California electric vehicle drivers have recently been surprised to find critical charging stations at Costcos around California are being quietly removed, without warning and without explanation.

Costco’s charging stations have supported the pioneering owners who purchased electric vehicles in the 1990s and early 2000s. As documented in Who Killed the Electric Car, most of these cars were taken back by the automakers and crushed. Fortunately, hundreds of these vehicles were saved by the electric vehicle activists who founded Plug In America. The owners still depend on these cars, many of which still perform just as well today as when new. These cars are a testament to the longevity and reliability of electric vehicles.

While Costco is removing these legacy charging stations, thousands of new electric vehicles are hitting the roads. In order to support these new vehicles, the California Energy Commission has created a grant program that pays all expenses to upgrade legacy charging equipment to new stations that are compatible with the Nissan LEAF, Chevy Volt, and many others soon to follow.

Rather than taking advantage of these free upgrades this program, Costco is choosing to simply remove old chargers, at greater expense than replacing them for free!

We drivers of electric cars will always be grateful to Costco. Costco deserves praise for its early support of electric cars. Hundreds of thousands of miles of petroleum-free, emission-free driving (and thousands of hours of Costco shopping) have been enabled by the existence of these electric vehicle charging stations. The charging stations installed over ten years ago have survived thanks to Costco’s leadership and in conjuction with the volunteer efforts of the electric vehicle drivers of electric vehicles, along with Plug In America and the Electric Auto Association.

Now it seems that Costco believes its members don’t value electric vehicle charging. We urge all current and potential Costco members to thank them for their past support and let them know you value electric vehicle charging at Costco’s conveniently-located warehouses. Please urge them to take advantage of the state upgrade program to replace their old AVCON chargers with modern J1772 charging stations and to keep the existing SPI chargers to maintain support for the RAV4-EVs that survived the crusher and inspired us to keep fighting for electric vehicles.

Please send an email below to Costco CEO James Sinegal. Include your Costco membership number in your text if you can.

Thank you from all of us at Plug in America.

Please see the link below to send a message to Costco.

Ever since the launch of the 2011 Nissan Leaf, owners have been able to remotely access information about their car’s state of charge, estimated range and even pre-heat or cool the cabin using Nissan’s built-in telematics service – Carwings.

But unless you happened to own an iPhone in addition to your Nissan Leaf, the only way you could control your car remotely was via Nissan’s clunky — and sometimes buggy — website.

Now anyone with an Android smartphone can join in the party, with the newly released Nissan Leaf app for Android OS devices.

Listed on various Android application directory sites, the free application offers the same functionality as its iPhone sibling, but with a slightly redesigned interface, with tabs at the top rather than the bottom of the screen.

We’ve not had a chance to test out the application, but owners over at mynissanleaf.com are reporting success with both installing and running the program.

As with any app however, some users are reporting a few errors with certain Android-powered tablets running Honeycomb 3.0 and with other android devices running OS versions earlier than Donut 1.6

Theses few problems aside, we’re glad to see Nissan release a smartphone version of its carwings app for Android devices.

Google, the multi-national software and search engine giant responsible for the Android operating system – is known for its love of plug-in cars. It seems only fitting that its mobile operating system gets a version of the Carwings app for the Nissan Leaf.

If you have a smartphone or tablet device running Android and you own a Nissan Leaf, you’ll want to check out the application for yourself. It’s free and can be downloaded here, but users outside of the U.S. should note that the version released is a localized version specific to the U.S. Regionalized versions for other countries with the Nissan Leaf should follow shortly.

# # #

But that’s where the similarities end between the production Nissan LEAF and the Nissan LEAF NISMO RC. As indicted by the “RC”—for Racing Competition—the purpose-built electric car is truly “racing green.”

Nissan is looking at the racing world as a way to draw attention to the seemingly untapped potential of electric vehicles, according to a press release.

“Combining the talents of NISMO, Nissan’s world renowned motorsports group, and engineers behind some of the company’s Super GT and FIA GT1 race teams, the Nissan LEAF NISMO RC will serve as a rolling laboratory for the accelerated development of EV and aerodynamic systems, as well as a platform for the development of new green motorsports series,” said Carlos Tavares, chairman, Nissan Americas.

The Nissan LEAF NISMO RC is designed and constructed as a real racing machine, starting with its full carbon fiber monocoque bodywork. The three-piece bodywork includes removable front and rear sections, fixed windows, LED headlights and taillights and adjustable rear wing.

Building on the exterior styling of the production Nissan LEAF, the two-door race version was created by Nissan Global Design Center in Japan. Special four-coat Pearl White paint with blue NISMO/Zero Emission graphics completes the exterior.

We Just took delivery of our new electric delivery truck! We have begun to condition the batteries and are learning how to drive an all electric Car. .

Small Trips first, just a few miles then back home to charge up, then after a full charge we take a longer trip and gradually increase the range.

Our fist difficulty is our driveway and steep street leading to our drive. At more than a 30% slope it proves to be a serious challenge for the unconditioned batteries in the new Xebra. The fit and finish is poor, to be nice. We see issues everywhere, I know its “Cheap” but some of these things are embarrassing. Small details seem to be forgotten about at ZAP. The headliner and the windshield rubber don’t line up very well. The door rubbers are way to big and rub the interior door panel thus making the door want to pop back open, obviously causing the door wear issues other 2006 and 2007 Zap users are experiencing. The leather seats came dirty! Big black marks on them, and it looks like the passenger side door / fender area rubbed at one time and a very poor bondo job was done. Then someone sprayed some paint that almost matched on the spot. Humm well, so far we love our new EV but it seams no one checked this over at Zap before they loaded it on the trailer and sent it to us.

ZAP’s customer service seems lacking at this point as we are having issues getting them to respond. No real dealer network and the ZAP staff leaves much to be desired .

Once we have some time with the Truck we will post all of our news about this Great New All Electric Truck.. More to come Pic’s to. About time!

ZAP Seriously Lacks Customer Service

The first most serious concern we have is the fact that the vehicle had 40 miles on the odometer upon delivery. We have asked ZAP several times for an explanation as to this and have only been told by our dealer SloEgo that “a few miles is normal and that 40 seems excessive”. Upon further investigation we have discovered that the odometer is not accurate in the vehicle. It seems to add about 1 mile for every 4 miles actually driven. This would help explain 40 miles on a truck that no one had driven before. However, that does not explain the obvious body damage and poor repair job on the passenger side front right quarter panel door intersection. It appears someone attempted to fix the door rubbing and maybe a door ding before the truck was shipped to us.

Later we started hearing a very persistent squeak when the vehicle was driven about 8 miles or more. Upon raising the rear end up and allowing the tires to free spin we discovered the rear left (drivers side) CV boot was improperly seated. After re-seating the CV Joint and re-torquing the squeak has stopped.

This vehicle has also had issues with the drivers side door latch mechanisms failing when the door lock is depressed. Upon investigation we had to open up the door panel and then disassemble the entire latch and door handle lock system. Then we found we needed to bend the lock tab on the door latch mechanisms to the appropriate angle to fix this issue.

Also, today we learned that the Xebra does not qualify for the State of California’s EV rebate! As ZAP has it advertised on their web site. And the State of California also seems to think that the Xebra does meet the States qualifications. However this is not true, unless you spend another $750 for an extended warranty on the battery pack! Why is this not made clear to the State of California and to ZAP dealers & customers? We bought the 2008 Xebra PK EV thinking it did qualify for the EV rebate as advertised. This is a serious breach of trust ZAP!!!

When we called and asked directly about these issues we were told ” oh well, it is what it is ! “… we were shocked. Yes, we expected to get a car that we knew did not meet up to the fit and finish standards of an American car. But to have ZAP’s staff say ” oh well, it is what it is ! ” simply shocking! It does not seem that there is any real attempt to offer any customer service by ZAP. If indeed, we got a car that had not been dealer prepped. That is bad enough for $13,000. But after pointing all of this out ZAP’s response has been very sad to say the least.

After all that we simply asked for the batteries extended warranty to be covered by ZAP and we would walk away a happy customer. However we were told we would need to pay! OMG!

————————————-

2008 72 Volt Xebra PK Performance.

Ride is ok, a bit stiff. And it did tip on two wheels today! . This seems to be because the front tire was low. As I made a 20 mph curve the sidewall of the tire collapsed and allowed the rear right tire to lift off the ground. This caused the front of the truck to drag and scrape off some Chinese bondo on the road.

Lesson learned. Check the front tire every day!. Oh and swap it our for a motorcycle tire that has stronger sidewalls.. Duh ZAP ! …

Inside, the truck is very stark and cheap. The window cranks almost hit the dash but your hand will if you try to roll up the window with the door closed. DUH ZAP! The seats are adjustable but cannot move because the seat belt attachment point stops the seat from traveling anything but about 1 inch. The windows don’t roll down all the way. Very annoying. Zap does not provide any instructions for operation of the Chinese CD/Radio/MP3 unit. You get a heater (really its a front window defogger) but no outside air or cool vent air, only hot. The glove box is just that it will hold a pair of gloves and you can still fit your registration papers in it.

This is now becoming a passion to make my 2008 Xebra PK into something that people can actually use. And I mean the average person that wants one to drive to the store and back. As it is now I would not feel comfortable with my mom, wife or friends driving it! But that will change.

If ZAP won’t DepotEco will !

Stay tuned. We will continue posting our improvements and experiences with the 2008 Xebra PK Truck.

Update: 8/4/08

OMG!!!! I Must say , we just installed the Woodward Spring kit for the 2007 PK Truck on our 2008 PK, This was like going from riding in an old stage coach to a Cadillac. Super easy to install and yes it takes a slight mod to use the 2007 kit on the 2008 PK truck but its super easy. Ill post more later but for now I must say nice work Woodward !

———————————–

Things are looking very good. WE have been driving just about anywhere we need as many times as we need as fast as the roads will allow. Now with the added battery the Xebra Super PK is great!.  I have found that when it does sit for a few days the Battery pack seems to loose its range a bit. But this comes back when we drive it more and more. After sitting for more than a week with no use , It got me everywhere I needed and back home. The absolute best addition is the Pak Trakr unit that allows me to see how much life the pack has left. Like a fuel guage! this is absolutely the best improvement. Now I have a gauge to tell me if I am about to get in trouble and need a charge. Or in my case if I have enough juice in my pack to get back up the hill and then my driveway.  So far so good.  Also I understand ZAP is now importing a newer PK SD sedan that has been designed a bit better. Things may be picking up for ZAP.  I am extremely happy with the improvements we have done to our PK truck. The extra battery and the improved suspension.  Last imporvestms are the interior lighting we have added. Stock the PK has no inside illumination at all. so we added a set of led  lights and a cool USB light as a map light. Now we have light to see direiction selector. F/R   There are of course many things to pick at, But I get to laugh and wave as i drive by the Gas stations. Those places I go to get Air for my tires . The next task is to get the city to provide more EV parking spots.  More to come.

Update 10/21/2008

Battery memory is a slight issue. As I have reported in the past my Zap PK can sit for a few days as I do way to much work at my desk .  So this means that I might not drive it for 2 or 3 days.  When I drive it again I have lost considerable battery range!  Not enough to keep me from getting home, but not as much as the 40 miles I was almost getting.  The memory  bounces right back the next time I drive it but it is a consideration to be kept in mind. Until we have a good source of Lithium Batteries you will want to drive your ZAP PK at least once a day.

——————————————–

Update 10/31/2008

We lost a battery cable today, Looks like a bad crimp job on one of the Battery Cables.

This caused the Pak Trakr to alert me   very nice! Upon inspection my Battery Equalizer from Smart Spark also indicated that the # 5 Battery was having issues.  When I checked it out I could clearly see that the crimped on terminal end (battery cable end) was loose causing it to heat up enough to start to melt the rubber boot and cause it to turn black where it touched.

My next upgrade will be marina grade 2/0 with copper tinned marina grade terminal ends. This is not a surprise to me as the original cable is under sized on the battery pack from ZAP! The first thing I did was to upgrade the Drive Cables when I first got the PK. Now for the Battery pack I will size up to 2/0 ( two ought) for the absolute least resistance and heat within the pack.

Lets see how this does..

Check back very soon.

——————————————–

Update 4/29/2011

Wow how time files. Last thing was the upgrade to the Heavy Duty 2/0 ( two ought) battery cable.

The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission is an independent federal agency created by Congress in 1973 and charged with protecting the American public from unreasonable risks of serious injury or death from more than 15,000 types of consumer products under the agency’s jurisdiction. To report a dangerous product or a product-related injury, call the CPSC hotline at 1-800-638-2772, or visit http//:www.cpsc.gov/talk.html. Further recall information is available at http://www.cpsc.gov. (PRNewsFoto/U.S. CONSUMER PRODUCT SAFETY COMMISSION) (Newscom TagID: prnphotos054519) WASHINGTON, DC UNITED STATES

    Firm's Recall Hotline: (800) 905-6137
    CPSC Recall Hotline: (800) 638-2772
    CPSC Media Contact: (301) 504-7908

Link to this page:

If you have visited Japan recently then you will know how popular electric bikes are over there. They are so popular in fact, that Sanyo has decided to install recharging locations for government civil servants to park and charge in the area of Tokushima Prefecture.

Sanyo chose this location as it is near a Sanyo battery manufacturing plant. Three of them will be constructed allowing bikers to pull in, plug in, and go about their normal daily activities before returning to a fully-charged bike. The stations will not cost anything to use and are fully automated requiring no on-location staff.

The parking stations have a roof covered with three solar panels of 210 watts each that help capture the energy required to charge the bikes. As a backup there is also an electricity supply in case there isn’t enough solar energy to recharge all the bikes connected to the station.

Local civil servants can expect to start using the stations in March.

Read more at CrunchGear

Matthew’s Opinion
If there was better provision for cycling on our roads then I would consider using a bike. An electric bike would be even better allowing you to travel faster and with more weight. I think Holland leads the way with a culture of using bikes instead of cars; all of their roads have cycling lanes and many locals use them, especially for travelling around areas like Amsterdam.

Offering free recharging stations is a guaranteed way to get people to continue to use these electric bikes instead of turning to cars. The stations look to be quite green as well using solar energy first and then falling back on electricity when required.

If this experiment is a success then I’m sure it will spread to other areas of Japan. Whether it remains free is another question. These stations surely cost quite a bit to setup, so Sanyo may want to charge a daily rate for their use or offer a subscription service for regular users.