Lol Morning Wood.. there I said it

 

Nissan just unveiled the 2016 model of the best-selling electric vehicle, the Nissan Leaf. And while it's nowhere near a major redesign — like we saw earlier this week with Toyota's hybrid, the Prius — there are a few key changes that make Nissan's all-electric car more attractive.

The biggest improvement is with the Leaf's battery. The 2016 Leaf has gotten a 27 percent boost to its battery capacity, bumping it from 24 kWh to 30 kWh. Nissan says that gives the new version of the leaf an EPA-estimated range of 107 miles on a single charge, which would be good enough for best-in-class status. This new battery only comes standard on the SV and SL models of the Leaf, however, which are Nissan's mid- and high-level trims. The lowest-end version, the Leaf S, will still have the same 84-mile range as last year's model.

The other big improvement to the 2016 Leaf is with the car's entertainment system, which Nissan says is "more user-friendly" than previous versions. The low-end Leaf S gets a 5-inch display color display with Bluetooth hands-free connectivity and audio streaming, hands-free text messaging, and "NissanConnect" — a suite of mobile apps that supports things like Facebook, Pandora and iHeartRadio. The SV and SL versions of the Leaf get even more. They come with a 7-inch display that supports multi-touch, voice recognition, navigation, SiriusXM satellite radio. These trims will also support even more apps, like Google search, Twitter, and Trip Advisor.

Otherwise, the rest of the Leaf is pretty similar. The curvy, aerodynamic exterior remains unchanged, and you still charge the car through a port in the front grill. The same goes for the interior. There are two display screens behind the wheel — one dedicated to time and speed, while the other is for battery information, like how much driving distance remains. There are blue accent lights all around the dashboard, and the strange orb-like shifter is still there, too. Nissan might like to position its all-electric car as an innovative machine, and in many ways it is remarkable that there is an established, truly affordable electric car with decent (and increasing) range on the market. But with the 2016 Leaf, Nissan is really just playing the same "yearly iteration" game that the auto industry at large has played for decades.

The low-end 2016 Leaf S starts at $21,510, the Leaf SV starts at $26,700, and the Leaf SL starts at $29,290. These prices provided by Nissan include the maximum federal tax credit for buying an electric vehicle, and the full retail price may vary from dealer to dealer.

http://www.theverge.com/2015/9/10/93...electric-range

 

congrats to Nissan for constant improvements to the Leaf.... they keep doing these meaningful updates all the time. 107 miles range now seems like a lot better than 80+ miles of before and price is reasonable.

 

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?

 

We have over 200 employees with all electric cars at my company, even have charging stations for them as a company perk.


I can tell you the most popular all electric vehicle here is the Fiat 500e there are several dozen of them. .. longer range than the Leaf and lower lease payments. Think they are on $169/mo for 36 month lease with $2500 @ signing.


http://www.fiatusa.com/en/500e/




Here the Fiat is the most popular all electric. at least 30 in the parking lot.. The Volt the most popular hybrid/electric.

 

i can't do lease due to the high daily mileage i put on, it would be awesome if i could. so it'd be a purchase. Fiat is just too small for me, i need more room and occasionally need to use it to haul my 4 year old daughter

 

Have you thought about buying a used Leaf? You can get one for under $10,000 with really low miles(like 20-30k). Resale value on them sucks.

Also can you use the hov lane if you drive a hybrid? Prius or a Camry hybrid would be my option. At a 75 mile round trip commute, you're pushing the range on the Leaf. Charger broken at work? Need to drive somewhere else besides home? You're screwed.

 

well since you're in CA I can answer the question about the electricity.


I have 30 solar panels on my home, and a bit about how SCE's pricing works.


when you get an electric car, the first thing you need to do is call SCE and fax them a copy of the bill of sale of the vehicle. They will put you on a "time of use" rate.


the TOU rate for electric cars in 13 cents a KwH between midnight and 8am, you will need to set the car to only charge during this time for that rate. All of the electric cars have a setting in them so you can set them to activate charging during specific hours.


if you don't do this you will be on the tiered rates and your electric bill will go up dramatically and it won't be any different than buying gas..


I had a Volt as a loaner for 3 weeks, and because I didn't own it I was stuck using my normal rates for charging, that 3 weeks cost me $240 in electricity where normally my electric bill is zero or negative because of my solar. The car offset all of my solar generation.


The public charging stations are mostly universal, Tesla is the only one that has a unique to Tesla charging connection, the Fiat, Volt, Leaf, BMW, etc all use the same connector design and pinout.


you will need to set up an account with Chargepoint or Plugshare or both depending on your area of travel. These are charging accounts that you link a Credit card to and use an app on your phone to charge the vehicle, this protects you from having to swipe a credit card at the charge point. . you simply open the app, pop in the charge station ID #, plug in your car, and it starts, and alerts you when complete.


Talking with 2 of guys here at work, they said their electric bill with their Fiats is about $47 a month on the TOU plan.


Home charging stations are $800 - $1500 to purchase and install, your best bet is to have an electrician install a 220volt port (like for an electric dryer) and use one of the plug in type chargers, installing a permanent one will suck if you ever move or replace the car.


http://store.evsolutions.com/nissan-...FU5qfgodKgUFuQ






what I hear from my co-workers is not to use the Dealership installation services as they are 3-4 times what you can get done by a certified electrician yourself.


you might consider joining a Leaf or electric car forum as there are quite a few electricians and vendors that solicit business on them.




you might also ask your employer if they have any type of charging perk, there are tons of employer incentives out there from the government for employers offering electric car perks to their employees. Most of our employees charge at work and at home which cuts their electric bill in half.


My partner, that I work directly with actually leased 2 500e's He leaves one at the office and alternates them every other day, this way he only charges at work and it doesn't cost him anything. He pays for 2 leases of $170 a month each, but that is still 1/2 of what he was paying on his BMW 335 and no gas bill, plus driving one every other day keeps him under the mileage for the lease..

 

HOV lane for hybrids in CA is only for plug-in hybrids, Camry and Prius don't count. (except the new plug-in prius)


only all electric or plug-in hybrid (aka. extended range electric)

 

If you switch to PGE's rate for people with electric cars, the price per kilowatt should be quite low. No matter what, you will be spending less per mile. The leaf is a solid choice, especially with the increased range. Keep in mind that for 2015, the california tax credit for electric vehicles is based on your income so you may get more than the old $2,500 or less depending on your income. Also, the HOV stickers is running out quick.

From the Air resources board:
As of October 5, 2015, the Department of Motor Vehicles (DMV) has issued 75,954 Green Clean Air Vehicle decals. The maximum number of decals available is 85,000.

 

I am currently leasing a 2014 Leaf SL as my DD. I leased a Volt prior to the Leaf with 15k miles a year and never came close to using all the miles. When I leased the Leaf, I dropped down to 12k and now I'm over, go figure.

Anyways, driving an electric car is pretty calming. There is no gear shifting or engine noise. Also there is instant torque so I can usually out accelerate other cars at stoplights. In Georgia, you get single person HOV access and free HOT lane access (toll lanes based upon traffic). Also, there was a 5k tax credit too.

I can usually get 72 miles easily on a charge and I know the 2016 has a larger battery. I charge every night on a Level 2 charger. I paid about 300 for an electrician to install a dryer plug to plug in the charger. Electricity for is .09 per kwh and my electrical bill probably went up around 25-30 dollars a month.

There are numerous Level 3 chargers around Atlanta and it only takes about 15 mins to get back to 80% charge. It has been pretty easy to drive more than 100 miles a day.

 

For about the same money (29K to start) as the Leaf, check out the Ford Focus Electric. It is not only somewhat larger than the Leaf, but, IMO, also a more solid and substantial car, though it has rather weird dash styling.

 

I just bought a Leaf SL last week.

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.

The volt would remove range anxiety. I've driven the Leaf just one week and already put 500 miles on it and range has not been an issue. If I expect to travel further than 40 miles from home I either take our RXh or look for free charging stations. There are tons of free charging stations scattered around.

Leafs have a horrible residual, 29% on a 3yr/36k lease. The good news is that Nissan is offering 0%APR plus $5,000 cash. You can also negotiate $5-$6,000 off MSRP on a 2015 Leaf. Then there is the $7,500 tax credit. Combined that is a $18,500 savings. Some states have additional credits available. Leafs sticker from $30k-$38k.

EDIT: Fiat and Ford Focus EVs are not available in Florida from what I can see.

After 3 years expect the value to be $10k. You can buy a used 2013 Leaf all day for $9-$10k.

 

I'd tell you from a technological standpoint to wait if you can. Buy a small Toyota or Honda that gets 40+ mpg. The reason I'm waiting is for Tesla to finish making their battery plant in Nevada. Then the cost for batteries should drop dramatically and improve range.That plant will be a game changer. Also if you do still decide to purchase with your commute being such a long distance I'd suggest insurance like AAA. What if all the charging stations are full? Broke? At least with gas tour not stranded. Unless your work has robust charging stations and plenty of them I'd think twice.

 

used or new Volt then?