You guys really pull into a Nissan dealer with your CHAdeMO adapter?

chuckd said:

I know people have mentioned pulling into a Nissan dealer to charge their S with their CHAdeMO adapter, but don't you feel awkward? Do the Nissan guys readily accept Model S's for charging? I just get this weird feeling that I'd be escorted from the premises!

It'd be nice to know they welcomed us with open arms, as these are great destination charging opportunities if they're not all ICE'd up.

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Personally I have not, although I know a number of Tesla owners that have charged (lvl 2) at Nissan dealers and had great conversations.
I've also heard of Nissan dealers not allowing Leafs that weren't bought at that dealership to charge, so, it all depends upon the individual dealer.

I believe it worked like this: Nissan forces dealer to install EV plug.
Dealer hates EVs... for... 'reasons'.
Dealer puts fence around charging station, or simply doesn't actually wire it to anything.

If you use PlugShare and read the reviews for many of the dealers (Nissan and Ford, and others)... basically anyone not Tesla... they block them, ask that you leave, fence them off, turn them off, etc.

Read the reviews.

PlugShare - EV Charging Station Map - Find the nearest location to charge your electric car!

I haven't tried it, as I just got my CHAdeMO adapter recently, and there are plenty of other places to do level 2 charging without the uncertainties you mention. Some Nissan dealers, like the one closest to me, Bayside Nissan in Annapolis, do not have any chargers at all, or only level 2 chargers. When I called Bayside to ask if they had a car charger, they basically claimed not to know what I was talking about, then said they don't sell LEAFs or deal with electric charging. Oh, well, the Whole Foods just up the street has a L2 charger, not that it is of much value to a Tesla driver.

Now that I have the CHAdeMO adapter, I'm a lot more interested in LEAF chargers, and pleasantly surprised to see that they are getting more common rapidly. SHEETZ gas stations in PA often have them, at least in the southern half of PA. And a large number of Nissan dealers are showing up on plugshare.com, so that must mean that they do not object to being seen as publicly available charging sites.

As always, your mileage may vary, but really, we do need to get beyond the current world of proprietary charging stations so that any EV driver can count on getting a charge wherever they need one.

I always call Nissan dealers before I show up. But this was L2 charging, I don't have a CHAdeMO adapter.
The last one (Nissan of Norfolk | Norfolk Nissan Dealer serving Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News & Suffolk, VA) was awesome and gave me a courtesy shuttle ride to my brother's place.

There is a CHAdeMO station at Nissan Canada's headquarters near Toronto. It's been there for a while. After the Model S CHAdeMO adapter came out, they posted a sign saying Leaf Only and chased away at least one Model S owner I know (before the sign was posted, I believe). I think the sentiment is "if we can't use your Superchargers, you can't use our CHAdeMOs".

EdA said:

I always call Nissan dealers before I show up. But this was L2 charging, I don't have a CHAdeMO adapter.
The last one (Nissan of Norfolk | Norfolk Nissan Dealer serving Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News & Suffolk, VA) was awesome and gave me a courtesy shuttle ride to my brother's place.

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I did a road trip in 2013 from Ottawa down to OBX hitting Nissan dealers along the way. I never once had a dealership that wasn't willing to lend a charge. I always called ahead, and always got the same response: "Of course!".

The best dealer I had was the one in Salisbury, MD. They let us take one of their Sentras out to the mall for a few hours while the car was charging!

The Nissan dealers I have used have been VERY accommodating. I normally call ahead and they have always been hospitable and their equipment has always worked. I have charged at 5 different dealers in three states on various road trips.

I have had mixed experience in Virginia with Nissan dealers and Level 2, some ok, some hostile. Personally, I just avoid them now because:
1) There are so many more choices than there were when I got the car 2 years ago.
2) I generally don't like to have to ask for or rely on "favors" to reach my destination on a road trip and
3) Tesla has not been treated very courteously by car dealers in Virginia (though I suppose taking their free electricity could be considered payback?)

I find the massive number of dealership sites listed on plugshare as "public" annoying because it makes it harder to find a hotel or restaurant that I would like to support with actual business instead of mooching electrons off a car dealer. They should be changed to restricted access instead unless they are truly public and available for use by all.

I've used a Nissan Level 2 charging station once shortly after I got my car in early 2013. This was at a dealer near Norfolk VA. I called ahead first and they were very nice and accommodating.

Fast forward here nearly 2 years later, and I wonder how tired they may be of that sort of thing with many, many more Tesla's on the road. I also expect the "exclusive" supercharger build out that didn't exist back then may change the situation in some dealerships' opinion as well.

I'd think the dealers who put a moment's thought into it would come to the same conclusion as all the CVS store planners who put locations across the street from Walgreens, and vice versa...
To wit, they would realize that the more people see cool electric cars, the more people will want an electric car and be interested in one that fits their budget and needs.
C'mon, it's not rocket surgery.

Honestly, I wouldn't charge at a Nissan dealership out of principle. While I appreciate any goodwill granted by Nissan dealerships, I know they are not in the goodwill business. They are there to sell Nissan cars. And I'm not buying one. Perhaps if I could pay them for the charger use, then I would consider it.

Superchargers have opened up in so many locations that I don't feel the need to use as many Nissan chargers now as I have in the past. However, my experience has always been that the more polite I am, the more accommodating the Nissan dealership personnel are.

I've even had the New Vehicle Sales Manager of a Nissan dealership thank me for coming and charging at their location! He explained that Teslas make electric cars "sexy", and he is able to sell more Leafs as a result.

Nissan chargers are NOT public chargers, they are private chargers. If you find yourself in a situation where charging at one is necessary or ideal you should really call ahead and request permission.

EdA said:

I always call Nissan dealers before I show up. But this was L2 charging, I don't have a CHAdeMO adapter.
The last one (Nissan of Norfolk | Norfolk Nissan Dealer serving Virginia Beach, Chesapeake, Newport News & Suffolk, VA) was awesome and gave me a courtesy shuttle ride to my brother's place.

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Good advice. I'd call ahead, too. And have kind of a pleading tone in my voice. Offer to bring Starbucks for the person.

PokerBroker said:

Nissan chargers are NOT public chargers, they are private chargers. If you find yourself in a situation where charging at one is necessary or ideal you should really call ahead and request permission.

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Some CHAdeMO chargers at Nissan dealers in San Diego are eVgo chargers, so there is no reason to feel guilty or strange when using those, since you are paying for the charge.

Then again CHAdeMO Chargers are getting pretty common in the San Diego Area (there are 28 now), so you can just stop by a car neutral location instead if that bothers you (7/11, various malls, hotels, park and ride locations, etc.)

Zythryn said:

I've also heard of Nissan dealers not allowing Leafs that weren't bought at that dealership to charge, so, it all depends upon the individual dealer.

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Wow that's super lame and defeats the purpose. Some dealers are just total jerks. Wonder why Tesla didn't go with the dealership model?

I have charged (non-CHAdeMO) at Nissan dealers a dozen times over the past two years, and have always been greeted in a friendly manner. Never a problem. Sometimes I've called ahead, sometimes not. But there's never been a problem.

I like Nissan dealers as a fallback option along Supercharger gaps because they are typically located close to freeway exits.

Skotty said:

Honestly, I wouldn't charge at a Nissan dealership out of principle. While I appreciate any goodwill granted by Nissan dealerships, I know they are not in the goodwill business. They are there to sell Nissan cars. And I'm not buying one. Perhaps if I could pay them for the charger use, then I would consider it.

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That's an interesting perspective. Most business are there to make profits. Otherwise they'd go out of business. Elon has stated such as a need for Tesla, obviously.

But is it impossible for a for-profit enterprise to also exhibit some good will?

I don't necessarily see them as mutually exclusive.