BMW C Evolution Breakdown on the Freeway - Controller Problem

Last tuesday, heading to work on the freeway, going uphill at 110 km/h on the left lane, I experienced a severe breakdown having no more response from the throttle and the LCD display illuminated in red with yellow and red warnings. I had to pull over quickly to the right lane and could safely stop at the upcoming freeway exit





My warning lights on, I stopped and restarted the scooter turning it OFF and ON again, but that did not have any effect :(
I tried this procedure several times and decided to get off the bike and safely call the BMW Assistance which indicated to call the Police because I was on the freeway - they are the ones dealing with this kind of situation -
"A towing truck should be on its way and you should be towed within half an hour" the Police said





I finally waited 40 minutes before I could be towed and brought back to Boulogne, at the BMW Motorrad shop next to where I live; I walked to my parking and went to work with the LEAF ASAP, arriving two hours later than usual ...

The shop took care of my scooter almost right away and called me in the afternoon saying its had been fixed, through a firmware upgrade touching the power electronics - I must admit that I was a bit sceptical when I heard this at first - and test rode it fine for 13 km on the same freeway

The next morning, happy to pick up the bike, I had the warning light and engine sign, in yellow this time instead of red, they were surprised and so was I ... I asked them if they checked the "error log" (?) of the bike and they said they did not see anything but decided to replug it into the diagnosys tool right away and see what it says. Then they told me it was a power electronics fault and that I should leave them the bike until it is fixed ...







They will have to deal with a French representative in touch with Germany for any repair touching the electric components of the scooter and it could take some time; The repairs would be performed in the only shop certified to do that with two specially trained mechanics in Paris 17th district (BMW Motorrad Tocqueville)
It seems to be the first failure of this type among the few C Evolution on the road right now

The dealer agreed to lend me the demo C Evolution for the day, having test rides booked the other days, so I used to commute it and brought it back at 7 PM;



Talking to one of the salesmen, he told me he would see with the shop (seperate location in Boulogne) if they could speed up the repair or at least give me some more info on the on going process

The next day I used the LEAF to go to work again and was happy to receive a call from this same salesman telling me BMW France would lend me a C Evolution during the repair period and I should get it the coming week; Few minutes later the shop called to announce they received the replacement scooter for me and I could pick it up the next day at the shop opening; I requested a full charge to be performed ...

And the next morning, after signing a one month contract, I left with a brand new 1000 km old identical scooter and I rode it since then ...





Thanks BMW France for lending me (one of) your demo C Evolution !  :)

Finally Nissan offers Replacement LEAF Battery Pack, for $5,500

The battery pack is the single most expensive component in a plug-in vehicle and, until now, figuring out the cost to replace one has been a bit of a mystery. Last year, Nissan tried a $100/month price for a new battery in its popular Leaf, but was loudly criticized for that attempt. Today, Nissan is changing gears with a big announcement regarding the price of a new pack for your Nissan Leaf: $5,500 to buy. With an asterisk.

Nissan's Brian Brockman, writing at My Nissan Leaf, announced that Nissan Leaf replacement batteries are now available to purchase at certified Leaf dealers in the US at a suggested retail price of $5,499. These packs are the ones found in 2015 Leaf models, which are similar to the ones the Leaf has always had, just with a different, better battery chemistry. To buy a new pack, you need to give Nissan your original battery pack (which Nissan says will be recycled and has a value of $1,000) and the $5,500 "does not include tax, installation fees or an installation kit required for 2011 and 2012 vehicles." That kit costs around $225. A $100/month financing program will still be available (details will be made available later) but now it will have an end date and the driver will own the pack at the end of the payment process. All replacement packs will have the same eight-year, 100,000-mile warranty as the battery in a new Leaf. You can read Brockman's full statement below or over on My Nissan Leaf.

Ever since the Leaf entered the market in late 2010, Nissan has been dealing with degrading battery issue, both as a real thing (in warm climates like Arizona) and as a worry in the mind of potential customers. Now that we know how much it'll cost to get a new pack, we can calculate that the overall cost for a new 24-kWh pack is now officially $6,500. That means the price to a customer is less than $270-per-kWh. That's quite low compared to some early estimates, right on target with others and a very big deal for EV shoppers and drivers out there.

Source: Autoblog Green

Solar Install - SMA Inverter removed

After calling the SMA service center on monday, my contractor asked me today if he could come by tonight to get the inverter back
I helped him taking the 32kg inverter out of the kitchen cabinet and here is a picture taken right after the inverter removal

He should take it to the SMA technical service in France and hopefully another unit will be provided in exchange quickly ....

After he left, I measured the DC voltage again and it was lower, at 326V still, because of the grey shy and the sun coming down, it was around 9:15 PM

You probably noticed the AC cable plugged in : This is the extension cord bringing my ESS production into the solar sub panel, so that both productions - from the solar inverter and from the ESS - will then be measured by Wattson sensors