I just pulled the trigger!! What now?!

[ezryder]

I just ordered a Summit White Spark EV 2LT with DCFC. I did an insane lease! $85/mo, 36 months, no haggle, $2950 down, $16k residual, 10k miles/yr. (which is more than enough, as I have another car).

My problem is I have to pick it up in SoCal, and I live in NoCal. It's going to be hairy getting it home; I figure it will be four days, three nights.

My QUESTION is this: What do I need to bring with me to charge the car along the way?! I'll be using Level 2 all the way, (unfortunately, plugshare doesn't show ANY fast chargers on the way from Northridge to Half Moon Bay - and, I can't take the scenic route without being FORCED to stay at the Ventana Inn - at $1,500/night! (who has that kinda money? Oh, right - the 1%). I see different types of plugs mentioned at a lot of different charging stations - 14-50 and what-not. Do I have to have adapters for all these different types? As I recall, the car comes with just a Level 1 charger, right?

I just need to be prepared before I fly all the way down there and pick this baby up. Totally excited! Thanks for any tips.

Eric

 

[SteveC5088]

Congratulations, Eric! I bought mine in SoCal, but rented a Uhaul dolly and fired up the old Suburban and drove down and hauled it home. That cost me just a little less than having it delivered.

If you pay for lodging on that trip, it's going to cost you way more than having it hauled up to your residence. Hauling costs $300-$500. I think the dealer can actually arrange it for you.

If you insist on driving and charging along the way, then you DON'T want to charge using the L1 unit that comes with the car. Its charging rate is about 5 miles for each hour of charging. You would want to get a TurboCord or other unit that is portable and can charge at 240 volts. Then you would need adapters to plug it into whatever RV parks have. I think the 240 Volt chargers can charge the battery at about 10 miles for each hour.

 

[Chocula]

Congratulations!

If you take the PCH or the 101, there are 2 fast chargers in Thousand Oaks. The 25 KW BMW branded one is currently free, but you need a ChargePoint card to activate it.
Here is a link to an article about driving from the Bay area to Ventura and back on a Brammo electric motorcycle https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B1KcXffl9-nzLWJra0NQcFd0X2s/edit?pli=1 where he describes the route and chargers he used, it addition to it being an entertaining read.

Other options included having it shipped from the dealer. When I was considering a car in Northern California, the cost to have it shipped down was $500. The cost is probably a bit more now as that was a few years back.

 

[ezryder]

Great info! Thanks! Totally pumped, but though I was kinda looking forward to the adventure of it all, for $500 to ship, I'd rather do that. Assuming it's that much. I'll ask the dealer. Fantastic news - thanks both you guys for your quick and helpful response.

$85/mo... I've spent more than that on dinner - by myself!

 

[jsca72]

Ezryder,
Congratulations on your new Spark!!!

$85 a month for to have a lot of fun? Fantastic deal!

 

[ezryder]

Ezryder,
Congratulations on your new Spark!!!

$85 a month for to have a lot of fun? Fantastic deal!

Well, the financing has to happen, but I "think" that should be OK. New job and all that, and banks can be weird, but it is a "secured loan", so I kinda doubt they'll be any problem. Totally jazzed!! I don't think most people realize you can have the thing shipped to you fairly cheap - $324 is the best I've seen, from L.A. to SF Bay Area, where I live. But none over $400, so far. That's cheaper than the flight down there to go pick it up!

 

[aviatorjames]

Congrat's!!

Another white Spark EV on the coastside!!
...I'm up the road in Moss Beach

 

[ezryder]

Congrat's!!

Another white Spark EV on the coastside!!
...I'm up the road in Moss Beach

Awesome!! I just came from the ribbon-cutting ceremony for a ChargePoint station on Kelly and Main in HMB. Got my picture taken by the local paper, I guess it is, and a plate of cake stuck in my hand. LOL I'm waiting for it to start raining pennies from heaven. The funny thing is, my landlady says it'll be three weeks before her electrician can get the receptacle put in for me - and the mayor just told me that the charger downtown will be free for the next 4 weeks. And I can walk from it to my place in about 20 minutes, tops.

We should meet up sometime - I'm hoping it will be delivered on Friday. Maybe a beer at the Distillery...

 

[TonyWilliams]

Unless you like adventure and higher costs of hotel rooms, just ship it.

Otherwise, here's the route I took in 2012 with a Nissan LEAF with the same 16 amp charging capability that you Spark EV has. The 2014 Spark EV has about 10-15 more miles of range than a LEAF, and the 2015 Spark EV is about the same.

http://www.mynissanleaf.com/viewtopic.php?p=198034%23p198034

*****

Morro Bay to Big Sur, California, Pacific Coast Highway, California Highway 1, June 2012:

Traveling late at night was a positive for this leg (of the inaugural BC2BC rally) because I was dipping into single digit speeds. My LED sequential safety flashing arrows were mounted on the rear, and I ran them continuously all the way to Big Sur. I probably saw less than a dozen cars past San Simeon for the entire 6 hours from 9pm to almost 3am.

I did overshoot the campground in Big Sur, but that's because I still had 10% battery remaining. I wanted a record that every Tom, Dick and Harry won't beat !!! (not easily anyway). So, 100.7 miles, Morro Bay to Big Sur. The new Gidmeter helped a lot, because whilst climbing the steep portions, I could hold speed more accurately with the amperage read out. One hill I was climbing at 10mph, and the speed slipped down to 8mph, so rather than accelerate the car, I could very carefully bump up power (far easier in ECO mode) from, say 14.5 amps to 15 amps, until I stopped the speed decay without wasting energy accidentally accelerating. I arrived in the camp site with just a bit past VLB (Very Low Battery), at about 5% Gid.

Folks, there wasn't much more for this car to give, so I absolutely had to plan the drive, and drive the plan. My red car (also a LEAF) would NOT have completed this leg. Like an airplane crossing the pond, we set a half way point contingency plan, to determine whether to press on, or return. I had 53% battery capacity at the halfway point, and knew that the worst elevation changes were still ahead. I went to "very aggressive energy conservation" mode for the last half.

When we arrived at the RV campground in Big Sur, I left the car running after I plugged in to the NEMA 14-50, and of course, as I already knew, the heater does not work until it is charged back up above 20%. The heated seats and steering wheel saved us in the 47 degree temps. The red car would have froze us (the 2011 LEAF did not have seat or steering wheel heaters)! I forgot that this car even had the electric seat warmers until I started shivering.

Fog was thick, and I had to keep cycling the defrost to see. Then, when I finally remembered the heated steering wheel, it did help with defrost. Phil's kit to run the fan only would have helped a lot.

Final numbers from memory: 5.0 miles/kWh, 5% remaining, well over 5 hours enroute (with one stop to rest), 100.7 miles.

******

 

[aviatorjames]

We should meet up sometime - I'm hoping it will be delivered on Friday. Maybe a beer at the Distillery...

You betcha ...515-2007 mobile

-james-

 

[iletric]

You're better off shipping the car. It's way too crazy of an idea to try to drive it. Better yet, show the deal to the local dealer and tell them to match it. They'll do it.

 

[ezryder]

I had it shipped - it showed up at 10 last night. Cost: $365.

It's fully charged, but the electrician hasn't put in the plug, yet. He comes tomorrow night. But, the charging station itself won't be here until at least Friday. Next week I get the racing stripes put on and maybe Yokohama Ascend tires.

I figure with the increase in insurance - since I'm keeping my ICE car - and registration and all expenses, including total lease payments, shipping, charging station, racing stripes, tires, etc - and subtracting the $180/mo I'm blowing on gas right now - the car will cost me about $50/mo. If gas goes back up again, I'll make money on the car over the three year lease. Free car. No brainer.

As I put in another post here, I'm trying to figure out what plug/receptacle to use in the garage - leaning towards 6-30. I'm thinking I may be using it at friends houses and the dryer outlet is the way to go. I bought the Bosch Power Xpress and will use it as a plugin portable. After $500 credit, it cost around $550 out of pocket.

 

[Chocula]

I had it shipped - it showed up at 10 last night. Cost: $365.

It's fully charged, but the electrician hasn't put in the plug, yet. He comes tomorrow night. But, the charging station itself won't be here until at least Friday. Next week I get the racing stripes put on and maybe Yokohama Ascend tires.

I figure with the increase in insurance - since I'm keeping my ICE car - and registration and all expenses, including total lease payments, shipping, charging station, racing stripes, tires, etc - and subtracting the $180/mo I'm blowing on gas right now - the car will cost me about $50/mo. If gas goes back up again, I'll make money on the car over the three year lease. Free car. No brainer.

As I put in another post here, I'm trying to figure out what plug/receptacle to use in the garage - leaning towards 6-30. I'm thinking I may be using it at friends houses and the dryer outlet is the way to go. I bought the Bosch Power Xpress and will use it as a plugin portable. After $500 credit, it cost around $550 out of pocket.

Congratulations on your new car! I hope you enjoy it as much as we like ours.

If you are pulling new wires for the garage, I would put in at least a 50 amp circuit. You can put a 6-30R receptacle on a 50 amp circuit if you get an EVSE with a 6-30P plug, then just change out the receptacle later if you ever need. If your are using existing wires, they would determine the size of the circuit and plug you should use.

 

[SteveC5088]

I had it shipped - it showed up at 10 last night. Cost: $365.

Nice! Congratulations!

I hope you will post pictures once you get the decorations put on.

Before you get the L2 charger wiring installed, you can charge it using the EVSE that came with the car. It just takes a long time. Be sure to check the receptacle where you plug it in -- if it gets too hot, you may want to check that its wires are attached via the screws rather than the quick-stab connectors.

 

[ezryder]

I had it shipped - it showed up at 10 last night. Cost: $365.

Nice! Congratulations!

I hope you will post pictures once you get the decorations put on.

Before you get the L2 charger wiring installed, you can charge it using the EVSE that came with the car. It just takes a long time. Be sure to check the receptacle where you plug it in -- if it gets too hot, you may want to check that its wires are attached via the screws rather than the quick-stab connectors.

I will definitely post pics as soon as I get it fancied up. The racing stripes go on Tuesday. EVSE will be installed Monday. It has a full charge right now, from the dealer, showing 87 miles.

 

[aviatorjames]

Sorry I was no help the other day when you called... sick :|
Hopefully you got your EVSE installed and functioning!!
I haven't seen yours (white) but there's also a blue EV Spark around town

 

[ezryder]

Sorry I was no help the other day when you called... sick :|
Hopefully you got your EVSE installed and functioning!!
I haven't seen yours (white) but there's also a blue EV Spark around town

No problem! Landlady has someone coming next week, supposedly. I'm sitting right now at the FC in Pacifica. My maiden voyage to Napa. I haven't driven the car now than a couple times. Waiting for the charger install. I haven't seen another Spark EV around. I did see a white Spark but it turned out to be ICE. I'm hoping there's a NorCal meet-up someday.

 

[ezryder]

Made it to Napa and would have had 3 miles left, but I stopped and got a FC in Pacifica. First time for that - didn't go super smooth, but it finally got working. If it weren't for the brutal Friday afternoon traffic, it would have been a great experience.

Once I got to my friends place, I unplugged the dryer in her house and ran the 25 foot cord out the door and barely made it to the car, but it works! Car says it'll be ready in 5 hours, as expected. Lovin' it!!

 

[FutureFolly]

Congrats!

Look into car delivery services if it's not too late. For such a short run it shouldn't be more than a few hundred dollars.

EDIT: Didn't see the second page.