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I test drove a volt 3 times in the last 2 years. I'm just too "big" for it. I have a bad back and getting into the volt required that I contort my neck due to the lower roof line. The leaf is not a problem.
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Congratulations on the Leaf.
The Volt, though, is not a pure electric..........which (seems) to be what the OP is asking about.
thanks for the replies, they're really helpful this EV newbie. i have a question on the HOV sticker, if i do buy a used Leaf or any other used EV that already has a sticker, then would it expire? is it transferable to the next owner? if i buy a new EV, do i guarantee to receive a HOV sticker? that is the most important thing to me, not so much for saving $$$ on gas, i can just get a non-plugin hybrid for that.
thanks for the replies, they're really helpful this EV newbie. i have a question on the HOV sticker, if i do buy a used Leaf or any other used EV that already has a sticker, then would it expire? is it transferable to the next owner? if i buy a new EV, do i guarantee to receive a HOV sticker? that is the most important thing to me, not so much for saving $$$ on gas, i can just get a non-plugin hybrid for that.
Originally Posted by bagwell
used or new Volt then?
the stickers are valid until 2019 and transfer with the vehicle.
if the used vehicle already has them you get to use them until 2019. If you buy a new vehicle you may or may not get them as there are only 85,000 being issued and they have passed out 78,000 as of August.
We just returned our leaf this summer. Loved the electric drive, but range anxiety really sucks. Because of that, in 2 years we only put on 12k miles or so. Residual is ao horrendous, Nissan offered us $5k to buy it outright (we did not). The interior is very cheap as well; was not impressed with the quality. I would only recommend you lease it and OnLY if you have a second vehicle. Either that or buy used ones.
Originally Posted by stlgrym3
anyone here had experience with Nissan Leaf? i'm not a fan of full electric car, but would look into it as my DD since i can use the HOV lane by myself (would save me about 2 hours each day). Tesla is out of my budget, and i have a 75 mile round trip commute, so leasing is also out of question. from all the choices out there, Nissan Leaf looks like the best one, especially the 2016 model with SV trim and up increases the range to 107 miles from 84. i'm completely new to EV, and having some questions:
is it expensive to install home charging station?
can the public EV charging stations out there be used universally by all EV cars?
how much on average a household's electricity bill going to increase with an EV (i will definitely charge it up each night)
how's the insurance rate and resale value of an EV compare to regular cars?
personally I'd go for a used Volt with HOV sticker already attached....no range anxiety and you won't be tied to a charger...but if you are set on a Leaf, you can pick up used ones cheap and the battery should still ave a warranty...
“In addition to the existing lithium-ion battery coverage provided under the Nissan Electric Vehicle Limited Warranty for defects in materials or workmanship, the lithium-ion battery for your 2011 or 2012 Nissan LEAF is now also warranted against capacity loss below nine (9) bars (or approximately below 70 percent) as shown on the vehicle’s battery capacity level gauge for a period of 60 months or 60,000 miles, whichever comes first. “
The 2013 Nissan Leaf is gaining a new battery warranty that covers a gradual loss of charge. The latest warranty is meant to address complaints from Leaf owners in hot-weather states that battery life is lacking.
Under the new warranty, Nissan will repair or replace a Leaf's battery within five years or 60,000 miles if it loses more than 30 percent of its charge capacity. For Leaf owners, that means the warranty kicks in if the 12-bar battery gauge falls under nine bars. The new warranty is the second for the Leaf's batteries; the first covers defects and flaws for up to eight years or 100,000 miles.
I would highly recommend the Volt. I picked up a 2013 fully loaded Volt with 33K miles and still within the new car 3yr/36K warranty. The price was $17800! (I'm in LA). I purchased the GM Platinum extended warranty (5yr/50K miles) for around $1800, which are added on top of my existing miles. That's less than $20K fora car that has 5x longer warranty than a CPO!
As far as the electrical rates go if you have SCE, TOU is a good option if no one is at home during the day. Unfortunately, I work from home most of the time and my nanny takes care of my son during the day and the daytime rate of TOU plan is crazy high, so I plan to stick with my tiered plan and see how much my consumption goes up. For those who are interested these are the rates:
Florida Power and Light base line electrical rates top out at 10.6 cents over 1,000 kWh.
We have a 3,100 sq ft under air conditioning, single story ranch house. We have a pool pump running 7 hours a day, a 5 ton reverse cycle pool heater keeping water at 89 deg and a 5 ton (20 SEER) central air conditioner. In the last 12 months only once has the bill exceeded $200.
Looking at current usage, 88 deg days with AC running, pool at 89 and car charging the highest daily usage has been $7.01 but a more typical $5/day.
Here's a snapshot of our electrical bill in last 13 months.
Florida Power and Light base line electrical rates top out at 10.6 cents over 1,000 kWh.
We have a 3,100 sq ft under air conditioning, single story ranch house. We have a pool pump running 7 hours a day, a 5 ton reverse cycle pool heater keeping water at 89 deg and a 5 ton (20 SEER) central air conditioner. In the last 12 months only once has the bill exceeded $200.
Looking at current usage, 88 deg days with AC running, pool at 89 and car charging the highest daily usage has been $7.01 but a more typical $5/day.
Here's a snapshot of our electrical bill in last 13 months.
Remember the energy crisis of the early 2000s in California? Utilities in general really aren't taking into account the full social cost of providing the service. I think California has one of the cleanest energy supplies in the country, if not the cleanest. And at least it teaches us to reduce our energy usage!
I'm curious about the upcoming Nissan Leaf. Been sniffing around various EV's that are affordable and have a decent range. It would be nice to have 250 miles as a base but 200 isn't to shabby if that's what Nissan is aiming for. Don't care for the Chevy Bolt. Exciting times. We have EV, Hydrogen and now we just need an air car.
This, internet, is the new Nissan Leaf. You’ll immediately note it looks different to the car it replaces: blobby design features are replaced by chiselled ones, while a two-tone colour scheme takes a bit of weight out of the design, too.
There’s a hint of the latest Micra and Qashqai about it – whether that’s a compliment or not depends on if you like those cars – but we can’t imagine many people would prefer the outgoing Leaf aesthetically. Correct us if we’re wrong in the comments box, mind.
Beneath the sharper styling is sharper tech. There’s more power – 147bhp and 236lb ft are up from the old Leaf’s 108bhp and 187lb ft – while more battery capacity means the range is much improved too, with a 235-mile official, EU cycle figure. That means sub-200 miles in real life, most likely.
The top speed has climbed by a solitary mile-per-hour, to 90mph, while new steering and stiffer suspension should make it more fun to drive. But of course these aren’t the big issues for a lot of EV buyers, and the plethora of tech on offer with Leaf mk2 ought to please them more.
There’s lots of automated stuff – the car will keep itself in lane and do your braking and acceleration in traffic - and there’s a fully automatic parking system, one which doesn’t need you to use the pedal. By the time Leaf mk3 comes along this one may be very close to being allowed to drive itself, without its ProPilot tech being sold as ‘driver assistance’.
The Leaf also comes with something called ‘e-pedal’, which is Nissan speak for one-pedal operation. The BMW i3 already does this, but it essentially means you can forget the brake pedal and only use the throttle; the car will slow right to a stop when you lift off, and the car will even hold you on a hill until you touch the throttle again. Nissan reckons you’ll be able to do 90 per cent of your driving with one pedal alone.
There’s a new smartphone app to keep an eye on your charge and find EV charging stations, TFT instruments and even the ability to power your home with excess charge in the Leaf, or even sell it back to the grid. Chances are you’ll want to keep it, though, as a full charge will still take all night. You can do an 80 per cent quick charge in 40 minutes, mind.
Leaf mk2 is a little bigger than before – somewhere between a Qashqai and X-Trail in length – and with all that extra tech, will probably cost a little more too. European sales start in January, so we’ll know for sure then. Either way, Nissan says a more powerful Leaf with a longer mileage range will follow it later in 2018.
Nissan has a tough task on its hands – the old Leaf is the biggest selling electric car ever, with 283,000 shifted since 2010. Reckon it’s done enough to make this one bigger selling still?
11-10-15, 06:39 AM
