Uber / Lyft i-MiEV in Chicago

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davidricardo86

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 26, 2015
Messages
62
Location
Chicago, IL
I live in Chicago, a dense city with many EVSEs available throughout the Chicagoland area. I've been considering working for Uber/Lyft using my i-MiEV and charging up at the local free EVSEs as much as possible with paids spots as last resorts. I drive a 2012 SE Premium with DCFC, owned 1 year and 10,600 miles on the odometer.

Has anyone considered this or done Uber/Lyft with their i-MiEV? Good idea, bad idea, thoughts, can it be done, should it be done?

Here's a PlugShare screenshot of EVSEs in just Chicago:


Here's a PlugShare screenshot of all paid and free CHADEMO DCFC EVSEs in the Chicagoland area:


Here's a PlugShare screenshot of all paid and free EVSEs in the Chicagoland area:
 
Certainly sounds interesting.

I just worry about the station owners having an issue with somebody sapping free power for business use. If you keep you charger use random and only when necessary, I doubt you'd have any issues with this (although with Lyft, the pink mustache makes flying under the radar nearly impossible). There are enough quick chargers there (and mostly paid, too) that you shouldn't have any issues with being a "regular". I feel that if you aren't impeding others from charging (parking and not charging, leaving the car at a QC for more than an hour, etc.), then the station owner doesn't have much of a say what you are doing to require charging when there is a charging fee. Free stations, different story.

I've thought about using Lyft in the past, but I don't live in the city. Frankly, with traffic at certain times of the day, pedestrians will make better time, not to mention cyclists or those riding the T.
 
A friend of mine drives an i-MiEV that spent its first life as an Uber car in Seattle, so he got a deal on it coming off lease. LeeC on this forum also drives his i-MiEv for Uber, and has leased it out through RelayRides/Turo.

With enough CHAdeMO stations and the right duty cycle, I'm convinced that an i-MiEV can 'take the heat' of repeated fast charges better than a LEAF, and it certainly gains more miles per minute of DCFC opportunity charging.
 
jray3 said:
A friend of mine drives an i-MiEV that spent its first life as an Uber car in Seattle, so he got a deal on it coming off lease. LeeC on this forum also drives his i-MiEv for Uber.

Someone explain to me how this is possible? I read the vehicle requirements for both Uber and Lyft (not really serious, just curious). Both services state the vehicle must seat 4 plus driver (5 seats total). I have a Volt, and two i-mievs and all are 4 seaters.
 
iwatson said:
jray3 said:
A friend of mine drives an i-MiEV that spent its first life as an Uber car in Seattle, so he got a deal on it coming off lease. LeeC on this forum also drives his i-MiEv for Uber.

Someone explain to me how this is possible? I read the vehicle requirements for both Uber and Lyft (not really serious, just curious). Both services state the vehicle must seat 4 plus driver (5 seats total). I have a Volt, and two i-mievs and all are 4 seaters.

This uber driver drives a 1st gen Volt
http://www.metronews.ca/news/canada/2015/05/28/this-ottawa-man-is-canadas-best-uber-driver-whats-his-secret.html

I just got my i MiEV last week and did 4 shifts so far for a local food courier. I only do about 4 hour shifts, 20kms a hr. So far I got nervous while on freeways on windy days. No AC or heat yet...I bet in winter, I'll only be able to do 3 hr shifts.
 
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