheart]

Wouldn't you know it. I can't just add a new 200 amp panel to my house. They want to drop a new service and new meter. That will have to wait.
BUT! I never really reviewed my 125amp panel. Seems that there is a 30 amp 240v set of breakers that was used for the water heater - except now, we have a gas water heater! So on the short term, I will have a new plug wired outside my house. Over the long term, the new panel and service will need to wait til we tear off the multiple layers of siding off the house :-( but at least I will be able to charge level 2!!

 

[jray3]

So on the short term, I will have a new plug wired outside my house. Over the long term, the new panel and service will need to wait til we tear off the multiple layers of siding off the house :-( but at least I will be able to charge level 2!!

Heck, that's a great outcome, and should be the least expensive scenario of all. I'd not hesitate to charge off a long 10 gauge 240V extension cord, that's what I've been doing since day 1.

One note of caution in how they install your outlet if they run conduit on top of the siding. A SEVA member with an old house had his hardwired EVSE fill with water and eventually short out (due to corrosion, not the water itself )because daily dewfall inside the exposed conduit drained down into the EVSE box, which had no weep holes. If you're plug connected though, that box should drain any condensation long before it becomes a problem.

 

[blackheart]

Thanks - yeah, I think i will keep it as a plug. That way, with an adapter, I can carry it with me.
Bad news is, even if I got the car tomorrow, I won't be able to have level 2 charging for a couple of weeks. Good news is, the weather is supposed to be good enough to ride the Rad Rover into work a couple days, so I should be OK It charges in about 4-6 hours - :lol:

 

[blackheart]

Ugh- no fog lights/or drl's. Is there and oem kit for that?

 

[JoeS]

Ugh- no fog lights/or drl's. Is there and oem kit for that?

Never heard of a kit, but you might contact Mitsubishi. You are looking at an ES. If you want DRL/FogLights, look for a SE, but if you want CHAdeMO then look for a SE Premium. My neighbor has an ES with CHAdeMO and doesn't miss either the DRL or fog lights. I just realized, I've never once turned on my foglights - have to look in the book on how to do that. On the other hand, on the two-lane country road I travel on the DRLs do cause people coming out of side streets to hesitate.

 

[PV1]

Yes, the DRL/fogs are a dealer installable accessory. You can buy them and install yourself, or the dealer could install them.

 

[blackheart]

I did it - I went ahead an got it. I will upgrade the stereo and do the fog lights (Maybe). But I did it. The thing is brand new - but 2012. Now to buy the ODB connector and get Canion and verify that it was as good as I thought!!

 

[sandange]

Congratulations on your new to you i Miev.

Got yourself an nice electric Easter egg gift.
Hope you enjoy many electric miles with smiles

 

[ed5000]

Congrats Blackheart! You won't regret it. I did the same thing and bought a 2012 with 2K miles on it. I'm not sure how you find a 3 or 4 year old car with only 2k miles on it but they seem to be around. :mrgreen:

 

[JoeS]

Blackheart, congratulations! Having done your homework and based on the collective knowledge of this forum, I don't think you'll be disappointed. Hope you have an EV grin like the rest of us.

 

[blackheart]

Took my first drive to work and back.
About 43°F today. Seat heater on the whole way, a few blasts from the max setting on the defroster to clear the windshield and very low heat settings. Not hyper miling and not lead footing. Made the 34 mile round trip with 4 bars left and the rr said 14 miles. That should be just enough to go get my better half from work and stop at the store.
All for about $1.25. ;-)

 

[JoeS]

Made the 34 mile round trip with 4 bars left and the rr said 14 miles. That should be just enough to go get my better half from work and stop at the store...

Don't be reluctant to immediately plug in and recharge at every opportunity. Rig even a temporary power cord so the J1772 cable is very short and convenient to use. Even at 120vac, your recharge rate is 4 bars for every five hours of charging, and you never know when you might want to make another side trip. You want to avoid testing the lower limits if at all possible.

 

[Phximiev]

Can you re-charge at work?

 

[JoeS]

About 43°F today. Seat heater on the whole way, a few blasts from the max setting on the defroster to clear the windshield and very low heat settings. Not hyper miling and not lead footing. Made the 34 mile round trip with 4 bars left and the rr said 14 miles...

Sounds about right if you had the heater on for most of the trip, even if on a low setting. Some further thoughts:

1. "RR said 14 miles" - was that with the heater still on? Simply turning on the heater reduces displayed RR by about 20%.
2. The seat heater has a negligible effect on range.
3. Better to keep wife toasty warm rather than expose her to a possible negative experience in these initial outings.