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markwemple
markwemple UberDork
5/15/18 5:16 p.m.

My parents don't drive much anymore. Thinking  that an early Leaf might be good for them. What are inhenent issues/costs?

Erich
Erich UltraDork
5/15/18 6:29 p.m.

For maintenance, there's next to nothing. You should bleed the brakes every couple years. They say you should get a battery check yearly but most don't. Tires?

For issues, stick to the 2013+ SV or SL models for the fastest onboard chargers. Will they use any level 3 DC chargers? If not, the Quick Charge package may not be important to them. Charging at home is easy and very cheap. I don't think I ever spent $20 a month on electricity when I had mine. A home Level 2 220v charging station is nice to have but not always necessary. 

Some states (Michigan is one) have begun to add a tax on to EV registrations, ostensibly to make up for losing out on gas taxes. It can be kinda high - it's $100 extra yearly here.

markwemple
markwemple UberDork
5/15/18 7:10 p.m.

Realistically, what was your maximum range?

nderwater
nderwater UltimaDork
5/16/18 12:23 a.m.

For a used Leaf 75 miles is a realistic range estimate -- but that will drop off noticeably during the cold winter months.

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard GRM+ Memberand Digital Experience Director
5/16/18 6:21 a.m.

Yep, what they said. 0 maintenance. Few weak points. Buy as new of a battery as you can afford. 

No Time
No Time Dork
5/16/18 6:41 a.m.

Nothing useful to add, but I think I need more coffee, I read the title as “Nissan Leaf Composting”

Kreb
Kreb GRM+ Memberand UberDork
5/16/18 8:34 a.m.
markwemple
markwemple UberDork
5/16/18 8:36 a.m.

In reply to No Time :

LOL. As the resident granola, that would make sense.

markwemple
markwemple UberDork
5/16/18 8:44 a.m.

In reply to Kreb :

Considereing how cheap early leafs are becoming, this is good news.

jfryjfry
jfryjfry HalfDork
5/16/18 9:22 a.m.

We had 3 or 4 on a show recently and they were all used with about 45k on them 

after charging all night they would show a range of about 45-55 Miles. 

We couldn’t run heaters or any other extras and our runs were at full throttle pretty much but they lasted about 5 miles of driving before being completely drained. 

No thanks. 

SkinnyG
SkinnyG SuperDork
5/16/18 9:40 a.m.

What if you cut out the floor and put in a small block Chevy?

nderwater
nderwater UltimaDork
5/16/18 9:50 a.m.

In reply to jfryjfry :

What show was that?  We've had three EVs in my family including two Leafs, and that doesn't correlate to anything I've personally experienced nor have read on the EV owner forums I participate in.

markwemple
markwemple UberDork
5/16/18 11:21 a.m.

Or anything I've read.

tuna55
tuna55 MegaDork
5/16/18 12:55 p.m.

I absolutely loved mine, a lease on 2013, had it for two years, not one iota of range loss overall, some range loss in winter due to the temperature and also the heater.

 

It was great. I want another.

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard GRM+ Memberand Digital Experience Director
5/16/18 4:33 p.m.

In reply to jfryjfry :

That’s nearly impossible. Were they broken? Missing battery parts? 

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard GRM+ Memberand Digital Experience Director
5/16/18 4:33 p.m.
mtn
mtn MegaDork
5/16/18 4:52 p.m.

Watching this thread with interest.

dculberson
dculberson UltimaDork
5/16/18 8:05 p.m.
Tom Suddard said:

In reply to jfryjfry :

That’s nearly impossible. Were they broken? Missing battery parts? 

Remember jfryjfry is a stunt driver. For big budget films. A leaf subjected to thousands of miles of Hollywood driving is not a standard test case!!

nderwater
nderwater UltimaDork
5/16/18 9:49 p.m.

Ahhh.  I'm hard pressed to think of a worse car for stunt driving.  Maybe an RV?

MrJoshua
MrJoshua UltimaDork
5/16/18 10:13 p.m.
jfryjfry said:

We had 3 or 4 on a show recently and they were all used with about 45k on them 

after charging all night they would show a range of about 45-55 Miles. 

We couldn’t run heaters or any other extras and our runs were at full throttle pretty much but they lasted about 5 miles of driving before being completely drained. 

No thanks. 

I would really like details of the "completely drained" status and what the driving entailed to get there in such a short distance. Yours is an unusual situation and it would be interesting to see what the Leaf hardware and software did with it.

Ransom
Ransom GRM+ Memberand PowerDork
5/16/18 11:56 p.m.

Any talk of range in a Leaf has to include type of driving.

My very rough anecdotal summary is that it would do about 100 miles of around town, but more like 60 at 60-65 mph, and you usually ended up needing a 10-mile buffer for getting to a charging station from an interstate without sweating bullets.

The upshot is that I think it's terrible for regular travel beyond its range, but amazingly efficient and convenient where it fits.

Wenever bothered to install the L2 charger we got because we virtually always got a full charge overnight on 110, and anytime we needed to charge fast, we weren't at home, and L2 wouldn't have been fast enough. But that descends into vagaries of one's specific routines.

EDIT: ours was a new-at-the-time '13.

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard GRM+ Memberand Digital Experience Director
5/17/18 6:42 a.m.

My highway record is 78 Miles, but yes, 60 is the guaranteed safe zone. Around town? 100 is easy. 

Tom Suddard
Tom Suddard GRM+ Memberand Digital Experience Director
5/17/18 6:42 a.m.

And I’ve taken mine on quite a few long trips, too. Fast charging for the win! 

JamesMcD
JamesMcD SuperDork
5/17/18 7:13 a.m.

I wish the early ones looked like a regular car. I want one but can't deal with the looks of them.

Pete Gossett
Pete Gossett GRM+ Memberand MegaDork
5/17/18 8:23 a.m.
Tom Suddard said:

And I’ve taken mine on quite a few long trips, too. Fast charging for the win! 

Care to share more details? My one main holdup with a Leaf is being able to GTFO when the next big storm blows in, and 60 miles may not be far enough inland. 

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