SE vs ES and Range and Capacity Discussions

[ecoloco]

Hello everyone, I just pulled the trigger on a 2012 IMiEV ES. I am getting it in about 5 days since I bought it in CARVANA (Basically swapped it for my beloved 2003 Jeep Wrangler, too many miles in it although it is in perfect condition). I decide this because I want a car for commuting only, my office is only 16 miles away and I have to fill the Jeep's talk every week, so it makes sense I guess.
The question I have is what is the main difference between the ES and the SE? Does the ES come with the level 3 charger? Not that it really matters, since I'm planning to get a level 2 charger in my garage. It is not specified in the dealers specs. Also, for the public charging do you need to have a card in order to charge the vehicle in public places? I heard that some offer the charge for free. Sorry for the ignorance, but I'm very new to this.

Thanks a lot!

 

[JoeS]

ecoloco, welcome to the forum and congratulations on your purchase!

ES vs. SE: good question and I'll have to go back to the original brochure to identify all the changes. Here's a quick snapshot:

The ES and SE vehicles are identical in all major features. Significant differences are that the SE has alloy wheels and slightly better upholstery and DRL/Fog light combo and a better sound system. The SE Premium also has a Nav and backup camera display as well as CHAdeMO DCQC standard.

The ES might have CHAdeMO as well - when you get the car see if there's a little lever on the left bottom of the driver's seat, which would open the left rear sidecover. Otherwise, that cover does nothing.

Charging cards vary, dependent on your location (you might update your particulars http://myimiev.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=13&t=3196). ChargePoint, Blink, EVgo, are just a few brand names, with ChargePoint quite popular all around the US.

For your commute, the basic Level 1 (120vac) EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) also referred-to as a Charging Station (the charger itself is built into the car) should suffice. You can have the original Mitsubishi EVSE upgraded to be 120vac/240vac compatible with programmable current via http://evseupgrade.com.

To find charging stations and information about them use http://www.plugshare.com and their app. Be sure to review the settings to have them be applicable to your i-MiEV.

All the best, and I'm sure you're looking forward to having the EV grin.

BTW, do you know where your i-MiEV is from, originally?

 

[iwatson]

The 2012 model year was the only MY that offered two trim levels. The SE and the ES. In the U.S. The i-miev was also sold in MY's 2014, 2016 and now the 2017, but in one trim level only! The Quick charge feature was optional on the 2012 ES models. It is standard on all 2014's/16's/17's.

As JoeS said, many of us on this forum (imiev owners) have sent the Mitsubishi supplied EVSE off to a company called EVSE upgrade. For $269 plus shipping they can upgrade the stock charging cable to operate on 240V or 120V. This is far less than purchasing a separate 240V EVSE, but on the down side you have to send it off which means you'll have to do without it for about a week. The upgraded EVSE works great. I have two imievs and I've sent both charging cables off and had them upgraded. If you feel that you may be interested in this option just Google "EVSE upgrade".

As far as determining whether a Charge station charges a fee.....again I must re-iterate what JoeS said. The best app for that is Plugshare. Plugshare can identify charging locations that are in your area. These may be fast charge or commercial Level 2 or Level 1. Or they may identify individuals that allow you to charge on their EVSE as a courtesy or People or businesses that offer a outlet for charging but no EVSE. Prices will be noted on the app. As other users use these stations they write comments about the condition of the station or how to find it or their experience when using. They frequently post pictures as well. Visit plugshare.com. There are several Charging networks that require you to pay and may require you to have an access card. But there are also many businesses or cities that provide free charging. These include many car dealers that sell plug-in cars.

As an example, in my area The Chevy, Nissan, Mitsubishi, BMW and Ford Dealers provide free charging. In addition there are 3 Nissan dealers in my area that provide free DC fast charging that is compatible with my Mitsu's. There are also three grocery stores that provide free level 2, a Martial arts studio, a local electrician's office and there is a county park that has a 10 bay level 2 charging center that is free. There are also several downtown parking garages that provide level 2 charging for a fee.

Hope this info has been helpful and it's what you're looking for. With a 16 mile commute you'll likely find out that you will rarely charge up anywhere except at home!

 

[mdbuilder]

Charge point at least can be done with the card or the phone app. Best to look at your areas stations on plugshare and sign up for whatever cards are needed. Even the 'free' charge point stations for instance need the card or app to activate the station.

 

[ecoloco]

Thanks everyone for your input. Can't wait to get my hands on that car! Hopefully it'll come with the fast charge on the left side. I will keep you posted!

 

[siai47]

If you are in southern Florida and your car is equipped with the CHAdeMO quick charge port, you should look at posts and threads related to battery cooling and make any one of the suggested modifications to your car. It will like you for it and return many extra happy miles of trouble free driving.

 

[ecoloco]

Hello everyone, I Finally got the vehicle today, but unfortunately it came with only 3 bars of charge and no Level 3 charger. In any case I can't fast charge it anyway because I haven't installed the 240V wall piece, so I plugged it into the regular wall outlet and be patient so I can play with it tomorrow. Now, having the plug share app I don't need to have a card, right?
I'm planning in going to a station with level 2 charging and top it off.

I wish this could have a way to post pictures, so I can share with you.

Thanks again!

 

[mdbuilder]

You need the app for the network that runs the station, charge point is most common around here. Plugshare should tell you what network for the station you are visiting.

 

[ecoloco]

Ok, so I left the car charging all night and the gauge reads full, but instead of 60 miles. Plus it gives me a reading of 48 miles. Is this because it was left trickle charging for less than the 22 hours or has the Battery worn out in 4 years?

Thanks again for your help.

 

[PV1]

The battery could have lost some capacity, but it could easily be how it was driven over the last 15 miles. Take it for a drive and let it charge back up (until the Charge light on the EVSE goes out), then see what your RR is. The harder/faster you drive, especially with AC on a high setting, can pull the RR value lower.

 

[ecoloco]

Surprisingly, after less than a mile, the range went from 48 to 42 miles, i drove it to my office 15.9 miles away) and it went down to 27 miles. I drove back and stopped in my local church for mass and range went down to 15 miles. I'm gonna try a type two Charger in a mall close by and see if it tops it off. I will keep you posted.

Thanks a lot!

 

[Don]

Ok, so I left the car charging all night and the gauge reads full, but instead of 60 miles. Plus it gives me a reading of 48 miles.

Was the charging process complete? Had the charge light on the EVSE gone off?

The 48 vs 60 miles is a computation of how far you can go on whatever charge is actually in the batteries and it's based on how you drove the previous 15 miles. If the battery pack was not 100% full, that number will be smaller. If you drove the previous 15 miles at freeway speeds, that number will be much smaller

When the battery is 100% charged and when you drove the previous 15 miles at 30 or 35 mph, the RR meter might read 85 miles instead of the 48 you saw

Don

 

[Don]

Surprisingly, after less than a mile, the range went from 48 to 42 miles, i drove it to my office 15.9 miles away) and it went down to 27 miles.

You drove 16 miles, the gauge went from 48 down to 27, which is a loss of 21 miles. This could be perfectly normal - How fast did you drive those 16 miles? If you were doing 50 or 55, then 'losing' 21 miles on a 16 mile trip is pretty normal. If you drove those 16 miles at 30 or 35, the gauge might only have 'lost' 12 miles, even though you actually drove 16 miles

You need to understand what the RR gauge is trying to tell you, which is a computerized calculation of how much farther you can go based on what you've been doing for the last 15 miles (driving fast or slow, driving uphill or downhill, A/C on or off, driving with a headwind or a tailwind, doing jackrabbit starts or easing away from a full stop, etc, etc) - It is NOT a simple odometer, which goes down one mile for every one mile you drive

'Learning' to drive an EV is an interesting experience - Once you figure out what 'costs' you range and what 'saves' you range, you'll become a much more efficient driver than you've ever been - With proper energy saving technique, you will find that you'll drive those 16 miles today and 'use up' 21 miles of range, but tomorrow it may be only 19 and next month it may be only 15 and eventually it may be only 12 . . . . all of it based on the technique of the guy who has his foot on the pedal. Remember that putting your foot on the brake and turning energy into heat costs you . . . . big time! The less you need to use the brake pedal, the farther you'll be able to go!

Have fun - Learning how to drive all over again is a gas!!

Don

 

[JoeS]

Agree with everything Don has said - ecoloco, read his words carefully.

Back on topic, I grabbed the original very fancy 2012 i-MiEV sales brochure/booklet and here's a summary of the differences between the ES and SE.

First, the Options Packages -

Premium Package (available only on the SE)
- HDD Navigation System with rearview camera
- FUSE Hands-Free Link System with USB port
- Steering wheel audio controls
- battery warming system
- Heated outside mirrors
- CHAdeMO DCQC port

Cold Zone Package
- Not defined other than heated outside mirrors

Quick Charge Package (available as option only on ES)
- CHAdeMO charge port
- Heated outside mirros

Not shown in the brochure but I've seen a number of i-MiEVs (both ES and ES) with a dealer-installed(?) Backup Alert System, identified by two black buttons in the rear bumper cover.

The quickest way you can tell if an i-MiEV has a DCQC port installed is whether or not there's a small lever underneath the lower left of the driver's seat - it opens the left rear sidehatch.

Wheels
- ES: 15-inch steel wheels with cover
- SE: 15-inch alloy wheels

SE but not ES -
- Blue two-tone option
- Fog lamps with DRL function
- Auto on/off headlamps
- "Premium Brown" interior (ES is called "Basic Black")
- Leather wrap steering wheel and shift knob
- Passenger vanity mirror
- Silver interior accents
- Two-tone instrument panel (Premium Brown)
- Door trim with cloth insert

As you can see, the differences between the ES and SE are mostly superficial, and Mitsubishi wisely consolidated the features and for the US market produced a single-model car in model year 2014 and 2016 with nicer trim and alloy wheels and a blue-color option and lighted charge port, but brought back the NAV system as an option on the MY2016.

 

[ecoloco]

Guys, thanks a lot for all your input. Here is my latest update after charging for almost 3 hours in the Mall on a stage 2 NRG charger, the RR read 45 miles, which went down to 42 after half a mile driving towards the nearest Mitsubishi dealer. It stayed on 42 while driving down US1, a pretty city street with moderate traffic, I was doing between 30 and 35 miles an hour. I was driving on the B mode and tried not to use the brakes. RR went up to 43 miles when I got to the dealer. I asked the guy if they serviced the IMIEVS and he told me they were certified, but the service dept. wasn't open until tomorrow morning. I want to take the car there early so they can check it and let me know everything is good (Since I got the car with Carvana, I have 7 days until I decide if I want to keep it for good), especially the battery, which brings me to this question, and I know you guys have the right answer, since you know so much about this vehicle: Does the 100 thousand Mile/8 year warranty for the battery still transfer with the car or not? Carvana told me it transferred with the VIN number, the Mitsubishi sales guy told me that for a second owner it would go down to 60 thousand miles.
Well, after the dealer I continued on my way home (I must've driven about 8 or 9 miles going at 35 to 40 miles and guess what? The RR ended up giving me a reading of 44 miles. I followed your advice and now it's plugged to the wall until the EVSE light goes off. I think this time around I will get more miles after the charge.

Thanks again for all your help! I think this will be a keeper.

Cheers

 

[Don]

Yes, the battery warranty transfers intact to a second (or third) owner and Mitsu has upped it to 10 years or 100K

When you stop charging before it's full and start driving, it's not unusual for 3 or 4 miles to just disappear from the RR gauge - The battery voltage was artificially high when it was charging and it drops down a bit quickly when you start driving

You have already discovered ways to keep the RR meter numbers higher and with careful driving, you've seen how they can go up instead of down. Just keep in the back of your mind what's going on (it's averaging what you've been doing for the previous 15 miles to give you the current number) and you won't be surprised when it actually goes up as you slow down, or when it drops a couple miles as you enter a freeway ramp or head up a steep hill

I don't know if your dealer can tell you anything meaningful about the battery and if they want $150 to tell you what little info they will have, I would just forget about it . . . . they can't tell you $100 worth, that's for sure

Sounds like you've found a keeper to me - Enjoy!

A good first expenditure might be to get your EVSE upgraded so it will charge 50% faster from a 120 volt outlet and it will also enable you to use it on a 240 volt outlet, which will recharge you 3X faster than it is now. Click on 'Mitsubishi' at their website and check out the $287 option

Don

 

[ecoloco]

Thanks a lot Don, I will definitely look into upgrading the EVSE. I already talked to a friend who is an electrician and he's coming to my house to give me an estimate for the 240 (My electric box is in the garage, so he told me it shouldn't be a problem). And yes, like you said the city driving definitely made a difference vs. on the expressway. I think I will be driving to work using the side streets. Anyway, thanks again and I will keep you posted on the Journey!

Cheers

 

[mdbuilder]

After you get a full charge and turn it on first thing, check the RR meter with the a/c OFF. That'll give you the highest and most comparable number.

As long as the previous nights drive wasn't a 70 mph blast down the freeway you should see something in the 60 or higher range. My 2012 with now 13,200 miles on it has a battery which shows 40.1 ah and 83.something percent of orig. capacity in evbatmon. It's morning RR reading ranges from 62 to 75 most mornings depending on previous driving, most common reading is 68. I drive it, not baby it . Picked mine up at the end of may, it went 'in service' 9/2013 and had 11,200 miles when I got it.

For what it is worth, when your buddy comes to set you up for 240 you do not 'need' any more than a 20 amp 240 circuit to charge at max rate for this car. That is 12/3 yellow romex which is pretty inexpensive. I bought one of these for mine https://store.clippercreek.com/lcs-20-lcs-20p-16-amp-level-2-ev-charging-station. I actually bought the $395 version with a plug. I preferred to keep my original evse unmolested in the car and install this at the house as it was not much more expensive but the evseupgrade route is a fine choice too.

 

[ecoloco]

Thank you so much! All of you guys rock! Howcome I didn't do this before?
Anyway, again thank you and will keep everyone nenupdated.

Peace!

 

[PV1]

I had the same scare when trying to buy my second i-MiEV. I called Mitsubishi North America who verified that the warranty follows the car and the major warranties don't change for subsequent owners. It's highlighted in the warranty and service manual.

As for checking the battery, an OBDLink MX bluetooth and an Android phone/tablet would be a much better investment than getting a health report from the dealer. They'll only tell you if the battery is "good" or if it needs replaced. With the OBDLink, you can gain access to raw data about energy, battery health, and efficiency with the apps CaniOn and EVBatMon. EVBatMon's key feature is that it will tell you battery capacity in Ah (40 Ah and higher is pretty good. My year old pack is currently at 44.9 Ah). Based on the RR figures you've been providing, I'd estimate you have about 38 Ah remaining (same as my second car, Koorz).

Being in Florida, you shouldn't have to worry about the 15 mile range hit of the heater like those of use further north. The A/C's range impact is minimal, I'd estimate 5 miles on high. In my experience, weather hot enough to warrant A/C usage causes other efficiency improvements to make up for its energy consumption.

Enjoy!