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I really hope the AV network goes pay soon. Showed up to the local CHAdeMO, which is growing more and more common to find up to 4 Leafs charging there. Only two this time, but the AV charger shows you in brilliant green lights on top how far the charge is. Just about 100%. I climb out of my car and give the guy a nod. "Quite a ways to go?" "Nope."  His Leaf hit 100, he plugged it into his wife's, and slid back into his, starting the process over. I did have a ways to go, but on 220v, even with the 6.6v charger I'd be looking at 2.5 hours to get where I was going. One of the main reasons I keep my backup ICE car handy, so no biggy, but as long as it's free, there's going to be people there every day sucking down "free" government energy I suppose. Of course, on the flip side is the Walgreens near where I work - their Level 2 used to be free, and was likewise always in use. They switched to some off network charge system about 3 months ago that's $1.00 per kwH and I've never seen it in use since. That seems a tad high to me - sure, it's still cheaper to fill the Leaf than most any standard gasoline car, but with a Level 2, you'd be sitting there for a few hours to do it. Chargepoint is $1.00/hour, which works out to about $.25/kwH or so for me I think, which seems far more reasonable and works well the few times I've used it.
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Oct 19, 2013 18:00
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I got to ride in one of these the other day The Renault Twizy! I sat in the back seat. My legs came out alongside the driver. The thing is practically a motorcycle. An awesome, ridiculous motorcycle. edit: and yes. It had no doors.
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Oct 19, 2013 23:09
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Okay, no more hacked together circuit in my shop, the EVSE is installed in the garage. I went with the quote for a little over $700 including permits and it took just a bit over 2 hours to get done. Now I'm just waiting for the power company to get the meter installed. They've offered a test rate to the first 10 people who own an electric vehicle and apply since January 2012. I got my paperwork in yesterday, snagging space #9, and the person who walked in the door after me got space number 10. Glad I didn't wait any longer! In exchange for having a smart secondary meter installed, and filling out a yearly usage survey, I get half-price electricity from 10pm to 7am and $1000 reimbursement for the EVSE/install. Seems like a pretty sweet deal, but I am out a couple hundred extra bucks to have the meter box added to the circuit until they reimburse me when I fill out my first survey. I got lucky that there was an existing abandond-in-place 30a circuit on my panel complete with breaker. The electrician didn't have to cut power to the panel at any time. We did discover that I should really look into having a more spacious panel installed...The inspector's exact works when he saw that rat's nest were "Jiminy Crickets!"
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Oct 25, 2013 05:20
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Advent Horizon posted:They've offered a test rate to the first 10 people who own an electric vehicle and apply since January 2012. I got my paperwork in yesterday, snagging space #9, and the person who walked in the door after me got space number 10. Glad I didn't wait any longer! In exchange for having a smart secondary meter installed, and filling out a yearly usage survey, I get half-price electricity from 10pm to 7am and $1000 reimbursement for the EVSE/install. Seems like a pretty sweet deal, but I am out a couple hundred extra bucks to have the meter box added to the circuit until they reimburse me when I fill out my first survey. That's a screaming deal. I'm jealous.
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Oct 25, 2013 20:52
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It is extremely advantageous for the utility, to encourage you to charge in off-peak hours. I see smart meters with demand surcharges becoming the norm. As houses and appliances get ever more efficient, though overall consumption is going down, the difference from peak to off peak demand is getting higher. It really screws with generation.
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Oct 26, 2013 00:00
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Our generation is all hydro, mostly lake-tap, so the real problem is just making sure we don't add any more during peak times. Power usage here is actually on an overall downward trend here. But, yes, they are really starting to look into ways to offload usage. It sounds like they want to do some sort of off-peak rate even when the trial period is over. The big one around here would be if they could offload seasonally. There's tons of excess water in the summer but much less demand (we don't have air conditioning here, just heat).
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Oct 26, 2013 00:51
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The transmission tie lines, from what I understand, are highly inefficient overall. Ideally, the excess capacity in your generator should be sold where they do need it. Like down here where they are doing everything they can to keep the coal units idled. The media likes to call it a power grid, but i don't know if its a very good term for the thing, because 'grid' implies some kind of planning. From what they tell us (which at the moment is all poor mouthing and doomsday scenarios), our sales are way down and we're getting killed on the peak demand curve, which is only getting worse. angryrobots fucked around with this message at 04:48 on Oct 26, 2013 |
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Oct 26, 2013 04:45
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We're not on any grid outside of the borough. That means the power company has to keep a backup generation capacity equal to what's online, which they do using a larger turbine plant and a ton of large gensets spread around town. There has been talk about building an intertie and connecting with British Columbia, since we have enough potential hydro projects to make a decent amount selling excess power to the Canadians. We'll see if that happens in my lifetime... I should emphasize that our hydro projects are all the good kind that don't ruin rivers. They drill into the bottom of alpine lakes and run penstocks down to sea level.
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Oct 26, 2013 06:56
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angryrobots posted:The media likes to call it a power grid, but i don't know if its a very good term for the thing, because 'grid' implies some kind of planning. Advent Horizon posted:I should emphasize that our hydro projects are all the good kind that don't ruin rivers. They drill into the bottom of alpine lakes and run penstocks down to sea level. grover fucked around with this message at 14:31 on Oct 26, 2013 |
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Oct 26, 2013 14:24
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grover posted:Do they ruin the lakes that get drained? How did those lakes drain before? Most of the lakes are fairly new, geologically, since the basins they sit in were filled with glaciers until recently (the last 150 years or so). What outflow they have (had) is usually a waterfall almost directly into the ocean. None of them are old enough lakes to have had fish except for a couple that have brook trout introduced by miners during the gold rush. Brook trout are an invasive species and the Department of Fish and Game wants them gone anyway. The annoying thing about all this is the federal government doesn't consider any kind of hydroelectric power to be 'green', so we can't qualify for green energy grants.it, Wait, I just realized it looks like you think they actually drain the lakes? They don't; only enough water is taken to equal the average yearly precipitation. The lake levels go up and down but are never actually 'drained'.
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Oct 27, 2013 05:02
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Advent Horizon posted:Most of the lakes are fairly new, geologically, since the basins they sit in were filled with glaciers until recently (the last 150 years or so). What outflow they have (had) is usually a waterfall almost directly into the ocean.
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Oct 27, 2013 17:29
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grover posted:Maybe I don't understand what sort of lakes you're talking about? I can't envision how you're going to get hydro power from a lake without either draining it or reducing the outflow of the streams it would normally feed.
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Oct 27, 2013 17:43
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roomforthetuna posted:He said "What outflow they have (had) is usually a waterfall almost directly into the ocean." All the alpine lakes I know of are landlocked completely and most don't drain out anywhere; that's why I'm confused. grover fucked around with this message at 17:58 on Oct 27, 2013 |
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Oct 27, 2013 17:55
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grover posted:Aren't most alpine lakes in the middle of mountain ranges and nowhere near the ocean? How many lakes actually drain directly into the ocean, isn't that an incredibly narrow niche? And lakes have to drain out somewhere unless they evaporate as much as it rains.
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Oct 27, 2013 18:08
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roomforthetuna posted:He might be somewhere like Dominica or Hawaii, relatively small islands, where mountains overlooking oceans isn't that uncommon. https://maps.google.com/maps?q=dena...346557&t=h&z=14
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Oct 27, 2013 18:18
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It's Alaska. They are glacier fed lakes that drain directly to the ocean. They only remove water in the amount that has precipitated in the last year, leaving the average level the same. Look closer to the ocean, the lakes we're talking about are in mountain valleys and look like rivers if you're not used to that kind of landscape. wilfredmerriweathr fucked around with this message at 18:31 on Oct 27, 2013 |
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Oct 27, 2013 18:29
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That's pretty much it. If not for the cold, our landscape is very similar to the places mentioned above. To tap the lakes they bore a tunnel underneath the lake and the up to the lake bottom. Something like 15' of rock is left in place while they install giant valves and line the tunnel for use as a penstock. Then the last chunk is blasted in such a way that the rubble can flow through the valves and self-clear. Voila! Lake tap without draining the entire thing. It's pretty cool and something that's not used many places but because of the local mining history it's been done here for over 100 years. Our newest plant, going online in 2010, was the deepest lake tap ever done without draining at 134 feet below the water surface. The lake surface being about 1,400 feet above sea level means you really don't need a lot of flow to generate a decent quantity of power. Edit: Grover, the lakes you linked to are basically swampland. Look at the Juneau area and you'll see lots of high alpine lakes right near the coast. Advent Horizon fucked around with this message at 02:24 on Oct 28, 2013 |
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Oct 28, 2013 02:21
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So, you're using hydropower generated from falling liquid water that until recently was glacier to power your electric car. Somethingsomething irony climate change something? Regardless, that's pretty cool. I'm glad to hear there are other early-adopters of EV in Alaska, as a fellow cold-climate dweller I'm interested in how the batteries and other systems hold up.
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Oct 30, 2013 01:46
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ExecuDork posted:So, you're using hydropower generated from falling liquid water that until recently was glacier to power your electric car. Recently being 150 years in the past or so when fossil fuels were not being burned. Glaciers have been a huge part of geological change via their freezing and thawing for eons. We are just now seeing a thawing rate that greatly outpaces the freezing. I know it's just a joke but I like to clear up any misconceptions about the reality of global warming because of the importance of the issue.
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Oct 30, 2013 06:08
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Hey, no worries. I work on greenhouse gases.
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Oct 30, 2013 06:11
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Does anyone know of a good water-tight extension cord enclosure that'll work with the Leaf's brick? I tried charging at work for a week, but the area is totally exposed to the elements. While the brick is water-resistant, the connection to the extension cord is not, and I'm really really worried about connecting up in the middle of the heavy rain we're getting right now and just leaving everything laying out in the weather. The only enclosures I've found don't work with the T-shaped plug that the Leaf uses, nor does it account for the short amount of space between the plug and the brick. Right now, if I can't charge at work, I'm sunk. I did a test today - driving to and from work on my normal route with the heat on in normal traffic took me from 80% to the Low Battery Warning. 18 hours to charge on 110. I only have 13 hours between getting home and leaving for work, and that's on the best of days. I really don't think it's wise to plug in on an exposed extension cord though.
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Nov 2, 2013 23:21
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Something like this won't work? https://www.freshfinds.com/product/extended-cord-safety-seal/
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Nov 3, 2013 00:37
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I have one. Unfortunately not. The Leaf plugs in at a right angle. Oddly can't find a right angle version even though you'd think it'd be sorta common
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Nov 3, 2013 03:19
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It is only 15 amps. People leave things plugged in outside all the time. There is nothing magical about your leaf that makes it electrocute people in the rain. Why don't you wrap the extension cord connection with electrical tape and take the cord with you if you are a nervous nellie.
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Nov 3, 2013 10:05
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Well, I wouldn't worry about getting shocked so much as the rain getting heavy enough to puddle, and damage the charger. What if you just got one of those plastic storage bins, cut a couple holes for cord pass throughs, and get the whole charger out of the weather?
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Nov 3, 2013 13:22
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Elephanthead posted:It is only 15 amps. People leave things plugged in outside all the time. There is nothing magical about your leaf that makes it electrocute people in the rain. Why don't you wrap the extension cord connection with electrical tape and take the cord with you if you are a nervous nellie. Yeah, sorry. Let me be more specific. I'm not worried about getting shocked. The brick detects a ground fault and shuts off. I'm worried about a ground fault shutting off my brick and the hassle of that. Why deal when I don't have to? Didn't realize using as intended and care of my equipment made me a nervous nelly. The plastic carton thing might work. I'd attach the cord in a more waterproof fashion if I didn't need to plug it in to a different cord at home. Thanks.
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Nov 3, 2013 16:25
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Yeah, it's just electricity and water. Stop being such a pussy.
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Nov 3, 2013 23:30
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http://jalopnik.com/a-third-tesla-model-s-has-caught-fire-1460039546 Jalopnik has posted their third article on a Tesla Model S catching fire. I know I'm a Tesla fanboy, and Jalopnik has a hard-on against Tesla, but is three of them catching fire with as many Model S out there this big of a deal? I feel like if this had been 3 Audi's or BMW 7 series cars with the same production numbers catching fire there wound not be an article for each. individual. fire.
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Nov 7, 2013 17:24
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Coredump posted:http://jalopnik.com/a-third-tesla-model-s-has-caught-fire-1460039546 Autoblog ran the same story today. The part that pisses me off the most is the final paragraph: quote:While we still feel this is a pretty ordinary sort of event for an automobile – thousands of cars burn every year in the US – it may still have an out-sized effect on Tesla, since appearances oftentimes count for more than they ought to. Although it's hard to be certain how this might be affecting Tesla's (TSLA) stock, especially after yesterday's dramatic fall, we note that it is down -6.81 percent further today at $140.87 as of this writing. No poo poo, assholes. It's publications like yours that contribute to the volatility of Tesla's perception and stock price due to your disproportionate coverage of non-events like these, just because they happen to be electric cars. Start doing pieces on every reported car fire of every make and model and see how quickly it begins to affect the perception of their products.
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Nov 8, 2013 15:58
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Journalistic integrity / responsibility takes a big back seat to MORE CLICKS AND AD VIEWS!!!! Of course, they could balance that by running a similar article every time a Honda Civic burns, for laughs.
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Nov 8, 2013 17:02
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The Midniter posted:It's publications like yours that contribute to the volatility of Tesla's perception and stock price due to your disproportionate coverage of non-events like these, just because they happen to be electric cars. Start doing pieces on every reported car fire of every make and model and see how quickly it begins to affect the perception of their products. I think what actually makes it news is that these are relatively new cars catching fire. If 3 2013-2014 Honda Accords caught fire it would get the same amount of coverage. They just happen to be Teslas, which made news for its wild stock prices. That's kind of the icing on the news cake.
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Nov 8, 2013 17:06
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IOwnCalculus posted:Of course, they could balance that by running a similar article every time a Honda Civic burns, for laughs. That'd put them in line with TTaC for uselessness. Wait, would that make them more, or less tabloid?
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Nov 8, 2013 17:07
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How severe of a crash are these cars getting into that it causes a fire? I mean, 3 out of 15000 cars catching fire in a year seems like a lot, but 3 out of 15000 cars getting into severe crashes also seems like a lot. I assume these accidents aren't just little rear-ending bumps or anything, because if they were then that aspect would be sensationalized too.
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Nov 8, 2013 17:11
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TheWevel posted:I think what actually makes it news is that these are relatively new cars catching fire. If 3 2013-2014 Honda Accords caught fire it would get the same amount of coverage. They just happen to be Teslas, which made news for its wild stock prices. That's kind of the icing on the news cake. Nope. Wranglers were having a problem a couple of years ago with leaking ATF which was also superhot because there was no trans cooler up front. The fluid would land in the skid plate, where all sorts of dried grass and leaves were waiting to go up. The fix was to add a cooler and replace the skit plate with a bar, but this never made the news.
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Nov 8, 2013 17:48
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I wonder how many clicks and pageviews you could get by running a "Experts reveal that millions of cars on the road today contain hidden canisters of highly explosive volatile compounds!" headline. Goddamn journalism sucks in the 21st century.
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Nov 8, 2013 23:27
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Coredump posted:http://jalopnik.com/a-third-tesla-model-s-has-caught-fire-1460039546 * it was a badly riced compact, and not all that charred, unfortunately. wilfredmerriweathr posted:I wonder how many clicks and pageviews you could get by running a "Experts reveal that millions of cars on the road today contain hidden canisters of highly explosive volatile compounds!" headline.
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Nov 8, 2013 23:36
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grover posted:You'd better not talk about them leaking dihydrogen monoxide directly onto the roads, either; that would cause mass panic! Perhaps best if it was presented as a secret that the government doesn't want you to know, that there are millions of these dangerous vehicles travelling the roads of America, probably even in your home town. With no mention at all that it's talking about regular passenger cars.
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Nov 9, 2013 00:55
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If one more fucktard asks me if my car has burned- I am going to loving punch someone. I love the one article that said the stock price went down because someone complained about an "annoying noise". gently caress journalists, and I am one!
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Nov 9, 2013 06:21
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Time to buy stock if the price is going down.
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Nov 10, 2013 05:58
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q_cRqcbXAs4 Extremely cool electric racecar. This technology in its current state makes me very hopeful about the future of consumer level technology. But we NEED better battery tech right now, or this industry will stagnate. I am confident we will find a solution but I don't know how. Though Chris Harris ends the video with a bit of an odd rant about automotive noise. The lack thereof in his electric car future 'worries him'. Tripe about engineering better sound from electric vehicles. Michael Scott fucked around with this message at 08:31 on Nov 10, 2013 |
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Nov 10, 2013 08:12
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