Submitted by Jessica Jensen
In my first installment of the EV Journal I introduced you to my all-electric Nissan Leaf, which I have (appropriately) named “Leif.” This installment will focus on charging stations and how I’m learning to plan for long-distance driving – including roundtrips to Seattle.
Here’s the scoop on charging stations. Charging stations come in 3 types. A Standard Charging Station is 110 volts, which is typically a heavy-duty, commercial outdoor electrical outlet and takes almost 24 hours to fully charge. These stations have been around for several years now and these are what you find (along with a dedicated parking space) at many forward-thinking businesses in town such as grocery stores and banks and some government offices. But you can use any 110 volt outlet really.
A Level 2 Charging Station is 220 volts (similar to an electric range or clothes dryer but with a specialized outlet and plug) and takes overnight to fully charge. Many parking garages, government offices and businesses now have Level 2 Charging Stations (along with dedicated EV parking) for patrons and employees. This is also the type of charging station I have at home. Because I was an early EV purchaser, my home charging station was installed free of charge.
A Fast-Charge Station (sometimes called Level 3) is 440 DC power. This fully charges Leif in 20-30 minutes, depending on how much juice I have left when I start.
Because Seattle is a 60-mile trip, until this month I only took Leif to Seattle when I knew I was staying overnight. For example, my partner Mark and I spent a lovely New Year’s Eve in Seattle last year where we parked Leif overnight in the hotel parking garage and then hoofed it around town. Leif was all charged and ready for the trip home the next day. But that limitation is gone with the installation of 3 Fast Charge Stations in Seattle – one at the Discovery Center on Westlake, another at a Fred Meyer on the north end of Seattle and the third (my favorite) at Harvard Market just off Broadway east of I-5 near downtown Seattle. Last week I had 3 opportunities to go to Seattle which provided a great opportunity to get some experience under my belt working out the kinks of the Olympia-Seattle run.
First, I have to be fully charged before I leave home (meaning, Leif shows I have a range of over 100 miles). On one of the days I did a few errands before leaving Olympia and decided to stop in SeaTac to recharge at a Level 2 for a half hour. I only got an additional 4 miles, but that gave me enough juice to finish the trip to Seattle without worry. Next I have to be careful about using accessories.
I am testing different things to see what creates the most drain on the batteries. Using the radio doesn’t seem to be much of a drain, but for some reason the hands-free cell phone function (which includes a dashboard phone directory uplinked from my iPhone that automatically hooks my iPhone to my car speakers) seems to draw down the batteries. Quick calls seem fine but extended calls appear to take a lot of juice. I’ve also observed that driving north appears to take more juice than driving south. It’s too soon to say what this is about – could be anything from topography to the weather so I’ll keep tabs on this for a while until I can figure out why.
Last, I have to build in extra time for charging along the way and for charging before I return home. I should be able to charge just once at a Fast Charge Station for the trip home, but if I do side trips along the way, I’ll definitely need to stop for a charge. When I do need to charge, I answer my email or I can hop into a local store while Leif is charging.
My parents were born in 1916. I remember their stories of long trips by car in the early days of the automobile and how they would bring several extra tubes for the tires, a spare tire and extra gasoline. Roads weren’t paved and you could expect to change at least a couple of flats each way. There weren’t always gas stations (and certainly not any open 24 hours) so you had to bring extra fuel in case you ran out. You need to plan additional time just to get there.
As an EV pioneer, I feel a little like my parents did in the early days of the automobile. The EV Highway is only partially built, coffee shops still outnumber charging stations, and I need to build in time to get from here to there. It’s an effort I’m willing to make to drive a car that has zero emissions, doesn’t use gas, and costs less than $4 for a roundtrip to Seattle.
Jessica Jensen is an attorney and principal of Jessica Jensen Law PS in Olympia. Her holistic, collaborative practice focuses on business, real estate, wills, trusts and estates and uncontested family law. You can reach her at jessica@jessicajensenlaw.com or 705-1335.
