New Owner - Ben got an iMiEV - Again!

[bennelson]

...maybe it would be easier to improve your garage's lighting?

When pulled in forward, the back corner of the car (where the charge port is) is in a place that it would be very difficult to put a light.
If I'm parked right in FRONT of my garage, the charge port also happens to be away from any light.

I moved my EVSE to a position for it to reach easily when I'm backed in to the garage. The light is better on that side too.

Even if I did change up the lighting in the garage, that still doesn't help when I'm charging somewhere else. For example, in the video, when I was at the CHAdeMO that wasn't working, I had to use a flashlight just to show up on the video camera because it was so dark! I'm surprised how many places with public EV charging DO NOT have a streetlight!

I still do have the purple flooded iMIEV. If anyone is interested in parts, or the car as a whole (it DOES have a clean title....), please contact me.

I also was asked about the efficiency of my car. Frankly, I couldn't say, as I haven't had a good way to track power use. I have a couple of Kill-A-Watts around, which I suppose I could use with my level 1 charger... However, I already had a better solution.

A while back, I mail-ordered an old-fashioned household power meter. Since most people now have digital ones or ones with built-in transmitter, the old type are available pretty cheap. You can get them from places like http://www.hialeahmeter.com

Yesterday afternoon, my little project was to mount up the kilowatt hour meter and wire it up. I built it on to a 6-foot long 10 ga 240V cable with a NEMA 14-50 connector on the end, and a female 14-50 just off the meter. That way, the cable reaches to the 50 amp outlet right next to my circuit breaker, and then I plug my EVSE into the meter.

The meter tracks all of my 240V power usage to the EVSE, including the energy going into pre-heating the car. If I needed to, I can simply unplug the meter to remove it, or plug something else in to it. (I had already built an adapter that would let me connect multiple 120 & 240V cords into a 14-50 socket. http://300mpg.org/2015/08/02/charging-adapters-and-rv-parks/ )

This way, I could use the same kilowatt meter to measure power when using the Level 1 cord. (I also tested running my 400 watt solar panel through a grid-tie inverter and through the meter. It DOES in fact spin backwards!)

I also printed out a sheet with columns for the DATE, ODOMETER READING, KILOWATT HRS listed on meter, and current average cost of gas for Reg. Unleaded.

That way, I should be able to have a pretty good overall sense of how many kWh's used per mile (including pre-heating.) By marking down the gas price, I'll be able to calculate money saved per mile VS. gas car. I should be able to calculate when the car has paid for itself simply by fuel cost.

 

[JoeS]

Hi Ben. Having kept meticulous track of my i-MiEVs energy consumption for over 8000 miles, Measured Wall to Wheels Consumption (4.2 miles/kWh or 238 Wh/mi), I finally gave up as the realization sank in that the consumption figures can be grossly distorted by simply running the heater or aircon or pre-conditioning the vehicle, as well as the L1 vs. L2 differences. Nevertheless, for your purposes of gathering operating cost, it should be just fine. Don't forget to throw in the lack of ICE maintenance costs as well.

 

[bennelson]

My seat heater kit just showed up in the mail.

Here's what it looks like.

In the kit are two heating elements, a fuse and holder, and wire harness including relay and switch.

 

[jsantala]

If you've been wondering about the effect of temperature on tire pressure, here's a nice graph from a local magazine:

https://www.dropbox.com/s/hd9luivx2wkygpl/Untitled_20151130_172256.jpg?dl=0

I crudely added some more lines to get a picture of how things go at a higher pressure. The lines may not be quite exact.

Anyhow, I wouldn't really worry about bumps making the pressure exceed maximum limit if you've set it to whatever it says on the side. I'm sure they've already accounted for that in the figure. The temperature, as you can see, is a much bigger issue.

 

[bennelson]

I had mail ordered an Android device so that I could use the CANION software.

Yesterday, it showed up at the "ship to store" and I picked it up.

I DO have a smart-phone, which happens to be an iPhone. Unfortunately, the CANION app only runs on Android, which I don't have. That's not a terrible thing, as I'm sure I would want a dedicated device for the car. (Something which wouldn't matter if it was lost or stolen would be good too!)

The device I bought was an RCA 7" tablet. I was also having trouble with my home internet last night. It was super-slow trying to connect to the Google Play site on my computer. On the tablet, I could connect easy, but any search for the software simply brought up apps for CANON cameras!

After about 2 hours of frustration, I finally got the internet working a little better, and decided to do an app search for "iMIEV" on the tablet instead, sure enough, the CANION app showed right up. However, when I wanted to download it, on Google Play, there was a little warning saying "This app is incompatible with your device".

GRRRRRRRRR! Extremely frustrated to have waited a week to get the tablet, spend the money for it, learn the basics of a new OS, fight the internet and reprogram my router for two hours, only to have the tablet NOT WORK AT ALL for the app!

The only requirements listed on the CANION app page are "Android 4.0 and up".

There were a couple of devices listed on a "known to work with" list. However, I do NOT need a big fancy multi-hundred dollar tablet. I don't need to take photos, play music, surf the web, or anything like that - just run CANION.

Can anyone recommend (help me find) a device that won't cost a fortune, but WILL WORK?
I do not need to go around purchasing and setting up electronics with no idea if they will work or not with the ONE APP I want to run on it!

 

[wmcbrine]

I think the device needs to support Bluetooth for Canion to work.

 

[jray3]

Bluetooth is a must, and a good OBD reader, not the cheap ELM device that LEAF drivers get away with.
I'm using a new Samsung Galaxy Core Prime phone that I got for $45, including a month of MetroPCS phone service, but started with an $89 tablet. Google play was native to the phone, so finding the latest release of Canion was quick n easy on the run.

 

[jsantala]

I've run CaniOn on some pretty crappy phones without installation issues. Maybe it's the bluetooth. Does your tablet have it? Would be a little silly if it doesn't though. Just about everything does have it these days.

I suppose if it has a really, really low screen resolution that might be it as well. Can you send a link to the specs of the tablet?

Then again, if it just says it's not compatible, it just isn't and that's that, you'd have to get a another.

 

[bennelson]

The tablet has bluetooth.

Here's the specs from the RCA web page:

Tech Specs

Model Number RCT6773W22
Operating System Android 4.4 (Mine came with 5.0)
Chip Quad Core
Chipset Model Number 1.4 GHz
Resolution 1024x600
Screen Features Capacitive touch panel
RAM 1G
RAM Type DDR
Capacity 8GB
Camera Yes
Camera Specifications 0.3M
Battery Life 4 Hours
Battery Life Details Playback movies from internal memory - 4.5 hrs, Web browsing - 4 hrs, Video streaming - 3.5 hrs
Connectivity/Audio MicroSD Card slot, Micro USB slot, Headphone jack
Dimensions 185(W) x 113.8(H) x 12.5(D)
Weight 0.288kg
Software Google Play, WPS Office
Included Accessories Adaptor


I also discovered that when you use the Google Play/Google Apps app on a tablet, that any app the programs thinks is incompatible with your device DOESN'T even SHOW UP! It's as though the app doesn't exist. So, on the tablet, Google says that CANION is incompatible with the tablet, but I can't even find that out on the tablet because it doesn't show up at all. TERRIBLE circular logic!

I really just wanted to buy some sort of affordable display to run the CANION app. I do NOT want to play russian roulette with spending $200 on some other device, not knowing if that works or not either!

 

[wmcbrine]

You should post in the Canion thread, the developers read it and respond.

 

[bennelson]

It's been two weeks since I got the car.

Here's a blog post on what I like about it so far:
http://300mpg.org/2015/12/05/liking-the-imiev/

 

[PV1]

Great review. Glad you're liking it.

Too bad the professional car reviewers don't understand the everyday use point of view. It's all about curb appeal to them. This isn't a flashy car. This is your everyday workhorse of a car, designed to transport people and goods relatively short distances, and do it reliably and simply.

 

[jsantala]

Not to mention all the while taking minimal amount of space - which was the original idea in the japanese Kei car it is based on. It happens quite a lot that I drive past a parking space which looks too small, change my mind and find that the C-Zero does fit into the space quite comfortably.

 

[DaveMiller]

Once you drive the IMiev on slippery snowy roads, you will have another like. Thanks for the honest acurate review.

Dave - a car just like yours, but black

 

[bennelson]

...
Too bad the professional car reviewers don't understand the everyday use point of view...

Thanks! I put this same link on Facebook. A Facebook friend of mine actually IS a professional car reviewer. He simply replied. "This is the worst car I ever reviewed."

Ouch!

Nope. No details for why or anything. Generally, I have quite a bit of respect for this guy, but that one just seemed harsh! I don't think any car is perfect (I'll have my list of things I DON'T like coming up as the next blog post...) but frankly, it's been a really good car for how I have been using it.

My pickup truck hasn't been moved once in three weeks now, and we only took the Prius instead of the iMiEV ONCE since I got it - that was for a drive carpooling with family to a far away Thanksgiving dinner - a good use for the Prius.

I also just read through a couple of the long threads on this forum about winter driving. Sounds like the general consensus is that the car is considerably better on snow and ice than one might expect. It should be an interesting winter!

 

[bennelson]

Now, here's the blog entry on what I DISLIKE on the iMiEV!

http://300mpg.org/2015/12/07/what-i-dont-like-about-the-imiev/

But to be fair, none of the dislikes are that bad. A few of them are just personal preferences or quirks.

 

[PV1]

As far as I know, most of the exterior lights can be changed out for LED. The one that will give you an issue is the rear center stop lamp. There are four license plate incandescent bulbs in the housing, and the car measures the current drawn by this lamp. Another member swapped them for LEDs and had his ASC warning lights come on. They could still be swapped out, but they need a wasteful load resistor to make the car happy. Also, if you change the turn signal bulbs, you will need to get an LED flasher relay, or they will blink rapidly.

As for your wheels, take the wheels from the flood i-MiEV and swap them. I'd do this when you go to put tires on, as the valve stems need transplanted for the TPMS to be happy. This past summer, I had to take all four of my steel wheels off, clean them, and repaint them. I don't know what was put on the roads this past winter, but it ate through the paint on the wheels and rusted them. Some Rustoleum black fixed that.

After watching your video of the trip home, there is something off with your blower fan. Granted, it is noisy with MAX enabled, but it shouldn't rattle or make other noises. You should only hear the air moving through the vents.

I'm not crazy about the lack of storage, either. They packaged the car so well, it's hard to hide aftermarket additions. On the plus side, it doesn't take long to clean the car out.

I actually like that the i-MiEV uses a regular key. For some reason, I don't trust a fully keyless system. Perhaps it is because I was once locked out of our Tahoe when I noticed the rear door wasn't fully latched (it was latched one click, so I pushed it shut the rest of the way, and the truck automatically locked all the doors :shock: ). Luckily, the keys weren't in it. To this day, I don't leave my keys in the i-MiEV (or any car) unless a window is down or a door is open (and the driver's door is unlocked).

Coming from a Chevy Cavalier, many things in the i-MiEV were opposite. The locks on the door go forward to lock them, the front of the lock button on the door locks the doors, and the wiper stalk goes up for manual (mist) function.

I don't mind the snowflake, it lets me know if there is a sudden drop in temperature without having to change the display. It comes on at 37 F and shuts off at 43 F.

The brown interior was one of the things that turned me away from the SE model. It was dropped on the 2014 and 2016 models. Instead, they have the ES black interior, but with many of the SE upgrades (leather steering wheel and shift knob, chrome accents, and black center stack).

 

[bennelson]

take the wheels from the flood i-MiEV and swap them

Unfortunately, the wheels and rims from the flooded iMiEV were already sold to another forum member sometime back, before I got my working iMiEV!

I actually like that the i-MiEV uses a regular key.

While our Prius has the hands-free key fob system. If the battery in fob quits, you can still stick it in the dash as though it were a key. Inside the fob is a mechanical key that can be pulled out to unlock the door. It's actually a really well designed system that I've come to really like.

My car came with a single key and the remote. I had a "dumb" key copy made at the hardware store. I'm disappointed to see that a plain cut key won't start the car. It will however let me in to the car if I ever accidentally lock myself out!

I'm going to the nearest iMiEV authorized dealer service tomorrow, which is unfortunately NOT nearby. I need to do a couple quick charges just to drive the car there! I'm having them do recall work. I'll have them check out the blower fan as well.

Should I get another key made while I'm there too? Seems a shame to pay $100 for a key! On the other hand, if I lose the ONE working key that I have, I bet it's a REAL headache to get a new one made and coded!

 

[jsantala]

Regarding the key - I think the standard way to bypass the immobilizer is to permanently fix the original key (or it's innards) near the ignition. Inside the plastic cover most likely. Then any dumb key should work. You do loose the immobilizer then though, so someone could steal the car with a screwdriver.

 

[PV1]

To be safe, I would have another key with the transponder made by the dealer. My keys have a small metal tag with a number on it. If I lose both keys, the number on this tag is needed to program the new keys. You shouldn't need that if you have one programmed key already. If you don't have any programmed keys or the ID tag, then programming new keys becomes much more difficult/expensive.

You got the MiEV remote, though. That's more than what a lot of us got when buying used. THAT's an expensive remote to replace :roll: .

Unfortunately, the wheels and rims from the flooded iMiEV were already sold to another forum member sometime back, before I got my working iMiEV!

Nevermind then :lol: . Maybe someone would be willing to do a swap.