The Nightmare Before Christmas

It seems hard to believe that our 2013 LEAF would only make it 45 miles on an almost complete charge.  Last night it happened, though, and the bugger of the situation was that we were still 8 miles from home.

Just before dinner last night, I found an article highlighting "9 De-Lightful Neighborhood Light Displays" in the Seattle area.  Looking at the options, it looked like we could check out a few of the displays within range of Tanya's LEAF. Before continuing on with the plan, I ran out to the garage to plug in Tanya's car to try and get it to 100% before we left.

Back inside, I utilized the Nissan Owners web portal, Carwings, to map out the multiple destination trip. First stop would be in Mountlake Terrace, followed by two light shows in Bothell. From Bothell, we would simply drive north on Hwy. 9 home for a total trip distance of 53 miles.  

After dinner, we packed up the kids and headed out.  The car only made it to a 94% charge, though. Upon hearing that the car wasn't at a full charge, Tanya ominously went back inside to grab some extra blankets.  I tried to shrug it off, but I knew that she was worried about heading out on a 50+ mile trip in the frigid temperatures with less than a 100% charge.

Before leaving Lake Stevens, we stopped by Starbucks for a round of coffee and hot chocolate.  Shortly after leaving the coffee house, we pulled up next to a heavily modified Honda.  Red light.  Mano y mano.  I floored it, leaving the coffee can muffler-equipped foe buzzing raucously behind us. Sure, the Rad Racer eventually passed us with the fury of a swarm of angry bees, but I was merrily pleased.

After the stoplight drag race, Tanya made a funny and shouted, "Clarke!  Slow down!!!" Sabrina reinforced my immaturity by posing rhetorical questions: "Dad, was that car racing us?"  Followed by, "Dad, were you racing that car?"

Holly Jolly Times

The light displays did not disappoint.  They were stunning, with each having its own spin on what defines spectacular.  After viewing the last neighborhood light show, we started heading home, first driving through downtown Woodinville.  

In Woodinville, Tanya reasonably asked me to turn on the dashboard lights so that we could see what the driving range situation was, and possibly charge for a while before heading out of town.  I briefly protested, but ended up checking.  We had 24 miles of range as displayed by the vehicle's "guess-only meter."  I was comforted by the surplus charge (it's 20 miles from Woodinville to our house in Lake Stevens), and turned the dashboard lights back off.  Earlier that morning, I had just published a blog post about the virtues of "blind driving" an EV with the dashboard lights off.  In my mind, there was no worry of not making it home.  

About ten minutes later, I gasped when the low battery chime sounded.  However, we were in a 2013 LEAF, which alerts the low battery charge at a much more forgiving state of charge than in my 2012. I decided to avert from Hwy. 9 and drive Bickford Avenue north to avoid the faster speeds of Hwy. 9. And on went those dashboard lights.

Within a mile and a half, the very low battery warning chimed!  There was no way we were going to make it the nearly eight miles home.  Just ahead was Bickford Ford.  We pulled in and parked. It was 15 degrees outside, but we were toast.

"We're out of heat!  We're out of food!  We're out of everything!"

The electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE or "charger") at Bickford Ford is not accessible after hours.  The dealership blocks access with a row of F-150s lined up across the parking lot.  However, I did find a 120v outlet on a nearby light post.

The four of us sat there in the car, progressively freezing for about a half hour. Sabrina declared, "We're out of heat!  We're out of food!  We're out of everything!" while Tanya and I weighed our options.  It was obvious that we were not going to get the typical 4 miles of range for every hour of 120v charging with the low ambient temps.  So, just before 9:00 PM, we called my mom to come out and rescue Tanya and the kids.

After Mom left with the crew, the cabin temps in the LEAF dropped precipitately. When all of us were in the car, it was like having four space heaters radiating at 98 degrees.  But now by myself, I was getting really cold, really fast.  I called Nissan Roadside for a tow, but didn't know how long it was going to take for the rescue.

While sitting there, I couldn't help but think about the stories of people getting stranded in their cars...freezing to death. A blanket Tanya grabbed when we left home was in the back seat.  I grabbed the blanket, cocooned myself under it, and posted an S.O.S. on the Seattle Nissan LEAF Owners' Facebook page.

Within minutes, several local EV drivers offered to assist. Matt and Laura Moreno were practically on their way by the time I returned their message--heading out to rescue me in their Tesla Model S. I was really starting to like this idea of rescue now!

I called Nissan to cancel the tow, and the Morenos pulled up shortly thereafter.  My core body temp was free-falling, but Matt had the heat blasting in his Tesla for me.  The ten minute ride home wasn't an ass-hauling joyride in the Model S.  Rather, it was all about getting me warm and home ASAP.

Back to the stranded LEAF the next morning.

This morning, we returned to Bickford Ford to retrieve the stranded LEAF.  Twelve hours had elapsed since first plugging into the 120v outlet at the light post, and the car had still only reached a 43% charge.  Clearly, the bitter cold makes even a trickle charge flow all the slower!

Sure, all I want for Christmas are two Model Ses.  However, I think I'll give a gift instead. I will gift my family with a respite from being stranded in our EVs.  

The EV Mile-High Club

Up until now, I've had a 50/50 record for EV trips venturing into the North Cascades.  The first, was a trip to Mt. Baker that didn't fair too well.  The second was a success, but actually was scarier for non-driving reasons.

Plug-In North Central Washington has for some time worked to electrify the north-central part of Washington State, thus making the region's tourist destinations accessible for those driving EVs...even the range-limited Nissan LEAF.

This winter, there are two projects that will be pivotal in making the west-east trek on Highway 20 possible for those LEAF drivers.  There will be a commissioning of three EVSE (Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment) at the Mazama County Inn (two NEMA 14-50 outlets and one 240V 70amp J1772 EV Plug).  The NEMA outlets will be usable for LEAF drivers who have the EVSE Upgrade to take advantage of the RV type outlets; recreational vehicles widely use NEMA 14-50 outlets when at campgrounds. While the 70amp EV Plug is better suited to charging a Tesla Model S, a LEAF could still charge off of the unit, albeit just at a maximum of 30amps for a 2013+ LEAF.

The second Highway 20 charging opportunity that is to be installed over the winter months is a public EVSE at the Seattle City Light Newhalem site (west of Diablo Lake).  While the specifics are yet to be released, it is expected that this unit will be a J1772 EV Plug and thus usable by a wide-range of plug-in vehicles.

Diablo Lake

Over on the Seattle Nissan LEAF Owners Group site, there is a question of whether the trip from the Puget Sound region to the Mazama County Inn will be possible in a Nissan LEAF come spring of 2014 when the soon-to-be-installed EVSE is up and running.

I believe that this trip is possible.  It would not be an easy trip, though!

A more detailed look:

Burlington Outlet Shoppes to the Newhalem Site

To start the trip, all but the Burlington-local LEAF drivers would need to do a combination of Level 3 (quick charging up to 80% battery) and Level 2 (80-100%) at the Burlington Outlet Shoppes.  To reach 100% in this manner, it would take a 2013+ LEAF about an hour.  From Burlington, it is just over 61 miles to reach the Seattle City Light EVSE up near Diablo Lake.  If leaving Burlington with a full charge (and healthy battery pack), one wouldn't need to worry about traveling less than the speed limit. This would be a pretty easy leg.

Newhalem Site to Mazama County Inn

The second leg of the North Cascades traverse is going to be much more of a challenge in a LEAF.  No question, there would need to be another full charge at the Seattle City Light site near Diablo Lake.  This would be 3-4 hours of charging for a 2013+ LEAF, as the whole session would be at the Level 2 EV Plug.  Thank goodness there is plenty to do and see at that location, making an extended charging session rather painless!

From Newhalem, the LEAF driver will need to be very cautious to control speed and throttle.  That full charge is going to have to take the LEAF from and elevation of 531 feet up to more than a mile above sea level!  After peaking at 5458 feet 40 miles into leg #2, there will still be about 20 miles of driving before safely arriving at the lovely high-powered Level 2 EVSE units at the Mazama County Inn.  Yes, there will be plenty of brake regeneration on that trip down into Mazama, however, the downhill grade will not guarantee a LEAF can make it that far if the battery is very low.

Even with the potential of complete disaster, I am ready for the trip!  Come spring, when the weather is warming and the snow melting, I look forward in joining the north-central EVers at their little get-together.  In all prudence, I'd better not bring my kids on this one:)


  

Team CrazyDaddy at it Again!

Just five days ago, I had substantial shoulder surgery.  Today, I have a serious case of Cabin Fever-itis. Tomorrow, while Tanya is at work, I am going to take Sabrina and Charlie on a little road trip--great medicine!

We'll be heading up north.  First to Bellingham, and then we'll be driving up to the ski area at Mt. Baker.  With a little luck, the three of us can have a nice picnic up in the mountains and bag another fun excursion in our Nissan LEAF.

For this trip, I encourage folks to follow us on their smartphones via the Glympse app.  We'll be traveling via the Glympse tag:  !CrazyDaddy    Yes, there is an exclamation point at the beginning.

I'll also be updating on Twitter @EV_RoadTrip    Additionally, the Twitter updates will be used should I miscalculate the battery charge in our car and end up in trouble.  We will be in the wilderness, but may be able to send a Tweet in sticky situation where there is spotty cell coverage.

Real-time speed, E.T.A., and live mapping.

In Bellingham, we will take our LEAF up to a 100% charge with the CHAdeMO and J1772 electric vehicle supply equipment in Sehome Village.  From there, here is what we're looking at:

Sea Level to 5000 feet in 60 miles!

I will be collecting data for a later blog post--stay tuned!

Can an EV Make the Trip to Yakima?

For my grandfather's 91st birthday, I thought it would be nice to take Sabrina and Charlie to see Great Grandpa in Yakima this past weekend.  Tanya and I haven't visited Grandpa since owning an EV, and frankly I was always concerned with the feasibility of the trip with our kids.  With the successful BC2BC trip under my belt, I figured that if a LEAF can cover the "EV Badlands" of California, where there isn't a J1772 or CHAdeMO for hundreds of miles in much of the state, then visiting my grandfather in Yakima ought to be doable.

Before leaving, it looked like we would be okay to CHAdeMO quick charge all the way to Cle Elum. However, successfully traversing I-82 from Ellensburg to Yakima seemingly would require some Level 2 time in Ellensburg.  When asking for route options from fellow LEAF owners on the Seattle owner's Facebook site, there were suggestions to travel along the Canyon Road instead of I-82.  Avoiding the steep terrain of I-82 sounded good--the Canyon Road was the way to go!

The Canyon Road from Ellensburg to Selah is such a beautiful drive!

This trip was also the first time that I would use the data logging feature from the LEAF Battery application.  This Android app was developed by "Turbo3" from the My Nissan Leaf forum. Using this app was a critical part of the successful BC2BC drive, and having it for the drive to Yakima would be important so that I would not end up stranded on the side of the road with a two and five-year-old.

Not only did we successfully make the trip from Lake Stevens to Yakima, but it was downright easy! We utilized only CHAdeMO quick charging--Level 2 charging in Ellensburg was not necessary at all.

Here is how it looked:

Bellevue College DCQC to Snoqualmie DCQC

We did a long charge at Bellevue College, leaving with 267 GIDs @ 92% State of Charge ("SOC" hereafter).  I wasn't sure if we could make it to the Summit at Snoqualmie with a more typical 80% charge.

We arrived at the Snoqualmie summit with 70 GIDs @ 33% SOC remaining.  Driving at 60 m.p.h., this is an easy leg in the summer, and can probably be driven in the winter too.

Snoqualmie DCQC to Suncadia Lodge DCQC

Even with a quick charge to just 199 GIDs/71% SOC at Snoqualmie Pass, it was way more than what was needed to drive to Suncadia Lodge at 60 mph.  I could've made up some time by driving this leg at 70 mph or charging less at the Summit.  We arrived at Suncadia with 70 GIDs/33% SOC.

Suncadia Lodge DCQC to Yakima via Canyon Road

It is a good thing that Tony Williams amended the rules of the "100 Mile Club" because, with an elevation profile like this, I could've driven all the way to Goldendale on a single charge.  Note that the ~800 foot uptick at the end of this leg was due to Grandpa's home being actually outside of town, up in the Naches Heights area.

Back at the Suncadia Lodge, we did an hour-long charge and departed with 280 GIDs/96% SOC. Pulling into Grandpa's place, the battery was at 111 GIDs/45% SOC.  When we arrived into Yakima, there was still more than half of the battery charge remaining--charging to 80% at Suncadia would be more than enough to make the summer time drive into Yakima possible.

The return trip was even easier--we only quick charged twice.  Driving from Yakima to Suncadia is no problem, again driving the Canyon Road.  We arrived at the Suncadia Lodge with 47 GIDs/24% SOC. In the winter time, I recommend driving on WA-10 from Ellensburg to Cle Elum to avoid the freeway speeds of I-90.

The CHAdeMO at the Summit is proving to be a great location.  We made it back home to Lake Stevens (~75 miles) with just an 80% charge, driving 65 mph from the Summit to Issaquah, then 60 mph on I-90/I-405/I-5 the rest of the way home.

Taking our gas car to Grandpa's house used to take four hours, with a couple of stops along the way for our kids.  On this trip with the LEAF, it took five and a half hours to get to Yakima, and five hours for the return.  If we were to take advantage of doing the minimal charging needed at the CHAdeMO stations, the trip to my grandfather's house could be done in just about the same time that it took us to drive using our gas-powered vehicle.  Now, that is amazing!

BC2BC: B4N!

Today, Sabrina and I took my wife, Tanya, and son, Charlie, up to Blaine, WA.  While we have been officially done with the BC2BC All Electric Vehicle Rally for some time, we've only been home from our trip a few days.  Today's 85 mile trip north completed our BC2BC...2BC rally.  Driving this last leg today with our whole family provided some closure for the trip.  I was not expecting to feel this sense of "closure" however, and as such, I am trying to sort through why today's experience of driving back to Blaine has me thinking more introspectively.

British Columbia to Baja California to British Columbia: BC2BC2BC

The memories that I seem to perpetuate nowadays are those that involve my family unit.  Creating memories with Sabrina was certainly a major, if not the, determining factor in deciding to drive an electric vehicle more than 3500 miles in just over two weeks time.  Not only was I hoping to have memorable daddy/daughter experiences on the road, but I also hoped to create an event that would become part of the Coram narrative.  Our family can look back on this trip in the years to come and say, "Wow!  That was nuts!"

Yes, driving a Nissan LEAF that far is nuts.  But it is not as outlandish as one may presume.  Driving a quick charge-capable EV, like the LEAF, from state to state is actually a fairly painless experience.  Of course, with the current state of the CHAdeMO (the particular quick charge supply equipment for the LEAF) infrastructure, long-distance travel is only easy in Washington and Oregon.  If these two states can be traversed in a day each, then one may ask why it took us another week to travel the length of California.

 West Coast CHAdeMO Quick Charger Locations

Looking at the map, it is evident why driving a Nissan LEAF the north-south length of California is tough.  It will only be a matter of time, however, until the CHAdeMO infrastructure is completed enough that families will be driving their respective EVs from Seattle to Disneyland.

It is remarkable what Washington and Oregon have done to make intra and interstate travel possible.  Why California, which has more CHAdeMO stations by number than either of its neighbors to the north, chose to focus so heavily on the the Bay Area and L.A. is remarkable.  A remarkably big mistake.  In the Puget Sound region, people who do not own an EV are surprised when they hear that our family does not own a gas-powered car.  In California, it was the Nissan LEAF drivers who were in complete disbelief that we owned two LEAFs and no gas vehicles.  For them, a LEAF is an in-town proposition only.

That brings me back to today's experience of returning to Blaine.  Easily driving our LEAF to the Peace Arch Park today made me think that perhaps the more enduring memory that Sabrina and I will look back on is that it took us so long to drive to Southern California back in 2013, and how ridiculously nuts that was!

With our trip being over, I do hope that we have the opportunity to stay in contact with folks both from the rally and of those who we met along the way.  And just maybe, we will have a chance to meet up again and share some stories of the fun and frustrations of the drive...or perhaps race for the border again!

Memorable Moments

It Takes A Village

In K-12 education, we will often refer to the task at hand as "taking a village" to successfully support and nurture young people.  This idea, of community working together to solve problems, transcends into other aspects of life as well.

Two days ago, as Sabrina had fallen asleep in our hotel room in Grants Pass, Oregon, I stayed up late trying to solve the problem of driving into northern California's Central Valley with expected temperatures of 110+ degrees forecast for the next two days.  There were two factors that I tried to focus on.  One, was to consider the charging opportunities along route, and two, was to think about how the heat would effect Sabrina and myself.

Ultimately, I decided that it would be best to start out by heading south on I-5, past Mt. Shasta, and into Redding.  In Redding, I was going to have to commit to heading west/southwest towards the coast and the next BC2BC stage checkpoint in Santa Rosa, or head south/southeast to visit our friends in Roseville as previously planned.  So on Tuesday morning, Sabrina and I left the last quick charger in Ashland, OR and easily crossed the border driving into Yreka, CA.

The RV park in Yreka where I was planning on plugging into suddenly had a change of heart, though, and requested $25 to charge our LEAF.  I was in a tough spot because we had to get a full charge if we would even come close to making it into Redding.  Before leaving in disgust, I reminded the park manager that under the most expensive of situations, a full charge on our car would be less than $2.00.

The next RV park wanted $15.  The price was coming down, but still absurd.  So, I cold-called a residential mobile home community: Oakridge Retirement Community.  The community manager, Jody Hahn, was inviting and asked us to come by for a charge.  She said that she never had a request for an EV to charge at one of the 50 amp service panels.  Upon arrival, I asked Jody if she would accept $8.00 and let us use the community pool.  Jody smiled and accepted...it was a win-win situation.

Just before jumping in on this 100+ degree day.

After swimming, Sabrina and I needed to pass more time before the car was done charging (it was charging slow, presumably due to the power supply being 208 volts instead of the desired 240 volts).  I hopped on the official rally Facebook page (All Electric Vehicle Rally), and saw a post by Jenny Zink welcoming rally participants to the Siskiyou County Economic Development headquarters in Yreka for some cold refreshments.

Sabrina and I walked over and met Jenny, and she was gracious in providing us with several much needed cold drinks and water.  Jenny is also a big proponent of EVs.  It was great to hear about how folks in northern California are very much interested in building up the EV capabilities of the region.

Jenny even walked back with us to get a picture with our rally car!

In Yreka, I realized that I needed to start making some serious progress if we were even going to have a chance at continuing past Redding.  We left Yreka with about an ~81% charge.  The 90, or so, miles to Redding was brutal, as slow speeds and limited use of A/C was required.  Making it to Redding that day on an 80% charge was one of my best EV accomplishments.  

Upon arriving at Crown Nissan in Redding, Sabrina and I were pretty beat and hungry.  The team at Crown Nissan was amazing.  After plugging in our car, they tossed us the key fob to a brand new LEAF and said that we just needed to have it back in a few hours!  We ended up only driving a mile away to a Raley's grocery store, but did manage to kill two hours in Raley's by having rounds of yummy treats in the store's air conditioned deli.

In Redding, it was clear that we could not bear another day of 110 degree temps.  To get out of the valley, we needed to drive 100 miles to Williams (besting my previous best EV run from earlier in the day), charge, then drive ~95 miles from Williams to Santa Rosa.  The only sleep opportunity would be in Williams--in the car while charging.

We charged for about five or six hours in Williams, but only had a 91% charge when I decided to leave.  By leaving in the early morning hours, we had a shot at making it to the checkpoint in Santa Rosa less than 24 hours from our departure in Grants Pass.

Things were great until we got to Mt. St. Helena.  This stretch of Hwy. 29 prior to Calistoga is one of the longest stretches of hairpin turns I've driven.  I, of course, was caught up in the moment of driving this blacktop gem in a spirited manner.  All was well, until Sabrina was not.  She got car sick.  The poor girl threw up three times in the backseat before we made it to Calistoga.  No, I didn't pull over.  I know, it was an extremely "bad daddy" moment, but making it to Santa Rosa within my 24 hour timeline just had to happen!

Things didn't work out so well when we got to the locked gate at the Chateau Montelena Winery where I was planning to quick charge, though.

120 Volt Charging...Useless.

At that moment, we were either not going to make it to Santa Rosa by my target time, or I would need to gamble and make a shot at it with the charge I had.  At the winery down the road from Montelena, I plugged into a 120 volt outlet for about 15 minutes, which amounted to almost nothing, and set off over the hills to Santa Rosa.

This drive, to Santa Rosa, was the most stressful driving experience of my life.  There was some very hilly terrain, making slow, slow speeds in my battery-depleted EV a must.  There is also quite a bit of construction on this section of roadway.  So, I spent the next hour, white-knuckled, looking in my mirrors, and trying to find non-existing shoulder pull-offs to get out of the way of fully loaded trucks barreling down on us.  They would never be able to slow down soon enough to match my speed, and I couldn't speed up because our battery would run out of juice leaving us stranded in a no-cell-service area.  Did I mention that there were no shoulder pull-outs!

When we pulled into the Hyatt in Santa Rosa, I had been driving for four miles on the Very Low Battery Warning.  So, basically those few minutes of "useless" 120 volt charging in Calistoga saved the day. 

Because we had to change plans from staying the night in Roseville on Wednesday, I was in a bind for lodging; especially with it being so close to the Fourth of July holiday.  Right before we headed out of Williams, I posted an S.O.S. on the Bay Area EV group Facebook page.  By the time we were in Santa Rosa, lodging was locked in.  We were set to stay the night at Waidy Lee's home.  Not only is Waidy an amazing EV advocate (having been the owner of six EVs so far) and a sustainable living goddess, but Waidy is an amazing person.  Without hesitation, Waidy welcomed Sabrina and me and made her remarkable home ours--for 18 hours:)  Waidy shares her expertise and experiences at: http://waidy.com/.

I am proud of the driving accomplishments that I have notched over the past two days.  However, the real lesson for me is how Jody, Jenny, Crown Nissan, and Waidy Lee have proven to me that it "takes a village" for us grown-ups, too, sometimes. 

Goodbye Oregon--We'll Miss You!

We will be departing Grants Pass, OR in the morning.  Our last DCQC for a couple of days will be in Ashland, OR tomorrow morning.  Not having to quick charge is bitter sweet, as we won't have the ability to drive hundreds of miles in a day but we also won't have the worry of the high temperature battery packs.  Those high temp battery packs were just aweful today.  Before sharing the end-of-drive battery temp stresses, I need to back up with some highlights from Sunday...

Upon leaving the Hochstein Nursery on Sunday, Sabrina was given an archery lesson by her cousin Kayla.

For her next lesson, I bet that Kayla will review safety with Sabrina.  Just after the photo was taken, Sabrina shot the arrow and narrowly missed her cousin:)

The Nissan LEAF has several route options in the navigation settings (quickest route, shortest route, eco route, and avoid highways).  For the first half of the trip from Cornelius to Albany, we avoided highways.  The resulting drive was a spectacular one!  This picture was taken of the road that we drove on--no traffic, no signs, no lane markings, and beautiful scenery.  

Last night was the first night of camping, and the first time I have charged the car at an RV campground.  It was pretty fun being the little car plugged in amongst the RVs.  There was some great conversing with neighbors and the EV-curious.  It was a nice, relaxing end to a relaxing day.

Today, on the other hand was not so relaxing.  When we left the campground this morning, the average battery temperature was 83 degrees.  With only three quick charges needed to reach Grants Pass, I thought I could let the electrons flow on the freeway and not have to worry about high battery temperatures.  Things were going as planned for about the first 120 miles of the day, as I was fully enjoying my role of spreading the "EVs can be really fast" word to my fellow road mates.  After the second quick charge, the battery temperature was getting high--about 108 degrees.  I wasn't too worried, though, because I knew that I only needed one more quick charge.  

While charging in Canyonville, OR, I was closely watching the temperatures of the battery packs.  When the temps rose to 116* (average) and I hit 11 temperature bars on the dash, I stopped the charge.  It was 42 miles to Grants Pass and we had a projected 42 miles of range.  For those familiar with the drive into Grants Pass from the north, you'll remember the STEEP climbs and downhill sections.  Going up the grades, I kept the power usage to 20 kWh.  This resulted in speeds of 28-40 m.p.h.  Coming down the hills, things were just as steep.  I had two problems going, though, as I needed range and the batteries were too hot.  Because of the heat issue, I decided not to use regenerative braking.  On each trip down, we got going pretty fast; 88 m.p.h. on the steepest grade actually.  I do think that it is fitting that terminal velocity in our electric car is eighty-eight miles per houuur!  

The whole thing was rather embarassing actually.  There we were, in all of our vinyl-covered rally car glory driving on the shoulder "slow truck" lane going up the grades, being passed by everybody.  I can only imagine what drivers were saying when we flew past them on the way down.  And then it happend all over again...sloooow, then fast!  

Quick charging is not going to be an issue for heat tomorrow, but the ambient temperature is going to be rough on Sabrina and me, if not also our car.  I have spent dozens of hours planning this trip.  My goals are to complete the rally and do so having a great time with my Sabrina.  Tomorrow and the next day will be taxing the limit of what Sabrina can handle, I am affraid.  I am now going to look at the plans and see if it is best to continue down I-5 into Redding and Sacremento, or to divert and head for the coast.  Changing plans this drastically will be very challenging.  I have to make sure that I can charge the car and also do so while having a memorable time with Sabrina.  

I suppose the memories are inevitable.  Hopefully they're good!

BC2BC: Here We Go!

Sabrina and I drove our first day of the BC2BC All Electric Vehicle Rally yesterday.  In total, we covered  340 miles going from Bellingham, WA into Canada (more on that in moment), and south to Cornelius, OR.

To start the trip, we stayed with Dave and Ilene Green in Bellingham on Friday night.  The stay with the Greens was such a nice visit.  They afforded me plenty of time to evangelize and promote electric vehicles, and stretched my thinking on other sustainable endeavors.  Sabrina and I had two fantastic vegan meals while at the Green's house!  

After putting Sabrina to bed, Dave and Ilene stayed up late with me to go through our 17 day itinerary.  There was a point when we each had our phones/computers going while searching for fun activities and sights to see while Sabrina and I are in California.  I am so excited to show Sabrina the Morro Bay Rock on the central-California coast.  Dave actually let us borrow his binoculars to maximize the viewing opportunities!

In heading to the Peace Arch Park in Blaine for the start of the rally, I accidentally ended up driving into Canada.  This, of course, is not a problem unless a daddy does not have ANY identification showing that the child in the backseat is, in fact, legally his and that they are not on the run.  It took us about 45 minutes to get back across the border and into Blaine.  The border patrol agent that we worked with was very thorough, and rightfully let me have it for attempting to take a five-year-old across an international border without the appropriate documentation.  

The start of the rally fun, as a few dozen EV owners showed up to show their support.  I was extremely nervous in those couple of hours leading up to the rally start, and sure appreciated everybody's excitement and enthusiasm to help keep my mind off of the challenges of the trip itself.  Sabrina and I departed Blaine at about 12:15 in the afternoon.  

The 13 hour drive yesterday was a definite haul.  Something that I did not expect was the comradery from fellow EV drivers on the road and the fun bantering with other rally participants all competing for places to charge.

Yesterday helped me realize that I may not be in this thing to win it.  Actually, last place is all but guaranteed.  This is fine with me because this trip is really all about the memories I am making with Sabrina (as I write this, Sabrina is playing with her cousins and uncle and having an absolute blast).  

Today, we will be covering less than 100 miles.  Every summer when I was a kid, my sister and I would spend a week at our Grandma and Grandpa Coram's house in Salem, and the highlight of the trip was always the trip to the Enchanted Forest.  I am sure that this will be a fun time!  

17 Day Road Trip: Lookin' for Some Fun!

My five-year-old daughter, Sabrina, and I will be leaving in two weeks to start a 17 day road trip in our all-electric Nissan LEAF.  For as long as I have been licensed to drive, road tripping has been a favorite vacation activity.  Tanya and I have driven many road trips together, most of which were measured in thousands of miles driven across many states and/or provinces.

Traveling more than 3200 miles in an electric vehicle (EV) is certainly a new endeavor, though.  We own two EVs, a 2012 Nissan LEAF and a 2013 Nissan LEAF.  On a day-to-day basis, I drive the white 2012 LEAF and Tanya drives the black 2013 LEAF.  For this trip, I will be driving our 2013 as it has a much faster onboard charger for Level 2 charging.  Even with the faster charging, we will be charging every 80 miles, or so.  In Washington and Oregon, most charging will be done at high-output Level 3 stations that will have us back on the road in about 20 minutes.  However, in much of California, we will frequently charge with Level 2 equipment.  When that happens, Sabrina and I will need to find things to do for a few hours until the charge completes.  

This is where we need your help! Please share your ideas of some activities in the areas we will be Level 2 charging.  Also, if you know of a cool roadside attraction on I-5 from Blaine, WA to San Diego, CA or along U.S. 101 from San Francisco to Portland (return trip), please do share in the comments section at the bottom of this blog!  

What to do in...

• Albany, OR
• Grants Pass, OR
• Weed, CA
• Yreka, CA
• Redding, CA
• Chico, CA
• Vacaville, CA
• Hollister, CA
• King City, CA
• San Luis Obispo, CA
• Santa Maria, CA
• Santa Barbara, CA
• Oxnard, CA

(return trip)

• San Fernando, CA
• Lebec, CA
• Clovis, CA
• Turlock, CA
• Ukiah, CA
• Willits, CA
• Garberville, CA
• Arcata, CA
• Klamath, CA
• Crescent City, CA
• Coos Bay, OR

Mountain Loop Highway: First Ever for a LEAF...If I Could've Made It

I had about five hours to spend with Sabrina and Charlie today while Tanya was out and about.  Sabrina and I were a bit antsy to go do something and Charlie was in his third day of being sick.  I thought that it would be best to take the kids up to the mountains--Sabrina would get some energy out while we tromped around up at the Big Four Ice Caves and Charlie would be exposed to the glorious mountain air that was to surely clear him right up.

As I started to plan the trip this morning (remember that we are all EV--no gas car in our garage), I realized that we would have an easy trip to the Big Four trailhead up on the Mountain Loop Highway, and could probably make it to Darrington via the gravel road part of the Mountain Loop Highway past Barlow Pass.  Also, I saw that we would have a legitimate shot at making it all the way back to Arlington where there is a Level 2 EVSE at the Snohomish County Fleet center.  The Plugshare app did have the three Blink EVSE units in Arlington as "restricted access" though.  I wasn't too worried because, with these being Blink units, I knew that there would be a higher likelihood that there would be easy access so Blink could maximize their profits.  Win-Win, and I would have the kids home by 3:00 to start the BBQ and watch our Sunday Night Movie.

When I inquired about the road conditions on the stretch of the Mountain Loop Hwy. between Barlow Pass and Darrington with the Verlot ranger, she clearly had some concern seeing me with Sabrina and Charlie (very sickly).  The ranger's parting question was, "Do you have a full tank of gas?"  Not wanting to declare myself as the likely first person to try this adventure in an all-electric Nissan LEAF, I paused briefly and responded that "we left Lake Stevens topped off."

With this new itinerary, treking all of the way up to the ice caves at Big Four was not going to be in the cards.  We had a great lunch at the trailhead and did the quick hike to a large bridge crossing the south fork of the Stillaguamish River.  

Upon leaving the Big Four trailhead, I knew that I could recapture quite a bit of energy on the decent from Barlow Pass to Darrington.  There are 14 miles of unpaved, rutty, sometimes washed-out road coming down from the pass.  We loved this part of the trip!  We enjoyed the beautiful views and occasional stops to play.

I love this shot:  EV ORV :)

Upon entering the town of Darrington, I noticed that we had regenerated about 5% less energy than I had expected.  I think that this was due to the requisit slow, slow speeds and poor road conditions that prevented the EV-lovers gradual downhill grade perfect for brake regeneration.  I bought some food for the three of us at the local grocery store, but it was time to make time.  I needed to get home to start the barbecue!  Before leaving Darrington, I checked my range (to an outsider this is a ridiculous ritual using multiple apps and data sources).  I considered looking for a 120v outlet in Darrington to plug into for a bit, but with less than five miles of range for every hour plugged in, Level 1 charging is not a fun option.  With a 5 year-old and a sick 2 year-old, I wanted to go for that Level 2 EVSE (240v) in Arlington.  With just 30-45 minutes on the Level 2, I would have enough battery power to make it back home in Lake Stevens.  

The trip into Arlington was not bad as there is a gradual decline in elevation just about the whole trip from Darrington.  Without this decrease in elevation, I wouldn't consider leaving the town of Darrington with only two battery bars to go ~27 miles to the Snohomish County Fleet EVSEs.  

This was a pretty bad feeling.  I just sat in the car for a few moments staring at the barbed wire fence at the Snohomish County Fleet facility in Arlington.  We were already at the Very Low Battery warning, and the device that I was using to gauge the car's state of charge had us with only a few miles of careful driving range left.  The next closest Level 2 charger was located at the Marysville Kohl's 10 miles away.  We were about 13 miles from home, so that wasn't going to happen either.  At this point I was still comfortable in knowing that I would just plug into some random 120v outlet, charge for a couple of hours, and head home.  Tanya could even come and get the kids if need be.  To my dismay, 120v outlets were nowhere to be seen!  For more than a mile, I pulled into hopeful parking lot after hopeful parking lot and the only accessible plug was directly in front of one of the vehicle bays at a fire department.  We eventually drove into the parking lot of a small park with a couple of ball fields.  If we were going to find a power receptacle, it was going to be here or bust.  I kept the kids in the car and walked around the park...and found two 120v outlets!  We pulled the car over to the outlet location, on the side of the bathroom building nonetheless, and I pulled out the emergency Level 1 EVSE and extension cord.  The first outlet was not usable, it literally crumbled apart when the protective flap was opened.  Not to worry, because there was another on the other side of the bathrooms.  It didn't work.  

With two kids with me, I wasn't about to leave the park location to venture out with only a mile or two of range.  I told Sabrina that she could play at the (small) park, put Charlie in the car to nap, texted Tanya the S.O.S. to come and get the kids, and called Nissan Roadside Assistance.  At first, Nissan said that they would send out a DC quick-charge equipped mobile unit to provide me with the charge needed.  However, after an hour, Nissan called to notify me that the mobile charging truck was unavailable and that a flatbed would tow the LEAF to our house.  

So, there it is.  After driving 94.8 miles over a mountain pass with two kids, the memory that will stick with me is the one with us not making it home.

Three Pass Blast!

Ask somebody who owns a Harley what the Three Pass Blast is in the Cascades and you'll be entetertained by stories of motorcycle riding across the three primary mountain passes in Snohomish and King Counties: Stevens Pass, Blewett Pass, and Snoqualmie Pass.

At 4062', 4101', and  3022' respectively, having a blast on "The Blast" while driviving an EV presents a potential challenge not considered by the weekend warrior motorcycling crowd. The West Coast Green Highway has EV charging stations sprouting up from the Puget Sound area to connect both sides of the Cascades with Level 3 Quick Chargers.  With this electric car infrastructure in place, driving from, say, Everett to Leavenworth to Snoqualmie Pass and home again should be possible.

For this trip, I wanted only to charge to 80% at each station to be as time conscious as is realistic on this 265 mile excursion.  At Quick Charging stations, the LEAF default charges to 80% to promote battery longevity.  Sure, it is easy to get a full charge at a Level 3 station, but doing so would take an hour instead of the typical 25 minutes to charge to 80%.

At each stop, I collected some basic data to share with fellow LEAF drivers.  Let me just say that it is almost an embarrassment to post the number of battery bars used to travel in a LEAF, as the car's display is truly a guess-only affair.  Without a proper GID meter, though, this ballpark reading may serve some bit of usefulness to other LEAF owners.

Some points from the chart need clarity.  I had the AC blowing the entire trip.  Yes, running the AC in warm weather is massively more efficient than having the heater on in the winter.  I had a close eye on the energy consumption of the climate control and it ranged from 0 kWh to 1.5 kWh, with the average probably about 1.0 kWh for the day.  Second, the Low Battery warning (~12 miles of range remaining), was only hit once--pulling into Suncadia Lodge.  Third, the trip from Cle Elum to the top of Snoqualmie was a horrific experience!  As you can see in the chart, the battery was getting warm.  There were actually eight temperature bars when we pulled out of the Suncadia Lodge parking lot.  I drove at 55 m.p.h. on I-90 from Cle Elum to the Summit at Snoqualmie Pass which helped to get the battery to cool, but I truly was public enemy number one to the folks driving home over the pass after a nice weekend east of the mountains.  I had so many trucks road raging because of my snail's pacing that I was having flashes of Steven Spielberg's Duel haunting me.

How to get 100 Miles of Range?  Drive Downhill.

This ties in with my final thoughts on the average speed.  For most of the trip, I went the speed limit.  The only other times that the speed limit was not maintained was on the stretch from Skykomish to Stevens Pass (55 m.p.h.) and the final 10-ish miles leading up to top of Blewett Pass from Leavenworth.  On the way down from the Passes, I frequently shifted the car into neutral and coasted at the speed limit, shifting into "gear" only to activate the regenerative brakes.

Beyond going geek today, I was a dad!  My five year old daughter, Sabrina, joined me for this trip.  As for being a fun experience for the two of us to enjoy, today was a resounding success!  Needing to stop every hour, or so, has some great benefits...it slows you down.  For those who know me professionally, having a full day to be present with my daughter is a real blessing.  Slowing down is not my usual modus operandi.  

We Actually Built a (Small) Sand Castle

While charging in Skykomish, we played along the Snohomish River.  Who ever takes even 15 minutes to pull over in Skykomish to walk the town?  It was awesome.

Today, I fell in love with Leavenworth all over again.  When bombing across the Pass and stopping in Leavenworth for food, we typically stop at Heidleburger Drive-In.  Sure, the grub is good, but we stop there nearly every time because it's the first food stop in the town when traveling from the west.  Today, we ate at the Leavenworth Sausage Garten.  It is every bit as fast-food as the Drive-In, but it was a change.  A change that wouldn't have happened unless we had to charge!

On Your Mark.  Get Set.  Go!

While looking for a park for Sabrina to play at in Leavenworth, we stumbled upon an Easter egg hunt...at the Suncadia Lodge, we went on a "bear hunt" (a.k.a. hiking trail) and enjoyed stunning panoramas of the Yakima River...at the Summit at Snoqualmie, Sabrina and I had some care-free moments in the snow.  Before owning an electric vehicle, we never took the time to enjoy these places like this.  Today was casual.  There was no worry about hitting the tourist spots like what happens when these places are the destination.  Instead, our stops today gifted us with the time to recharge.  It was perfect.

It's St. Patrick's Day. We're Going Green!

Driving an electric car for the purpose of being "green" was about 17th on the list of considerations for me when we decided to buy our LEAF.  However, after more than 10,000 miles of gas-free driving, there became a realization that being gas-free is not just good for the pocketbook, but it's also pretty good for the environment.

Grand Coulee:  The World's 5th Largest Hydroelectric Dam

Upper-Most Section of the Youngs Creek Falls

I've read that EV ownership in the Pacific Northwest is particularly environmentally friendly because the electricity that is generated for consumption in the region comes from sources that can harvest electrical energy with minimal impact.  In Snohomish County, our electricity is provided by the Snohomish County PUD.  The power supplies for PUD come from several different sources:  hydroelectric, biomass, wind, and landfill gas--with other methods in development.  Hydroelectric generation accounts for more than 80% of the utilities' power.  When I think of hydroelectric power, the concrete monstrosity that is Grand Coulee Dam comes to mind.  However, the PUD is increasingly incorporating small scale hydroelectric operations.  Today, we set out to visit one of these locations:  The Youngs Creek Project.  The power generation at the Youngs Creek Falls is only 7.5 megawatts.  Compared to Grand Coulee's 6000 megawatts peak capacity, this seems like a pitiful joke by the PUD.  There are benefits to downscaling power generation, though, mainly being a much lower impact on the local environment and fish habitats.







Not every region in the U.S. is able to produce electricity as "clean" as the West.  Want your EV to be green?  You better go coastal.  Multiple studies show that regions where electricity can be generated from wind and water benefit the most from maximizing the use of that clean energy.  Electric vehicles happen to be an ideal application of the use of this clean electricity because an EV purchase is likely to replace a gas-powered vehicle on the road.

Want your EV to be green?  You better go coastal.

So, that brings me back to today's trip.  I cannot imagine taking my kids to visit BP's Cherry Point oil refinery in Anacortes, WA for a fun adventure.  Rather, a family outing to Cherry Point serves as a cautionary tale.  On this St. Patrick's Day, "going green" was also a lesson on what is right in going gas-free.

An EV Enthusiast?

Many folks say that America's obsession with their cars is waning.  Are internet-enabled, app-sprouting cell phones going to take over as our most beloved inanimate possessions?  CNN, among others, believe so:  Why Young Americans Ditch Their Cars.

When I was a young buck, spending five or six hours on a Saturday washing and waxing my car was not just pleasure, it was duty.  I was supposed to do it.  I was supposed to buff my car with a diaper.  I was supposed to cruise the town with my pals, or by myself for goodness sakes.  After all, that car was the embodiment of my character, however delusional that likely was.  

Fast forward a couple of decades...who has the time to spend loving on a car when there are so many things competing for my time, sweat, and money.  My obsession with cars was not just on hiatus, it was dead.  That is until I saw a quirky movie called Who Killed the Electric Car?.  It was the beginning of The Great Recession, and now electric cars seemed to be the future of practicality...of saving money.  I became obsessed with these cars called EVs.  When we bought our LEAF in August of 2012, I had developed a one-track mind for no-gas.  Money saving led to an infatuation with the LEAF...the love affair with the automobile was back!  

Standing Around Talking About ( Electric) Cars

This weekend, a group of EV enthusiasts got together at a little coffee house to share our passion for the Nissan LEAF and EVs.  Sure, there weren't any burn-outs, and it was a little weird to pop the hood on an electric car to chat kilowatts.  But is sure was fun.  There is something about being with like-minded people to share stories and excitement for something.  At one point during the day, I thought about popping the LEAF's charging port door to show the world the car's two, read:  TWO!, charging inlets.  This sucker can take on 100 amps with the best of them.  

Kidding aside, electric vehicles are surely going to play a big part in rekindling America's love for the automobile.  They are practical, fun, and, dare I say, "hip."  Once the cost of batteries comes down, EVs will be accessible to young drivers, too.  I've even seen a poster at the mall of an electric fantasy car.  After all, iPhones are sooo 2007.

The Pleasure & Pain...

The title of this blog is Are We There Yet? The Pleasure & Pain of EV Ownership.  Sometimes the "pain" is more evident than the pleasures.  

The two pictures below show where we do most of our driving.  We work, shop, play, and visit friends and family mostly in this area, from Everett to Seattle.  The first picture shows all of the gas stations (red dots) while the second depicts the EV charging opportunities (green/orange blimps) in our region.  When comparing the two, it is easy to think that the electric vehicle folks are trying to install electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE or "chargers") in roughly the same locations and in similar numbers as what the petroleum folks have done with gas stations.  Why, then, do we ever worry about running out of electricity in the LEAF?  

Over the weekend, we'll be documenting the destinations that we travel to in the LEAF.  If there is a chance to plug-in, we'll do it.  Afterwards, maybe we'll have some clarity on the whole "range anxiety" phenomena.

King/Snohomish County Gas Stations (Google Maps)

King/Snohomish County Plug-Ins (PlugShare)

Library:  No Plug-In

Costco:  No Plug-In

Alderwood Mall:  Level 1 (120v)=Slow Charging!

Target:  No Plug-In

Local High School:  No Plug-In

After a couple of days of public charging consciousness, a few things are apparent.  One, the public EVSE infrastructure has some ways to go to help make charging on-the-go an afterthought.  Two, having a Level 2 (240 volt) EVSE installed at home is currently a must-have.  Lastly, not once were we anxious or stressed due to the lack of EVSEs.

With the range of most of the electric vehicles available today, daily driving an EV to work or around town on errands is easily accomplished.  If drivers want to use an EV for those 100+ mile outings, that, too, is possible with some planning...and the pain of inconvenience.

EV "Sunday Drive": Better Than 18¢ a Gallon

When I wa kid, my father once took our family on a ridiculous ride:  My parents, sister, and I piled into his dream machine (a Corvette that he "gifted" to my mom for their anniversary--a cautionary tale for a different day) and headed out, destination not known.

Mom's Dad's Corvette

I know what my dad wanted.  He wanted to experience the open road in the classic American sense, just like his father did with the family mid-20th Century.  He took us on a Sunday Drive.

There were some obvious hiccups.  One, us kids were clearly not buckled up.  Two, gas was not 18¢/gallon like it was when Grandpa Coram took his family on those leisurely drives forever ago.  Needless to say, I don't have the fondest memories of the Sunday Drive.  

Fast forward...I'm a father now.  I am always looking for experience opportunities for our family.  What better than to head out on a Sunday Drive!  The mistakes of my father shall not be perpetuated this generation.  Sabrina and Charlie will be buckled safely in a backseat and I will not have to pay for gas!

We're going to head north to Bellingham.  Tanya and I love the town, and I would like to try and force that appreciation onto our kids.  When I was a 20-something, driving Chuckanut Drive up to Bellingham was the closest I felt to experiencing driving nirvana:  a curvy road with the beautiful backdrop of Samish Bay and the San Juan Islands.

In planning an EV Sunday Drive, the prudent geek in me wants to take into consideration some variables that are going to have an effect on the range of our Nissan LEAF.  One being distance, another elevation gain/loss.

Equal Parts Uphill/Downhill = Good!

In reality, there will be plenty of charging opportunities.  This is not a range test, so if we need to charge, we'll plug in. Easy!

We'll update the blog along the drive...check back!

The drive from Arlington to Mt. Vernon via Hwy. 9 is awesome! Lot's of fun to be had on this twisty road. Tanya and Charlie didn't join Sabrina and me on today's Sunday Drive, so spirited driving became a priority for fun. Here we are charging briefly in Burlington.