Sun Country Announces Plans for an Additional 1000 Charging Stations

E-mazing Race Celebration in Vancouver, B.C., and my LEAF trickle charging at a lamp post!

My wife is a small business owner, making outfits for toddlers and themed handbags. So when November 1st hits every year, I know that she will be starting her major holiday production to prepare for upcoming bazaars and the inevitable blitz of special orders. With a momma's boy three-year-old son who is latched onto my wife's legs every waking hour and six-year-old daughter that takes devilish joy in driving our son to madness, I typically take the role of "get the kids out of the house!" to help out at this time of year.

With a weather forecast for occasional showers and intermittent sun breaks, I wanted to take advantage of the quintessential Pacific Northwest autumn day. So I packed up our two children for a day trip to Vancouver, B.C. to join the festivities that Sun Country Highway organized to celebrate the completion of the 2014 E-mazing trans-continental electric vehicle race. With birth certificates in hand, we set out for the border!

The 85 mile, two-hour drive to the U.S.-Canada border was uneventful, and we only needed to DC quick charge once, in Bellingham, to make the border run. The wait to get into Canada was terribly long, though, as thousands of folks had British Columbia on their travel itinerary too. We sat in the car, inching our way to the border-crossing booth for more than an hour without a worry in the world.

Actually, there is really only one concern for a solo parent when waiting at an international border crossing with two young children in the back seat: a desperate call to use the potty.  Thankfully, the heavens answered my prayers and the kids didn't need to use the...ahem. Instead, they happily entertained themselves, allowing for me to tinker with my LEAF. 

Four cameras positioned around the Nissan LEAF comprise the vehicle's Around View Monitor.

You see, a proper, modern vehicle really ought to appease our 21st century attention-deficits. Fortunately, for me, the Nissan LEAF does that wonderfully! There are so many displays and hidden menus in a LEAF, that touchscreen pushing and eyes-off-the-road driving have become my midlife crisis sport of choice. For this particular bore of a wait, I settled on the joy of driving--by looking at the Around View Monitor and exploring hidden dashboard menus. And the hidden menu option that just made me smitten was the one that permitted a change of the LEAF's dashboard display from miles-per-hour to kilometers-per-hour. How fitting for an excursion in Canada!

Shortly after crossing into Canada, my daughter yelled, "Dad, you're going a hundred and ten!!!" I totally enjoyed the observation, and took the teachable moment to share with my kids the differences between measuring speed with kilometers-per-hour and miles-per-hour. And, truthfully, I didn't really know exactly how fast we were driving, nor did I bother to take the moment to figure out the conversion. 

As we neared our Vancouver destination, a charging stop at BCIT that showcases an impressive 800+ panel solar array and multiple DC quick charging stations, I was surprised at how close to downtown the expansive campus was. Moments later, as we turned onto Pacific Boulevard and the False Creek Marina came into view, I realized that I had made a huge mistake while button-pushing back at the border. We were at the E-mazing Race event, not the expected charging stop at BCIT. 

For the non-EV driver, navigating directly to the journey's-end destination is a preference, not a potential issue. For us, though, it meant pulling in with a 5% remaining charge. Compounding the mishap was the fact that I did not have access to my cell phone's data plan while we were in Canada. And an EV driver without a working smartphone is as good as dead; it is that important of a tool in determining charging station locations and using various apps to sort out driving range.

We pulled into the EVent and plugged in at a 120v outlet located at the base of a pedestal lamp post there in the parking lot. While I was in the midst of a charging crisis, the timing of our arrival was fortuitous. The speeches and celebrations were already underway for the E-mazing Race, and Sun Country Highway's president, Ken Rathwell, had just announced the acquisition of 1000 high amperage Level 2 charging stations. Rathwell shared that these charging stations would be installed to backfill the gaps in the already-existing EVSE (electric vehicle supply equipment) Level 2 infrastructure stretching from Nova Scotia to British Columbia. This was awesome news! For our family, the additional charging stations would allow for us to finally drive our Nissan LEAF on a family vacation to Banff National Park. 

Dealer-Blocked EVSE at Downtown Nissan, Vancouver, B.C.

Within 20 minutes, the pomp and circumstance ended. Trickle charging would not get us far, so I started talking with folks about nearby EVSE locations. A director for the Vancouver Electric Vehicle Association (VEVA) took quite an interest in getting us successfully to a Level 2 station, with an eventual leapfrog to a nearby DC quick charging station. Initially, I drew comfort from his direction. Soon, however, I started becoming uncertain of his recommendation to charge at a nearby Nissan dealership.

One would think think that a LEAF owner could safely consider a Nissan dealership as a haven for the charged-impaired EV driver. Apparently not in Vancouver. First, the VEVA director gave me the card of a particular Downtown Nissan employee that he recommended I contact immediately upon arrival. Then, the guy gave me his personal business card and suggested that I call his cell phone if I was given a hard time by the Nissan folks.

When we pulled into the parking lot at Downtown Nissan, the Level 2 EVSE was, sure enough, blocked. To add insult to blasphemy, the dealership parked a BMW in such a way as to strategically prevent access to the charging station. Downtown Nissan didn't realize that they would not stop team Crazy Daddy, though! I parked our LEAF in front of the bimmer, consequently blocking access to their service bay. After plugging in, I stood as bird-chested as possible outside of our car, daring anybody to cause a fuss. About a half dozen dealership employees came out in a huff during our 30 minutes of charging, and fortunately, not a single one of them said, "peep."

DC Quick Charging Station at BCIT

No self-respecting EV enthusiast would pass up the opportunity to charge their car at BCIT's Energy Oasis at the Burnaby Campus. Located in Lot 7, with more than 800 photovoltaic solar panels overhead, there are two CHAdeMO (particular quick charging protocol that Nissan, and others, use) stations that provide a solar powered 85% complete charge in about 30 minutes...rain or shine, day or night.

Lot 7 has 20 of these Panasonic racks for a total of 500kWh of storage!

The BCIT Energy Oasis site is an amazing technological testbed for just about everything imaginable related to the future of energy harvesting, storage, and usage. While our LEAF charged, we were lucky to get a personal tour of the Lot 7 facilities by Kelly Carmichael, research analyst on the Smart Microgrid applied research team. Yes, those 814 Sanyo PV panels were jaw-dropping spectacular. However, just as impressive was the system's energy storage trailer, where Panasonic racks provided 500 kWh of storage. With the system, Panasonic incorporated the same 18650 form factor battery cells used by Tesla in Model S sedans. The 18650s at BCIT do have a different chemistry as compared to their automotive applications, though.

Before leaving BCIT, and Canada, I really needed to do two things. One, my kids (and me!) needed food. Two, I wanted to pick Carmichael's brain on EVSE infrastructure deployment. The shopping mecca, Metropolis at Metrotown, was a short drive away, and Kelly agreed to join us for a late lunch.

Things fell apart, though, once we arrived at the mall. After ordering chili cheese dogs, as requested by my daughter, my debit card was denied at the register. Not only completely embarrassing, the inability to buy food meant that my grand plan to chat it up with Kelly was out. AND, we were still starving to boot.

I had a hunch that the transaction denial was due to us being in Canada. Just two weeks ago, our credit union's fraud-detection contractor correctly identified a fraudulent charge to our checking account. My hypothesis was that due to the known, recent fraudulent activity, the credit union's system just couldn't square that we were actually in a foreign country trying to buy hot dogs. So we hastily parted ways with Kelly, and left the land of mounties and ice hockey for some good 'ol American fast food...in America.

Once we crossed the border, I wanted to do a controlled trial to test my hypothesis and avoid risking another denial with food under our noses. We found a credit union in Blaine, Washington, and I did a "fast cash" withdrawal for $40. The machine spit out two twenties, and I triumphantly waved them at the kids in the car--and right in front of two police officers parked in the institution's lot. At the moment, though, I could only think, "EASY MONEY," a lame tribute to a quote by Edward Furlong's character in Terminator 2: Judgement Day.

A tradition with my kids on these EVentures is to splurge with a feast a McDonald's. Arriving in Burlington, we did just that. Man alive, we ate so much food: McNuggets, fries, shakes, drinks, triple cheeseburgers, McChicken sandwiches, and apple slices. Go figure. Oh, it was beautiful!

After the quick dinner, we just needed a quick charge for the car, followed by a drive of less than a 40 miles to make it home. That drive on Interstate 5, from Burlington to Lake Stevens, is not a thrill. But on this particular night, thrills were to bound to happen.

Just past the Smokey Point exit off of I-5, I saw, in slow motion, a Ford Focus directly in front of us go airborne! As the car was on two wheels at a 20 degree angle, I saw the largest bag of concrete of my life. That's what I thought it was--an industrial-sized bag of concrete. And when, our LEAF was peppered with *rock* fragments and a plume of *cement*, I simultaneously swerved into an adjacent lane to avoid disaster.

A moment down the road, I called 9-1-1 from inside the car. The 9-1-1 dispatcher quickly connected me to a Washington State Patrol dispatcher, who, once hearing of the location of the "road debris," asked me if it was the deer carcass. Deer carcass? My mind replayed the incident in a flash, and all of the concrete bag assumptions made more sense being a deer. Another deer incident for us! The best that I could muster was, "yes, sir."

The phone conversations with the emergency dispatchers were aired for the kids to hear on my LEAF's Bluetooth audio. When I hung up, Sabrina shouted, "The deer died?!? I thought that it was a pumpkin!!!" At that moment, I determined that it was best to not announce to my wife that we had yet another encounter with a stag on a LEAF adventure.

Just minutes later, we were home. My wife heard our arrival with the garage door opening, and walked out to the garage just as we pulled in. With my second slo-mo moment in less than 20 minutes, I watched her joyous smile turn to mouth the words, "What the..," as her gaze went from the three of us in the car to whatever nightmare was present on the front end of my car. Our daughter hopped out and said, "another deer died!" I slithered out, and went to the front of the LEAF and was aghast to see that my pearl white car had a very hairy, red nose now. Yuck!

My LEAF is a chick deer magnet!

With another fun EVenture in the bag, I can't stop thinking about all of these deer encounters. Maybe, just maybe, I will now invest $1.75 in a pair of automotive deer whistles. After all, I've yet to hear of somebody actually hitting a deer with the ultrasonic doodads mounted on their car!

Not Your Average Adventure! By Tanya Coram

When I tell people that we are an exclusively EV family, and often take long trips, they usually reply sarcastically, "Well, that sounds like fun..." or "Your kids must hate having to stop so much!" Our travels do take hours longer than if we were in a gas-powered vehicle, but they do take us off of the beaten path, and often do leave us enjoying random towns while our vehicle charges. This may be completely out of the question for some, but, for us, is life as usual!

Steve and I are not foreign to the concept of traveling in a different manner than the Average Joe. Fourteen years ago, for our first anniversary, we vacationed in Europe. Instead of doing the normal student-traveler itinerary, covering expansive distances in short amounts of time by train, we chose to focus our efforts. We hoped that by staying in one area we would see the literal "off-the-beaten-path" sights. And foregoing the Eurail passes meant that we would have to travel by, quite possibly, the slowest way possible...by foot. Again, we were met with the skeptical, "Why the heck would you do that?!!"

We walked along an expansive network of trails called the GR Trails. Sometimes the trails were well marked and easy to follow, other times we made our way through mud bogs and unable to find trail markers. We took a week and walked--no buses, no trains, no cars--the D-Day beaches. Was it slow? Yes. Could we cover as much distance as someone on a tour bus or in a car? Of course not. However, we saw and experienced so many things that the tourists on a big bus could not.

Farm-Camping in France

On the very first night of our trip, we found ourselves in the middle of a farming town, miles from the beach that was our destination, a huge storm bearing down on us, and no place to sleep. We decided to forego a push to get to a proper campground, and, instead, asked a farmer if we could set up camp on their property. Only expecting to set up our tent in their field, the family surprised us as they led us to their hayloft with an invitation for us to stay. It was not a planned stop by any means, but has since become our favorite memory of the month-long trip to Europe.

If you regularly follow Steve's blog, you may notice that I routinely do not tag along on his road trips. I usually do not head out with Team Crazy Daddy because it provides me a great (child-free) time to work on filling orders for my little sewing business. I do often wonder how he maintains sanity while driving such long hours in the car with the littles...there are times I have lost every ounce of patience before even leaving the entrance of our housing development! After always being the one waving from the doorstep as my family left on LEAF adventures, I decided that it was my turn to head out on the road and take the wee ones to visit my aunt and uncle in Cornelius. OR.

Usually just a pit stop for Steve during his adventures, Cornelius would be our destination. I was excited to spend a couple of days visiting family and hanging out before returning to a more hectic life. When planning this trip, I just knew my experience on a long trip was going to be completely different than Steve's. My kids were likely to have meltdowns. There would probably be difficulties with the charging infrastructure. I knew that I may be in for a long trip.

I'm not a newbie at solo LEAF travel. In fact, I've made the Seattle(ish)-Portland(ish) trip by myself a few times before. The last time I made the drive was in July of 2013 with my 78 year old grandma riding shotgun and Charlie, who epitomized the terrible twos, riding in the back. It was in our battery-degraded 2012 LEAF and the range game was a bit difficult to manage, but we did it.

Setting out on this trip, I knew the locations of the charging stations. I was confident that I could easily make it driving the speed limit, and was looking forward to getting the show on the road. We left Lake Stevens around 9:30 am with a 100% charge. After fighting a bit of traffic, we pulled into the Blink quick charging station in Fife a while later with about 18% battery charge remaining. There was another LEAF charging, so we pulled in and waited our turn. While waiting (for the other LEAF to charge to 100%...), I had a very pleasant conversation with a fellow 2013 owner. He was quite intrigued with my confidence in driving my two kids to Portland in a LEAF. I told him that I was expecting major meltdowns and crazy children soon, but was confident in the actual drive.

Key to Calm Kids? Use the iPad :)

After Fife, we made our way to Centralia for lunch, then Castle Rock, and, finally, Vancouver before arriving in Cornelius at 5:30 pm. At each stop, the kids were eager to get out of the car and explore our surroundings. Although the Play Place at McDonalds was the highlight of the day, the kids were interested in each stop we made, getting out every time to see what there was to do. In Vancouver, a new LEAF owner pulled in to charge at the Blink unit just seconds after us. We watched the mom and teenage daughter try to connect for a minute or two. Then Sabrina then shouted, "Mom, they may not know that only one side charges at a time!" After a brief discussion with the two women, and a pledge to make sure their vehicle began charging before we left, I had a moment to revel in the fact that my six year old daughter knew this information!!

After two days of playing at my aunt and uncle's house, we were ready to head home. I was expecting the same trip home--no real range anxiety, no issues with battery heat--but, things got a bit tricky on the last leg of the trip: Fife to Lake Stevens. When we pulled into Fife, the battery was HOT! I had not been minding my speed on the trip home, driving the 70+ mph the entire trip. After a longer than expected charging stop in Centralia (my kids ended up playing at a Burger King Play Place, causing the charging session to last a little longer than the 20 minutes needed), the battery was searing as indicated by a full stack of battery temperature bars on the car's dashboard.

Even with the hassle, I'd rather be at the EV station
 than the Shell gas station across the street.

In Fife, I plugged into the quick charger and turned on the car for some air conditioning...and then the car stopped charging. Uh oh!! A desperate call to Steve fielded answers I did not want to hear. The LEAF stopped charging due to the very hot battery pack. I was not going to get the 90-95% charge needed at Fife to make it 65 miles home home...and I sure was ready to just get home.

I needed to: (1) get a brief charge to make a leapfrog stop at another quick charger in Totem Lake or Seattle, and, (2) I really needed to get the battery cooled down.

After a bit of a break down (by me), I made a plan. I charged the car for another 20 minutes, watching it slowly provide juice to the car. When a LEAF gets that hot, it will automatically slow down a charging session to try and control the heat issue. After I had enough to *hopefully* make it 37 miles to Totem Lake, I decided to run my LEAF through a car wash to help the battery pack cool. The attendant could not tell me if they had an undercarriage washer, so I got the $10 car wash for free. :) I should take the time to mention that throughout this debacle, my children were in the backseat, happily and quietly watching a movie. There was absolutely no complaints--from them at least!

Don't ICE Me!

We pulled into the Fred Meyer parking lot in Totem Lake with a Very Low Battery warning. It was a bit stressful, but I made it! I squeezed into the only non-ICEd (ICEd = when an Internal Combustion Engine vehicle parks in an EV charging space) charging stall, and after some very dirty looks to the people ICEing the other charging spaces, I plugged in. The charge was slow going, but I was able to get the 60% needed in relatively decent time. Again, kids were happy as could be in the backseat. We were all ready to get home, though.

We arrived home about 8 hours after leaving Cornelius, OR. We walked in to a fun surprise on the kitchen counter, a clean house, and a Daddy that was happy we were all home!

Seahawks Swag!!!

I equate our LEAF travels with our France on Foot trip. It can be slow and challenging, at times having to renegotiate our agenda; but, we have learned (again) to slow down and enjoy the trip. Our kids love exploring new towns, finding fun parks and activities. It is what they know. It is what they expect. Stopping to charge is not a big deal...it is an adventure!

Nissan LEAF Travels to the Highest Point Accessible by Auto in Washington State

EV Road Trip: Not Lost...Yet

More than 100 years ago, Washingtonians, on both the west and east sides of the Cascade Range, yearned for a viable northern crossing of the majestic mountain range bisecting the state. There was great hope of increased trade when the Cascade Wagon Road was opened in the late 19th century in the Upper Skagit River region. But it wasn't until the early 1970s that a paved highway was completed to link the northern reaches of the Cascades. The North Cascades Highway was not only a critical connecting link for tourism in the North Central Washington region, but also became a destination all its own and is now commonly referred to as the most spectacular mountain pass crossing in the entire state.

I always considered it my own personal tragedy that I had never been across the North Cascades Highway. And after becoming an owner of a Nissan LEAF two years ago, I succumbed to the idea of traveling into the "North American Alps." Driving a sub-100 mile EV from sea-level to almost 5,500ft. seemed like a great recipe for being stranded. 

However, in just the past two years, electric vehicle infrastructure has improved immensely. The West Coast Green Highway established DC quick charging stations across another Cascade Range pass, Stevens Pass, allowing for Seattle-area EV travelers to head into Wenatchee, located on the east side of the state. And a grassroots effort by Plug-In North Central Washington to install high-amperage Level 2 charging stations north of Wenatchee made it possible for EV travelers to drive to the tourist playgrounds in Pateros, Winthrop, and Mazama along the eastern slopes of the Cascade Range.

The Stevens Pass route made EV travel to these wonderful locales possible. However, that direct-shot crossing of the North Cascades seemed like a pipe dream for Nissan LEAF drivers. Late last year, I actually wrote a blog entry about the possibility of driving a Nissan LEAF across the North Cascades Highway, traveling from west to east. In a nutshell, to successfully cross the North Cascades Highway in a Nissan LEAF, there would have to be a charging solution somewhere between Burlington (sea level) and Washington Pass (5,477ft). 

With Seattle City Light still working through the bureaucracy of installing a Level 2 charging station at its Newhalem site, I started looking at the possibility of crossing the North Cascades Highway in reverse direction, from east to west. Using the West Coast Green Highway and Plug-In North Central Washington's charging infrastructure, I could easily get all the way to Mazama, WA located less than 20-miles east of Washington Pass. The trade-off was that it would take a full day of driving just to get to Mazama.

The trip was set: I was going to be the first Nissan LEAF driver to cross the North Cascades Highway! In my usual fashion, I decided to add a bit extra to the trip to make it fun for my kids (convincing my wife that it was a great idea for me to take our two children, ages six and three, for 24 hours didn't take much persuasive power). Before crossing the North Cascades Highway from Mazama, I would drive our LEAF to, according to DangerousRoads.org, the highest point reachable by car in the state, Hart's Pass. Actually, we would continue past Hart's Pass and drive up to Slate Peak before descending a vertical mile back into the town of Mazama.

Oh. My. God. The drive to Hart's Pass.

We arrived at the Level 2 charging station in Mazama 11 hours after leaving home. It was about 97 degrees outside and mid-afternoon. We still had to go to the highest point in the state accessible by car, back down, charge, then make a first-ever drive across another mountain pass to get home. Not wanting to bake in the hot weather any longer, I did some quick calculations and decided that with the 71% charge our LEAF had, we could make it to Slate Peak and back without being stranded.

Let me be blunt: nobody should drive a Nissan LEAF up to Hart's Pass. If doing this trip in a car, the minimum capability vehicle would be a Subaru. We saw quite a few 4x4s. For reference, the only two other vehicles that made it all the way up to Slate Peak were two old, no-muffler, lifted Toyota trucks.

I'm getting a bit ahead of myself. Yes, we made it to Slate Peak! I recorded an ending elevation reached by our Nissan LEAF as 7,283ft. However, leaving Mazama with a 71% charge was nearly a fatal mistake. Just as soon as we arrived to Hart's Pass (6,197ft.) the Low Battery Warning chimed in the LEAF. From Hart's Pass, the fire lookout tower at Slate Peak can be easily seen. I couldn't resist my daughter asking to "Go up there!" to see the tower. There is more than a thousand feet of elevation gain driving the three miles from Hart's Pass to Slate Peak, though. Our Nissan LEAF quickly barked at us with a Very Low Battery Warning within the first couple of switchbacks. I was committed, though. Anything for the kids, right? 

Made it to Slate Peak at 7,283 feet with only 1,000 watt-hours of electricity to spare. That was close!

After parking, the kids and I hiked the remaining distance to the fire lookout tower at the top of Slate Peak. The views were INCREDIBLE!

Slate Peak Lookout

Views: Slate Peak Lookout: 7,488ft. by Steve Coram

On the way back down from Slate Peak, the car regenerated about 2,500 watt-hours. This is not as much as an EV driver may expect from a vertical mile descent. We were traveling too slow on the descent back into Mazama to transition much from the friction brakes and take advantage of brake regeneration.

Back in Mazama, at the Mazama Country Inn, we plugged into the Level 2 charging station. We were all exhausted and starving, so we went into the restaurant for some hamburgers and air-conditioned relaxation.

Eat first, then sleep. At least they have their priorities straight!

While the kids slept after dinner, I sat there for about 45 minutes trying to make a final decision on how to best approach the next part of the EVentrue: the North Cascades Highway. During the week prior to departure, I had spent considerable time reaching out to various RV Parks located on the west side of Washington Pass. However, not a single inquiry was welcomed. I figured that I had two choices. One, pull into one of the RV Parks and start charging without the blessing of the management. Even though I was unlikely to make EV-converts out of the RV Park folks, I didn't really want to succumb to guerrilla tactics for getting my car charged. My other option was to drive all the way to the next charging station, a CHAdeMO quick charger located in Burlington, WA. It was 121 miles away.

In my pre-trip planning, I never even considered this second option. All of the elevation profiles and mileage charts that I created and saved for reference along the trip had us leaving Mazama and stopping at one of the RV Parks along the way into Burlington. But as I started putting the elevation profiles together, I became more convinced that the long-shot attempt of driving 121 miles was possible. So, after three hours of charging in Mazama, we departed.

Washington Pass: Elevation 5,477ft.

Once at the summit of Washington Pass, I pulled over to take a quick picture of the accomplishment and to try and take in the grandeur of the North Cascades under the moon's light. Both kids were asleep in the back, so I figured that I should treat myself to some solitude while I had it. It was that isolation that ended up surprising me. While looking around at the summit, I realized that I had not seen another vehicle since leaving Mazama. Why weren't people driving on the North Cascades Highway?

Underway again, and now starting the long descent into Burlington, it dawned on me. People choose to not drive on the North Cascades Highway at night. Not at night because of all the deer! Up to that point, I had passed seven deer on the roadway. Each time, the deer behaved in a consistent manner when our car approached: Head raised; body moved in place--usually sticking their rump at me; then, as we passed, the deer would hop into the brush. When we approached the eighth deer, I didn't think twice. I shifted from neutral to B Mode (heavy regen) to slow down as we passed the deer until it hopped away. But this time, after the deer raised its head and turned its bum to us, it darted right at our car! It happened impossibly fast...the swerving, horn blaring, daddy cursing, brake pedal mashing...deer hitting. At 11pm, on a deserted mountain pass with no cell service, I hit a freakin' deer.

After coming to a complete stop, I hopped out of the car. The deer was gone; hopefully hopping through the trees. In trying to assess the situation and regain my composure, I started looking the car over. Right away, it was clear that a new hood, new bumper, new fender, and new headlight would be needed to fix my car. Thirteen days after delivery, I smashed my car. I didn't even have the license plate mounted yet!

Back in the car, and getting underway once more, it struck me at how lucky we were. If I had hit the deer straight on, instead of at the corner of the front end, we would've been in a completely different scenario. It was a chilling thought to say the least.

The remaining drive into Burlington was actually quite pleasurable. My children were zonked out in the back seat and I was the only car on the road. And I only encountered one more deer, this time without incident.

Pulling into the Burlington CHAdeMO quick charging station, my LEAF was at the very moment of going into "Turtle Mode," as one battery cell was down to 3.050 volts (hat tip to Tyrel Haveman for the data analysis). We had driven 121 miles on the single charge. A new record for me!

The world is getting smaller to us EV drivers. It won't be much longer when we look back on these EVentures with amusement and nostalgia. The transportation world is changing quickly, and the future stories of EV travel will likely be more about the destination, rather than the journey. But for now, it is all about the journey. The EV pioneering travels!

***

Here is what the trip looked like (minus the gap of data from Pateros to Winthrop, WA):

SOC Map: Green=Full Charge, Red=Empty
(Courtesy Tyrel Haveman)

Speed Map: Green=Highest Speeds, Red= (Almost) Stopped
(Courtesy Tyrel Haveman)

The (Unadvisable) Way to Break In Your New LEAF

I bought a new Nissan LEAF this week.

Almost two years ago when I purchased my first EV, a 2012 Nissan LEAF, I was planning on driving the car until it either died or 10 years...whichever came first. Understanding that there were so few mechanical bits that could wear out or break, I figured that I was in a long-term relationship with my Nissan LEAF.

Fast forward to this week. Being at a car dealership is a different experience than before LEAF ownership. With Nissan's deployment of DC quick charging stations at its dealership network, I am at a Nissan dealership at least twice a month to use the charging infrastructure. On this particular day, though, I was at a local dealership as part of my duties as vice president of the North Sound Electric Vehicle Association picking up informational and promotional items for an upcoming EVent.

With the 2015 LEAFs on the way, whatever 2014s that are on the lot can be had at good prices. It didn't take me long to be convinced that I wanted needed a new LEAF. With all of the upgrades and additional appointments, Nissan quite nearly released LEAF 2.0 with the 2013, and later, LEAFs as compared to the early-adopter 2011/2012 LEAFs.

My new ride: 2014 Nissan LEAF SL

With my new Nissan LEAF now in the garage, I started thinking about how to most-appropriately break in my new ride. The gears in my mind started grinding away when I looked at the LEAF Spy data a couple hours after getting the car home. LEAF Spy showed that my new car was a bit sleepy with only 63 AHr available from the car's battery pack. A new Nissan LEAF can be expected to have 66.25 AHr when new.

In my experience, the easiest way to "wake up" a Nissan LEAF's battery pack is to quick charge the car--usually with successive DC quick charges. I now had #1 on my list of breaking in my new LEAF: quick charge the car A LOT. The funnest way to get successive quick charges in would be to go on a road trip. That led me to what #2 would be on my LEAF's break in schedule: road trip the LEAF to a location, far and away, that has never been accessed via a Nissan LEAF before!

The eerily-majestic, Mt. St. Helens

One such location that I've had my eye on for about a year now, is Mt. St. Helens. Mt. St. Helens is the youngest and most-active volcano in the Pacific Northwest's Cascade Range. It last erupted in 1980, blasting more than 1,300 feet from its peak, and destroying life and property for many square miles on its northern side. The challenge of making it to the Johnston Ridge Observatory in a Nissan LEAF lies in its remote location and in the inevitable elevation gains in driving into the mountains. 

After leaving our house at 5:40am, my daughter and I pulled into Castle Rock, WA four hours, and three quick charge sessions, later. With one more quick charge in Castle Rock we were ready to start driving east of the I-5 corridor and into the Cascade Range. 

New battery pack no longer! With just 200 miles on the odometer, this pack is having hot beginnings.

Mt. St. Helens' Johnston Ridge Observatory is located 52 miles east of Castle Rock, with an elevation gain of more than 4100'. Even with a brand new LEAF, making a 104 mile round trip drive would be difficult. Coupling this 100+ mile drive with the elevation gain, I knew that I would need to find charging opportunities somewhere along the way to prevent being stranded in the mountain's dead zone with a dead EV battery and no cell service. 

After contacting several of the tourist stops along the drive on WA-504, I connected with a business not just open to the idea of me plugging in, but enthusiastic to help make Mt. St. Helens more accessible to Nissan LEAFs. 

Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center at Mt. St. Helens

The Hoffstadt Bluffs Visitor Center is located halfway between Castle Rock and the Johnston Ridge Observatory. When we arrived, we were encouraged to plug into a 120v outlet at the helicopter pad. It was an awesome location, and I loved seeing my new car right there with the tour helicopter! There was plenty for my daughter and I to do during the two of hours of trickle charging: we had a great lunch while eating burgers and watching the helicopter flights take off and land. We also had fun throwing a Frisbee (my daughter's kids meal was served on the underside of a Frisbee--how fun!), and checking out the exhibits.

With this being a "first ever" trip, I decided to drive very conservatively and slow. It is never fun to drive slow in a car that is so much fun driving fast. However, I was motivated by that little voice in the back of my head saying, "dead battery in a dead zone." There are many pullouts and wide shoulder areas on the drive up to the Johnston Ridge Observatory, so driving slow wasn't much of an impediment to traffic either.

First Nissan LEAF to make it to the Johnston Ridge Observatory at Mt. St. Helens!

We spent some time at the Johnston Ridge Observatory to learn more about Mt. St. Helens and the May 18, 1980 eruption. The U.S. Forest Service has done a remarkable job at providing informative and interactive exhibits, making this a fantastic family-friendly EVenture!

After making our way back down to Castle Rock, I started mapping out our trip home. My new Nissan LEAF had chalked up two accomplishments: 1) The battery pack was now reading 67.3 AHr (more than 100% of expected capacity), and 2) had made a "first ever" trek (very important for The Coram Family EV Fleet). However, I was still missing something. My new LEAF was just not quite christened yet. While charging there in Castle Rock, I noticed that it was almost exactly 100 miles from Tumwater, WA and our house. If I made the DC quick charge in Tumwater the last charge of the trip, I could stretch it home and make this new car break in complete. And so I did!

The 100-Mile Club, Baby!

So here is the formula for the (unadvisable) way to break in your new Nissan LEAF:

• "Bake" the battery to increase the AHr
• Take the LEAF on a "first-ever" EVenture
• Join the 100-mile club