More Level 2 Charging coming to Maryland

Last Friday, a woman calling herself Amanda on the MyNissanLEAF forum posted an urgent request for help in organizing the distribution of one hundred Level 3 Charging Stations.  Needless to say, this caused quite a local buzz as these would be the first L3 Chargers South of the Mason-Dixon Line East of the Mississippi, outside of Tennessee and certainly the first in the Mid-Atlantic region.  Between that and my copy of the Diablo III Collector's Edition arriving it has been one incredible weekend for this EV Reporter!

Amanda reported that the stations in question will be the ChargePoint Level 3, CHAdeMO / SAE J1772-DC dual-gang equipment as pictured.  While the QuickCharge Wars rage between TEPCO's CHAdeMO and the SAE's J1772-DC extension heat up, this unit hedges its bets by supporting both, making everyone happy.  Great choice!

After a bit of digging I found more information about the company Amanda represents.  Thier full name is actually EV Green Stream and they're a Baltimore-based company.  I spoke with Zack at EV Green Stream and he confirms they're looking for homes for about 30 or so units, but nothing is concrete until contracts are signed.  However, some urgency must be added because they need to have signed documents by 1 June so it behoves us all to help out and make sure those wonderful L3 stations find homes that our Nissan LEAFs and Mitsubishi iMiEVs would like to visit!

But wait, the title says Level 2, not Level 3!?

You are very astute or just read the comments and realized that we were in fact being taken for a ride.  You see, on Monday, after I'd posted this, Amanda amended her request to say that in fact it was one hundred Level 2 stations being installed, not Level 3.  Yes, she confirmed Level 3 on Friday even after someone posted a link to the unit pictured above, but what's done is done, and now we know the truth.  Level 2, though great, is pretty common in Maryland and to a lesser extend in Virginia—less so in Washington D.C. since most of the units there are in garages that aren't even opened on weekends.  None the less, we should all help to give these Level 2 stations homes even if they're not quick charging.

But there is a catch; the locations must conform to the following rules:

1. They have to be installed in the State of Maryland somewhere.
2. They have to be accessible to the public (this is supposed to be infrastructure buildout.)
3. It cannot be in an automotive dealership.
4. It has to be a commercial business.
5. We will charge for the installation but the charger is free.
6. We have to have a signed contract on installation by June 1^st.

So, no locations in Virginia, Deleware, West Virginia or Pennsylvania!  Also, note that Amanda estimates the cost of installation to be about $3,000.  As for the electricity cost, we know the LEAF for instance takes about 20kWh to go from 0% to 80% on a quick charge (more like 16kWh according to some posts in the MyNissanLEAF forum) and at 13^¢⁄_kWh that's only $2.60 at Level 2, the Nissan LEAF draws about 3.8kW of electricity so in one hour that represents about 49.8¢ based on 13^¢⁄_kWh, the regional average rate.  For the Ford Focus Electric with its 6.6kW charger, it comes to about 85.8¢ but most EVSEs can't put out more energy than that so at $1.⁰⁰ per hour, you won't be making the LEAF and Volt (3.3kW) drivers happy but at least the Focus Electric folks are getting their money's worth.  Overall not a huge loss for the free advertising you get on sites like PlugShare.

Now, for me, my main goal would be to see them put in at the National Harbor, where they held the first Nissan LEAF event in the area and as the perfect first rest stop on the I95 corridor in Maryland going North.  I've also suggested Maryland House and Chesapeake House—need to contact HMS Host about that— but they don't really make sense for Level 2, only Level 3 as people don't stay there for hours.  Others on the MyNissanLEAF forum have suggested the US Route 50 corridor and I would add the I270 / I70 corridor and a site around Bethesda.  Finally, I'd suggest one in Silver Spring where we hold the EVA/DC meetings, though alas not the Library as the Library isn't a commercial business—and hopefully not The Blairs if they're gonna have the same connectivity problems the current EVSEs there do.  What would you suggest?

Oooh!  So excited!  Squee!

EVA/DC January 2012 Meeting

Hi EV maniacs!

Please share this invitation with your friends/listservs.

Our January meeting will be on Wed Jan 18 from 7 - 9 PM at the Silver Spring, MD public library on Colesville Road, just inside the Beltway and only 4 blocks north of the Silver Spring METRO.  We will endeavor to start and finish on time, but there will be plenty of time for the best part of the meeting, BS-ing, before and after the planned agenda.

Draft Agenda

1. The DC Auto Show is in late January at the Convention Center and we want to be there.  Eric Cardwell, ace VP of our club, is heading up this operation.  Lots of good ideas are percolating already.
2. EV license plates and membership categories. Bryan Murtha will update us.
3. New EVs coming to market: Tesla Model S, Model X?, iMiev, Ford Focus EV, Toyota PHEV
4. Who bought/leased a new EV? Any issues?
5. Charging stations: New ones, Where, Issues?
6. Reveng of the Electric Car.  Movie premier in Baltimore.  How did it go?
7. Charging at work with 110 volt outlets.  Cheap.  Bob Bruninga update.
8. California ZEV and Federal MPG standards.  How does this affect EVs?
9. Other agenda items you want to discuss?

Charlie Garlow, your Prez and a host of fantastic volunteers.

How about the property tax rate in Fairfax, Virginia?

P.S.

Just a reminder about tomorrow (Wednesday's) EVADC Meeting.  And to say that we got some feedback on topics, including questions about the Chevy Volt and any difficulties, including the fire controversy [overblown, in my opinion].  Here is the previous message.  Please forward to others.  Bring a friend.

Couldn't agree more, Charlie!

Changes for a Better EV Life: Slowest EV Charge Time: LEAF

Having driven CO2 Fre for over a month now, I feel I can now safely make some recommendations for change that would make my life infinitely easier.  Some of these things I've been writing about long before I purchased my Nissan LEAF; I knew going in some sacrifice would be required for the greater good.  That's not to say there aren't great things like the burgeoning Charging Infrastructure and wonderful LEAF features to help get me through the day!  But there's always room for improvement and if you don't speak up, nothing will get done.

Putting the LEAF Charger in Perspective

The chart above demonstrates how of the most popular EVs today, the LEAF takes the longest to charge from depleted to full:

As can be seen, the LEAF is slower by an hour even over the Tesla Model S and is clearly the slowest to charge of all; it's even twice as slow as the Focus Electric and Chevy Volt.  Of course, in terms of the amount of mileage you get from charging any of these cars can differ greatly so to be fair, compare them to the total pack size:

Obviously, the Model S has a lot more battery than the Nissan LEAF but still only takes about 6½ hours to charge.  And since most cars in the sample range in capacity from about 16 kWh to the LEAF's 24 kWh, yet most of these have much shorter charge times, it's clear that Nissan underestimated the competition.

Rant to Nissan in latest survey

Any state outside of the blessed 5 (AZ, CA, OR, TN, WA) were left in the dark; then we heard that we in the South East could order in December and then, the day before my friend Olivier (Gudy) took possession of his Nissan LEAF, were told Nah, No LEAF for You and that I'd have to wait 8 more months to order my LEAF while Texas and Hawaii had already ordered.  This pushed my delivery past 1 July 2011 which caused damage which is impossible to remedy in that I was forced to loose HOV access to I66, one of DC's main arteries since you needed to have registered your car by that date in order to qualify for Tier 2 Clean Fuel Plates.  Instead, all I can get is a Tier 3 Clean Fuel plate which only allows me to use HOV on the Dulles Toll Road.  Yet, we thought we may have an advantage in that we'd be first to get the 2012 model year.  But you know what the 2012 model year is?  It's the same as a late 2011 Model Year car (when you could get the Cold Weather Trim) but for $1500 - $1900 more — for exactly the same car!  I had asked, and even offered to pay up to $1000 more for a 6.6kW charger.  I warned you that was the Ford Focus Electric killer option!  But no, you didn't offer that in 2012.  You don't even offer the car in Green yet.    So am I annoyed?  Yes, unbelievably so!  But do I love my red, zero-emission, CO2 FRE LEAF, yes!  Unbelievable so.  But the one does not negate the other.

The Commonwealth's Six-Year Transportation Plan Meets Today

My helpful Commonwealth Delegate Tom Rust, who is currently running unopposed, conveyed a bit of information which I certainly found interesting and I hope you will too.

N. Virginia Transportation Meeting Is Oct. 25

Board seeks input on highways, rail and transit projects

The Secretary of Transportation and the Commonwealth Transportation Board will conduct nine public meetings across the state in October and November.  These meetings are being held to give stakeholders the opportunity to review and provide comments on projects and programs to be included in the Fiscal Year 2013-2018 Six-Year Improvement Program.  This includes highway, rail, and public transportation initiatives.  Following the open house from 6:00-6:30 pm, there will be and opportunity for the public and transportation stakeholders to comment.  Written comments may also be submitted during this informal session, or they may be mailed or e-mailed until December 12, 2011.  The Northern Virginia meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 25 beginning at 6:00 pm at the VDOT office, 4975 Alliance Drive in Fairfax.

I plan on attending this meeting to speak about an issue very important to me at the Commonwealth level: Electric Vehicle access to High-Occupancy Vehicle lanes with single occupancy.

Electric Vehicles Too New for HOV

The Clean Fuel Club

In Virginia, we've had 3 different phases of the HOV easement for clean fuel vehicles.  It all started with House Bill 1881 and Senate Bill 771 of the 1993 session of the General Assembly, which established the Clean Fuel license plate and is the origin of the Virginia Code § 46.2-749.3. Special license plates for clean special fuel vehicles. (Unfortunately, the on-line legislative records don't go back as far as 1993 so I can't provide an exact link to the text of these bills.) Then in the 1994 session, Senate Bill 71 added an easement to allow Clean Fuel vehicles to use the HOV lanes as single occupancy as per Virginia Code § 33.1-46.2. Designation of high-occupancy vehicle lanes; use of such lanes; penalties. However, this bill only extended the easement up until 1 July 1997; the law was later amended by 1996 Senate Bill 274 and 1996 House Bill 585 to extend the easement to 1999 and by 1999 Senate Bill 1068 to 2004 and finally by 2003 House Bill 2316 to 1 July 2006.

It was a brisk, autumn morning while on my way to work my 1995 Nissan Altima was totaled by a minivan at the American Legion Bridge.  It was 2000 and the hot, new technology was the 2001 Toyota Prius and the 2001 Honda Insight: the first generation of hybrid cars.  I needed a new car, and I wanted one badly!  But the Prius was back-ordered for months and I needed to get to work; I couldn't wait.  So I resigned myself to the most fuel-efficient car I could get in the full-sized class.  I'm still driving that 2001 Toyota Avalon today.

Around this time the Federal Government started to get involved in national guidelines for HOV designation and usage.  On 10 August 2005, Public Law 109-59 was passed, adding Section 166: HOV Facilities to 23 United States Code, Chapter 1.  This set at the Federal level the allowances already specified by the Commonwealth, which was charged with defining rules for its Clean Fuel easement by 30 September 2009.  Yet while the U.S. Congress was providing an HOV easement for all, Virginia was beginning to clamp down.

Second-Class Clean

On 19 April 2006, the Virginia General Assembly passed House Bill 1248 and Senate Bill 454, which amended Virginia Code § 33.1-46.2 to define a second type of Clean Fuel plate.  This new plate would begin issue on 1 July 2006 and entitle any vehicle which bore it an easement to travel on any HOV lane in the Commonwealth of Virginia except along the I95/I395 corridor.  Where as any car registered before 1 July 2006 would continue to be given carte blanche access to all of Virginia's HOV lanes with single occupancy.  With this new provision, the easement was extended another year where by both types of clean fuel plate would be allowed to use the HOV lanes outside of I95/I395 and the older plate allowed to continue using those lanes too.

I was quite angry when this was announced.  After all, I had wanted to get a hybrid, but they weren't available.  I certainly wasn't going to trash a five-year-old car for a new one at that point.  As an environmentally conscious individual, such waste would have been anathema to my nature.  So instead I planned.  I knew that my car should last another 5 years, and I knew the days of better technology were coming.  This was the seeds of the website you see here: if I couldn't have a car with clean enough fuel for all HOV, I'd get an even cleaner fueled vehicle for my next automobile!  I'd get an electric car.

This system of two-tiered Clean Fuel categories was extended to 1 July 2008 by 2007 House Bill 2132, to 1 July 2009 by 2008 House Bill 1014, to 1 July 2010 by 2009 House Bill 2476 and finally to 1 July 2011 by 2010 House Bill 214 on 11 March 2010 and by Senate Bill 552 on 10 April.  On 20 April 2010, I placed a $99 reservation on a Nissan LEAF.  Finally I was going to get my Electric Car!  We were told that the Southeastern United States would be allowed to order the car in December 2010, and assuming 6 months of production, we'd have our cars by June, 2011.  I might not be able to drive HOV single occupancy on I95/I395, but at least there would be I66 and VA 267, the Dulles Toll Road and Greenway.

Insult to Injury

On 10 December 2010, my dreams of driving electric were dealt a serious blow.  The night before the delivery of the first production Nissan LEAF, they informed all reservation holders in the Tier 2 market, which at that time consisted of the 7 states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, North Carolina, South Carolina and Virginia, as well as the District of Columbia, wouldn't be able to order their car until Late Summer 2011.  Late Summer 2011 ordering meant late autumn delivery at best; well after the end of the HOV easement 1 July 2011.

Why would I worry about that when the General Assembly had been steadily renewing the easement each year?  It comes down the second part of 2010 Senate Bill 552.  Just like 2006 House Bill 1248 and 2006 Senate Bill 454, the 2010 bill defined a third class of Clean Fuel plates with a further restriction: no more access to I66 HOV as single occupancy after 1 July 2011.  By delaying the car release in Virginia by 8 months, Nissan was injuring its customers not only by the delay itself but by the fact that no LEAF bought in Virginia would qualify to drive on the HOV lanes of either I95/I395 or I66 with single occupancy.  The 2011 Chevrolet Volt, with it's late 2010 release, would qualify, as well as any Smart ED leased here in addition to the Commonwealth's 2 or so Tesla Roadsters.  None of those cars were released before 2006 and thus none qualify for the original Clean Fuel badge, but at least the handful that got in before the deadline get to use I66 single occupancy — but not the LEAF, not the Ford Focus Electric, not the Tesla Model S.  Clean cars can drive, but Cleaner cars are left sitting in traffic.

On 28 March 2011, Virginia House Bill 1432 extended the HOV easement until 1 July 2012.  Yippie!  I can use HOV single occupancy if and only if I pay a toll.  And the badge in the middle: how can I spell anything with that?  It's ugly!

California

California knows how to treat environmentalists right.  Effective 1 July 2011, while the Commonwealth of Virginia was taking away HOV rights from the first generation of Electric Vehicles, California started restricting its HOV single occupancy to only cars with a White sticker, meaning Super Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles (SULEV), Inherently Low Emission Vehicles (ILEV) and certain Ultra-Low Emission Vehicles (ULEV).  The LEAF qualifies for this, but hybrid gasoline vehicles don't.  Not even the Chevy Volt qualifies in California.  Effectively, you need to be nearly Zero-Emission to get the White Sticker.  The White Sticker easement extends until 1 July 2015.

Yellow stickers for Hybrids and Advanced Technology Partial Zero-Emission Vehicles (AT PZEV).  They were limited the first 85,000 applicants and expired as of 1 July 2011.  California is also considering a new Green Sticker to begin distribution on 1 January 2012 and restricted to the first 40,000 applicants.  It's unclear whether the LEAF would qualify for a green sticker, but according to the list of qualified vehicles, the 2010 Plug-In Prius does.

More information can be found in the California Clean Vehicle Incentives FAQ.

Maryland

In Maryland, Virginia's neighbor to the North, they also have an HOV easement, but they restrict it to plug-in vehicles only.  This means the Chevy Volt and the Nissan LEAF qualify.  I like the Volt so I like this system.  I prefer Zero-Emission as the standard, like California, but the advantage of following Maryland's lead is that we could co-operate on the issuing of stickers and recognize them in both states.  Thus Marylander could use Virginian HOV lanes and Virginians could use Marylander HOV.  I also like the sticker approach because it ties the qualification to the vehicle and doesn't allow it to convey the benefit in perpetuity like you can with the original Clean Fuel plate in Virginia.  I don't mind people who were early adopters having an advantage for HOV usage, but it's time for a new generation of early adapters.  It's time for the Electric Vehicle.

My Speech

Now you know the background, here is what I'm planning to say tonight.

In 2000, when I bought my last car, it was next to impossible to get a hybrid.  Hybrid vehicles were, after all, limited to a handful of custom imports and hobbyist vehicles.  There were barely any of these new, clean cars on the roads of the Commonwealth back then.  Hybrids were, after all, expensive, untested domestically and weren't even available in major dealer showrooms yet.

At that time Virginia Code § 33.1-46.2 Section A Paragraph 6, allowing single occupancy HOV usage to cars baring Clean Fuel plates, made a lot of sense.  There weren't very many hybrids on the road so letting them use the HOV lanes wouldn't affect traffic congestion greatly.

However, as of mid 2011, we now have over two million hybrid vehicles on the road, and many of those are right here in Northern Virginia and around Washington, which boasted the fifth largest growth nationally in the hybrid market.  The Commonwealth has adapted to this, limiting single occupancy access to certain HOV areas, but this favors the oldest hybrids and doesn't encourage our citizens to help our business by buying new cars.

Today, hybrid vehicles are ubiquitous.  Plug-in and Battery Electric cars, however, are still rare.  These newer, cleaner vehicles are today where hybrid vehicles were back in 2000 and 2001: expensive, untested domestically and not even available in major dealer showrooms yet.  Just as the Commonwealth helped the nascent hybrid vehicle market to grow though the HOV easement, so too, I argue, that the next generation of even cleaner fueled vehicles should have that privileged.

It's time we cleaned up our clean fuel cars.  It's time to put zero-emission vehicles on I66 and I95/I395.  It's time for those busy and congested roads to produce no pollution for the housing that runs along these highways, where families live and children play.  Don't we want to stop our voracious appetite for hydrocarbons coming from nations which dislike us?  Isn't that the kind of kind of Virginia we should be striving for?

That part of the speech should run about 2½ – 3 minutes, which would be my allotted time; I'll therefore submit the rest of the speech as follows in written comments.

The way I see it, we have 6 options:

1. Keep things as they are, with new, zero-emission vehicles restricted to VA 267 and no access to I95/I395, nor to I66.
2. End the Clean Fuel HOV easement all together, which although fair would, I suspect, make no-one happy.
3. Evolve the requirements for the HOV easement over time, expiring dirtier cars and creating openings for cleaner ones.  We might not be able to tie this to specific CAFE standards according to the EPA, but at least we could work towards emission targets.
4. Simply put a time limit on the HOV easement, so that the oldest cars only qualify for say 10 years and as those cars expire, new slots open up for the new generation of cleaner vehicles.
5. Follow California by completely ending the easement for hybrid vehicles and only allowing Ultra-Low Emission, Inherently Low Emission or Super Ultra-Low Emission on our HOV lanes.  I don't expect the Commonwealth to be this draconian but I see it as still preferable over the Status Quo.  And finally…
6. Allow only Plug-In Vehicles, vehicles that can be plugged into the wall, to take advantage of the HOV easement.  As a resident of Northern Virginia I find this the best solution for the Commonwealth because it's the exact same rule which governs our neighbor Maryland.  In fact, what would benefit the residents of Northern Virginia most would be if Richmond and Annapolis could set up a joint commission and co-operate on the issuing of this Plug-In easement such that each state would recognize the other's right to use HOV single occupancy within both states.

And finally, if we're to enact any but the first two options, I would recommend that we end the use of the Clean Fuel plate in favor of a non-transferable sticker, like California and Maryland.  The ties the easement to the qualifying car and allows the Commonwealth to restrict usage to specific vehicles rather than to an owner, since it's the car we need to be clean.

I know I'm not making any friends with this viewpoint but in the long run, I see any of options three through six as in the best interest of the Commonwealth.  Let's keep Virginia green and I thank you for your time!

I know this speech will rub a lot of people the wrong way, but it's from the heart and I feel it must be said.  Will you join me tonight?

Electric Vehicle Calculator by Dominion

I wanted to post this sooner, but a post that has been waiting 8 months for me to complete for once had to take precedence.  And although I could have included this there, it would've been buried and it's bad enough how long that last post is!  Schedule 1EV is complicated!

From Affordable Electric Car NOW

Anyway, I digress.  The point is, now you can get a rough estimate of how much it will cost to charge your vehicle under Dominion's new EV rate programs.  Simply visit the this site and enter information about your vehicle, the length you typically drive and how you plan to charge.  Dominion offers 3 vehicles in their HTML application: the Ford Focus Electric, the Nissan LEAF and the Chevy Volt.  In terms of charging, you choose between your standard wall outlet running 120 V, which you would typically connect to via the car's included EVSE, or 240 V which assumes you already have an EVSE pre-installed which is set up to use the higher voltage.  Finally, you can set the time to start charging.  Personally, I like to work backwards from the end since I know when I need my car by, but even cars like the LEAF don't let you do that so the start time is quite reasonable, even if it does mean I may not be taking full advantage of all 4 hours of super-off peak.

One final note should be made of the Ford Focus Electric cheating with it's expected range numbers.  This time last year, the LEAF was rated at 100 mi per charge and many of it's promotional materials still maintain that.  The EPA, however, though on an environmental penalty of about 30% when they derived the 73 mi per charge rate used by the Dominion calculator.  The Ford Focus has yet to be tested by the EPA and thus it's marketing of 100 mi per charge is taken as an official value, making it look like a more efficient car than the LEAF.  The truth is, when the EPA evaluates the Focus it will likely receive a grade of about 70 – 75 mi per charge with its 23 kWh battery as opposed to the LEAF's 24 kWh pack.  The Volt values are also based on their EPA evaluation.

2012 LEAF: Sloppy Seconds?

As my regular readers know, I'm usually trying to put a positive spin on a number of things, but every so often, I feel the need to get nasty and I think with the constant delay with respect to ordering of the 2012 Nissan LEAF, I can't help but ponder a bit the changes between this model year car and the previous one.

I've already reported that the price difference between the 2011 and 2012 model years is $1,490 for the base SV trim and $1,900 for the base SL trim and I stand by that.  Any site which exaggerates this price difference is likely to get a comment from me seeking to rectify the situation since I'm all about the truth.

After all, you're getting a complimentary Cold Weather Package with that cost increase, and the TEPCO plug on the SL trim, so a lot of the cost is just those options or alternate Trim levels carried over from the previous model year as standard.  Then again, how useful is the Cold Weather Trim in Florida?

But what else is new in the 2012 LEAF?  Did they add the 6.6kW charger?  No, not even as an option!  Have they made improvements to the batteries or the charge capacity?  No.  Have they improved the Software?  Yes, but 2011 drivers are getting that update for free.  Have they improved the motor or the aerodynamic?  Have they added a new audio or driving comfort option?  No, apart from what's already included in the Cold Weather Package.  The Cold Weather Package isn't even exclusive to the 2012 LEAF: it was an available trim level for the 2011 LEAF late in the model year.

So what do you get for your $1,490 - $1,900 in new model year premiums?  Nothing!  You don't get anything for this cost increase.  If you're in the original Tier 2 states of AL, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SC and VA:

• not only was your ordering window delayed by 7 months and now 4 more days

• not only were you kept in the dark about Nissan's plans for Tier 2

• not only were you forced to listen to Nissan rant and rave about how great a car the LEAF is even though you couldn't (easily) buy it

• not only were you still denied the long sought after 6.6kW charging option that the Ford Focus Electric is beating the LEAF's ass on

• not only were you denied the color Green, a natural for a car called LEAF

• not only were you given the same set of Port Options / Accessories as 2011

Not only all of that, but you're also going to have to pay about 5% more for it.

Thanks a lot, Nissan!

Originally, I was all in favor of those of us in Tier 2 getting first pick of the brand-spanking-new 2012 model year under the assumption that it would be an improvement, even if just a slight improvement, over the 2011 as a reward for braking their commitment and forcing us to wait an extra half-year to order the car we've been pining for since at least 20 April 2010.  Now I say, bring me the Smyrna 2013!

Dear Nissan (An Opened Letter)

As a reporter for the Affordable Electric Car NOW! website, I strive for accuracy, fairness and reasonable information and analysis.  If you see my site, you can see that the clear majority of what I have to say is about the Nissan LEAF.  I broke a number of stories about the LEAF and LEAF news specific to the Tier 2 ordering region (AL, DC, FL, GA, MD, NC, SD, VA), including how the region was kicked back from last December ordering to Late Summer 2011 the day before the first scheduled delivery.  But not all I've written is adverse to Nissan's image.  Indeed, just yesterday it gave me tremendous pleasure to brake the news publicly that I, as well as many other Tier 2 reservation holders, may finally be seeing the light at the end of the long, dark tunnel. I, personally, have been waiting long and hard for our day to come and I must admit I still find it hard to believe it may finally be coming true. But now the story is out: we get to order in July!

But here's the problem: I got this news while speaking to the dealership who is in contact with the Nissan North America regional representative.  This is big news!  Why am I the one breaking it?  Why aren't you?  This is the kind of thing that's remiss in your eNewsletter.

It always seems you're so happy to tout success in AZ, CA, HI, OR, TN, TX and WA but never a peep about Tier 2, never mind the forgotten 36.  The first LEAF ever delivered in those forgotten 36 states was actually won by an Oklahoman in the Drive Electric tour!  This is news because right now, those folks have no idea when they can even order their cars.  And new reservations were only opened up to the original 7 states?  Again, this smacks of total apathy for your potential customers across the rest of the United States and Canada.

And what about the Cold Weather Package Trim now becoming available?  This is huge news, yet I have to read about it on Twitter from @EVNow and on the My Nissan LEAF forum instead of in your eNewsletter?  I've very happy that you've announced it at $930 MSRP above the corresponding SV, SL or SL+ETEC Trim, but I for one would like to know the invoice on these 3 new trim levels.

One thing that's missing, which I am trying to correct through my Meet Your Dealership series is putting the customer back in contact with his or her local dealer.  It's the dealers that have the best information as is, and they're the ones we make the deal with when our dashboards open.  This I think is another flaw in the ordering process.  I like the reduced haggling, don't get me wrong, and am glad that so far the LEAF hasn't been jacked up like the Chevy Volt was in its early release.  I like that Nissan North America is co-ordinating this, but don't put such a wall between we customers and our preferred dealer.  I'm trying to reach out, why aren't you?

And need I mention 6.6kW charging?  What's the deal with that?  Last I heard you were pushing it back to Smyrna going on line with the 2013 LEAF?  I'm seriously tempted to postpone my order until the 6.6kW option becomes available and I can find out the price.  Do you have any new information?  Is there any way I can convince you how important this is to me?  All that I know about it is what I learned in the online chat, not through the eNewsletter.

I really like the folks in the online chat, that I must say.  They're always very kind and helpful.  I do miss the e-mail transcript feature, though!  What happened with that?  It was great that I could quote chat log (the highest level representative I could get to speak to my news service) to at least get some answers when we Tier 2 folks were so wounded.

And my EVSE, I did it completely without you.  While you dragged your feet and let the 2010 Alternative Fuel Vehicle Refueling Property Credit expire, I got something done about it.  Even now, I don't think any Tier 2 people have heard from AeroVironment, never mind ECOtality.  Heck, ECOtality's been AWOL since they announced they added the metropolitan Washington, D.C. region to their project area.  Not a peep from them or you, that's why I did it myself.

In summary, more transparency and regional customization is required.  We Tier 2 can only take so much of how great it is living in Hawaii with your LEAF or Celebrities in CA chillin with their LEAF or even our neighbor to the West, Tennessee and their great LEAF adventures.  That's what's most missing in your eNewsletter: information about the features we keep asking for and the progress in our local delivery market.  Stuff to reassure us, to make us feel wanted as a customer, and not excluded as a reject not good enough for the cool kids.

And 6.6kW charging... come on, let's punch that Focus Electric in the no-trunk-space butt!

---

Portions of this letter appeared in my submission to the Nissan LEAF survey of 2 June 2011.

Electric Cars Are Coming — And I Am Certainly Ready!

As I've reported before, Dominion Virginia Power is proposing 2 new Electric Vehicle rates.  But a recent article by Cory Nealson considers whether the Commonwealth of Virginia is ready for 86,000 new Electric Vehicles on the road by 2020.  The article makes some good points, but it's sometimes interesting to see what comments are generated on an EV piece like this.

Of course, I'm not one to let EV misinformation propagate through these informal discussions and so I've composed my share of replies to some of the comments appended to this article and I though it might be instructive to collect them here as well:

How much does it cost to charge an electric car to go 40 miles, as compared to filling up a gas vehicle to go 400 miles? (Hampton Handyman)

Hampton, to answer your question, we need to make some assumptions.

1. What is the cost of fuel; let's say an even $3, which is what I paid about a fortnight ago; it is going to go up though, but for your argument, let's say it doesn't.

2. How much does Electricity Cost?  Well, I happen to have Dominion Virginia Power's filing right here and so let's see…

   The base rate for the 2-meter EV-only setup (I'll stick with that as it's simpler) is ^0.684¢⁄_kWh from 01:00 - 05:00; but that's just the base rate for Distribution and Supply.  There's also a $2.90 per month cost, then a bunch of riders and taxes and in the end you come up with basically ^4.632¢⁄_kWh + $2.90 per month.  So for the monthly cost, let's assume a 30 day month, which adds about ^10¢⁄_day or basically per charge.  There are a bit of other complexities, such as county tax and potentially lower tax rates with additional usage, but overall, this is a good ballpark for what you would be paying to charge your car overnight.

3. Gasoline Car Efficiency; let's be positive and go with the Prius's astoundingly high value of 50 mpg.

4. And for our Electric Vehicle, we'll go with a conservative 3⅓ miles per kWh.

The math is simple…

…Person A fills up his Prius.  To go 400 mi, he buys 8 gallons (400 mi ÷ 50 mpg) which at ^$3⁄_gal comes to $24.

Person B charges her EV over night, each night, going 40 miles per day.  In this case, she needs 12 kWh each night (40 mi ÷ 3⅓ mpg), which at ^4.632¢⁄_kWh or ^$0.04632⁄_kWh comes to about 56¢.  Add in the 10¢ per day and we come to 66¢ or $0.66 for 40 miles.

Now, after 10 days, Person B has gone 400 mi too (40 mi × 10) but she's paid only $6.60.  It's not much, but $6.60 is still better than $8 and do you really get 50 mpg?  I didn't think so!  So, you can try to hate on EVs all you want Hampton, but the truth is, as far as cost per mile, EVs already have your best hybrids and gasoline engine cars beat!  And you can take that to the bank!

Note: Whoever voted me down on that commentary clearly can't handle the truth!

DVP's installation of charging stations at rest stops makes no sense. (MarcLee)

Well said, Marc, but the thing is, you have a Volt.  The Volt and the Focus Electric don't have the ability to fast charge, but the Nissan LEAF does through its CHAdeMo connection.  It doesn't make sense to install chargers at rest areas if all they can do is Level 2, which for the LEAF and Volt means 3.3kW charging (8 hr / 4 hr, respectively), for the Focus it means 6.7kW (4 hr).  But L3 / DC / Quick-Charging does make sense once the U.S. standardizes on a connector and protocol.  As I said, the LEAF uses CHAdeMO and it's a risk that we'll use that Japanese standard over a European standard.

But, given the LEAF, CHAdeMO may become the de facto standard in the U.S.  And with CHAdeMO's up to 500V_DC × 125A capacity, this means about 62.5kW charging, which on the LEAF means 80% in about 18 minutes.  Sure, 18 minutes is still a pain to wait when filling a tank is about half that, and that fill up is only getting you 80 more miles, but it does serve a purpose.  I just would never suggest someone try to make it up to Maine from Florida stopping every 90 minutes for a 20 minute break.  It's not plesant for the driver and that amount of quick charging isn't good for the battery either.  Nissan recommends no more than 1 Quick-Charge per day to keep your battery fresh and capacious.

The Volt uses 12kw for a full recharge… The Leaf and Focus Electric would require roughly 3 times that amount… There is a 4 hour window under which you can save 6 cents/kwh and a 17 hour window during which you are penalized 6 cents/kwh. (MarcLee)

As far as the rates are concerned, I've done the calculations on 95% battery capacity of a LEAF per weekday, or 22.8kW, and half that (11.4kWh) each weekend day (the LEAF, BTW, has a battery exactly 2 times larger than the Volt and takes twice as long to charge; the Focus has one slightly less than twice, at 23kWh, but has the 6.7kW charger so also takes about 4 hours).

Anyway, the short answer is you save about $200 a year under this scenario under the Schedule EV rider vs. the base Schedule 1 rate.  And under the Household 1EV rate, you save an additional ^$25⁄_yr.  Sure, that's only about $18.75 a month in savings, but in this economy every dollar counts IMHO.

The problem comes if you need a Monday Touch-up, as I find I may need occasionally.  Then, the year is divided in half, with 6 months at $0.77 and 6 at $0.28 for a 2 hour touch-up.  I don't intend to do these kind of touch-ups very often, so maybe I spend $3 on them in a given month, but that's still much less than $18.75 for the household rate.

Or, let's consider the Schedule EV rider instead: now we're saving only $16.67 per month, and our touch-up goes for $0.86 per 2 hour touch-up, year-round.  Not quite as good as the household Schedule 1EV rate, but still you come out ahead even with a few touch-ups.

Also, I should point out that I was the main guy who pushed DVP to add this rate when I couldn't get Schedule 1T.

Two Years and 119 Cars! (Tomorrow)

Previously

…I wrote about some of the Electric Vehicles available today.

Tomorrow

In just the last year, a number of cars have been announced with varying levels of fanfare, most of which targeting a 2011 or early 2012 release.  Many of these are listed on the Plug-in America Vehicle Tracker, and others are too new for even that list.

Ford Focus Electric

I first learned about the plans for an electric Ford Focus in late 2010, mentioning it as early as my And when problems with the LEAF were announced in early December, I became very keen to find out as much as I could about this potential LEAF competitor.

Tesla Model S

A Tesla as a family car, I first mentioned the Model S indirectly in my EVSE installation post.  With the highest upgrade boasting a range of 300 mi (483 km), this isn't just a work-and-back-again car; it can really take you places, if you're willing to pay.  But that range-extended upgrade is currently price unknown and for that $57,400 Plug-in America lists, all you get is 160 mi (257 km).  Still, it's a very beautiful car and if I had $5,000 to spare I know I'd reserve one today!

Toyota Rav4 EV (2012)

Just when you thought Toyota had forgotten how to make an EV, they're back with an all-new, redesigned with a Tesla drive train, Rav4 EV 2012!  I've yet to talk much about the 2012 Rav4 EV but I have seen it and I'm very excited!

Ford Transit-Connect EV

I first learned about the Ford Transit-Connect EV when researching the Focus Electric.  I have notes from the big announcement at that time that I've yet to transcribe onto this blog.  Then again, if I had I dime for every post I intended to make but never have time to get around to, I'd be a professional blogger by now!  The Transit-Connect is more of a delivery van than a commuter car, so it's not really an Affordable Electric Car so much as an Affordable Electric Truck; but I'll leave someone else to write that blog.

C-Max Energi

I've mentioned the C-Max Energi in a post about the Focus Electric, but then dedicated a post of its own to this PHEV and a wholehearted recommendation for a blog about it written by a friend of mine who recently received his very own Nissan LEAF.

BYD Auto e6 and Coda Automotive CODA Sedan

I mentioned both of these cars in the Ford Focus Electric post as a counterpoint to an established, American automotive corporation.  Both are built in China and both worry me a great deal in terms of safety because of this.&nbps; It's not that China isn't a country full of skilled laborers, but in a country that would put lead in its toys and poison its milk, I just don't want to trust my life to one of their cars.

Li-ion Inizio

The Inizio, and indeed all of Li-ion Motors cars are missing from the Plug-in America site.  But, I did see this car back in January and even interviewed a representitive from Li-ion Motors that I hope to bring to you in the near future and I look forward to learning more about their future Liv line of vehicles.

Next up

A summary of the Plug-in America Vehicle Tracker…

Your Second car: The Ford C-Max Energi

Meet the C-Max Energi

The C-Max Energi is the next generation of Ford's C-Max line.  It's a Plugin Hybrid (PHEV) that can go en estimated 500 mi (800 km) on a full charge and a full tank of gas, meaning that it's the perfect fit for daily driving on mostly electric with a range extension allowing it to go half-way up the eastern seaboard on a single tank of fuel.  And of course, as a hybrid, it can still fill up at any of the thousands of petrol stations across the country.

How far can the C-Energi Max go on electricity alone?

That's an excellent question to which we don't yet have an answer.  My friend EVNow from the My Nissan LEAF forum has calculated an estimated electric range of between 30-40 miles, which would put it at slightly more than the Chevy Volt, no doubt due to the C-Max Energi's larger size being able to accommodate a bit larger battery.  And the plug for the C-Max Energy is conveniently placed next to the driver's side door so it can be quickly hooked up to an EVSE for charging.

A Battery-Electric Vehicle (BEV) for the daily commute, and a Plugin Hybrid Electric Vehicle (PHEV) for getting around town town and extended trips

This paradigm, first introduced to me by EVNow, allows a two-car family to never use petroleum for their weekly travel needs, relying on gasoline only for those rare trips out of town to visit grandma and the like.  The BEV can be used by the daily commuter who travels under 80 miles (128 km) round-trip per day.  The PHEV can then be used by the other household driver who either has a shorter commute to work (say 30-40 miles, round-trip), or to run errands around town.  And, unlike the Ford Focus Electric, the Ford C-Max Energi has ample storage space in the rear via its easy to load hack-back.

The ideal family sedan

One of the problems with a BEV is that you need to keep the weight down, which means most highway compatible EVs can only accommodate 4 passengers comfortably.  These cars make for ideal commuting to and from work, or even for limited carpooling.  However, the C-Max Energi, being a PHEV, is also built to transport the neighborhood kids to soccer practice or to take the entire family on an extended trip.  This is because, unlike the Chevy Volt, the C-Max Energi's larger body easily holds 5 passengers.

Want more information?

For more information on the C-Max Energy, you could do no better than reading my friend EVNow's C-Max Energi blog, or follow him on Twitter.

Is Ford headed in the right track?

Ford's Impressive Sustainability Strategy

In Andrew Winston's piece, linked above, he argues that Ford may be too late to the EV game and wonders if the automaker has the commitment to see its lofty goals through.  I, for one, wish Ford all the best in this venture, as I do General Motors with the Chevrolet Volt, and look forward to seeing where Ford takes its Focus Electric and Plug-In Hybrids, Transit Connect Electric and C-Max Energi lines.  But for me, it's more a question if whether Nissan is too little, too late.

Clearly, I've been blogging a lot recently about the Focus Electric here — and am due to post my CES report someday — but I once wrote a pro and con evaluation of the Focus Electric on the MyNissanLEAF forum where I said I'd pay as much as $3,000 for the 6.6kW charger — again, search my blog and my posts on the MyNissanLEAF forum to see how much I gripe about the LEAF not having a 6.6kW or 7.2kW charger and also the missing Cold Weather Package trim — but man, the trunk space is a joke!  I don't mind too much in a commuter car, as my future-EV is so designated, but it makes Costco runs almost impossible since the back seat is typically already filled when I take the Avalon.  And I know folks in the semi-conductor industry that do not have positive impressions of what Ford is attempting, especially with respect to BMS (Battery Management System).

Would I get a Focus EV?

Well, if Nissan keeps pushing back the LEAF roll-out in the Washington, D.C. region, and the Focus Electric is supposed to go on sale here at the end of the year for the 2012 model, then heck, yeah, I'll consider it.  You can only poke us Tier 2 states in the eye so much.  If I had the money, I'd get a Tesla Model S 300-mi edition, but IMHO it's gonna sell for $77,000 and that's well too much to swallow!  So I'm still in the LEAF camp but keeping my options opened.  In 2010 we had only 1 choice: the 40 mi-on-EV PHEV Chevrolet Volt.  This year, we may have as many as 4 choices, including the recently available for leasing Smart Electric.  Maybe even more if the Plug-in Prius makes its debut in the 2012 series as planned.  Perhaps the Coda or BYD may finally get their acts together (but don't get me started on those Chinese cars), or any number of surprises that may come our way in 2011.

We live in interesting times, my friends.  Interesting times.

Live Chat with Ford TODAY!

Join the Technology Summit Live from the 2011 International CES

The festivities start in 2 hours from the time of this posting, and the schedule is on The Ford Story blog with a list of times all in Eastern Standard Timezone; the event is at the Consumer Electronic Show in Los Vegas and will begin at 13:00 hours local (Pacific) time.  The livestream updates on the Facebook page are supposed to continue for the next 24 hours as rabid anticipation of Ford Motor Company's entry into the EV market inches ever closer.  From The Ford Story blog:

Thursday, January 6, 2011 (all times are EST)

• 16:00: Microsoft Senior Product Planner, Steven Bridgeland will talk about some of Microsoft’s work with Ford and we’ll share the latest Microsoft has to offer from CES
• 17:00: IGN will recap their favorite apps and PC games from 2010 and review new gaming technologies
• 18:00: Ford Chief Creative Officer, J Mays, and Ben Parr from Mashable will talk about innovation and creativity at CES
• 19:00: Natali Morris from CNET will talk about upcoming tech trends
• 20:00: A CES report from Rob Haralson from Five Q’s on Tech
• 21:00: Learn more about how Ford is using mobile applications both through AppLink and Destinations
• 22:00: A CES report from Michael Aulia from cravingtech
• 23:00: Watch the Mashable Awards live!

Friday, January 7, 2011 (all times are EST)

• 02:00: A CES report from Matthew Buckland from Memeburn
• 03:00: A CES report from Kiruba Shankar from Kiruba.com
• 04:00: Ford User Interface Engineer, Jason Johnson, will answer questions in a livechat
• 05:00: A CES report from Maxim Roubintchik from Gizmodo
• 06:00: A CES report from Stefan Trunzik from Notebook Journal
• 07:00: A CES report from Sascha Pallenberg from Netbooknews
• 08:00: A CES report from Joe Simpson from Car Design News
• 09:00: Russ Schafer from Yahoo! will talk about their newest technology, Connected TV
• 10:00: Learn more about how Ford is approaching electric vehicles from the Ford EV team
• 11:00: Ford Chief Technology Officer, Paul Mascarenas, will answer questions in a livechat
• 12:00: Group and Technical Leader of Ford’s Infotronics Research & Advanced Engineering team, Venkatesh Prasad, will answer your questions in a livechat
• 13:00: A CES report from Nick Mokey from Digital Trends
• 14:00: CEO Alan Mulally will deliver his keynote address live from CES
• 15:00: Live Blog: Executive Chairman Bill Ford looks into the Ford Electric Future

The thing to note here is that from 11:00 to 13:00 EST on Friday, representatives from Ford will be answering questions posted on their Facebook page, and especially the 10:00 hour where they will be discussing the Ford Focus EV among other things.

Visit the Ford Electric Vehicles Facebook page for more information about the Focus EV and for the Livestream tab to appear at 16:00 (EST)!

Come See the Ford Focus EV at the Los Vegas CES!

From the Ford Electric Vehicles Facebook Page:

On Friday at 11 AM PST, CEO Alan Mulally will have big news from the 2011 International CES in Las Vegas. We'll broadcast his keynote address on a Livestream tab on this page and have exclusive technology news every hour leading up to his address.

Although I've not mentioned it much before now, I'm very excited about the Ford Focus with an Electric-only Drive Train.  The more electric vehicles we have to choose from, the better we are off as consumers.  Ford has yet to announce the MSRP on the Focus EV, but rumor has it around $40,000, though this early in the game that could easily change.  Currently, the Focus EV is projected for model year 2012 release at the earliest, so initial sales could come as soon as a year from now.

I've been closely following the developments of the Focus EV and other affordable electric car alternatives that I hope to bring you in the coming months.  More so since I learned I'd have to wait 8 more months just to order another Electric Vehicle I've been considering.  Given this, the Ford Focus EV is one of the few EVs I believe to have a good chance to become the first generally available (in North America), affordable EVs!

Clipper Creek CS-100 EVSE Installed!

For once, the awful photographer that I am, I have none the less decided to give you a pictorial retrospective of install of one of the first EVSEs in the Commonwealth of Virginia.  So with minimal textual interruption, here is my adventure into the world of Electric Vehicle Service Equipment — click any image for a larger version:

Wee!  A package for me!  From Clipper Creek?  I wonder what it could be?

Woo hoo!  The Clipper Creek CS-100 Electric Vehicle Service Equipment, complete with J1772 e-hose and Charger!

Ah, a sneak peak into the interior of this industrial strength behemoth!

The heart of the machine: the 90 Ampère, 220 Volt A/C converter!  At least, so my dreamy eyes interpret the mysterious box in front of me.

Gonna pump me some serious electrons with this puppy: the J1772 standard Electric Vehicle charge plug.

Aw, isn't she sweet — or he, all buff, industrial and military?  Nah, I like my ladies tough!  So there she is, all ready for her rough and ready install!

Ample room in the circuit breaker box for a new lead for my sub-panel.  And a bit of trivia: notice the blue sticker next to the 20 Ampère breaker?  The plugs it's connected to aren't NEMA 5-20R, plus the wiring didn't look a sufficient gauge for 20A.  So when I bought the house we told the former owner to downgrade that to a 15A breaker; I'm still waiting…

Ta-da!  Joe, the kind Electrician from Cullen Electric, Inc. has added the first link in the power chain to my new EVSE: the 125 Ampère, 2-pole circuit breaker.

And here is the 4-wire 1/0 SER Aluminium cable at the beginning of its journey out to the sub panel in the garage.

Yep, Joe warned me he would need to make a hole in my ceiling to run that thick wire across the house, but all in all, he did a pretty nice job of patching it back up, don't you think?  Just need to sand down the gauze mesh and repaint!

This one caught me a bit by surprise but it's small and I didn't even notice it until Joe pointed it out; I assume the wire got caught on its way to the utility closet so he had to fish it half-way through and anchor it there.

Here the cable comes out into the utility closet (more of a utility room under the basement stairs, really)…

Then the chord goes out again and up into the garage wall.

We're back in the garage.  Joe is on his lunch break so I thought I'd take a sneak peak at the new sub-panel before he put the cover on it.  As you can see, the 4-wire 1/0 SER Aluminium cable comes to the end of its journey here.

Time-lapse… the sub-panel is now fully installed with a new 3-wire 1/0 SER Aluminium cable coming out above on its way to the final leg of the electrical odyssey.

And what do we have inside?  Another 2-pole circuit breaker, this one with a 100 Ampère rating.  Can I just say, I'm probably learning way too much about Electrical Codes and Pricing and Wiring and Regulations than I probably ever remotely should?

Yep, that's for my CS-100 EVSE.  Squee!  Also, can I just say, should an adult male of my experienced age really still be squeeing like a school girl?  Yes.

Okay, I have to give a shout-out here to my best friend from preschool, Tony, as well as the Fairfax County Electrical Inspector for reminding me of the virtues of good, fire-retardant caulk.  That's 3M Fire Barrier Sealant CP 25WB+, with 4-hour fire resistance, and it's red.

Now we trace the 3-wire 1/0 SER Aluminium cable from out of the wall, toward the other side of my garage.  Notice the NEMA 5-15R on the far left for reference…

Look, off to the left!  EVSE ho!  And of course, now on the far right, there's that same NEMA 5-15R to guide our way.

My EVSE is receiving power from below thanks to Joe's fine work installing the 3-wire conduit to it.  The J1772 e-hose now sits lonely, waiting for an EV or Plug-in Hybrid to charge.  Nissan?  Chevy?  Ford Focus EV?  Mini-E?  Tesla?  Anyone??

Thank you Clipper Creek from one more happy, if untested, customer!

Finally, you may be wondering how much this cost.  Well, it wasn't cheap, but here's the breakdown:

Associations: $35.00

• $35.00 (Electric Automotive Association Annual Dues, Electronic Membership)

Materials: $3,272.05

• $2550.00 (Clipper Creek CS-100 EVSE)
• $267.30 (1/0 SER cable - 45 ft, 4-Wire Aluminum; from main panel to sub-panel)
• $125.00 (125amp Siemans 2-pole 3 breaker)
• $75.00 (100amp Siemans 2-pole 3 breaker)
• $125.00 (16 space main lug panel with cover)
• $64.75 (1/0 SEU cable - 25 ft, 3-Wire Aluminum; from sub-panel to EVSE)
• $65.00 (Shop parts)

Shipping: $50.00

• $50.00 (For the EVSE via UPS)

Labor: $680.00

• $680.00 (Thanks again Joe!)

Permits: $250.00

• $250.00 (Fairfax County, Virginia)

Taxes: $36.10

• $36.10 (Northern Virginia Sales Tax at 5% on all materials but the EVSE itself)

Credits: ($2,000.00)

• ($2,000.00) (EVSE Federal Tax Credit — Assuming no AMT in 2010)

Total cost to me: $2,323.15, assuming I qualify for the full EVSE Tax Credit and not get hit by AMT this year for the first time because of it.  Otherwise, it's a rather unpleasant $4,323.15 out-of-pocket with no money back and no return on investment for the next 12 or so months.

One question I still have is if I get a Smart Meter with TOU installed next year, as well as pay someone to fix the ceiling drywall, can I still qualify for the newly-passed 2011 EVSE 30% Tax Credit, capped at $1000.  I doubt the expenses that time would be anywhere near the maximum $3,333.33 for which the credit qualifies, but it doesn't hurt to ask.